How To Pick A Ripe Avocado

I get tons of questions asking how to pick the perfect avocado. I have become a master over the years and have to pass this simple little trick to all of my readers so you can learn how to pick a ripe avocado each and every time! Happy avo picking! How-to-pick-a-ripe-avocado-1

If you love avocados (seriously, who doesn’t?) it can be such a bummer to slice one open only to find brown and black inside. I’ve bought hundreds of them over the years, and I must confess, every once in a while I used to get a spotty one.

The avocados you’ll see in grocery stores usually range in color, from bright green to dark black. Most people choose their avocados based on their color — bright green being unripe, black with a green sheen being ripe, and dark black being overripe. However, this method is pretty unreliable. For the past couple of years I’ve tested the ripeness of avocados by gently squeezing them: very firm is under ripe, gently firm is almost ripe, slightly soft is ripe, and very soft is overripe. Again, this method works for me most of the time, but I still sometimes pick bad avocados based on touch alone.

Based on the suggestion of a friend, I started choosing my avocados based on one particular method, and I have yet to choose an overripe or under ripe one so far.

Essentially, you pull out the knob of your avocado and check the color of the avocado’s fruit. Using that method in combination with checking the firmness gets you a ripe avocado 100% of the time.

How-to-pick-a-ripe-avocado-2 An unripe avocado is usually bright green. The texture will be very firm, with no give at all when pressed. But it’s most important to check is the knob. Unripe avocados will have a knob that’s difficult to pull out. If you do manage to pull it out — though you should generally just move on to a different avocado — the flesh will be bright green.  How-to-pick-a-ripe-avocado-3 ripe avocado is dark green/black. Some ripe avocados will still have a bit of green on them, where others will be totally black. A ripe avocado has a bit of give. Most importantly, the knob comes out easily and the color of the avocado flesh is solid green How-to-pick-a-ripe-avocado-4Overripe avocados are completely black. They are often very soft and squish to the touch, but sometimes seem to have a nice give: they can be hard to differentiate from avocados that are actually ripe based on touch alone. An overripe avocado knob comes out easily, but the internal flesh will be mottled gray-green, brown, or black. How-to-pick-a-ripe-avocado-5 Use this tip to find perfect, ready-to-eat avocados every time!  Source: Integral Natural Yoga Foods

Easy Veggie Burger (for the busy days)

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First of all, sorry for the lack of posts last week! I have been shipping shirts like a mad woman, and then I went on a blogger trip where my car broke down! Stories of that crazy adventure to come later this week!

So you guys know that I’m not the biggest fan of frozen meals and such. I try my hardest to eat fresh fruits and veggies and cook meals from scratch as often as I can, but like everyone else, some days I’m just too busy or tired to cook dinner. On those days, when I’m low on time or energy, Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers have been a lifesaver for me. Just a little FYI, this is not a sponsored post, nor are half of the products that I post here; I sincerely love these veggie patties, and had to share them with you guys! This is the absolute easiest meal to make and still stick with The Rabbit Food Pyramid.

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I love that their ingredient list doesn’t include any type of preservatives, chemicals, or modified ingredients. They’re vegan, GMO free, kosher parve, and free of saturated fat, and cholesterol! Plus they even contain 5g of protein and are only 110 calories per patty!

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Nothing ever looks that pretty when frozen, but here it is in all of it’s frozen glory. I love the texture and that there are whole pieces of corn, and soybeans in there, as well as bits of carrots and other veggies. To find Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers near you, check out their store locator.

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I don’t really buy buns unless I’m having friends and family over for a barbecue, so I love eating my burgers on a slice of toasted Dave’s Killer Bread in Powerseed. It’s really hearty and so soft! To Find Dave’s Killer Bread near you, check out their store locator.

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I treat this veggie burger as an open faced sandwich. I like to eat it with a knife and fork! It also slows me down from nom noming the entire thing at lightening speed haha.

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Easy Veggie Burger
Serves 1

1 slice whole grain bread (my fav is Dave’s Killer Bread in Powerseed)
Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Patty
1 slice reduced fat (or vegan) cheese (I used jack)
1/4 small avocado (mashed or sliced)

Optional: 1 Tbsp of your favorite condiment like Vegenaise or organic ketchup!

Toast bread, heat veggie patty on a microwave safe plate for 1 minute. After 1 minute, flip the patty and add cheese, microwave for 40 more seconds. Transfer patty to the toasted bread and add freshly sliced or mashed avocado and desired condiments.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Patty
Whole Grain: bread
Protein: cheese
Plant Based Fat: avocado

New Spring 2014 Shirts

Best news of the entire week: SHIRTS ARE BACK IN STOCK!

I have 1 new design and 1 gorg new color in the “Eat More Rabbit Food” shirts!
Get them while they’re hot, because as you have seen before – they sell quickly!

You guys kill me with your love on my blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! I just adore you all so much and love seeing your “rabbit food” meal checkins and adorable shirt photos!

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all of your support.
I know I say this all the time, but I love you little bunnies!
I love hearing from first time commenters, from my little twitter pen pals, from new followers… all of it! You make me smile everyday with your enthusiasm and passion for rabbit food!

Do you have a RFFMBT shirt?
Tag me on Instagram so I can see all of you cuties in your shirts!
@rabbitfoodformybunnyteeth


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Introducing “The Health Nut” T!
Available in Black and Light Grey!

Chia seeds, green smoothies, coconut oil, kale for days… the essentials for a health nut!
This shirt is SUPER OVERSIZED! It’s actually ginormous! So ginormous that my screen printer texted me to confirm that I dropped off the correct shirts. Hahaha. I wore mine as a beach cover up the other day! I loveeee huge baggy shirts! You can let the neck slouch off the shoulder, or knot the bottom for a cute casual look! So versatile, so comfy, so cute, so healthy!

 

Eat-More-Rabbit-Food-Shirts-May-2014ColorsThe “Eat More Rabbit Food” long sleeve oversized shirts have been restocked.
Available in Turquoise (NEW!), Navy (back by popular demand!), Olive Green, Grey, and Back!

I’m kind of laughing looking at how pale I was in the “Winter” shirt photos! Oh man, what a couple of days in Palm Springs and at the beach can do for my skin color (as seen in the turquoise shirt photo)!

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to order more of the pastel colors (white, light pink, light yellow, and lavender) because my supplier is completely out of stock! I’ll keep checking though!

I hope you love the new shirts!
Health & Happiness
xo Catherine

 

Piña Kale-ada

If you like Piña Coladas,
And getting caught in the rain…
then you will love my Piña Kale-ada green smoothie!

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I’m still super obsessed with green smoothies and usually have one a day as a snack or in place of breakfast. Since I’m allergic to all berries except for raspberries and also allergic to melon, I don’t have a ton of options when it comes to fruits in my green smoothies. You may have noticed that I use a lot of mango, pineapple, and banana, but I really hope you’re not sick of it! I always try to get creative with the fruits (adding apples, and pears) that I can eat and test out different kinds of milks and juices so my tastebuds don’t get bored.

You will love my healthy piña colada alternative because it has tons of health benefits.
It doesn’t just taste good, it’s good for you!

I’ve created a green smoothie with creamy almond coconut milk, perfectly ripe golden pineapple, sweet coconut water, banana, and vitamin rich kale to transport your tastebuds to a tropical island getaway!

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Piña Kale-ada
Serves 1

1 cup chopped kale, stems included
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup coconut water (I love Vitacoco)
1/2 cup Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Milk

Blend in a high powered blender until creamy and smooth.

Tip on avoiding chunks of kale: If you don’t have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, combine only the liquids and kale together in your blender and let it blend on the highest power until the greens are completely pulverized. Then add in the frozen fruit!

If you can’t find Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Milk: you can use 1/4 cup of almond milk and 1/4 cup of light coconut milk mixed together, or 1/2 cup of either almond milk or light coconut milk. I promise it will still taste amaze!

Shortcut: If cutting and freezing pineapple is not up your alley, or frozen pineapple is too pricey, try buying Dole canned pineapple and then strain and freeze it in a ziplock bag!

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Oh, and I’m sooooo excited, new shirts will be listed in the RFFMBT online store this Friday! I have more “Eat More Rabbit Food” long sleeve oversized shirts, andddd this adorbs new “health nut” oversized T! Chia seeds, green smoothies, coconut oil, and kale for days… pretty much my life in a healthy little nutshell!

Can’t wait for Friday!
Health & Happiness
xo Catherine

Jamba Juice Fit Trends Expo 2014

I was honored to attend the fourth annual Jamba Juice Fit Trends Expo with four-time Olympic gold medalist, Venus Williams and Jake Steinfeld of Body by Jake at the end of last month!

I decided to work with Jamba Juice, because they are simplifying healthy living across the nation. Not everyone has access to Whole Foods or Nekter Juice Bar in their town, but Jamba Juice is really stepping up their game and competing with other popular juice bars and fruit and vegetable smoothie joints. Jamba Juice is bringing customers back to nature by blending whole fruits AND veggies into nutritious smoothies and juices.

Jamba Juice put together a fabulous expo that exhibited the latest Hollywood fitness trends, new Jamba Juice smoothies and juices, and promoted healthy living.

2014-Run Eat Repeat Monica Jamba Juice-FitTrends-Expo-5This years Fit Trends Expo took place at the stunning Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, California.

2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-362014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-6 2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-362014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-36 2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-6My job never feels like work, especially when I have this view!

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2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-4After check-in I finally got to meet Monica from Run Eat Repeat! Monica and I had been Instagram friends for a while and both live in Orange County, but it took us both going all the way to Santa Monica to meet! She’s soooo funny and had me laughing all day! If you are a runner of any kind or love watermelon, her blog is a must! P.S. I did not add the birds into this photo. They flew by at the perfect moment! Gorgeous!

2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-3After check-in, we began a warmup routine led by Venus Williams on our fresh Jamba Juice yoga mats!

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2014-Jamba-Juice-FitTrends-Expo-6 2014-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-2Once the warmup concluded, we went straight into our first workout of the day: POUND Rockout. Workout.™

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POUND Rockout. Workout.™
What is it? POUND is a full-body cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant simulated drumming with their lightly weighted drumsticks, called Ripstix™.
Class time: 45 minutes
The calorie burn: 400 – 900+ calories per session
Type of workout: Cardio and pilates/sculpting – group fitness class
Why I loved it: This was my FAVORITE workout of the entire day. I had heard about POUND before but didn’t think anything of it. It seemed cool, but I didn’t think it would be that great of a workout. Boy was I wrong! I was sweating in less than 10 minutes! Anytime you are standing in this class, you are in a squatting or lunging position and working the glutes, quads, and hammies like no other. In barre classes all you can think of is the pain when you are squatting and “getting low” but in a POUND class, you and so busy drumming away from side to side and hitting your Ripstix™ together to the music that you don’t even notice how long you’ve been squatting. During abs, I was getting so into the rhythm of pounding the sticks from side to side that I didn’t even realize how long we had been in a raised sit-up position! It completely took my mind off of the workout part of the class! The moves are simple and easy to follow, so don’t stress!
Recommended for: Anyone who likes music and wants a fun cardio class that doesn’t feel like working out.
Find A Class or Buy the DVD

2014-Pound Fitness Venus Williams Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-10Check out Venus following along with POUND founders Kirsten Potenza and Cristina Peerenboom!

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Next up on the agenda was Pop Physique!
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Pop Physique
What is it? Pop Physique is a barre workout designed to sculpt your entire body. Light weights are used to tone the upper body,and the barre is used for intense lower body work for the thighs and butt. Each concludes with a  focused abs section on the mats as well as stretching to lengthen those new lean muscles.
Class time: 1 hour
The calorie burn: 500+ calories per class
Type of Workout: Barre and toning – group fitness class.
Why I loved it: If you want to get toned and see results ASAP, this is the class for you! It’s hard. You won’t use any weights more than a couple of pounds, but each movement is precise and uses each muscle group to the point of exhaustion. If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you… and this class is challenging and body changing!
Recommended for: Anyone who wants a long and lean tones dancers body.
Find a Class (click the locations Tab)

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After tons of planks, tucking, squeezing, shaking, and burning it was time for Hoopnotica!
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Hoopnotica
What is it? a fat-burning hula hoop workout that both strengthens your core helps promotes muscular balance and alignment.
Class Time: 1 hour
The calorie burn: 350 calories per hour
Type of Workout: Core strengthening – DVD workout
What I thought: I have to be honest, this was my least favorite exercise of the day. It was fun and I laughed a TON, but it felt a little too slow for me. When choosing a workout, I personally like one that makes me sweat! If I’m going to spend 45 minutes to an hour working out, I want it to be a nice sweaty cardio sesh, or a really intense strength training class that I can feel afterwards. I didn’t feel like this was beneficial for me, but the instructor lost 80 pounds by hooping 1 hour each day! What may not work for me, might be perfect for you! It’s easy, and you can do it in your own home with their DVD!
Recommended for: Anyone who wants a simple, easy, laid back workout.
Get the DVD or Find A Teacher

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2014-Hoopnotica Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-24Katy from Joy Laughter Sweat and I were cracking up in the back corner during the Hoopnotica class. Hooping for long periods of time is more complicated than we anticipated hahaha.

2014-Hoopnotica Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-25This picture describes it all. We were asked to walk across the room while hooping. I love the concentration from Gillian (That’s G) and how excited Kara (The Lifestyleista) is for making it all the way across the room without dropping her hoop!2014-Hoopnotica Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-25

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Our final workout of the day was Surfset Fitness!
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Surfset Fitness
What is it? An exercise on a stabilizing surfboard trainer that is designed to simulate the physical demands of surfing without the ocean. The stabilizing board engages your core during the entire muscle building class.
Class Time: 45 minutes
The calorie burn: 400 – 900 calories per class
Type of Workout: Strength training and core workout.
What I thought: I thought this workout was really fun and definitely challenging. My legs were shaking the entire time and I barely survived the burpees on the board. Yes, you read that correctly, we did burpees on the boards! I loved how versatile the boards were, we even hopped off and used them for tricep dips!
Recommended for: Anyone who loves surfing or paddle boarding but doesn’t have access to the water!
Find A Class

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2014-Surfset Fitness Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-29Monica from Run Eat Repeat looking adorable on her Surfset board!

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After the workouts concluded, we were treated to a delicious and healthy lunch.
2014-Lunch-Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-22I had a tofu wrap with spinach, garlic hummus, bell peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes and a colorful salad with pistachios and goat cheese.  After lunch, we headed inside for a Q&A session with Venus Williams and fitness mogul Jake Steinfeld of Body by Jake.

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Venus was seriously adorable. She spoke so candidly about her own struggles with motivation and willpower. Just like us, she encounters a battle with the bed and said that some days, it’s just hard to get lout of bed and train. She finds motivation from her sister Serena and said “some mornings I’ll be laying in bed and I just don’t want to move, and then I hear this little bell on our front door and realize, Serena just left for her workout! I should get up and go too!” One of my favorite things from the Q&A: “Wish changes nothing. Decision changes everything.”

2014-Venus Williams Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-19You will never guess Venus’ least favorite things: broccoli & planks. Sounds like a blog name haha.

2014-Body By Jake Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-20Jake had so much charisma and made us laugh multiple times. He was precious! Once the Q&A session ended, we went outside to do a taste testing game!

2014-Jamba Juice-FitTrends-Expo-11We were each given 4 different Jamba Juice smoothies and had to match them to the correct smoothie name/ingredient list!

Veggie Harvest: Fresh apple juice, fresh carrot juice, beet juice, supergreens, (organic baby spinach, organic red and green chard, organic baby kale), ice and ginger juice

Tropical Greens: Fresh apple juice, fresh pineapples, fresh supergreens, (organic baby spinach, organic red and green chard, organic baby kale) ice and chia seeds

Great Greens: Fresh apple juice, fresh cucumber, supergreens, (organic baby spinach, organic red and green chard, organic baby kale) ice, fresh lemon juice, and chia seeds

Citrus Kick: Fresh orange juice, fresh apple juice, fresh pineapples, ice and ginger

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2014-Emoji Nails Jamba-FitTrends-Expo-12I had to share a picture of my epic Emoji nails for the event. I printed and cutout fruit Emojis and put them on my nails. I thought it was perfect for Jamba Juice!

2014-Surfset Fitness Jamba juice-FitTrends-Expo-35After the Fit Trends Expo 2014 concluded, we got to take pictures with the beautiful Venus. She’s wearing her own line EleVen by Venus! I’m not short or anything… just fun sized.

Thank you so much to Jamba Juice for including me in this fantastic event.
As always, all opinions are my own!

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