Oil-Free

Vegan and gluten-free “bird’s nests” made with dark chocolate, toasted coconut, and your favorite oval shaped candy. Perfect for a sweet Easter treat!

Last night during a virtual game night with my friends, I recalled my career trajectory to where I am now.

From the time I was old enough to be asked, I told people that I wanted to be a writer.

After deciding that I wanted to be a writer, I couldn’t wait until I was older to have more life experiences.

I decided that I needed to do lots to be able to write lots and write it with authority, you know?

For the most part, this tended to be true.

Doing new things always inspired me to go home and scribble about them in my composition notebook journal.

Lately, though, being forced to stay in, I’m going inward to grab stories instead instead of going out.

And looking inward at my cabinets for pantry items to make sweet things with!

Luckily, you don’t need a lot of experience OR a lot of ingredients to make these Toasted Coconut Bird’s Nests.

They require just 3-ingredients for a simple sweet Easter treat!

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3-ingredient chocolate strawberry truffles made with canned coconut milk, dark chocolate, and freeze-dried strawberries. Try pairing with Rosso wine!

I recently re-watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the first time in over a decade.

Have you seen it?

It’s one of my all-time favorite films, even though it’s not the kind of movie I can watch every day (or every decade, apparently).

Anyway, I had to chuckle when Jim Carrey’s character says that V-day was “invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.”

I definitely wallowed a bit in the perceived truth in that quote, but then I dusted myself off and made some plans.

This year, I’m celebrating all of the love surrounding me.

Familial love, deep friendship, passion for my blog and business, and love for you, too, friend.

I’m also celebrating my love for all things wine and chocolate in this new plant-based wine pairing.

Get your heart right and make these 3-Ingredient Chocolate Strawberry Truffles enjoyed with a glass of Rosso!

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Vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a pomegranate twist! Vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free with an almond flour base.

Confession: Lately I haven’t been feeling much like a food blogger.

Let me explain.

I put so much energy into creating eats for the blog during the day that when it comes time to make anything extracurricular, I just can’t.

For example, last Friday night book club when we all brought a dish to share…you bet I showed up with a bottle of wine, a package of my favorite hummus, and a box of grain-free crackers.

And I felt pretty OK watching my friends roll in the F&V recipes while I stood there dunking crackers into pureed chickpeas that I didn’t puree myself.

I blame the season for my slight identity crisis.

It’s hard to show up in all the ways you normally show up plus get all the gifts, send all the cards, and bake all the cookies.

I set an alarm this past Wednesday morning  (ONE week before Christmas!) and scribbled out all of my Christmas cards in one furious four-hour sitting.

I wrote my name and address over and over and over again on red envelopes with achey glitter dusted hands.

Last night I had a massive Amazon shopping spree, adding items to my cart and obsessively checking the ship date to ensure arrival before Christmas.

All of the expectation of gifting and receiving can be tough, but you know what should be effortless?

Your holiday cookies– these Pomegranate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

You’re going to love these healthier holiday cookies packed with pomegranate arils and dark chocolate chunks!

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