Oil-Free

Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter

Easy 5-ingredient apple butter made with unsweetened applesauce. This fall spread is lightly sweet with maple syrup, apple cider, and a touch of kombucha.

I miss my extended family, guys.

Most of them are split between Indiana and North Carolina with a few scattered from coast to coast.

Our annual family reunion was canceled this year in an abundance of COVID caution.

We’re planning on connecting virtually over the holidays in a Zoom Room, but it’s not *quite* the same as exchanges hugs and laughs and food.

I texted my Aunt Janet on Halloween and told her how much I missed her apple butter.

I always coveted the little mason jars she sent to my parents and me, eating greedy spoonfuls on anything and everything.

It was brimming with fresh sweet apples, warm spices, and just the right amount of sweetness.

Feeling nostalgic, I decided to create my own apple butter this season that’s made super simple with applesauce.

You can make this Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter in under an hour with just 5 simple ingredients!

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Pumpkin Apple Oat Bliss Balls

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This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Pumpkin apple oat energy balls made with oats, chia seeds, nut butter, pumpkin purée, and applesauce. Add baked apple chips and pecans for crunch!

I’m writing this in my recliner next to windows so mottled with raindrops that the leaves on the trees look like an impressionistic painting.

The weather has been seriously gloomy this week.

Which is kind of a bummer because that means no outdoor adventures.

Well, unless you count braving the grocery store in sheets of rain.

The weather is a big switch from last week when I climbed Juliet’s Balcony at Great Falls National Park five times.

It was a good day of climbing; the rock felt grippy and malleable under my chalked fingertips and my feet found impossibly comfortable footholds.

At the top, I whooped and hollered and at the bottom I sat with M and we ate Pumpkin Apple Oat Bliss Balls.

Usually when climbing outdoors pre-packaged bars are my go-to for refueling.

So it really was a treat to sink my teeth into these energy bites made with apple, oats, and pumpkin.

Make these Pumpkin Apple Oat Bliss Balls in 10 minutes and take them with you anywhere you need a all boost!

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1-Bowl Orange Cranberry Bread

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1-bowl orange cranberry bread bursting with cranberries and citrus. Naturally sweetened, oil-free, and gluten-free. Perfect for a festive breakfast or snack!

Does anyone else burn their tongue like *all* the time?

Last night I burned my tongue on some seriously good chili and today I’m paying the price of being *so* impatient.

I could barely taste my matcha this morning as I sat on the couch to journal, running my tasteless tongue over my teeth in remorse.

Let’s hope I have some taste buds left to enjoy this 1-Bowl Orange Cranberry Bread that’s new on the blog today!

This zesty festive loaf is perfectly sweet and tart with fresh squeezed citrus and whole cranberries.

It comes together in one bowl in under one hour for a delicious breakfast, dessert, or snack.

Not only does it pack some powerful antioxidants and vitamin C, but it does so while being a total stunner.

Bright red cranberries and flecks of orange make for a beautiful bread that’s almost too pretty to eat.

Almost.

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Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles

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Vegan ferrero rocher truffle copycat candies made with dark chocolate, coconut milk, and hazelnuts lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup.

Pumpkin carving is *always* harder than I think it will be.

And messier.

The pumpkin pulp managed to find its way around my living room despite the blanket of newspapers I spread underneath the carving space.

M and I knelt in concentrated silence, working our paring knives back and forth to create triangular teeth and wide oval eyes.

His was scary and mine was silly.

We arranged the pumpkins on the doorstep and backed up six feet to admire them from the sidewalk.

Lit with a single candle, their faces flickered, flanking either side of my doorstep like spooky watchmen.

I snapped a few pictures to document our success, beaming with pride at our pumpkin carving abilities.

I’m also pretty proud of these Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles that will light up your holiday season.

You just need five ingredients to make a vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free version of this classic candy!

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Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews

By Flora & Vino 4 Comments

Treat your pup to 1-ingredient sweet potato treats made with sliced sweet potato slow baked at low heat for a delicious homemade dog treat.

Back when I lived with Harper I used to spoil her with store-bought sweet potato dog chews that I brought home after shopping at Mom’s Organic Market.

I loved getting them because they had only one ingredient listed on the back: sweet potato!

The treats were crispy, dried, and faintly sweet smelling.

I never tried one, but I always imagined that Harper appreciated the minimal ingredients as much as her mom did.

Harper only knew ONE speed when it came to eating, and that was *fast*.

So, naturally, she devoured these sweet potato chews way faster than my shopping trips (and my wallet) could keep up with.

I vowed to make a homemade version for her and I’m finally delivering!

These Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews are made with just sweet potatoes sliced and slow-baked to chewy perfection.

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Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

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Nut-free macaroni and cheese made in one pot with your favorite pasta, steamed root vegetables, SunButter, and a crunchy sunflower seed topping.

Friends, I finally picked my pumpkins for Halloween.

And by “picked” I mean I ordered two pumpkins on the Target app and picked them up in the Curbside pick up spot on the way home from outdoor climbing yesterday.

There was something so calming about a nameless Target employee in a red bullseye shirt picking out my gourds this season.

Picking out the “perfect” pumpkin can be a bit frustrating, can’t it?

Darting from pumpkin to pumpkin in the patch, grabbing them by the stem and rolling their bulbous body over only to find a rotting or flattened backside.

Gah.

Since all forms of decision making feels hard right about now, I was more than ready to let a stranger decide the fate of my front step decor.

Luckily, whoever it was picked me out two really solid pumpkins; round and red-orange with a stocky sturdy stem.

I literally can not wait to carve them up this weekend!

I also can’t wait to share this Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese with you.

It’s the perfect cozy companion for your table this fall made with veggies and seeds.

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Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownies

By Flora & Vino 10 Comments

Grain-free and oil-free brownies made super fudge-y with almond butter, almond flour, and pumpkin. Bake a pan for a decadent fall dessert!

Today I tackled my tax preparation for the year 2020.

If you own your own business, you might be familiar with the beast that is tracking and categorizing your annual expenses.

Usually I’m much further along than I am right now.

Partially because Dan used to take care of all of the tax *stuff* for me because he liked spreadsheets and I like that he liked spreadsheets.

Also because when COVID hit the tedious parts of being an entrepreneur felt all the more taxing (ha, pun totally intended).

But I decided recently that I needed to get that ish done for several valid reasons.

For one, the bulging magazine rack stuffed with receipts was always on my mind, which definitely detracted from my creative energy.

Secondly, I think I needed to prove to myself that I could be responsible and organized enough to do this tax prep thing alone.

It was basically the last thing that I hadn’t officially taken over since the divorce.

So this morning I used up all the ink printing Amazon purchases, online grocery receipts, and business subscriptions.

Then I squinted at the monstrous Excel spreadsheet columns and relearned how to create formulas for cell addition (I’m not an Excel person, guys!).

And, finally, I sat cross-legged on my geometric area rug and shoved receipts into dated manilla envelopes.

The relief I felt when the enormous pile of papers was sorted and the tallied totaled was immeasurable.

I’ll try to measure it by comparing it to the deliciousness of these Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownies.

These 1-bowl brownies are vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free with a hint of pumpkin and lots of cacao!

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Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free balls made with a sweet refined-sugar-free peanut butter center. Make them for a healthier homemade candy!

This week I finished my first hard copy book of 2020 and I’m pretty proud of myself.

I’ve finished a few other books for my monthly bookclub, but those were all done via the Audible app.

One of my best friends, Laura, would tell you that my version of read-listening *doesn’t count*.

But come on, friends, it totally does!

Sometimes I read-listen while doing jumping jacks upstairs in the spare bedroom, other times it’s while sudsing up pots and pans in the sink with my green rubber gloves on, and sometimes it’s while I make funny faces and swipe up on my eyelashes with black mascara.

While it’s lovely to be able to multitask, I do agree with Laura that tangible books are special.

There’s nothing quite like holding a paperback between both hands with bedsheets tucked up to your chin.

It’s the little things like reading a book from cover to cover that feel normal and nice that I cling to right now.

The book that I just finished was Rachel Hollis’s “Didn’t See That Coming”, which I highly recommend.

I also highly recommend that you start thinking about what clean candy you’re going to make for this Halloween.

Because I have a copycat recipe for you that starts with M and ends in M.

These Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls are made with a sweet refined-sugar-free peanut butter center and a dark chocolate coating!

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Grain-Free Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Grain-free sweet potato breakfast cookies made with baked sweet potato, almond flour, and SunButter. Perfect for an easy grab and go fall breakfast!

Do you ever moments where you completely forget we’re in the middle of a pandemic?

Usually the knowledge is acutely present in the forefront of my consciousness, but every now and then I completely forget.

It mostly happens when I’m outdoors, mask-free, soaking in the sunshine, walking and laughing with M.

Guys, those moments are the best.

It also happens when I’m writing– sharing content Instagram by means of a virtual connection that I was accustomed to far before it was the new normal.

Or when I’m scurrying around the kitchen, throwing plants in pans to make dinner.

Let’s do more things that make us forget about the precariousness of the current age.

Or we could also make cookies.

These Grain-Free Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies are perfect for a make ahead fall breakfast.

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Low Sugar Fig Jam & Apple Chips

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

This post is brought to you by Bare Snacks, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Three ingredient fig jam made with fresh figs, lemon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. The perfect fall spread to top on toast, warm oatmeal, or yogurt bowls.

It’s getting colder, but I still haven’t turned on the heat in my place.

I wake up to a cool 68 degree living room, where I stumble to the couch, swaddle myself in blankets, and do my morning journaling while sipping on a matcha latte.

I kind of like it.

Lately I’ve been working on reducing my energy consumption.

Yep, I’ve been giving the dial knob on my Nest thermostat a bit of a breather.

Like not heating and cooling to a perfect 72 degrees, but instead ebbing and flowing with the changing fall temperatures.

This means embracing chilly mornings with sweaters and long pants and warmer afternoons with open windows and tank tops.

I’ve found a nice surrender and presence in accepting and adapting to the weather outside the window.

Ah, autumn.

I’ve also been embracing all of the seasonal fall produce, like fresh figs and apples.

This Low Sugar Fig Jam & Apple Chips is the naturally sweet fall snack that you need this fall!

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Low Sugar Applesauce Apple Butter

Pumpkin Apple Oat Bliss Balls

1-Bowl Orange Cranberry Bread

Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles

Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews

Nut-Free 1-Pot Macaroni & Cheese

Pumpkin Almond Butter Brownies

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls

Grain-Free Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

Low Sugar Fig Jam & Apple Chips

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