Hi honeybunnies!
I had a super fun photoshoot with my friend Brett yesterday to photograph all of my new RFFMBT shirts! After traveling to San Francisco, Denver (twice), Palm Springs, Nebraska, Iowa, and Monterey, I’ve finally had some down time to get the ball rolling on my shirts! Ohhhhhh my goji I’m so excited I can’t even stand it!!! I did Brett’s hair and make-up yesterday (she looks like the ultimate rffmbt bunny!) and then we blasted some top 40 hits while taking pictures. We had so much fun that I ended up with over 500 pictures! Oopsiessss! Now I have lots of sorting and editing to do in order to get my store up and running. Hopefully (cross your little bunny paws) that the new inventory will be ready for the store this weekend or early next week! Of course I will definitely notify you guys in a post as soon as they are up!
So I’ve seen this recipe for a healthy Frosty Shake floating around the interwebs recently, and this morning my friend’s mom (Brett’s mom, actually!) posted it on my Facebook! It was pretty much a sign that it needed to be tried. I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it. The end result? Not up to RFFMBT standards… It was a little too icy and bland for my taste, so I took to the kitchen to perfect a Frosty Light for you guys!
Did you know, that a small Original Chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s has a grand total of 290 calories, 7 (g) fat, and 40 (g) of sugar? Yes 40 grams of sugar! OMG! Ya, I had no idea either. I’m usually really good when it comes to reading nutrition labels, but when I indulge in ice cream I usually avoid the label and enjoy. So when I do look up the nutrition information for things like this, sometimes my jaw drops! I forget how much sugar restaurants add!
Behold the Chocolate Frosty Light! Only 5 ingredients (well 6 if you count ice cubes) that you probably already have in your kitchen! Score! I’ve used a frozen banana for natural sweetness, almond milk for that rich creamy texture, and chia seeds for thickness! Chia seeds in a “Frosty?” You betcha! Chia seeds swell to about 10 times their natural size when combined with liquid, resulting in a thick gel-like texture. Blend them thoroughly in your Frosty Light and get a nice ‘n’ thick smoothie and an added bonus of healthy Omega-3s and fiber. Trust me, after they’re blended up you won’t even know they’re there!
Chocolate Frosty Light
Serves 1
1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8-10 ice cubes
Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
There’s Nikki in her own row! VIP chef haha.
When we finally arrived in Monterey, we were greeted by our driver with a Dole sign and got into our escalade. It felt like a scene out of Gossip Girl! Away we went to 
We arrived at Carmel Valley Ranch and checked into our gorgeous rooms. CVR is absolutely stunning! The hotel has a natural rustic look that is relaxing and upscale without being over the top. I definitely enjoyed my wraparound balcony and two fireplaces! Besides the gorgeous decor and tranquil views of my room, I was impressed my Carmel Valley Ranch’s dedication to energy saving. My suite was equipped with many simple and sophisticated energy efficient and environmental friendly features. When entering the room, you simply place your hotel keycard into a slot by the door to turn on the power to the fans, air conditioning, lights, etc. When leaving the suite, all you need to do is simply remove the room keycard and all lights and A/C are turned off to conserve energy. No need to run around turning all of the lights off each time you leave. The top outlet plugs can run without the card, so you can still charge your electronics when you leave, too. It’s pretty remarkable and so simple! I have so much appreciation for a stunning hotel with great service that is also eco-friendly. It just goes to show that hotels can still have wonderful 5 star accommodations while contributing to our environmentally friendly efforts.
Gorgeous view of Carmel Valley from my room. Each morning I woke up to deer and wild turkey’s roaming around the fog covered hills.
After getting settled into my room I changed out of my plane clothes and joined everyone for dinner at the hotel. I loved meeting new friends from Dole and talking with Lisa Gosselin from 
Dinner was a gorgeous mix of fresh salad greens from Dole’s local farms and perfectly cooked veggies (not photographed because I ate it so quickly!) followed by none other than a decadent 
After dinner some of the other bloggers and I headed over to the pool area for s’mores! Carmel Valley Ranch has a s’more bar open for guests every night! How cute is this? They even had wipes to clean off sticky s’more hands!
Our little helper Roxy (a permanent Carmel Valley Ranch Resident) joined for s’more roasting!
Tuesday morning started off with a delicious breakfast incorporating Dole salad greens! Dole prepared an 
After breakfast, we headed to Salinas to visit a Iceberg Lettuce field. For those of you who haven’t driven through Salinas, California, this is the famous Lettuce Man. So awkwardly amazing! hahaha. Every time I drive to Carmel, I always laugh at this huge cutout in Salinas. I was really talking up Lettuce Man to my fellow bloggers during the car ride, so I secretly asked the bus driver if he would drive by the cutout so we could get photos. Everyone was cracking up when they saw Lettuce Man! SO worth it!
Lettuce fields forever!
How gorgeous is this lettuce? It literally looks like someone perfectly placed it there!
The owner of this specific field, farmer Mark Pisoni, grows multiple types of lettuce for Dole. Right after we hopped off of the bus he took a huge head of lettuce from the ground, chopped off the end, and took a big bite! We all got to take bites of the fresh lettuce straight from the field. It was crisp and seriously juicy!
A member of Mark’s team and Kelly from Dole with big ol’ heads of fresh lettuce! No one can pull off a hairnet quite like Kelly! For those of you who are wondering, we were required to wear hairnets while on the field because of FDA guidelines that are set for Dole.
Getting a briefing on the harvesting process on the field.
It was incredible to see Mark and his team harvesting lettuce by hand up close and personal in the fields. It still shocks me that Iceberg Lettuce is so affordable (around $2 per head) after seeing all of the manual labor that goes into harvesting it. The harvesting team puts lots of love into that lettuce, so make sure to thank your farmers! I have so much appreciation and respect for farmers!
The Dole team and bloggers knee deep in lettuce.
Lettuce to my knees!
Kristin from 
Frolicking through the field in my Eat More Rabbit Food hoodie! Rabbit. Food. Heaven. Is this real life?!
Our next stop of the day was to the Dole Packaging Plant. After lettuce is harvested from the field, it is immediately transported to here to be triple washed, cut, packed, and shipped to a grocery store near you! Sorry folks, no photos were allowed during this part of the tour.
After touring the packaging plant, we made our way to the lab with Emilio! While at the lab, we were given a Lettuce 101 test! Probably my favorite test of all times! It reminded me of bio tests in high school much way better, because it consisted of lettuce. lots o’ lettuce! Emilio and the Dole team displayed 25 different types of lettuce and fresh vegetables marked with numbers for us to identify! Saldy team RFFMBT could only match 16 correctly! I need to study up!!! Don’t worry, I DEFINITELY identified kale and baby kale correctly! haha.
A look at Dole’s new Taste of Spain inspired promotional packaging! Look closely at the bottom left of select lettuce bags, you could win a 40,000 trip to Spain! Yes, it’s confirmed, Dole is the best!
After visiting the plant, we made our way to Paraiso Vineyards for some wine and lunch!
The view of Salinas was stunning! Lettuce fields for days!
Dole roasted veggies and cheese with some white wine.
Fresh Dole Arugula and Quinoa Salad tossed with grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, smoked almonds, fets cheese, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Once we finished lunch, we headed back to Carmel Valley ranch for a Global Trends Seminar with 
Once the Global Trends Seminar concluded, Executive Chef Brandon Miller from 
We numbered off into groups for a tapas competition! There’s Jane from
Executive Chef Brandom Miller and 
Team 2! We won “Best Presentation” and “Most Authentic!” From Left: Executive Chef Brandon Miller, ME!, 
Next on the itinerary was dinner at 
I squealed over the bull salt and pepper shakers, they’re so cute!!! I’m a dork!
Gabe Georis demonstrating how to drink wine out of the Porron. As you can see, most of us couldn’t figure it out and resorted to pouring it straight into a glass! There was lots of wine splashing everywhere, and everyone was having a great time!
We ate an unbelievable amount of tapas at Mundaka that night! Some of the highlights were the Seafood Paella and rich chocolate with toast for dessert! I loved how excited Gabe Georis to have us for dinner. His restaurant has a family vibe as he is always walking around from table to table greeting his dinner guests. You can tell how much he loves his restaurant and guests! If you love seafood, you should definitely stop by Mundaka if you are in the area!
The next morning I sat down for a bite to eat at breakfast during our last seminar with Stacy Fraser from Eating Well before heading to Monterey Airport for my flight home. As soon as I got to the airport I grabbed a fresh cup of java from my favorite local coffee roasting company in Carmel and boarded my plane. While flying on the big bird I began writing my post for 
Toning my arms on the Teacups! haha just kidding!
I have a super simple healthy snack for you guys. I love having Banana Roll-Ups for breakfast with some Greek yogurt, as a pre workout snack to fuel me through my barre classes or runs, or as a post workout snack. They’re easy to make and totally hit the spot!
