Vegan

Vegan

Breakfast, Life, Recipes, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian

Stagecoach 2014

Last weekend I went to Stagecoach with 2 of my friends!
We headed out to the desert on Thursday night for a seriously fun girls weekend!

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m the WORST packer. I always leave it to the last minute and end up throwing my entire closet in a suitcase instead of pre selecting outfits. My friend Taryn always gives me a hard time because I always have the 60 pound suitcase. Speaking of 60 pound suitcase, sometimes as I’m lifting my gigantic suitcase into the car I take a second and think WOW, I lost 20 pounds more than this suitcase. I cannot believe I was carrying around that much extra weight at one point. It’s really eye opening when I have these “whoa” moments, and it makes me feel that much more proud.

Stagecoach-2014-2-Chobani-Simply-100-American-Flag-Bikini

My go to protein snack of choice is Chobani Simply 100. Each container is only 100 calories, 12g of protein, and made with only natural ingredients. It’s sweetened with monk fruit, stevia and evaporated cane juice.
Star Spangled Bikini: Forever 21
Sunnies: From Santee Alley in the Fashion District in Downtown LA
Boots: Boot Barn

Stagecoach-2014-1-Slimming-SmothieYou know a RFFMBT blog post just wouldn’t be complete without a healthy recipe, so here is my slimming smoothie for those cutoff shorts at Stagecoach and bikinis by the pool! This smoothie is a complete “Rabbit Food” approved meal with the perfect balance of fruit (produce), whole grain, protein, and plant-based fat! Chobani Simply 100 Greek Yogurt contains probiotics that can work to reduce bad bacteria in the intestines and minimize belly bloating!

Stagecoach Slimming Smoothie
Serves 1

1 container of Chobani Simply 100 Vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp almond butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon Splash of water

Blend until creamy and smooth!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: raspberries
Whole Grain: rolled oats
Protein: Chobani Greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: almond butter

Stagecoach-2014-Margaritas-in-Mason-Jars-with-StrawOf course the weekend was filled with tons of skinny margaritas! My friend Julia used her Silhouette Machine to make vinyl stickers with our names for our Mason Jars with Straws!

These super fresh, skinny margaritas made with fresh lime juice, orange juice and agave nectar.

Skinny Margaritas
Serves 1

2 ounces (1/4 cup) silver tequila
1½ ounces (3 tablespoons/about 1½ small limes) fresh lime juice
1 ounce (2 tablespoons/about ½ of a medium orange) fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
1 lime wedge or round, for garnish

Fill a small cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed lime and orange juice and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake for 30 seconds. Strain the liquid into your glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

Stagecoach-2014-3-Farm-Palm-SpringsOn Friday morning we went to Farm for brunch. I had French press coffee, and a fig, goat cheese, and arugula sandwich!

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Stagecoach-2014-5-Day-1After brunch we went back to the hues and relaxed before getting ready for our first day at Stagecoach.

Stagecoach-2014-7-Southern-Fried-VeganOf course I found “Southern Fried Vegan” within seconds of entering the venue. Love that they have vegan food and even gluten free options! How cool is that?

Stagecoach-2014-8-Toast-with-Almond-Butter-and-BananaDay two started with 1 Tbsp of Maranatha Almond Butter and half of a sliced banana on a piece of multigrain toast.

Pitaya Plus Im Raw HatWe hangout by the pool and sipped on skinny margs while getting our tan on before heading out for days two of the festival.
Hat: Pitaya Plus – Want to win a hat like mine?! Follow Pitaya Plus on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter  because they hold weekly giveaways for hats! Hashtag your best Pitaya photo with #PitayaGiveaway, also #Green or #Pink depending on the color hat you want!
Sunnies: Forever 21
Bikini Top: Forever 21
Matching Bikini Bottoms: Forever 21

Stagecoach-2014-6-Day-1
Stagecoach-2014-10-Day-2-OutfitsDay two outfits! The temperature was expected to drop to the low 60’s, so we all went with jeans and sweaters. Never thought that would happen at Stagecoach, where it’s usually in the 100’s during this time of year!

Stagecoach-2014-11-Toasted-CornI am addicted too roasted corn, so I had a hay day (ha ha ha) with it! I made my poor friends walk the entire perimeter of the venue (which is huge) until we found corn haha. And it was SO worth it!

Stagecoach-2014-12-Day-3-OutfitsDay three outfits! I got my dress from Veronica M and paired it with some white lace shorts underneath. Advice to anyone going to an outdoor concert in the desert that may have high winds, please wear shorts haha! We saw WAY too much booty this weekend lol. The people watching was out of this world. Better than Disneyland!

Stagecoach-2014-12-Fruit-Smoothies-and-Young-CoconutsOn the last day I found a smoothie stand with rest fruit smoothies and young coconuts!

Stagecoach-2014-13-Young-Coconut-WaterCoconut water on a hot desert day? I die. So perf.

Stagecoach-2014-14-Roasted-CornAndddd you can bet I ate more corn in the last day!

Stagecoach-2014-15-Stagecoach-OutfitSuch a fun weekend, I can’t wait for next year!
And can’t wait to wear this Veronica M dress again, it’s my new obsession!

How did you spend your weekend?
xo Catherine

| 18 Comments
Breakfast, Lunch, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Soy & Flax Green Smoothie

Soooo once again, I’ve discovered a new favorite green smoothie. I’m pretty sure this has turned into a weekly thing. Each week, I start throwing in new ingredients to my green smoothies, and somehow I end up with a masterpiece!

I always try to keep my smoothie recipes under or around 6 ingredients. I find that the less ingredients you need, the less intimidating and more likely you will be to try new things! Have you ever looked at photos for a recipe, started drooling, and then saw the list of 15+ ingredients that you definitely don’t have in your kitchen? Ya… I’ve been there too! My goal is to make healthy eating as simple and fun as possible!

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I know a lot of you bunnies are allergic to bananas, because I often get asked for swaps in my recipes. This smoothie is banana free! Other notable differences in this green smoothie recipe versus my others? Protein rich soy milk!

This smoothie is also loaded with flaxseed which is an excellent source of:

  • Omega-3 essential fatty acids: “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
  • Lignans: which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
  • Fiber: Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

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Soy & Flax Green Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 large handful of spinach
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Blend blend blend!

Note: I love my smoothies extra thick, and I usually have to use the “plunger” on my Vitamix to get all of the ingredients to blend together, but if you don’t have a high powered blender, simply add more soy milk as you blend!

| 7 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup

The healthy DOLE recipes continue!

This is a Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup that we got to enjoy at the DOLE Summit. The soup is vegan and gluten-free, while still remaining creamy and thick. There’s also an unexpected ingredient; DOLE Mandarin Oranges, that give it a little extra flavor! Paulette Lambert, R.D. also added a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt atop of our soups which is of course optional, but totally delicious!

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Gingered Carrot and Orange Soup
Recipe By: Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE
Serves 8
Calories per serving: 95

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
2 quarts reduced sodium, fat-free, organic vegetable broth
1 cup DOLE Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 teaspoon sea salt (or more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (optional)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute carrots, onions and ginger until soft. Add broth and simmer until carrots are fork-tender. Working in batches, puree Mandarin oranges and cooked vegetables in a blender, food processor or use an immersion blender (or your Vitamix! Just add to blender at this step then puree until smooth and very hot, continuing on with step four). Return soup to Dutch oven. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro.

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| 3 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan (Quinoa) Mac & Cheese

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We all know the blue box macaroni and cheese…
Remember the cute little girl singing “I’ve got the blues,”
If you were like me, you totally asked your mom to buy you the blue box because it was the best, and no other mac ‘n’ cheese mattered unless it was in suh-weeet shapes of cartoon characters like the Looney Tunes.

Well, time to step away from the blue box my friends!
Blue box= yellow 5, yellow 6, sodium tripolyphosphate, and other questionable ingredients.
NOT OK!

I mean it’s good, and I totally ate it growing up and lived off of it in college (Sponge Bob Squarepants shapes to be exact) but seriously, the more I look at ingredients and nutritional info… that shiz scares me!

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I totally appreciate a good mac and cheese. The oozy gooey and crispy baked kind made at home from scratch, but my skin just cannot handle that stuff anymore. When I eat super heavy foods made with full fat cheeses and milks, my skin pays for it. Funny how what we eat can really affect so many different things, with our bodies, mood, energy, etc., rights?

Being that my fav thing to do on my blog is show you healthier and veganized versions of your fav comfort foods, I’m shocked I haven’t made a healthy macaroni and cheese before!

I’ve taken out the dairy, processed vegan cheeses, artificial coloring, white pasta, and strange ingredients. I know what you’re thinking right now… is she giving us a recipe for water?

Nope!

Just protein packed fluffy quinoa and veggie infused vegan mac and cheese, NBD (no big deal)!

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My vegan “cheese” is made from Nutritional Yeast, I know it sounds gross/weird, but don’t knock it until you try it! Want to know why nutritional yeast is good for you? I have tons of facts about Nutritional Yeast! Prepare your tastebuds, you’re in for a real treat, bunnies!

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Vegan (Quinoa) Mac & Cheese
Serves 1

2 cups broccoli
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour (you could also use spelt, rice, or tapioca flour)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt

Cook quinoa over stove with water to package instructions until fluffy and soft. In a separate saucepan over media heat, combine almond milk, nutritional yeast, whole wheat flour, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Stir the sauce for about 4 minutes until it becomes thick. Cut and steam broccoli and add to the cooked quinoa. Transfer the cheese sauce to the quinoa and broccoli and coat evenly. Serve hot, enjoy!

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Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Rice Cake Snack

I’m having so much fun at the DOLE Summit today! I cannot wait to share all of my photos and new recipes with you when I have some more down time!

Let’s talk about snacks:
I have to have snacks throughout the day. I’m not one of those people that can have 3 meals a day, I basically have to eat small meals and snacks to keep myself from getting hungry.
Hangry: (adjective) Feeling or showing anger caused by hunger. Combination of “hungry” and “angry.”

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This is one of my favorite snacks in the entire world. Not only does it keep you from getting hungry but it’s a snack with nutritional value and purpose.

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. This will satiate your sweet tooth, give you a little bit of crunch, and keep you full until dinnertime! Win win… win! POWERSNACK!

It’s funny, because I never liked avocado growing up. I loved guacamole, but that was about it. Since discovering all of my food allergies, I’ve branched out and started liking so many foods that I never did before. In California, we refer to avos as “California butter.” Avocados are super buttery and creamy and can actually be used in place of butter and oil in recipe. So if this sounds a little weird to you, try it out on toast first! Just think: butter on toast… avocado on toast… similar, and soooo good for you! The lemon, salt, and pepper add the best flavor to avos, and I’ve heard lemon pepper is bomb.com mixed in too! I need to try that one!

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Avocado Rice Cake
Serves 1

2 brown rice cakes
1/2 small avocado
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt & pepper

Mash the avocado with a fork. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix until well combine. Spread onto two brown rice cakes.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: none
Whole Grain:  2 brown rice cakes
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: 1/2 small avocado
Free Extras: lemon juice, salt, and pepper

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