Refined Sugar-Free

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Eggs

Easy chocolate peanut butter eggs with just 4-ingredients! Perfect for an Easter treat or anytime healthy candy substitute.

Happy Friday!

How was your week?

I feel like it’s that time of the year when all of us humans start to slowly come out of hibernation.

So, my calendar this weekend is full– want to hear?

We’ve got a baseball game this evening, followed by bookclub brunch tomorrow, and a hair highlight on Sunday.

That might not seem like a lot to you, but to an introvert, well, that’s a whole lot of socialization.

My one rule is to never plan TWO events in one day, because in my experience that never ends well for my energy levels.

My other rule is always tackle the weekend with a clean treat, preferably a plant-based peanut butter and chocolate coated candy.

You ready?

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Allergy Fighting Acai Bowl

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy low-sugar allergy fighting acai bowl with anti-inflammatory acai, pineapple, berries, and bee pollen. Perfect for a warm weather breakfast or snack.

Do you have the seasonal sniffles around this time of year?

We had the windows open almost all weekend, letting the perfect 70 degree breeze waft through the condo, tickling my photography gear and paper planner.

It was all fine and good until I woke up this morning stuffy and puffy, the price for luxuriating in the spring air.

This Allergy Fighting Acai Bowl is just what we need to ease any inflammation this season.

It’s packed with my favorite anti-inflammatory fruits that will sooth your suffering and satisfy your tastebuds.

If nothing else, it tastes and looks amazing to boot.

All you need is 10 minutes, a few cups of colorful fruit, and some topping intrigue.

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Vegan & Gluten-Free Yogurt Granola Cups

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Easy vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free baked granola cups served with plant-based yogurt and fresh berries! Perfect for an easy meal-prep breakfast.

Who were you when you were young?

Growing up, I was always the cute one, the nice one, the girl next door.

I was the girl that you could count on showing up to your house with homemade cookies and three different movie options to match your mood.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t until my mid-20’s that I realized that much of my grown-up woman identity was precariously built on this idea of being that sweet little girl.

It’s funny– I didn’t like it then–I always wanted to be a little more unpredictable with sharper edges.

When you read this post it’ll probably be my birthday–and guys; I’m not 17 anymore.

But you know what is still super cute, little, and sweet?

These Vegan Yogurt Granola Cups.

You only need 6-ingredients to make the granola cups and 2-ingredients to fill them!

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Healthy Magic Cookie Bars

By Flora & Vino 15 Comments

Healthy magic cookie bars with chocolate, pecans, and coconut. These copy-cat bars are vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweet with dates and maple syrup.

Happy Saturday!

I’m back home today after a quick trip this week to California.

And by quick I mean flying in for dinner and back the next day.

This year, I vowed to say yes to all the opportunities to travel, and so far I’ve kept that intention fulfilled.

I’ve got admit, though, that my eyelids are heavy as I’m writing this.

Traveling can be exhausting, so it’s always nice to come home to something sweet, like these Healthy Magic Cookie Bars waiting for me in my fridge.

You only need 7 ingredients to make these energizing bars that are equal parts sweet and nutritious.

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Vegan Yellow Cake with Chocolate SunButter Frosting

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan yellow cake with Chocolate SunButter frosting made yellow with raw golden beets. Made gluten-free with almond and oat flour!

Happy first day of spring!

The season greeted us here in Virginia with a crisp 28-degree morning.

Typical.

I’m so ready for spring, guys.

I was imagining we’d bring it in with flowers and greens and also this Vegan Yellow Cake with Chocolate SunButter Frosting.

This fresh take on the classic cake is vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar free with a creamy 3-ingredient frosting.

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Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Grain-free thumbprint cookies with peanut butter, coconut, and naturally sweet with a date caramel center. Perfect for a healthy dessert or sweet snack.

I don’t know when exactly that it happened, but at some point I became a podcast person.

It probably happened after I left the corporate workforce and started spending my days scampering from the kitchen to the studio with photogenic foods.

As it turns out, even though I’m a classic introvert, I missed the affable interactions I had with other humans on a regular basis.

Enter podcasting– the best conversations I can have with people without leaving my house.

Some of my favorite podcasters have come to feel like my BFFS, or at least, my new work peers.

I can always count on them to be on time, even when Miss Harper decides to play hooky and snooze all day upstairs.

Also, we always skip the small talk and get straight to the good stuff.

I guess I should do the same for you, huh?

OK well, here’s the scoop, straight and tasty.

These Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are kind of incredible.

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Matcha Avocado Chia Pudding

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Green pudding with matcha, avocado, and chia seeds lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or a healthy dessert.

I’m not sure exactly how we got to half way through March, but here we are.

Marching through March.

Some big things happen in March, like my little sister’s birthday, the first day of Spring, and Saint Patty’s Day.

Ever since Expo West I’ve been craving all things green, which is totally on-brand because I’ve got the whole spring green thing playing in my favor.

My favorite green things lately is this Matcha Avocado Chia Pudding, which combines two of my favorite green things in one powerhouse recipe.

Avocado and matcha blended into portable chia cups that are nutritious, colorful, and revitalizing.

They’re packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats, with a boost of energy with just 5-ingredients you mix in advance!

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2-Ingredient Roasted Peanut-Cashew Butter & Banana Chips

By Flora & Vino 5 Comments

2-Ingredient Roasted Peanut-Cashew Butter & Banana Chips without any added oils or sugars. Try this combination for a fun nutritious snack.

I’m home.

My bulging carry-on was promptly flagged for a search at the security checkpoint at LAX on the way home to VA.

The officer doing the searching laughed incredulously when he unzipped my suitcase to find heaps of bars, bites, and snacks from Expo West.

“Munchies,” he said over and over, smirking. “Can’t argue with that.”

I tried to explain that I had just been at a food conference, feeling mildly defensive like I needed to explain myself and my bushel of bars.

But really, does one ever need to explain traveling with precious delicious cargo?

When we got home, I had every energy bar not yet sold in stores but I didn’t have a simple jar of peanut butter, so I decided to make my own.

Let’s blend up this 2-Ingredient Roasted Peanut-Cashew Butter that’s the perfect easy intro to nut-buttering.

It’s perfection on banana chips for the ultimate 3-ingredient snack!

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Vegan Salted Snickers Bars

By Flora & Vino 8 Comments

Satisfy your candy bar cravings with vegan snickers bars made with an almond flour and date nougat, date caramel, peanuts, and salted dark chocolate.

Happy Sunday!

I’m writing to you today from my hotel in Huntington Beach, Cali after wrapping up my visit to Natural Products Expo West.

It’s been whirlwind of walking and talking and eating.

I sampled all of the new products in the industry, but you know what I didn’t find?

Vegan Salted Snickers Bars.

We just might have to make these for ourselves.

Let’s make good-for-you Snickers bars with just 7 ingredients!

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Berry Yogurt Protein Parfaits

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Blueprint Berry Yogurt Protein Parfaits are perfect for busy mornings and meal prep. Stir in plant-based protein powder and top with your favorites.

This breakfast was born out of unapologetically busy mornings without a whole lot going on in the fridge.

I was committed to an early Saturday morning yoga class. the one you idealize on Friday evening and greet sluggishly Saturday by pressing the snooze button a handful of times before finally extricating yourself from bed just in time.

With minutes to spare, I needed something quick, quicker that a protein shake quick, so I grabbed a container of yogurt, added a spoonful of protein powder, a big handful of granola, and lots of berries, and ran out the door.

After the first hurried bite I knew that I had a new recipe blueprint on my hands.

Hello, Berry Yogurt Protein Parfaits.

The first versions of this combination were far from photogenic— an indiscernible cup of mush white with the occasional spotting of a granola cluster or smashed berry.

I refined things here so you can choose to dine and dash or make a prettier parfait version in advance.

Either way, this is an easy grab and go breakfast or snack that will save you when pressed for time!

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Refined Sugar-Free

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