Snacks

Snacks

Copycat {whole foods} Tropical Green Smoothie

I am really really excited to tell you guys that I am an official contributor for Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Shawn Johnson’s website The Body Department! The goal for Shawn and TBD is to provide a safe and healthy place for young women to come and talk about health and body image in a positive way. You can see my Contributor Profile on TBD, where Shawn will be sharing some of my recipes and tips to live a healthy vibrant life! She also posts some great workouts that you guys will love!

I went to Whole Foods the other night after spin and ended up ordering the BEST smoothie. I’ve been making my Simple Green Smoothie every morning, but I’m quite certain that this is my new go to! The best part is that it’s just as simple to make! See my video below to watch me make this smoothie step by step!

Below is the 24 oz Tropical Green Smoothie that I purchased from Whole Foods for $5.95.
It consisted of spinach, coconut water, banana, pineapple, and mango.
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I love getting smoothies from juice bars and markets when I’m low on time and groceries, but sometimes I don’t think their smoothies are thick enough for my liking and I drink them in a nanosecond. My recipe is a little bit thicker but to my knowledge, tastes exactly the same as theirs! If you like thick smoothies, you are in the right place! But if you like your smoothies a little thinner, no problem, just add some extra coconut water to this recipe!

Below is my Copycat Tropical Green Smoothie!

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Copycat {whole foods} Tropical Green Smoothie
Serves 1

1/2 – 1 cup coconut water (I used O.N.E.brand)
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
huge handful of spinach

Start with 1/2 cup of coconut water and add more if needed or desired. Blend until creamy and smooth.

Vitamix Blending Tips:
Some of you have asked me what settings I use on my blender.
Vitamix blenders can look intimidating, but they are so easy to use!

  • Start by placing all of the ingredients into the blender, followed by the lid, and plunger.
  • I usually start off on variable 5 as I jam all of the ingredients down with the plunger.
  • Once the ingredients have all been pushed to the bottom, I like to bring the variable speed up to 7 or 8 until it starts moving on it’s own without the plunger.
  • Once the ingredients start blending without the help of the trusty Vitamix plunger, I hit the “HIGH” switch and let it run until it blends super smooth and even!

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I hope you guys enjoy this smoothie as much as I did!
And I apologize for all of the smoothie recipes recently, it’s so hot in CA! We literally haven’t had winter at all here, boooo. I want snow and hot soup!

Snickerdoodle Green Smoothie

Hi snow bunnies!

I just got got home last night from the best ski trip! A big group of us rented a cabin in Big Bear and drove up on Friday for the weekend. Although the conditions on the mountain weren’t perfect, we had SO much fun! I’m doing a post tomorrow about my trip for anyone who is interested! I’ll be posting my fav travel snacks and lots of fun photos from my GoPro : )

Yesterday I drove home from Big Bear to celebrate the 1st birthday of Full Psycle!
I love being a part of the amazing family that Shelly, Paul, and Kris have created. I’ve met so many incredible new friends and actually ENJOY working out for the first time in my life.

Full Psycle first birthday
You know a cycling studio is good when you have to set your alarm for 5pm every sunday when the schedule goes live so that you can actually get into your desired classes for the week! One year later and classes are still full with a wait list. Like seriously? Unbelievable!!! Actually, it’s totally believable because Shelly, Paul, and Kris are the most amazing human beings you will ever meet. They remember EVERYONE’S names in class. And I mean EVERYONE! They’re encouraging, funny, loving, and so passionate about their studio and students. It’s their encouragement that has gotten me where I am today. I cannot believe how strong I have become since my very first class at FP.


Yesterday was such an emotional day for me. Yesterday on the one year anniversary of FP, I celebrated my new personal record of 518 kilojoules (compared to my first class of 158kj) which I would like to dedicate to my friend Ryan Eaton who I lost one year ago today. As I pushed through class, I couldn’t hold back the tears as this rush of extreme happiness and sadness took over me. In the last minute of class, I put my towel over my head and bawled my eyes out. I was so proud and happy of what I had just accomplished, but at the same time I was remembering this day exactly one year ago. I am so grateful to be surrounded by the most incredible family, friends, Full Psyclists, and readers! Each day you guys inspire me to become stronger mentally and physically. The past year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, and I cannot imagine the past year without all of you.

Today’s recipe is surprise surprise, a green smoothie! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m addicted to green smoothies and juices recently. There is no hiding it, I loveeee them!!! I love my smoothie extra thick, so I have been throwing avocado in the mix! This smoothie is extra creamy, and when blended with vanilla and cinnamon, it actually tastes like a snickerdoodle cookie! Strange, but true. Just check my Insta for comments from readers that have tested it out!

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Snickerdoodle Green Smoothie
Serves 1

1 handful spinach
1 frozen banana
1/2 small avocado
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend blend blend until creamy and smooth!

Note: If you don’t have a high powered blender, you can use 1/2 cup of almond milk!

Super Bowl Smoothies

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!!
Who is going to win it this year?!

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DENVER BRONCOS SMOOTHIE

Broncos Orange
1 small orange
1/2 banana
1/4 cup mango
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup pineapple
1-2 strawberries for color

Broncos Blue
1 cup blueberries
1/2 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut water
small handful of spinach

Blend each smoothie separately and layer with equal parts of each.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS SMOOTHIE

Seahawks Green
2 smal oranges
1 banana
large handful of spinach
1/2 cup of ice

Seahawks Blue

1 cup blueberries
1/2 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut water
small handful of spinach

Blend each smoothie separately and layer with equal parts of each.

Spinach Hummus + Cabo Chips Giveaway

Who’s ready for the Super Bowl?!

Since Super Bowl Sunday is usually a day of snacking while watching the big game, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite chips and healthy dip!

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Let me start off by saying that Cabo Chips won’t cure health issues, but they are definitely one of the healthiest tortilla chips on the market, and most importantly… they taste delicious!

If you grew up in Southern California like me, you probably grew up eating Have’a Corn Chips. Well let me tell you, that as someone who was raised in Orange County and ate Have’a Chips with every sandwich, Cabo Chips are actually better. They’re evenly coated in soy sauce so that each chip that touches your tastebuds is loaded with that perfect soy flavor. You won’t have to search the bottom of the bag for the broken pieces of “dark” chips that actually taste like soy sauce! (California kids… You totally know what I’m talking about!) There is no other way to describe these chips than LEGIT! NON-GMO verified, 100% whole grain, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher. OH EM GEEE. As Healthy as tortilla chips can get!

Cabo Chips are unique because they are truly authentic restaurant/cantina style tortilla chips. It starts with stone ground non-gmo corn cooked fresh daily into delicious tortillas which are hand cut into triangles and cooked in non-gmo expeller pressed soybean oil. They are then seasoned by hand with real ingredients – no powders or “natural flavorings” here just real lime juice and either gluten free soy sauce or sea salt depending on the flavor. Cabo Chips are light, crispy, and flaky, and they’re great on their own but also sturdy enough for dipping.

Again, Cabo Chips are one of the few non-gmo project verified corn tortilla chips and they’re are also vegan, gluten free, 100% whole grain, and Kosher! I’m in Love!

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Now for the dippage:
Spinach Hummus

1.5 cups spinach, packed
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 glove garlic
1/8 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and puree until creamy and smooth. The mixture will resemble a thick paste.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is my first giveaway using Rafflecopter, so we will see how this goes!
Contest ends Sunday, February 2nd at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced Monday, February 3rd.
Open to U.S. residents only.

Quinoa & Beet Kale Dolmades

Thank you so very much for your comments on my last post. You are all so beautiful and I appreciate you sharing your personal stories with me : ) Your support is incredible and I’ve never been so moved my complete strangers before. What am I talking about, I feel like I know some of you by now because I get to talk to you on Facebook and Instagram all the time! I just adore you guys!
Oh, and I just realized that I really need to update my fitness page since my routine has definitely changed from when I first started this blog. Working on that right meow!

To start the weekend off right, I made some Quinoa & Beet Dolmades made with Tuscan kale for the ultimate veggie snack! The idea was inspired by my friend’s mom who is a chef (she makes amazing Greek food)! Instead of traditional dolmas with meat and grape leaves, I changed it up with quinoa & kale! They’re so refreshing, I think you will absolutely love them slathered in hummus. The cooked kale wrap turned out awesome and I cannot wait to try this same technique with some more recipes! I hope you have an amazing weekend and eat lots and lots of rabbit food!

xo
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Quinoa & Beet Kale Dolmades
Serves 1

4 leaves of dinosaur/Tuscan kale
1/2 cup beets, grated
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa + 1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp orange zest

Cook quinoa to package instructions. Fill a separate pan with water and bring to medium/high heat. Place washed kale leafs spine/stem side down in the warm water, cover, and soak for 10-15 minutes until the leafs become flexible (This will help you to roll the dolmades without the leaves breaking). Add grated beets, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and orange zest to the cooked quinoa. After the kale leaves have become pliable, remove from the water and pat dry. One by one, place kale stem side up, add 2 Tbsps of quinoa mixture, fold edges in and fold tightly (like a burrito). Once all leaves have been rolled up, place them in a pan with olive oil and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and set to medium/high heat. You want the water and oil to simmer but not boil. Let the dolmas cook in the covered pan for 45 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water at a time if needed throughout the process. Once the leaves have darkened, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Enjoy with hummus!

Note: I love these after the have chilled in the refrigerator!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale & beets
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: none – enjoy with 1/4 cup hummus
Plant Based Fat: olive oil
Free Extras: lemon juice, orange zest, & balsamic vinegar

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