Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Dole Banana Power Pops

I have been working with Dole for over three years now, and I am so honored to be an official Dole ambassador for 2015! I’m also really excited to announce the launch of Dole’s “Get Up and Grow!” campaign and tour! All of my bunnies know that I am a huge advocate for “eating more rabbit food” and getting as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as possible. You’ve seen me hide spinach in everything from smoothies to brownies and it’s no secret that I love introducing my readers to healthier options. That’s why I’m so excited for Dole’s “Get Up and Grow!” campaign and initiative to directly challenge the public to adopt a healthier daily routine including eating more fresh fruits and vegetables!

The Dole “Get Up and Grow” tour caravans are making roughly 480 stops at supermarkets and special events throughout the U.S. and Canada this summer that you won’t want to miss!

“Multiple colorful Get Up and Grow! Tour caravans with rolling kitchens will deliver innovative new recipes, product samples, a do-it-yourself smoothie bar, free giveaways for the whole family and other activities specifically created to showcase the fun, flavor and preparation possibilities of fresh fruit and vegetables and a plant-based diet. Visitors can also present a grocery receipt showing a qualifying level of DOLE® fresh purchase to receive a limited-edition, commemorative Get Up and Grow! item.

The new recipes available for sampling range from the Banana and Blue, Breakfast Smoothie, Power Punch Smoothie and Spinach-Avocado Hummus to the Grilled Banana Parfait, Southwestern Gazpacho, Caesar’s Bounty Salad and Charred Summer Salad, which Dole has proclaimed 2015’s “Official Salad of Summer.”

Dole-Get-Up-and-Grow-Tour-2015Take the Pledge Today & View Tour Dates and Info!

I’m really into snacks, they literally make the world go round. My absolute worst snack attacks usually hit at about 3pm and midnight (I know, it’s so bad) and although I try to avoid the midnight snacking by sipping on herbal tea, the midday hunger is unavoidable. 3pm is that awkward time in-between lunch and dinner when you don’t want to eat something heavy and spoil your dinner, but you need something to give you energy and nourish your brain and body to get you through the next few hours. This is when Banana Power Pops are the perfect little energizing snack. Natural sugars and potassium from bananas, antioxidants and caffeine from dark chocolate, and nourishing plant based fats from the nut and seed toppings make a winning combo to power you up and give you a dose energy! They also make a great cool treat during the hot summer when kept in the freezer!

Power snack or dessert? You decide!

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Dole Banana Power Pops

1 Dole Banana
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or vegan chocolate chips
Toppings: shredded coconut, sliced almonds, chia seeds, raisins, oats.
Lollipop Sticks

1. Peel and slice banana into half inch thick slices.
2. Melt chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Place a lollipop stick in each banana slice.
4. Dip each banana slice one by one into dark chocolate and sprinkle with desired topping.
5. Place dipped banana slices on wax paper and place in the freezer until hardened. Enjoy cold.

Dole-Get-Up-and-Grow-Ambassador-Facebook-ChatI am hosting a Facebook chat this Thursday, June 11 at 5pm PDT (8pm EST!) on the Dole Facebook page! Make sure to stop by, chat, and ask me questions!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

Single Serving Vegan Mini Donuts

Happy NATIONAL DONUT DAY!!!

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Sorry for the lack of posts recently. The past couple of weeks have been busier than the holiday season for me! A few weeks ago I started a new job at Vans doing their social media! It has been the most fun job and I LOVE my social media team. They are a group of some of the most hard working, dedicated, and creative individuals and it’s so fun to get to work alongside them. It’s really amazing that this blog has opened up so many opportunities for me, and one being my new job in social media. Right now I’m trying to balance my new job and creating new content for my blog, and I think I’m figuring this out haha. Thanks for being patient with me and continuing to pop in and read! Your support means the world to me!

Sooooo, today is National Donut Day and of course I had to make a single serving of donuts for my little bunnies! These donuts are vegan and made from whole wheat flour and have a maple almond icing which is naturally colored with beet juice (trust me you cannot taste it!). A little bit of beet juice goes a long way (just like food coloring) so you don’t need too much.
As I was making the batter for my mini donuts, I realized that I didn’t have a donut pan to bake them in. I would usually go to the store and buy something like this, but I was like wait a second… If I don’t have a donut baking pan, then not a lot of people do haha! So instead of buying one, I made my own! I took a mini cupcake/muffin tin and rolled up aluminum foil and placed it in the center of each muffin tin so that the donuts would bake with a hole! Call it ghetto or call me a genius… up to you!!!

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Vegan Mini Donuts
Serves 1

1/4 tsp ground flaxseed + 1/2 tsp water
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
heaping 1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt
1/8 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Maple Almond Icing
1 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
splash of unsweetened almond milk
(optional) 1/4-1/2 tsp beet juice for color

Vegan Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small dish and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt).
4. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (apple cider vinegar, vanilla, almond milk) and the flaxseed mixture.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until evenly combined.
6. Pour the donut batter into a mini donut pan generously sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. If you don’t have a donut pan, you can use a mini muffin tin and place rolled up aluminum foil in the center. Generously coat the muffin tin and aluminum foil centers with nonstick cooking spray (do not skip this step).
7. Place the donut batter in a Ziploc bag and cut the tip (like a pastry bag) to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tins around the aluminum foil centers.
8. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Remove donut from the oven and let cool.
10. While the donuts are cooling, mix the icing ingredients. Mix almond butter and maple syrup together and add a splash of almond milk until desired consistency is reached. For pink icing, add 1/4 tsp of beet juice (natural food coloring).
11. Remove donuts from muffin tin and push the aluminum foil centers through each donut until donut hole is exposed.
12. Drizzle each donut with icing and add sprinkles.

Silk Banana Berry Breakfast Quinoa + Giveaway

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I’m sooooo excited for this collaboration! I get really pumped when a brand contacts me, but when it’s a brand that I already love, I get really really REALLY excited! Silk makes my absolute favorite Almondmilk, and all I want to do is talk about how creamy and tasty it is, but I’m trying my best to refrain becauseeeeee today it’s all about Silk Soymilk!

You guys know that I am allllll about the plant based protein on my blog and milk totally counts towards that! Silk Soymilk has 8 grams of plant-powered protein per serving. It also has no cholesterol, no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, no high-fructose corn syrup, is low in saturated fat, free of gluten, and is verified by the Non-GMO Project.

You’ve probably heard this all of your life, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But let’s get cereal (haha) breakfast provides you with the energy and nutrients that you need to get through the day and influences how we perform physically and mentally. Plus, studies show that breakfast is important in maintaining a healthy body weight.

If you’re planning on going for a run or working out later don’t skip out on breakfast, and definitely don’t skip your protein! You don’t have to eat a jar of protein powder for breakfast, but by eating a balanced breakfast with a serving of protein, you will feel satisfied and energized to conquer the day and your workout!

Today’s recipe is a Banana Berry Breakfast Quinoa made with Silk Vanilla Soymilk. It’s similar to oatmeal, but made with quinoa which is a complete protein! Most people don’t think of quinoa as a breakfast food, but it can be a great addition to some recipes and adds an extra punch of protein and nutty flavor to your basic breakfast!

I usually make this breakfast quinoa with tropical types of fruits or apple and cinnamon since I have a severe allergy to most berries, but I know seeing the same tropical fruits on my blog over and over again can get kind of boring so I wanted to do a fun banana berry combo for my bunnies! Matt was my taste tester on this one, and he said it was “REALLY GOOD!”

Silk-Banana-Berry-Breakfast-Quinoa-2Interested in trying Silk Soymilk? Signup on the Silk website to receive a 75¢ off coupon!

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Silk Banana Berry Breakfast Quinoa
Serves 1

1/2 cup Silk Vanilla Soymilk
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup blueberries and blackberries
1/2 banana, sliced

1. Combine quinoa, Silk Vanilla Soymilk, and berries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until all liquid has absorbed.
3. Transfer the quinoa mixture to a bowl and add a splash of Silk Vanilla Soymilk until desired texture/creaminess is desired.
4. Top with sliced banana and a small handful of berries. Enjoy warm.

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GIVEWAY
Now it’s your chance to win a Silk Soymilk prize package!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Sunday, March 24th at 11:59 PM (PDT). 1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, March 25th. Health & Happinessxo-Catherine This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

3 Ingredient Magic Cookies

I remember seeing a banana oat cookie recipe floating around Pinterest a couple of years ago and I thought it was too good to be true. Welllll I pintested it and it was a total flop. My cookies were rubbery and looked like one of those typical “NAILED IT!” photos. It was bad. Like most of the omgsupercool intriguing Pinterest recipes that I’ve tried, I got super frustrated, annoyed, and never tried it again.

Well, here I am years later conquering the banana oat cookie, and not to toot my own horn but, TOOT FREAKING TOOT I actually nailed it! In the correct kind of nailed it way. And these cookies are seriously magical! The original recipe called for cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins, but I am giving a big N-O to those ingredients for my magical cookies. I’ve also mastered the ratio of ingredients so your cookies don’t look like a pile of unicorn poop when they come out of the oven. You’re welcome.

I am happy to tell you that these cookies are gluten-free (make sure to buy uncontaminated oats), vegan, nut-free, seed-free, dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, refined sugar-free, and absolutely magical. Plus, you might just happen to have two super ripe bananas on your counter just waiting to be used… for cookies!

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3 Ingredient Magic Cookies

Yields 20 cookies

2 large ripe bananas
1 cup whole rolled oats
¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (I love Enjoy Life brand)

additional ¼ – ½ cup rolled oats as needed to thicken batter

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place bananas and 1 cup of oats in a food processor and blend until the bananas are smooth but you can still see bits of oats.
3. The consistency will depend on the size of your bananas, so if your mixture is too runny, transfer to a bowl and fold in ¼ cup of whole rolled oats to make it thicker. If the dough still isn’t stiff enough, add another ¼ cup of oats. Add chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon.
4. Using a 1 Tbsp sized measuring spoon scoop heaping spoonfuls of dough and place onto parchment paper.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until tops are golden.

If you follow me on Snapchat, you probably saw me making these cookies yesterday!
Snapchat Username: @EatRabbitFood

I’m off to Disneyland today with Matt and his family for his sister Olivia’s birthday!
Be on the lookout on my Instagram if you’re at Disneyland today, I have a little surprise planned!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

Let’s Taco ’bout Cinco de Mayo

Just when I thought today was great because it’s Cinco de Mayo, I realized it’s ALSO Taco Tuesday. Ummmm, how deliciously fitting!

So I know when you think of Mexican food “healthy” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but trust me, not all Mexican food has to be bad for your waistline! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday tonight with these festive lightened-up tacos!

Spicy Korean TacosSpicy Korean Tacos
A vegan take on Korean street tacos from one of my favorite food trucks in LA, the Calbi truck! Made with my favorite Asian hot sauce Sriracha, tofu, cabbage, carrots, tofu, sesame seeds, sesame oil, wrapped up in fresh corn tortillas!
>>Get the recipe here<<

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: cabbage & carrots
Whole Grain: whole corn tortillas
Protein: tofu
Plant Based Fat: sesame oil & sesame seeds
Free Extras: vegetable broth, Sriracha, and tamari
Black Bean Fajita TacosBlack Bean Fajita Tacos
These low sodium, low fat, gluten free, vegan tacos are a favorite on my blog! Made with fajita style vegetables, sallt-free seasonings, black beans, homemade guacamole, and served in warm corn tortillas!
>>Get the recipe here<<

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

Balsamic-Tofu-Pineapple-Avocado-TacosBalsamic Tofu & Pineapple Tacos
Take your tacos tropical with a combination of pineapple, avocado, and tangy balsamic glaze for a mouthwatering combination of flavors! This recipe is vegan, gluten free, low sodium, and low fat yet full of flavor!
>>Get the recipe here<<

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: pineapple
Whole Grain: corn tortillas
Protein: tofu
Plant Based Fat: avocado
Free Extras: balsamic and honey mustard

 

No-Sugar-Added-Paloma-CocktailPair your tacos with a Skinny Paloma (no Sugar added) by one of my favorite bloggers and fellow Dole Ambassador: Brittany from Eating Bird Food (I love bird food and rabbit food, obvi!)! If you haven’t checked out her blog, do it now!

 

mango-margarita-frosty-30Looking for a virgin drink/mocktail for Cindo de Mayo? My friend (and another Dole Ambassador) Kathy from Healthy Happy Life has the most amazing Juicy Mango Margarita (Mocktail) for all of you bunnies!

Have a fun and safe Cinco de Mayo!
Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

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