Healthy Snacking

SunButter Yogurt Dip

SunButter Yogurt Dip made with non-dairy yogurt, Organic SunButter, and a hint of maple and cinnamon. Perfect as a nutritious dip for sliced apples!

This week I take my second course in Lead Climbing at my indoor climbing gym!

Lead climbing is my latest project in my climbing journey.

Instead of having a set anchor point, the climber leads with the rope, clipping the rope into carabiners along the way.

So, basically, the climber sets new anchor points as they climb!

Climbing like this allows for more versatility in the nature of the climbs, and my ultimate goal is to be able to lead outdoors with M.

But first, I’m trying to master all of the new information indoors.

In class, we have to practice catching and taking falls as both belayer and climber.

When my instructor shouted, “Lauren, Fall, Fall, Fall!” I had to just…let go.

It’s a weird thing to intentionally *fall*, and my feet found the wall again before I could really register the falling or the fear.

It also was a very real representation of what I knew to be true: that the worry, anxiety, and dread is often so much worse than the thing itself.

But I do wish that this SunButter Yogurt Dip had caught me for a sweet soft landing.

This light and fluffy dip is made with just 4 ingredients and is the perfect partner to sliced apples for snack time!

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Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding

By Flora & Vino 3 Comments

Peanut butter & banana chocolate chip chia pudding that’s naturally sweetened with banana. Perfect to meal prep for breakfast or a snack!

Hi, friends!

This week I officially started my structured marathon training.

Sure, I’ve been running this year with the marathon in mind, but I haven’t been following a *plan*.

And if you know me, you know I *love* a good plan.

So this week after getting back from Germany I started the Nike Marathon training plan.

Initially, it looks scary, but broken down it’s really just 2 shorter runs per week and one longer endurance run.

I’m also excited to try out my new hydration pack and hydration tablets into my training!

Since I’ll be running more, I’m going to need more healthy snacks and meals.

Bananas are wonderful for post-running fuel, so I’ve been enjoying them in fun ways after jogging into my kitchen.

This Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding is the latest in my banana bonanza.

This delicious chia pudding is perfect to meal prep for warmer weather!

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Banana Peanut Butter Bites

By Flora & Vino 18 Comments

Banana Peanut Butter Bites made with banana, peanut butter, hemp hearts, and dark chocolate chips. Enjoy them raw or freeze for a sweet chilled snack!

If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I didn’t eat raw bananas for…a while.

Whether it was a real intolerance or not, I’m not sure, but for a while I didn’t feel great post-nana.

So I wrote them off my grocery list and only used them baked into banana bread.

Until recently, I started craving them.

My body really wanted bananas, so I decided to listen.

I split open a banana, slices it into rounds, and dipped it into peanut butter.

It tasted *so* good, friends.

As I stood in the kitchen gobbling up banana bites, I kicked myself for all the banana possibilities I missed out on in the past few years.

Let’s make up for lost time and make these Banana Peanut Butter Bites on repeat, OK?

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Snickerdoodle Oat Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Snickerdoodle Oat Bliss Balls that taste like a snickerdoodle in energy ball form. They’re made with oats, protein powder, nut butter, and lots of cinnamon!

I’m the queen of portable snacks.

And I’m the best traveling companion because not only do I have a bar for you, but one for you, too, boo.

Usually I have a pre-packaged snack bar in every purse pocket, but I’m trying to do better about making some of my own snacks.

Making your own energy balls is great because you can control the ingredients while using less packaging!

These Snickerdoodle Oat Bliss Balls make it easy to love making your own energy balls.

They’re made with 6 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

Mix some up this week for a sweet no-bake treat to power all of your summer activities!

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PB&J Yogurt Parfait

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

PB&J Yogurt Parfait made with peanut butter, fresh strawberries, and plant-based yogurt. Serve with granola for a fun meal prep breakfast.

I’ve been on a *huge* peanut butter and jelly kick recently, friends.

I think I approach the classic combination of fruit and nut butter with more curiosity after M explained that it really isn’t a thing in Germany.

It’s hard for me to divorce the nostalgia of childhood from mixing sweet jam and nut butter…in any form.

With berry season well on its way, I thought I should get a head start on making recipes bursting with berries.

Whether you grew up on PB&J or are entirely new to the combination, you’re going to love this post.

These PB&J Yogurt Parfait are my latest breakfast obsession.

They’re so easy to meal prep in advance or layer together in less than 5 minutes the morning.

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Lemon Cashew Chia Seed Muffins

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan and grain-free lemon cashew chia seed muffins with superfine almond flour, chia seeds, cashew butter, and lemon. Perfect for snacking!

Last week M and I went on an adventure in New York City to visit friends.

It’s been a while since I made a trip to the big apple; since pre-Covid days.

In art school, my classmates and I took the “art bus” once a semester to tour the art museums.

It was then that I tried my first New York pizza, strolled through central park, and navigated the grid system of the city.

This trip was special because it was M’s first time to the city that never sleeps!

Each time in NYC always feels simultaneously too much and never enough for me.

While I don’t think I could ever live there, I always enjoy being a tourist for the day.

We ate vegan Mexican food from a food truck, gazed at Starry Night in the MoMa, and gleefully rode rented bikes through Manhattan.

On the train ride home I was exhausted but content at a day of making memories.

Make some memories in the kitchen with me by making these Lemon Cashew Chia Seed Muffins.

They’re made totally vegan and grain-free with superfine almond flour, chia seeds, cashew butter, and lots of lemon!

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Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookie

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookie made with oats, banana, and dark chocolate chips. Bakes in 25 minutes for a fun breakfast!

Sometimes reality TV is weirdly comforting to me.

The day I first made this a single serve breakfast cookie I was simultaneously binge-watching Love Is Blind Season 2 on Netflix.

Judge me, but watching these “love stories” unfold from the comfort of my living room was wildly cathartic.

And inspired me to make an equally cozy baked breakfast.

I alternated between sitting on the TV couch and standing by the oven to check on the cookie progress.

When it was done I enjoyed mouthfuls of cookie while watching drama unfold on the TV screen.

I’ve made plenty of breakfast cookies on Flora & Vino, but I’ve never made a *single* breakfast cookie.

This Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookie is made with, oats, banana, and dark chocolate chips.

Each cookie has all of the healthy nutrition of a bowl of oats, shaped and baked into a crave-able cookie!

It bakes in just 22 minutes with 7 ingredients you probably already have on hand.

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SunButter & Jelly Bliss Balls

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

SunButter & Jelly Bliss Balls that taste like a PB&J in energy ball form, without any nuts! Perfect to meal prep for on-the-go snacking.

Happy April, everyone!

I brought in the month with some wonderful women away at a bachelorette weekend in Pennsylvania.

It’s been a while since I was in the company *just* girls, and I thoroughly enjoyed the dressing up and down.

We shared a cabin and had a slow-paced weekend of hiking, games, wine tasting, exploring, and chatting.

It was also my birthday on Saturday, so there was lots to celebrate.

When I got home I was inspired to rearrange my entire closet for spring!

I replenished my closet hangers with pastel T-shirts where jewel-toned fluffy sweaters used to be.

These SunButter & Jelly Bliss Balls are the energy ball you need to get through your spring cleaning.

They’re perfect to meal prep for on-the-go snacking and taste like chewy a PB&J without any nuts!

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Carrot Cake Almond Flour Muffins

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Carrot cake almond flour muffins with almond milk yogurt, shredded carrots, walnuts, and raisins. Perfect to meal prep for snacking.

I have my first sunburn of the year, friends.

The warm pink glow on my forehead is a reminder of happy hours spent outdoors on Saturday.

This past weekend I hiked the “Difficult Run” 10 mile trail in Virginia with friends.

It was strange to sweat and squint in the sunshine; my body and brain adjusting to the feeling of actually being HOT.

It felt so good, despite the fact that my face probably got a little more Vitamin D than necessary.

As of yesterday, it’s officially Spring, so I’m testing all of the seasonal flavors in F&V kitchen.

These Carrot Cake Almond Flour Muffins are my current favorite seasonal snack.

They’re made plant-based and gluten-free with super-fine almond flour and old-fashioned oats.

They’ve got the best taste and lots of texture, made with shredded carrots, walnuts, and raisins.

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Green Tahini Date Shake

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Green plant-based protein shake with creamy tahini, Medjool dates, and a big handful of leafy greens. Perfect for a quick breakfast or snack!

Did I tell you that I’m training for a marathon?

You might also find it amusing that I *just* completed my first two runs of 2022 this March.

As warm weather teases us here in Maryland, I’m slowly getting my running momentum back.

Those 26 miles seem unreachable right now, but that’s kind of the point, right?

After my half marathon a few years ago, I couldn’t imagine running anything further.

Which is why I want to do it; to prove to myself that I’m stronger, more resilient, more capable than I could imagine.

Well, that, and because I love running.

Needless to say, for the remainder of the year, I’m going to need all of the fuel.

This Green Tahini Date Shake is the fresh shamrock-colored shake you need for Saint Patrick’s Day.

It’s got creamy tahini, Medjool dates, a big handful of leafy greens, and plenty of plant-based protein.

Let’s shake things up this spring!

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Healthy Snacking

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