Eat More Rabbit Food

Juicing, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Juice Pulp Crackers

Hi everybunny!

I hope you guys are having a great week so far!
I wanted to start by saying THANK YOU for your support with my last post. There are so many times that I struggle with body image and/or eating and just want to crawl into my bed and lock myself in my room because I’m ashamed, upset, and flat-out sad… but time and time again you guys have shown me that I am most definitely not alone, and have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your comments were so empowering and I appreciate your vulnerability and honesty. You are all so strong and seriously beautiful writers! I love you guys so much. My readers make me so incredibly happy each and every day. Expect a giveaway this week, to show my love and appreciation!

So I just found out this week that my “advertise” contact form has not been working. Ahhhh! This is the WORST! I apologize to anyone who has messaged me in the past few weeks and not gotten a response. I feel so unprofessional and cannot even imagine how rude people must think I am. I am working with my web host to get my contact form working again. In the meantime, if you have a professional inquiry please email me at: .

I also wanted to say sorry for being MIA last week! I was in Texas for a wedding and then in Arizona visiting my friends at Natural Delights and judged the recipe contest at the 2nd Annual Yuma Medjool Date Festival! There will definitely be some new Medjool date recipes coming up and possibly a giveaway for you guys!

Finally, here is the recipe I promised!
Sorry for the delay : ( and thank you for your patience!

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Don’t you hate seeing food or nutrients go to waste?

Although most of us use juice pulp for compost or unfortunately throw it away… many people don’t realize that they are leaving behind all of the great fiber that the fruits’ and veggies’ skins contain.

Fiber serves a very important role in our diet. When eating whole fruits and vegetables, the natural fiber helps to slow down the process in which the body breaks down and releases sugar, which prevents blood sugar from spiking and crashing. Fiber can also help you feel fuller longer and keeps your digestive system running smoothly and efficiently.

Bottom line, there is value in this often-neglected pulp!

Next time you make a juice, think twice before tossing the pulp!
It’s easy to transfer your fibrous juice pulp into hearty and delicious Juice Pulp Crackers.

Juice-Pulp-Crackers-9 I love slathering hummus on my Juice Pulp Crackers!

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Juice Pulp Crackers
Makes about 25-30 crackers

2 cups juice pulp
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp thyme (I used dried)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup water

*Make sure that all inedible seeds and skin are removed from produce before juicing if you intend to use the pulp for crackers!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Slowly add water until the mixture is well combined but still sticky (The amount of water may vary based on how watery your pulp is). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture out very thinly (you want this as thin and even as possible). You will want this to be as thin as possible or your crackers may turn out bready versus crunchy. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and cut into 1.5 inch squares.

Note: Like kale chips, these don’t store very well, so they are best to eat the same day they are made!
Dehydrating: If you have a dehydrator you can spread the mixture evenly onto a teflex or “fruit leather” dehydrator sheet. Set dehydrator to 115 and for 5-6 hours, flip the cracker over, and dehydrate for an additional 4-5 hours until crunchy.

The pulp for these crackers was from my Glowing Green Juice so I thought that thyme, salt, and pepper was a great addition, but feel free to experiment with different spices and seasonings! Cayenne would give a ice kick to your crackers!

November 19, 2013 | 16 Comments

Hurdles

What is healthy?

Hi honeybunnies!
I’m writing to you from super awesome San Antonio, TX!
I am SO excited to be here for the weekend for a close friend’s wedding! Texas is one of my favorite places because everyone is so friendly and laid back.

Mac-Ruby-Woo-Lipstick1 First of all, I got a new red Mac lipstick the other day and I’m obsessed! The color is Ruby Woo.

Soooo remember on Monday when I decided to do a juice cleanse? Well that completely failed halfway through day 2. I know I told you guys that I would give you daily updates on how it went, but it did not go well. To be honest, I’ve had such a hard time staying on track recently. I feel like I’ve gotten into this terrible black & white/ all or nothing mentality when it comes to food. It’s like “eat super duper healthy and become too restrictive” or “eat something ‘bad’ and the whole day is ruined so I just don’t care the rest of the day.” I’m definitely struggling with balance again and I feel myself going towards that darn rabbit hole.

There is still something about my relationship with food that is so… ugh… annoying.

Instead of getting down on myself about things like not completing a cleanse, or overdoing it on the halloween candy, I have been trying to move on and live. When I find myself obsessing over food and my weight, I don’t feel like I’m actually living.

Being a “healthy living” or “health food” blogger, I’ve thought a lot about what that really means. What constitutes something as healthy? Yes, I do believe that food wise, healthy means eating fresh, whole, unprocessed foods as often as possible, but I also believe that healthy means being happy. There is much more to health than just the physical food related aspects that we always attribute it to. Health is all about a balance. A happy place of nourishing your body with the nutrients it needs, and being happy.

I find that it’s almost impossible for me to truly be happy when all I focus on is “eating healthy.” I love eating healthy because of the way it makes me feel, but once it becomes an obsession, I find that it actually comes along with a lot os sadness and guilt, and that is no way to live. There are so many bloggers and even “fitspo” accounts on Instagram that seem to have it all together. They eat “perfectly,” workout multiple hours a day, and can say “no” to bread like it’s poison. I’ve recently had to unfollow these types of bloggers and IG accounts because it just made me sad and angry that I couldn’t be as strict as them. Do they really always have it together? Do they ever eat cake on their birthday? Do they enjoy a glass of wine? Do they ever say, “today, I don’t want to go to the gym?” It seems so superficial to me. I’m not here to talk badly about other people, I’m just here to say that I’m human, I’m not perfect, and at times it’s really hard for me to stay on track. I don’t want girls and women to think that they have to live to unattainable standards that you see on the internet to be healthy. And I want you to know that it’s ok if you fall off the wagon. It’s normal! I’ve fallen off about 10 times the past couple of months. At times I felt like I was actually dragging behind the wagon! But you know what? Life goes on and tomorrow is a new day. You are gorgeous, and you will accomplish anything you set your mind to! Take a deep breath and take things one day at a time.

As promised, I’ll be posting my cracker recipe made from leftover juice pulp tomorrow : )

xo Catherine

Rehearsal

November 7, 2013 | 60 Comments

Juicing, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Juicing for Dummies

I hope that everyone had a happy Halloween! Cactus-Costume If anyone was curious about this year’s Halloween costume… I was a cactus! I cut white pipe cleaners into small pieces, folded them into “V” shapes and stitched them all over a green fitted American Apparel dress! I added a cactus flower in my hair and as a ring as well : )

Thursday-Saturday consisted of lots of sugary drinks, candy, and costume changes and I think it’s about time for a juice cleanse!

I’ve been complaining to my friends about being super tired and sluggish, and to be honest it’s probably all of the extra crapola that i’ve been eating! Halloween is only once a year, and candy and punch is necessary to celebrate.

My friend Brett (my gorg bunny model) and I are starting a 3 day juice cleanse and I would love some bunnies to join us! I’ll be posting my daily juices and feedback on my blog for you guys to read and follow along. It’s always great to have a buddy so you can hold each other accountable and stay motivated.

I’m really really excited for this post, because I love sharing what i’ve learned along the way of my weight loss journey. I want to showcase my simple juicing tips to make a homemade juice cleanse less intimidating and less time consuming for you guys. Hopefully you will learn some new tricks or be inspired to do a cleanse of your own after reading this!

TIP #1: BUY LOCAL. IT’S CHEAPER.
A lot of people can get turned off by juicing or juice cleanses because of the price. Store bought juice cleanses are super pricey, but making it at home doesn’t have to be!I went to a local store called “Growers Direct” which has excellent prices. I bought all of my produce for the next 3 days for $14.50 (unless I forgot something and need to go back!). Farmers markets are excellent for buying produce for a juice cleanse because they tend to be less expensive than your average grocery store or Whole Foods. Even hit Costco or Sam’s Club for bulk produce!
What I bought:
4 bunches of kale
4 oranges
4 lemons
4 cucumbers
7 Fuji apples
ginger root
5 lb bag of carrots
All for $14.50! That’s the price of 2 store bought juices, or one meal at a restaurant!

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TIP #2: LINE THE PULP BIN WITH A PLASTIC BAG.
This will definitely help when cleanup time comes! You won’t have fruit and veggies bits all over your kitchen and they will be pre-bagged and ready to be transferred. For ideas on what to do with your pulp, see TIP #7.
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TIP #3: SORT YOUR PRODUCE FOR WASHING.
Place all of your produce that needs to be washed in the sink (anything that the skin remains on i.e. apples, greens, cucumber, grapes, etc.). In the meantime, place a few pieces of paper towel next to the sink for easy drying. Kind of like a little fruit & veggie washing assembly line!

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-5 After your produce has been rinsed, place them on the paper towel and gently blot dry. Don’t worry about drying them completely, just blot the excess water.

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TIP #4: SORT ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE CHOPED
Sort any produce that needs the skin removed (i.e. citrus and ginger.) At this time, you will also want to chop any large fruits or vegetables that cannot fit into the juicer whole. I like to chop my apples into 4 pieces each so they’re easier to feed into the juicer.

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TIP 5: JUICE CITRUS IN BETWEEN SOLID PRODUCE.
To get the most juice out of your citrus and greens, place them in between more solid produce like apples or cucumbers. I like to line up the “mouth” of my juicer with an apple, lemon, and then more apple and press it in with the “plunger.” This way I know I’m getting all of my citrus juice pressed in!

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TIP #6: FILL THE SINK WITH SOAP AND WATER FOR QUICK CLEANUP
Fill your sink with warm water and soap while you juice your produce. This will make the cleanup process MUCH faster! Once you finish juicing, place all of your washable juicer parts in the sink and let them soak while you bottle up the juice. This will allow the soap and water to help loosen up the pump for quick and easy part cleanup!

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TIP #7: RECYCLE YOUR PULP!
Now that your pulp is already stored in a plastic bag, it’s super easy to transfer it to your refrigerator for later use, or to compost! I love using juice pulp for crackers (recipe coming later this week)! Just remember, if you want to use your juice pulp for another recipe later on, be sure to remove any inedible seeds and skin before juicing. Get that pulp in the refrigerator and save it for my Juice Pulp Cracker recipe later this week!

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TIP #8: LINE YOUR COUNTER WITH PAPER TOWEL FOR JUICE STORING.
Line your counter with a couple sheets of paper towel to make the juice storing process less messy. Remove lids from your glass jars and get ready to pour.

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Tip #9: HOW TO PROPERLY STORE YOUR FRESH JUICE
Fresh juice right out of the juicer is not only the best tasting but the best for you because of it’s high nutrient level. But we can all agree that it’s not always practical, right? No one really has time to juice several times per day, so it’s necessary to make juice beforehand. A couple of questions I frequently receive are “Is it possible to make juice ahead of time?,” “how long does juice last in the fridge,” and “how do you store fresh juice?” Well here are my answers. Yes, it is possible to make a batch of juice ahead of time and store it for later. Fresh juice can last about 24 hours without losing any nutrients if stored properly.

The biggest concern for keeping juices fresh is oxidation. During the juicing process, fruits and vegetables are broken open and their enzymes and other nutrients are released from the fiber. When the juice is exposed to air it gives up an electron to the oxygen in the air, thus oxidizing the juice and making it less nutritionally stable. If you can reduce the amount of time the juice is exposed to the air and seal it up quickly you have a better chance of keeping the nutrients intact.

This means storing your juice in glass jars with an air tight seal. Below I will describe the process of filling the jars to get the least amount of oxygen in them as possible!

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-14 Fill the jars all the way to the top rim with juice so that they actually overflow a little. The goal is no air inside the jar.

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-19 Place the metal lid on top of the jar. Some juice may overflow, which is ok. This ensures that there is no excess oxygen in the jar.

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-15 Screw the metal band on tightly to ensure the lid is on and sealed.

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-16 Clean off the jars and throw away the paper towel. Store for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator! Careful when opening, they’re full!

TIP # 10: DRY JUICER PARTS ON A DRYING RACK
After cleaning all of your juicer parts, let them air dry on a drying rack (I bought a bottle rack at Target for about $10). The less work, the better, and the more likely you will be to juice again!
Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-18 Now for that juice recipe you’ve been waiting for!

Juicing-for-Dummies-Homemade-Juice-Cleanse-17 Catherine’s Glowing Green Juice
Makes 4 16oz servings

2 bunches of curly kale
4 Fuji Apples
2 Lemons, skin removed
2 large cucumbers
1.5-2 inch slice of ginger, skin removed

This is one of my favorite juices and an excellent basic green juice for a cleanse!

I hope that these juicing tips have helped and/or inspired you to juice at home! xo
If you have any juicing tips, let me know in the comments below!

November 4, 2013 | 34 Comments

Dinner, Recipes, Vegetarian

Happy Healthy Halloween!

I have to start this post off with the FUNNIEST ad spot I have EVER seen.

I’m pretty sure all of my fellow health foodies will love this!!! Brought to you by Crest & Oral-B this ad titled “Halloween Treats Gone Wrong” explores the possibility of an candy-less Halloween by giving a group of children only healthy candy featuring vegetable-flavored gummies, Nori pops and tofu ghost-mallows.
Their reactions… absolutely PRICELESS!

Kid’s say the darndest things don’t they?

I literally laughed until I cried while watching this and then immediately had to show it to all of my family members. I hope you laugh as hard as I did! By the way, my favorite description is “tastes like poopie piñata!”

To continue my Healthy Halloween (that tastes way better than the ‘treats’ described in a that video), I recycled my Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers recipe and turned the bell peppers into Jack-O-Lanterns! You could also fill these adorable Jack-O-Lantern stuffed peppers with my Tofu & Wild Rice or anything else you would like!

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Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4-5

4-5 orange bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa + 2 cups water
1 15oz can unsweetened corn kernels
1 15oz can low sodium black beans
1 4oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 Tbsp Southwest/Fajita seasoning (I used Mccormick Salt-Free Southwest)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. Cut tops off of bell peppers, remove seeds and “meat” from inside. With a small sharp knife, carve a traditional Jack-O-Lantern face into the bell pepper. Rinse and strain the beans and corn. Once quinoa has finished cooking combine with corn, beans, green chilies, tomatoes, onion, pepper jack cheese, and fajita seasoning. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the bell peppers. Transfer stuffed bell peppers (without lids) to a baking dish lined with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Note: 1 cup of southwest quinoa mixture = 1 serving. Use this measurement when making wraps or individual stuffed bell peppers.

I’m off to construct my costume for tomorrow. I hope you have a healthy, happy, and safe Halloween!
xo

October 30, 2013 | 7 Comments

DIY, Fashion

My Halloween Costumes

Happy Halloween Week!

Pumpkin Patch Halloween is one of my fav holidays because I LOVE making costumes. I used to be your typical high school girl that bought all of those itty bitty mini dress costumes from Leg Avenue, but when I went away to college I got obsessed with making my own costumes. During this time of year, glue guns and spandex are my best friends! Since deciding on a halloween costume is always a toughie I thought it would be fun to show you some of my costumes from throughout the years! There are about 5 or 6 years worth of costumes/photos that I found, so enjoy this trip down memory lane haha. I have quite the collection of DIY costumes if I do say so myself!

DIY Pinata Halloween Costume1 You may have seen the first two photos before because my piñata costume was featured in Seventeen Magazine last year and is still on their website! Multiple friends have told me it’s all over Pinterest! Now you guys get the behind the scenes on how to actually make it!

This is my all time favorite costume! I’ve had a serious obsession with Piñatas ever since I moved to Downtown LA and discovered what I like to call “The Piñata District” aka Piñata Row, otherwise known as 9th Street (where Central meets Olympic). There are dozens of stores covered ceiling to floor in brightly colored piñata from animals to One Direction themed!

DIY Piñata Costume: I started this costume with a nude Americal Apparel Tank Dress, and bought royal blue, medium blue, hot pink, orange, and yellow streamers which I cut into 4 inch long strips. I actually constructed this costume while the dress was on me. I didn’t want the dress to stretch and rip the pieces off, so I made sure it was stretched to my size as I hot glued the strips of streamers on. Using a small dot of glue on each strip, I started from the very bottom row of yellow (three rows of each color) and worked my way to the top like a flapper dress, turning the dress around as I went. I gathered a bunch of long pieced and tied one end into a knot and then safety pinned it to the back of my dress as the “donkey tail.” I made matching “donkey ears” out of folded paper – think old school tri-folded name place cards that you made in elementary school for your desk. Then wrapped pink streamers around them to cover them up and stuck bobby pins through them and into my hair.

DIY Cute Pikachu Costume My Pikachu costume is also featured on Seventeen’s website!
DIY Girly Pikachu: I made this cute little Pikachu costume while I was still in school at FIDM in 2008. I actually made the yellow tube dress out of a piece of stretchy yellow fabric, and the tutu out of a single piece of elastic and lots of tulle. I covered some old bunny ears with matching yellow fabric – they could easily be made of construction paper and glued to a headband! Super easy to put together, plus the makeup is cute : )

Another popular costume of mine is the loofah (also featured on Seventeen.com)! Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of the very first loofahs out there! This is from 2009! Pretty sure I’ve also re-worn this costume the most out of all of mine.
DIY Loofah Costume: I started with a black thin strap tank dress (similar to this one) and bought about 8 yards of the roughest stuffiest tulle I could find at Joann’s. I put the dress on and started bunching the tulle and safety pinning the bunches as I went around and around until the dress was completely covered. I grabbed some white curtain cord from the interior section of Joann’s and safety pinned it on the side. Easy Peasy.

DIY Sims Costume
I think my Sims costume wins for easiest costume accessory. This one is featured on Seventeen.com too! You don’t have to dress up if you don’t feel like it, because in the computer game The Sims they are just normal people… with plumbobs floating over their heads! It’s nerdy but awesome!
DIY Sims Costume: I actually made my own template for this a few years ago, but there are tons of awesome ones that you can print, cut, fold, and glue together! I would recommend this template and instructions. The best part about this costume is that it’s 100% office appropriate! Also recommended for that friend that occasionally gets separated from the group at events. As you can see it makes you really easy to find in large crowds!

DIY Gumball Costume There was also that one time I decided to dress up as a gum ball machine and glue thousands of pom poms all over my dress. I won’t elaborate on this one. IT’S SO FLUFFAYYYYYY!

DIY Cute Cookie Monster Costume
Back Camera And of course, I love making costumes for my friends! I made Lauren this adorable Cookie Monster costume (similar style as the Pikachu one).
DIY Cookie Monster: I sewed her a simple blue velour tube dress and made a matching tutu out of elastic and tulle. The eyes are made of two ping pong balls glue gunned onto a comb (the kind that veils are sewn onto) with black Sharpie pupils. I finished the costume with some chic cookie accessories made of beige and brown polymer clay!

DIY Risky Business Costume If your costume idea falls apart or you need something last minute, I suggest stealing your boyfriend’s white button down and going with Risky Business! High white socks and Raybans are a must! Going out but don’t want to walk around in socks? Put on a pair of comfy flats and then put the white socks over them! It will appear as if you’re just wearing socks, but then you won’t have to worry about wet floors or sharp objects, problem solved!

Corgi-Bunny-Halloween-Costume Teddy just LOVES dressing up for Halloween. Can’t you tell? Cutest RFFMBT mascot ever!

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
Andddd Tell me your best and/or worst costume you’ve ever worn!

I’m constructing this years costume today! Ahhhh! I hope it turns out as awesome as it looks in my head! Otherwise… Risky Business it is!

October 28, 2013 | 17 Comments

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Juice Pulp Crackers

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Happy Healthy Halloween!

My Halloween Costumes