Grain-Free

Roasted Squash & Arugula Salad

Roasted squash & arugula salad with pine nuts, dried cranberries, and apple cider vinegar dressing. Perfect for fall and winter lunches!

Being a new rock climber is definitely an ego boost.

I would be lying if I didn’t feel pretty darn cool carrying ropes through the state park on the approach.

Hearing kids shout and point to skeptical parents, “Wow, look, mom, rock climbers!” made my helmeted head just slightly bigger.

But learning how to rappel down a cliff yesterday definitely shook my cool.

The hardest part (for me) was lowering myself over the edge to effectively test the safety with my body weight and set up the dual ropes through my ATC.

I clung from the edge of the rock while my feet dangled, digging for comfy footholds that never came.

Looking up at M wildly I said, “I feel like Mufasa from the Lion King right now,” and burst out laughing.

Yeah, I laugh a *lot* when I’m nervous.

But it was all good because my safety latched like I knew it would and I set up my rappelling ropes no problem.

M fireman belayed me from the bottom and I repelled like a freakin’ rockstar.

When my two feet were finally on the ground again, I laughed at how simple it had all been.

This Roasted Squash & Arugula Salad is almost as satisfying as the delicious post-climbing soreness I felt waking up today.

It’s made easily with roasted winter squash, arugula, pine nuts, and dried cranberries for a

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Berry Baked Oatmeal

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Berry Baked Oatmeal made totally oil-free, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free. Meal prep a pan and reheat for an easy breakfast!

How do you structure and measure your days, friends?

Every morning before jumping into work I make a list of my top three priorities for the day.

These “impact tasks”, we’ll call them, are the things that I know move life forward even if absolutely *nothing* else gets done.

I am what I’ve heard referred to as a time optimist, which sounds like a positive thing but is actually kind of a curse.

I *always* think I can do more in 24 hours than is actually humanly possible.

So, lately I’ve been working on lowering my expectations for myself.

And choosing impact tasks that are meaningful but not necessarily ground-breaking and grueling.

Sometimes something as simple as calling a friend back or finding time for a 60 minute yoga class drastically shifts my perspective and trajectory of the day.

Or meal prepping a delicious baked oatmeal for the week!

This Berry Baked Oatmeal is sure to meet all of your breakfast expectations.

And, yes, you should probably add it to your top three impact tasks of the day.

It’s made in less than an hour for a naturally sweet breakfast that’s popping with berries, oatmeal, and nuts, for a nutritious start to your day.

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Teriyaki Sheet Pan Meal

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

One pan meal with chickpeas, broccoli, sweet potato, and mushrooms in a homemade low-sodium low sugar teriyaki sauce. Perfect for meal prep!

Guys, this week I gave my very first haircut.

I’m not sure if it was braver on my part or his.

After a 30 second YouTube tutorial and zero prior experience, I sat him down on the edge of the spare bathroom bathtub.

Wait, I said, before starting, them scampered to grab a sea foam green towel from the linen closet that I draped around his shoulders.

“So professional,” he said, and I snorted as I measured tufts of hair between fingers then snipped with crude kitchen aid Kitchen shears.

I started out timid, taking only shy centimeters of split ends off.

Then I got braver, and the whole ’do started to take shape the way my drawing final in art class became 3D with charcoal shading and my food photos draw in the eye with a well placed S curve.

It’s an art.

And it was fun!

I only nicked his ear once with the razor (oops!), and managed not to cut either party, so I’m going to call it a smashing success.

Overall, I think he was pretty satisfied with the job.

Next time I should charge, right?

Before you get super excited about a potential Flora & Vino salon opening, let’s all calm down and bake a sheet pan meal.

This Teriyaki Sheet Pan Meal is cozy for the dropping temperatures with nourishing vegetables and an easy homemade teriyaki sauce!

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Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Oatmeal cookies with gluten-free oatmeal and no-sugar-added apple butter! Perfect for a healthy fall-inspired breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Are you guys in your September routine yet?

Lately I’ve been struggling with feeling like I should be getting back to Fall routines that no longer exist.

Kind of like that weird back to school feeling post-graduation, where there is no class to go back to.

So, what are we coming back to?

Well, I’m honestly not sure.

There are some consistencies, like the weather getting cooler, the seasonal produce, the leaves beginning to change color.

But so much has changed, like my family hosting the holidays virtually, kids being homeschooled, and voting by mail.

Maybe it’s time to make new routines, guys.

I made these Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookies that could become a part of your new fall routine.

These delicious cookies are packed with hearty oats and naturally sweetened with apple butter!

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Hilary’s Burgers with Grain-Free Buns (3 Ways!)

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Veggie burgers served 3 ways with grain-free “buns”. Serve with your choice of baked sweet potato, seared portobello mushroom, or lettuce wrap.

How was your Labor Day?

My long weekend was pretty good.

I went outdoor climbing for the first time.

You can read all about it on Instagram!

Yesterday, for Labor Day, I actually mostly spent, ironically, laboring.

I cleaned the house from fans to baseboards and conquered a meal prep of the likes my fridge hasn’t seen since 2019.

I’m talking pre-made quinoa, fresh chopped celery, gleaming clean berries, and fresh baked sweet potato rounds.

I even made a batch of my Sweet & Spicy Tomato Jam to properly send off summer.

But before you put away your grill, here are my current go-to burger combos.

These Hilary’s Burgers with Grain-Free Buns (3 Ways!) are my favorite ways to enjoy my favorite vegetable patties grain-free!

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Fig Newton Breakfast Bars

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

6-ingredient breakfast bars with hearty oats, plant-based protein and fresh figs! Gluten-free, oil-free, and naturally sweetened with dates and maple syrup.

Ever since I moved into my townhome as a renter, things have been, well, falling apart.

The first offender was the dishwasher, that, to be honest, never really cleaned dishes very well from the beginning.

Then there was the great dryer debacle of 2020 where, for the span of three months, I hung all of my clothing to dry on a flimsy hang dry rack.

Crunchy towels and jeans are not fun, friends.

The doorbell stopped working after about a month so I’ve grown accustomed to listen intently for persistent knocks.

I’ve also cohabited with a mouse, a swarm of ants, and a lot of web-making spiders.

I joked to my parents on the phone a few weeks back that the only thing that hasn’t gone wrong yet was the AC.

I spoke too soon.

This past Saturday morning I woke up to a stuffy hot home with temperatures on a steady upward incline.

My Nest thermostat didn’t respond to all of my prodding and pushing on the dial so I diagnosed the AC– *gasp*– BROKEN.

Luckily, we’ve had several days in the low 80’s and mid-70’s here in Virginia, making it possible for me to have the windows down and the ceiling fans on.

So the past few days I’ve been limiting my oven use to stay cool.

Luckily, I made Fig Newton Breakfast Bars when the AC was still kicking.

These 6-ingredient breakfast bars are dense, chewy, and naturally sweet with fresh figs and dried fruit!

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Easy Vegan Potato Salad

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan potato salad made with yukon potatoes and chopped vegetables in a creamy vegan mayonnaise. Perfect to make in advance for summer entertaining.

The past few weeks I’ve been watching the Star Wars movies.

“Which Star Wars movies?” you might be wondering.

Well, all of them.

It still amazes how I made it to the age of 32 without having seen any of them.

I mean, I even took film studies in high school, guys.

So when Darth Vader bellows, “Luke, I am your father,” my jaw just about dropped down to my pajama bottomed booty.

Basically, I was shook, and so was the ginger kombucha in the glass I gripped tightly between my hands.

I know I’m about 30 years late to jump on this worldwide pop-culture phenomenon, but the story has me hooked.

It really is an epic love story spanning across space and time, isn’t it?!

Kind of like the kind of love story I would write myself into with this Easy Vegan Potato Salad.

It’s so easy to throw together with boiled potatoes, fresh chopped vegetables, and a creamy vegan mayonnaise!

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Blueberry Mousse Brownies

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Two layer vegan blueberry mousse brownies that are vegan, grain-free, and refined sugar-free with almonds, dark chocolate, and cashew blueberry cream.

Guys, I’m planning an outdoor climbing adventure.

Want to come?

Now, before you go all Alex Honnold from Free Solo on me, let me tell you it’s not going to be that precarious.

I might have mentioned before how much I enjoy indoor climbing.

There’s something about hoisting myself from colorful hold to hold, vertically pressed against the incline that gets my heart thumping and my mind engaged.

But doing it all outdoors is a whole new world.

Or at least, I’m sure it is.

I haven’t made it that far yet, but I have all of the gear!

I’ve got my teal harness and my form fitting climbing shoes and my carabiner (which is *way* too fun to say, by the way) all ready for the climb.

Now I’m just waiting for the summer heat to die down before hitting the rock.

Until then, the only thing that I really want to climb right now are the layers on these Blueberry Mousse Brownies.

They’re made vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free with decadent dark chocolate and a creamy cashew blueberry mousse.

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Pineapple Turmeric Tahini Shake

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Anti-inflammatory shake made with frozen banana, pineapple, turmeric, and a tahini twist. Perfect for a post-workout shake or quick and bright breakfast!

Yesterday I had my first “real” shopping experience since before quarantine where I returned stuff I’d been holding onto over the past few months.

The items in question hung from sloppy shopping bags on my coat rack casting shadows that loomed large after the sun went down.

A pair of Madewell shorts and romper that didn’t quite fit right, hiking gear from REI, and a trashcan from Target.

Cool stuff, bro.

Anyway, navigating the stores amidst and pandemic was a lot easier than I expected.

Mask, hand sanitizer, receipts, merchandise, check, check, check.

I even tried on new climbing shoes at REI, balancing my toe tips on the edge of the shelving to ensure a proper fit.

And I bought toothpaste at Target– in real life.

Woah.

It was strange and surreal to navigate town centers and shops in a totally normal but totally changed way.

And it made me miss all of the times I had returned items in the past, grumbling and impatient at the inconvenience.

Because to be honest, my return item spree is the most excitement my wallet and I have seen in quite some time.

Well, aside from this Pineapple Turmeric Tahini Shake.

It’s bright, cheery, and sweet while being packed with anti-inflammatory foods and an optional boost of protein!

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Paleo Chocolate Chip Waffles

By Flora & Vino 6 Comments

Paleo chocolate chip waffles made with almond flour, cacao powder, canned coconut milk, and dark chocolate chunks. Serve with maple syrup for breakfast!

I’ve always been what I like to call “sleep in defective”.

In high school I would wait impatiently on the weekends for my boyfriend and friends to wake up.

I was itching to text them before noon, knowing full well I wouldn’t receive a response until lunchtime or past.

As an adult, the early morning trend continued and serves me well to keep me in my professional workweek routine.

The consistency of the workweek cascades into the weekend so I pretty much always wake up at the same time.

Even when I’m (occasionally) out until the wee hours of the morning, I wake up before my iPhone reads 8:00 AM in glowing white light.

So imagine my surprise when this week I woke up one day at 9 AM!

Yes, I know, I was shocked, too, and did a double and triple take on the time.

Lately I’ve been leaning into stolen hours of sleep, lazy mornings, and sweet languid breakfasts.

I have the perfect sweet breakfast for you to make on a lazy morning.

These Paleo Chocolate Chip Waffles are made with almond flour, cacao powder, and plenty of dark chocolate chunks for a fun breakfast.

Whether you sleep in until noon or catch the sunrise, these waffles are easy to make to sweeten your AM!

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