Month: March 2015

Raw Peanut Butter Cookie {For One}

Can I start off my post by showing you these stinking cute Mean Girls tanks that I saw at Target the other day? Seriously, how come it took them 11 years to come out with these shirts? Yes, Mean Girls is 11 years old. O.M.G.! I may or may not have bought “You Go Glen Coco” for workouts…

Mean-Girls-You-Go-Glen-Coco-Tank-On-Wednesdays-We-Wear-Pink-TankAvailable at Target $12.99 each!
On Wednesdays We Wear Pink
 & You Go Glen Coco

So today was just NOT my day. Last night I was up until around 5am (that’s been a regular thing recently) because I was covered in hives and Benadryl just wasn’t cutting it. Oh update: I’m not allergic to almonds. None of my food allergies have changed, so I made an appointment with my endocrinologist to have my thyroid levels and stuff checked to see if that has anything to do with it. It’s literally unbearable – and of course I can’t get in to see my doctor until after Easter! Ugh.

So back to today. Being as sleepy as I am, I made the glorious mistake of buying kidney beans instead of garbanzo beans at the grocery store. I got home, got out all of my ingredients for today’s recipe, and boom, I had somehow grabbed the wrong can at the grocery store. So back to the store I went. To top things off, the super epic “cookie dough bites” I dreamed of making out of those chickpeas that took two trips to the grocery store totally failed (see snapchat for photos @EatRabbitFood). So ya, today, not so much my day. I hope all of my bunnies are having a better Tuesday than I am! Luckily I turned my day around with this super sweet raw vegan cookie that I think is well deserved right meow. And you know what? You deserve this cookie too!

If you have any nut allergies, feel free to swap the flavors to nuts/seeds of your liking! Just stick with the same ratio of dry nuts and nut butter.

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This can be an awesome little brekky cookie with a soy latte, or a pre or post workout snack! It has tons of protein, natural sugars, fiber, and plant-based fat to give you lots of energy and fuel your day or workouts!

Single-Serving-Raw-Peanut-Butter-Cookie-6 Single-Serving-Raw-Peanut-Butter-Cookie-7If you’re a coffee addict like me and looking for the best milk frother in the biz, I have this Frother from Nespresso (even better deal here if you have Amazon Prime), but don’t worry there is a less pricey alternative that I’ve suggested to some of my readers via social media and so far everyone has loved it!

Raw Peanut Butter Cookie {For One}
Serves 1

2 Tbsp almonds
2 Medjool dates
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp peanut butter

1. Pulse almonds in a food processor or magic bullet until finely chopped.
2. Remove pits from dates, add dates and vanilla extract to the food processor and pulse until evenly chopped and combined.
3. Add the peanut butter to the food processor and pulse until well combined. The dough may be slightly crumbly but should stick together when pressed together.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and press into a cookie shape. Enjoy!

Golden Kale Salad

This week is seriously flying by! Thank you all so much for the love on my Youtube Video! I’m overwhelmed with the positive response and support from all of my bunnies. You guys are so encouraging and I am beyond excited to make more videos ASAP!

It’s so crazy that Matt’s week an a half home between tours is already over, it went by way too fast! On Wednesday morning I drove him to the airport at 5:30am and dropped him off for the next leg of the Pierce the Veil/Sleeping with Sirens tour in Europe and the UK. This leg is only 3 weeks long, which makes being thousands of miles apart seem like a piece of cake compared to the last run which was 2 months! I can’t wait for him to come back so he can be my taste tester again. I mean, he missed out on an amazing kale salad today! Although I’m sure the waffles he’s eating in Belgium right now are pretty darn good.

The first time I had this salad was a couple of weekends ago when my mom and I were at the UCLA Theta house for an alumni tea! As I was inhaling this salad I asked my mom “did the girls have Lemonade cater the event?” I asked one of the girls at our table who catered the event and she very excitedly said “Maddy and her mom made everything!” Um, what?! One of the college chapter girls (Maddy S., head of Alumnae Relations) made all of the delish healthy salads and veggie dishes at the event! I was seriously so impressed by her talent! I mean, I thought the entire event was catered! I immediately had to go and find Maddy and ask her for this kale salad recipe, which she told me that her mom learned about from Smitten Kitchen! I obsessed over this salad since the first time I had it, and I have been making it nonstop ever since!

You guys already know this about me, but if I make a recipe that yields 4-6 servings, I will literally eat the entire thing in one sitting. I don’t know why, but sometimes I feel like I was born without any real sense of fullness or portion control. Even after years of staying pretty on track, it’s still hard for me. If there’s a gigantic bowl of macaroni and cheese sitting in front of me, I’ll most likely finish the entire thing, and if I know there’s leftovers in the fridge I’ll eat them… so I’ve found that the best way to control portions is to only make one serving at a time. Hence the single serving meals! Plus I’m only cooking for myself most of the time anyways! I know a lot of my readers are young and not cooking for families, so single serving meals are a great fit for their lifestyle, but for my readers who do cook for their families and baby bunnies, all of my recipes can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. to fit their needs! All bunnies are accepted here, my blog isn’t one size fits all. I just like to show you what works for me!

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When it comes to removing stems and ribs from lacinato kale, I’ve found that removing the leaves by hand from the base upward is much easier than trying to cut them off with a knife.

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Golden Kale Salad
Serves 1

2 cups lacinato kale, chopped
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
2 Tbsp golden raisins
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil

1. Rinse kale. Remove heavy stems and ribs from kale. Stack sections of leaves on top of one another and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water and raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft. Set aside in liquid.
3. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and olive oil.
4. Place chopped kale in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and olive oil mixture and massage into the kale until evenly coated.
5. Add panko bread crumbs, raisins (without excess liquid), pecorino, and walnuts.
6. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together.

If you have extra time, this salad is even better with toasted walnuts! Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop before adding to your Golden Kale Salad

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: kale and golden raisins
Whole Grain: panko bread crumbs*
Protein: pecorino cheese
Plant Based Fat: walnuts and olive oil

*Although panko bread crumbs are not whole wheat, they are made of wheat, so when it comes to the Rabbit Food Pyramid, they fit in the whole grain portion of the puzzle for a balanced rabbit food meal!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Vegan Shamrock Shake

I am really excited, anxious, and nervous to share my YouTube video with you guys today! I shared with you all last week that I’ve felt that my weight gain had really held me back from wanting to do videos and be on camera, but I’m really proud of myself for crushing that fear and making (and posting!) this video! I’m so hard on myself and never see myself the way that I used to since I was super underweight, so it’s been a huge process to learn how to accept myself again at any weight. Your comments and support have meant the world to me and were a huge reason I was able to find the courage to do this!

I know it may sound silly to some people, like posting a YouTube video isn’t anything special, but this was a huge milestone for me. Putting myself and my story out there on the internet is one thing, but to step outside of my comfort zone of this typed blog and onto video is rather scary. I can’t help but think that people will judge how I talk, how I look, etc. So thank you for letting me get that out there just now, and thank you for being so supportive of me and my rabbit food adventures!  I feel like I’m getting less cool by the day on my blog haha. I mean I am pretty darn normal… I struggle with body image, I get nervous to talk on camera (see beginning of video), I have anxiety, my weight is a freaking roller coaster… I’m losing my internet sparkle as I type!!!

Crazy anxiety aside, I hope that you love the video! It was really fun to make, and I shot it in one take with two cameras! Matt was using one camera on a monopod, and my camera was set on a tripod! It was pretty nerve wracking to shoot (I thought I was going to forget the entire recipe) but ended up being a blast! You can see all of the weird faces and all of the strange sounds I make in one video haha! I can’t wait to do more video tutorials! So let me know what you guys want to see next!

Healthy-Vegan-Shamrock-Shake-Tutorial-1 And of course, who would I be if I didn’t link you to my outfit deets?! My favorite color block hat is on sale right now!!! Outfit and kitchen gadget details from the video are below!

Hat: Urban Outfitters  |  Top: Cotton On  |  Blender: Vitamix  |  Cutting Board: Boos Block  |  Measuring Spoons: Le Creuset  |  Glass Jar: Kerr  |  Paper Straws: Amazon

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Can you believe tomorrow is already St. Patrick’s Day?! One of my Instagram followers challenged me a few weeks ago to make a healthy version of a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. Challenge, gladly accepted!!! I was dying when I read the nutritional facts online for the Small 12 oz. Shamrock Shake. It has 43 ingredients, artificial coloring, 530 calories, 15g fat, 10g saturated fat, 86g carbs, and 73g of sugar!!! OMG!!!!

I’m happy to tell you that my Vegan Shamrock Shake is none of that! My shake is made from 7 plant-based ingredients and is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber! Go check out my video to see how to make it, and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!

Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shake

Serves 1

1 cup almond milk
5 Medjool dates, pitted
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
1 handful fresh spinach
¼ medium avocado
2 Tbsp cashews

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
*Recommended: Soak Medjool dates in water for 2-3 hours, and strain before blending. This is not necessary, but the dates will be extra plump and will blend into your smoothie perfectly.

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Oh my gosh, bunnies!!! Your comments, tweets, snapchats, etc have been SO inspiring and motivating for me! I can’t get over how amazing you guys are and how beautifully you all write! I want to compile your comments into one giant Motivational Monday blogpost for anyone who needs some positive affirmations. Seriously, read through the comments and look how amazing my readers are. You will feel so empowered! I cannot thank you bunnies enough for all of your support. I feel so inspired, loved, and unbelievable strong! I ALWAYS need you guys in my life! I’m so lucky!

Since so many of you loved my Single Serving Muffin, I wanted to do another single serving sweet treat for you! I haven’t made a Mug Cake on the blog for a while, but they are so easy and fun to make!

Today’s mug cake is a combination of chocolate and peanut butter  with a little coconut oil in the mix, which gives it a little note of Germain Chocolate Cake!

This mug cake can easily be made gluten-free with an easy swap from whole wheat flour to oat, quinoa, or chickpea flour!

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Traditional mug cakes are usually flipped over onto a plate like a mini cake! This one is kind of messy with the Peanut Butter, so I started eating it straight out of the mug but then wanted to get a photo and show you the fancy shmancy way of plating it! After a couple of bites I flipped it over onto the plate so you could see how it makes a mini cake once it’s out of the mug!

Make sure to coat your mug generously with nonstick cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s) if you want it to come out of the mug nicely!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Serves 1

3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp water
1/2 Tbsp peanut butter

1. Mix dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and chocolate chips together in a small bowl. Mix everything together until just combined. DO NOT overmix.
2. Add wet ingredients – melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and water and stir until batter is well combined.
3. Spray a microwave safe mug generously with nonstick cooking spray and pour batter into the mug.
4. Add peanut butter on top of the batter.
5. Microwave mug cake for 60 seconds. Enjoy!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: none
Whole Grain: whole wheat flour
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: coconut oil, chocolate chips, and peanut butter

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: Complete this meal by topping it with 1 cup of fresh berries (sliced strawberries would be so good!) and a side of one cup of yogurt or milk of your choice (protein)!

Single Serving Chocolate Chip Muffin

Thank you so so so much for your amazing comments on yesterday’s post. I read each and every one of them and I am so thankful for all of my supportive readers. Sometimes it’s hard to put things out there on the internet and admit, “yes I am having a tough time and I’m not exactly where I want to be,” but you guys have proved to me that so many of my fears and so much of my anxiety is just in my head. I love that complete strangers can completely make my day and also bring me to happy tears by their words. Seriously, some of my readers are the most beautiful writers. You guys are tugging at my heart strings! I love you al! It’s really cool to hear that some of you don’t even read my blog for the weight loss aspect but you actually read it because of my DIY projects and other posts! I mean, I had no idea! Like I said, I get so into my own head of what I assume people read and follow my blog for, and I’m so happy that you are all here with me to continue my journey of making rabbit food, attempting to workout, making pretty DIY things, and being a normal human being who sometimes hates working out!

I got totally sidetracked last night with the Bachelor finale (ugh I don’t want to give away spoilers but I was bummed with the outcome!), so tonight I will finally be replying to all if your blog comments from yesterday’s post!

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Today’s recipe is a super cute “Lightened-Up” Chocolate Chip Muffin for One! This is a traditional bakery sized muffin (no mini muffin here!), filled with flavor but light on the ingredients! No crazy additives, no refined sugar (except for those itty bitty chocolate chips), no butter, and no refines white flour! May I say… NAILED IT!

If you aren’t a fan of chocolate chips, I think this would be so om nom nom with 1 ½ Tablespoons of blueberries instead! I would’ve made that in a heart beat but I’m deathly allergic to blueberries which would mean that Matt or my sister would get to be the taste tester for this recipe… and honestly I just wasn’t willing to forfeit my job as Chief Tasting Officer for this particular recipe, so chocolate chips it was!

This recipe can be made completely vegan by using Enjoy Life Vegan Chocolate Chips or blueberries!

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The texture of this solo muffin is dense like most vegan baked goods, which makes it the perfect pairing for a glass of milk, coffee or tea!

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Single Serving Chocolate Chip Muffin
Makes 1 muffin

3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1 tsp (dry) stevia (I used 1 packet of Truvia)
1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tray with 1 liner. Set aside.
2. Mix dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt, dry stevia, and chocolate chips together in a small bowl. Mix everything together until just combined. DO NOT overmix.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients – melted coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla.
4. Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin liner.
6. Bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Since I had a blogging breakthrough this week, I also decided that I am going to change up how I do the “directions” of my recipes! From now on, you will see RFFMBT recipes listed in numbered steps as shown above! Much easier to follow : )

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: none
Whole Grain: whole wheat flour
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: coconut oil and chocolate chips

Rabbit Food Meal Tip: Complete this meal with one cup of milk of your choice of yogurt (protein) and a side of 1 cup of fresh fruit (produce)!

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