Lunch

Lunch

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Thai Chickpeas Over Steamed Kale

This recipe is my new obsession! I have been really into chickpeas lately, throwing them in my salads and stir-frys for an easy protein portion, but this dish takes chickpeas to a whole new level. I got the idea of Thai chickpeas from one of my favorite blogs For the Love of Kale. The author Heather is always cooking up delicious vegan meals and shares her passion for health and fitness. Thanks for the Thai chickpea inspiration, Heather! xo


Thai Chickpeas Over Steamed Kale
Serves 1

2 cups kale + 1 cup water
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbsp unsalted peanut butter
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari

Cook brown rice to package instructions (frozen brown rice is a great shortcut to dry rice). Heat 1 cup of water in a pan over medium high heat. Place kale in the pan and cover for 5 minutes. Stir kale and cover for 5 more minutes. Strain water once kale has been steamed. In a small bowl combine peanut butter, apple cider vinegar, and soy sauce, and whisk until evenly mixed (if the peanut butter is stubborn, microwave the entire mixture for 20 seconds to help soften). If using canned chickpeas, transfer chickpeas and liquid to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes. Rinse and strain chickpeas and coat with the peanut sauce. Place steamed kale onto a plate, followed by brown rice and thai chickpeas.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale
Whole Grain: brown rice
Protein: chickpeas
Plant Based Fat: peanut butter

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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Mediterranean Lentils

Today started off with a magical phone call from the Apple store telling me that my computer was ready to be picked up! After arriving at the apple store, they told me that my baby got some brand new shiny parts: logic board, track pad, wifi antennas, right fan, rubber foot, and 2 new screws. I was so pumped and ready to take my little lappy home until the dreaded word dun dun dun…”unfortunately” came out of the employee’s mouth. He said, “Unfortunately we were not able to replace your battery because that is not considered a repair, but a new purchase and installation, so we’re going to have to do that in the store.” He told me that they are usually able to replace batteries in MacBook Pros during Genius Bar appointments but due to an overbooking of appointments that were then running 45 minutes behind, they could not replace my battery at that time and had to keep it overnight. Boooooo! So off went my computer in a bright white apple box… Hopefully we will be re-reunited tomorrow morning!

Yesterday, an amazing RFFMBT reader, Tamiko completed the Skinny Bunny Cleanse with a total loss of 7 lbs! Tamiko also shared her awesome one day meal plan for her first day post cleanse so I thought you guys might like to see what she’s whipping up in her kitchen! Thank you so much for sharing your success and meals with me and the RFFMBT community Tamiko, you are so inspiring! Don’t forget to join the RFFMBT Facebook community for more updates and discussions like this!

If you are interested in doing the Skinny Bunny Cleanse and have any questions, make sure to read through the comments on the post to see if your question has already been answered. There are tons of comments from readers regarding questions and their success stories after the 5 day cleanse!

TAMIKO’S ONE DAY RABBIT FOOD MEAL PLAN

BREAKFAST:
Produce: 1 Apple
Whole Grain: 1 Slice of Toasted Whole Grain Bread
Protein: 1 Cup of Soy Milk
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Almond Butter

LUNCH:
Produce: 1 Cup Peas and 1 Cup Carrots
Whole Grain: ½ Cup Cooked Whole Grain Couscous
Protein: 3oz Chicken Breast
Plan Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

DINNER
Produce: 1 Cup Broccoli and 1 Cup Asparagus
Whole Grain: ½ Cup Cooked Brown Rice
Protein: 3oz Salmon
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

SNACK
Produce: 1 banana
Whole Grain: ¼ cups rolled oats + ½ cup water
Protein: 1 Cup Soy Milk
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Almond Butter

I have found that the serving sizes and combinations listed on my blog in the Rabbit Food Pyramid work perfectly for me. Everyone is different and not every day or workout is the same, so it could take some tweaking to find the perfect amount of food is for your body. Since I am maintaining, I do add in some extra fruit throughout the day if I am hungry and usually incorporate a post workout protein shake if I exercise that day. The pyramid is meant to be a guide to build healthy balanced meals to lose weight, and can be adapted for your individual needs, so if this is not enough food for your body/exercise level, or you are now maintaining, you can add another small meal or up your protein to fit your needs!

Earlier this week I posted a photograph on Instagram of a nutrition label for a round of “NAME THAT FOOD!” After tons of great guesses, a RFFMBT reader was able to identify that the label belonged to a bag of dry lentils! You guys had tons of great questions about lentils and I got a few requests for a lentil recipe, so here it is: vegan Mediterranean Lentils!

Let’s get to know these little legumes know as Lentils!

  • High in fiber with an average of 10-15g per serving.
  • Helps to regulate blood sugar by providing steady, slow-burning energy and balancing blood sugar levels from the high amount of fiber.
  • Loaded with iron, making them an excellent choice for vegetarians, vegans, and people who don’t eat red meat.
  • The protein in lentils makes up 26% of its overall calories, which makes them an outstanding source of protein for vegans.



Mediterranean Lentils
Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked lentils (you may use dry or canned)
1/2 cup cooke whole-wheat couscous
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup tomato
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
10 pitted kalamata olives
1 Tsp  balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
lemon juice to taste

Cook the lentils to package instructions (usually 1:4 lentil water ratio). Cook couscous to package instructions (in only water – no butter if suggested). Chop the onion and tomato. Mix the vegetable broth and garlic and pour into a pan over medium high heat. Cook the onion and spinach in the vegetable broth. Once the spinach has wilted, add the tomatoes to the pan (to avoid overcooking). Rinse the lentils once they have finished cooking, and combine one half cup lentils with the cooked vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar and chopped pitted olives to the lentil mixture and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste. Place the couscous on a plate and top with the lentil mixture.
Note: If you use canned lentils, rinse and strain lentils, and cook in the pan with the vegetables to heat them.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: spinach, tomato, onion
Whole Grain: whole wheat couscous
Protein: lentils
Plant Based Fat: olives

| 23 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian

Pasta Primavera

Pasta pasta pasta where do I even begin?
Pasta can get a pretty bad rap due to it’s often fattening cream sauces, high carbohydrate count, and low nutritional value, but I’m here to tell you that not all pasta is bad! You can still eat pasta and lose weight, or maintain your toned figure. The keys to eating pasta are knowing what kind, and how much.

“Pasta doesn’t make you fat. How much pasta you eat makes you fat.”
– Giada De Laurentiis (Health Magazine, May 2012)

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Weather you are trying to maintain or lose weight, you could virtually eat anything that you want, as long as you know the correct amount and portions!

Today’s recipe is a healthy Pasta Primavera made with whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat pasta is made from flour that uses the entire grain and contains slightly more protein, and two to three times more fiber than refined pastas allowing you to stay fuller longer while stabilizing blood sugar levels.


Pasta Primavera
Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
1 cup bell pepper (I used 1/2 cup red and 1/2 cup green)
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup yellow onion
1/4 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth (I use Pacific)
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp  salt-free Italian seasoning (I use Frontier)
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Cook the pasta to package instructions. Chop the bell pepper, onion, and mushroom and cook in vegetable broth in a pan over high heat.  While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning, garlic, and pine nuts in a separate bowl and mix evenly. Once the pasta has finished cooking, strain and combine with the ricotta mixture. After vegetables have finished cooking, gently fold into the pasta and ricotta. Serve hot.
Note: If you are allergic to nuts, you can omit the nuts and cook your veggies in 1 Tbsp of olive oil (instead of vegetable broth) for your plant based fat serving.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper, mushroom, onion
Whole Grain: whole wheat pasta
Protein: nonfat ricotta cheese
Plant Based Fat: pine nuts

| 17 Comments
Breakfast, Lunch, Recipes, Toast Tuesdays, Vegetarian

Sunny Side Up Avocado Toast

Happy Toast Tuesday!

So I’ve seeing this “sunny side up egg in a bell pepper mold” idea floating around Pinterest for quite some time now, and finally decided to give it a try. THIS IS AWESOME! Whenever I try to make sunny side up eggs, the whites end up spreading all over the pan and burning before the yolk can even begin to heat up! My sunny side up egg problems have now been solved with the addition of a veggie. So simple and amazing!


Sunny Side Up Avocado Toast
Serves 1

1 slice whole-grain bread
1/4 avocado
1 egg
1 slice 1/2in thick bell pepper ring
pepper to taste (optional)

Slice the bell pepper into 1/2 inch rings. Lightly coat a pan in nonstick cooking spray and place over low heat. Place bell pepper ring into he pan. Crack egg in the middle of the bell pepper ring. Cover and cook over low heat until done. If you would like to keep the yolk runny, cook over low heat until only the whites are done. While the egg is cooking, toast the bread, spread with fresh avocado. Once egg is finished cooking, transfer from the pan with a spatula and place it on top of the toast. Add pepper to taste desired.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper (but not enough to be one serving)
Whole Grain: toast
Protein: egg
Plant Based Fat: avocado

| 23 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Tips, Vegan, Vegetarian

Pistachio Ice Cream Smoothie

Ok, so today was really… blah to say the least.
I have been dealing with some really crazy health issues recently; long story short my thyroid is out of whack and I have been in and out of doctor’s offices and getting pricked by way too many needles trying to figure out what is going on! So far they think I have hyperthyroid, but I am on a waiting list to see an endocrinologist. I am so exhausted from telling different doctor’s what is going on that I cannot even begin to tell you how I feel right now, so I will get to that in a different post when I have more energy! For now, I will just say that I have been feeling abnormally crappy and moody and have realized that the only thing that can actually make me feel better is by eating healthy. I’ve been trying all different variations of green smoothies to boost my energy and provide a quick dose of nutrients to my body and it has been making such a difference! When I eat clean ‘n’ green I feel sooo much better. I still don’t feel 100% fabu at the moment, but better! It’s amazing how the food we eat can have such a big impact on how we feel!

Since I have noticed how great I feel with the addition of green smoothies in my diet, I will be experimenting with some more super interesting (but tasty) green smoothies! This one is a little more “green” than my Thin Pint Protein Smoothie, but still delicious if you are looking to try something new! The ingredient list may look a little whacky, but quinoa was probably the best little addition. The quinoa gave my smoothie a super thick texture and a boost of complete protein! Win win.

Pistachio Ice Cream Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup almond milk
1 cup kale -packed
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp unshelled pistachios
1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 + 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 packet stevia if desired

Cook and refrigerate quinoa beforehand. Start by combining the kale and milk in a high powered blender and blend until it is completely smooth (to avoid grainy texture). Next add the pistachios and coconut and blend thoroughly. Add in the quinoa and blend completely to ensure a smooth texture. Next add the rest of the ingredients and blend away. Serve chilled.


The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale & banana
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: milk
Plant Based Fat: pistachios & coconut

| 73 Comments

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