Month: May 2012

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian

Black Bean Fajita Tacos

When I think of Mexican food, a few words come to mind: greasy, fat, oil, salty, and fried.

It’s easy to classify Mexican food as unhealthy because of the way it is often prepared, but not all Mexican food has to be bad for your waistline.
I’ve swapped the oil and salt for healthier alternatives such as:
Oil : low sodium vegetable broth
Salt : No-Salt added seasonings & beans
Fried taco shells : soft whole corn tortillas

Question: Have you even seen how much sodium is in a can of black beans?
There is up to 550mg of sodium per serving in some brands. Even labels that read “low-sodium” can be completely misleading, adding up to 400mg of sodium per serving! Make sure to take an extra 30 seconds to read the nutrition labels and pay close attention to the sodium content and servings!


Black Bean Fajita Tacos
Serves 1

2 whole corn soft taco sized tortillas
1 cup green bell pepper
1 cup onion
1/2 cup no salt added black beans (I use 365 Organic)
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth (I use Pacific)
1/4 Hass avocado
1/4 small jalapeño
lime juice – to taste
garlic powder – to taste
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning (no-salt added) – to taste

Pour the vegetable broth in a pan over medium-high heat. Chop bell pepper and onion into long strips and add to the pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder and Fiesta Lime seasoning. While the vegetables are cooking, cut the avocado and remove 1/4 of the “meat.” Finely chop the jalapeño and combine with 1/4 avocado in a small bowl. Add lime juice and mix until desired taste is reached. Set the guacamole aside. Place the beans in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir the vegetables until broth has been absorbed and veggies are tender. Heat the corn tortillas in a microwave for 20 seconds. Transfer the warm tortillas to a plate and then add the vegetables, beans, and top with fresh guacamole.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper & onions
Whole Grain: whole corn tortillas
Protein: beans
Plant Based Fat: avocado
Free Extras: jalapeño, garlic powder, lime juice, vegetable broth, fiesta lime seasoning.

Now Sam and I are off for a run!
Did you get your exercise in this morning? 

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Breakfast, Desserts, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Gargantuan Green Giant

Prepare yourselves for the greenest green smoothie ever:
THE GARGANTUAN GREEN GIANT!

I was really craving ice cream the other night so instead of giving in, I started experimenting in the kitchen. I pulled out all of my favorite ingredients at the moment and decided to combine them into a smoothie. It turned out soooo creamy and actually tasted like a sugar cookie. Strange how those things work, right? Use healthy ingredients… end up with a creamy melty sweet treat! I love when that happens! Although I had this for dessert, I would probably have it for a meal because it has a great balance of whole grains, produce, and healthy fat. All you need is some protein powder and you would be good to go! The smoothie ended up being pretty big, so I told myself that I would only have half and save the rest for later. Well, that didn’t happen… and then I ended up wide awake pinning things on Pinterest! You guys are going to love this one! It’s a huge energy booster and so healthy, yet extremely delicious! Plus it is really hearty and filling, you won’t be hungry again for hours.

The ingredient list may look overwhelming and long, but everything can be found at Whole Foods or your local health food store. To get more organized and make the process faster, get out all of the measuring cups and ingredients and put them on the counter before you begin. This way everything will be easily accessible and ready to scoop and blend!

Gargantuan Green Giant
Serves 1

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups fresh spinach
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp almonds
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp Spirulina powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 drops liquid stevia or other natural sweetener
6 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy cold.
Note: If you do not have a high powered blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec, start by blending the hard ingredients (i.e. almonds, oats, and spinach) with the almond milk to ensure they are thoroughly blended. Then gradually add the other ingredients. You could use a Tbsp more of almond milk or water to get the blender running smoothly because this smoothie is rather thick.
Side Note: If your blender cannot handle almonds at all, substitute for 1 Tbsp of unsalted almond butter.

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Breakfast, Recipes, Toast Tuesdays, Vegetarian

Whole-Wheat French Toast

Guess what day it is?
TOAST TUESDAY!

Mmmmm a healthy twist on the ultimate kind of toast: French Toast! French Toast may have a poor reputation when it comes to healthy breakfast choices, but not when it’s pretty and perfectly portioned! It’s the perfect combination of protein, whole-grain, healthy fats, and produce!


Whole Wheat French Toast
Serves 1 

1 slice whole-wheat bread
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup egg whites
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3 drops liquid stevia or other natural sweetener

Combine egg whites, cinnamon, and sweetener in a bowl.  Soak the slice of bread in the egg mixture until it is absorbed. Place the bread in a pan lightly coated in cooking spray over medium heat. Pour excess egg mixture on top of the bread. Flip and cook both sides until the egg is no longer runny. Transfer to a plate and top with fresh raspberries and almonds.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: raspberries
Whole Grain: whole-wheat bread
Protein: egg whites
Plant Based Fat: sliced almonds

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Fitness, Fun Facts, Tips

FitFluential

Exciting announcement!

Because YOU visit, email, comment, tweet, pin, and share my blog, I have gained an incredible following with thousands of viewers per day. With every click of your mouse, YOU have helped me to gain exposure by top fitness magazines, health food companies, and blogging communities! Thank YOU, because without my readers, this blog is nothing!

I am soooo beyond excited to announce that I am an official ambassador for FitFluential! I will be joining a family of fitness fanatics who spread a positive healthy message year-round. FitFluential is a “nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media outlets.” Being an ambassador of FitFluential is such an honor, and I am so thrilled to be joining a growing company with such positive impact. I cannot wait to work with their incredible sponsors and partners! Thank you so much to Kelly Olexa for the incredible opportunity!

A little while ago, I mentioned how I was frustrated and stuck in my head battling a vicious cycle of poor body image and lack on motivation to keep up with my healthy lifestyle. I’m not perfect, and like many others, sometimes I can’t resist a piece of carrot cake, and sometimes I wake up and don’t want to exercise. My goal as the author of this blog is to be honest with my readers and share both my successes and struggles. My journey of losing and maintaining weight has had it’s share of ups and downs, and I want to influence others to stay motivated, on track, and reach their goals. Thanks to the tight knit community of bloggers and my very own readers and friends, I was able to regroup and remember why I changed my lifestyle in the first place: to be healthy and fit. I will be working with FitFluential, to share this same goal by practicing what I preach, and encouraging others to get healthy and fit!

#FitFluential starts now! After you finish reading this post, close your laptop, turn off your computer, lock your iPad, and head out for a 30 minute walk! Don’t feel like leaving the house? That’s fine! Instead, do 30 pushups on the hour, 30 squats every time you talk on the phone, jumping jacks during commercial breaks, or 30 lunges as you text your friends, whatever it is, get moving! The excuse “I don’t have time to workout” has just been removed from your dictionary of phrases. I’m sure you could squeeze in some sit-ups while you’re waiting for water to boil on the stove. There are so many little opportunities to squeeze in some reps throughout the day! You don’t need to go to the gym to tone up those arms. Grab some canned vegetables and do some tricep extensions! Just because you’re not at the gym, it doesn’t mean you’re not getting a decent workout!

I’ve been slowly coming back out of my fitness rut and back on track. I’ve been going out on walks, taking the stairs (malls, apartment buildings, office buildings), and doing squats as I cook. This week I will be starting one of my toughest challenges yet: vacation. I will be packing up my running shoes and visiting my boyfriend in Texas, but this time, I refuse to give in to vacation mode and delicious southern cooking. I will be staying #FitFluential with the help of Sam, who is pumped and has already planned out daily runs in every park in the surrounding area (I know, he’s amazing). I have been treating everyday like it’s a vacation, but it’s time to focus on myself and my health, because I know that when I am eating well and exercising, I feel great, and am so much happier with myself physically. Since Sam is helping me stay #FitFluential while on vaca, it is my goal to help you guys stay fit and healthy whether you are going through finals, celebrating graduations, or starting to slack off for summer.

I’ll be checking in from time to time to share updates and progress, and to see how you guys are doing! I’ll let you know when my official tip page is up on their website! Eeeeek, squealing big time right now!

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Fitness, Juicing, Obsessions, Recipes

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad’s birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!


Of course I had to make my dad the ultimate RFFMBT gift of all gifts: fresh carrot juice! My dad loves carrots. He loves them so much that he has taught all of our dogs to be carrot addicts too. Every time someone opens a produce drawer in the fridge, the dogs automatically think it’s “carrot time” which means one carrot for my dad, and then half for each pup. Our late Yellow Labrador, Tiger actually started to turn orange on his chest from the daily carrot routine!


After my dad left for work this morning, my mom, sister, and I headed out for a nice morning walk around 6:45am to surprise my dad at his favorite coffee shop in town. He stops by for a cup of java at the same coffee shop every morning, so we thought it would be fun to take our puppy Elin and surprise him. Of course it was a total fail and we missed him by 10 minutes! We ended up taking a photo out in front with our coffees and texted it to him. He was more surprised over the fact that I was awake at that hour over everything else! Although mission coffee shop surprise was a bust, it was nice to get some exercise in before my brain even had time to recognize what was going on. The puppy enjoyed the walk too!


Now I’m off to run some errands before I meet up with my trainer Kandace. She always helps me to refocus and find balance between exercising and healthy eating. She is a great trainer, friend, mentor, and to top it off, a breast cancer survivor. I encourage everyone to read her blog about how exercise saved her life and kept her strong throughout her treatments. She is such an inspiration!

Stay tuned because I have a very excited announcement later today! 

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