Sweet Summer Wrap

Hoppy Monday!

Motivation Monday: “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

I’m so excited because I finally edited my RFFMBT shirt photos for the online store and updated my inventory, but dun dun dunnnnnnn I’m going out of town AGAIN! This bunny is a jet setter! Since I do all of the shipping and handling for the RFFMBT online store myself, I don’t want to open the store and not be able to send you guys your shirts, so I will be postponing it yet again until I get home. I just couldn’t imagine buying a product and waiting forever for it to ship, that’s just not fair to you guys. Eeeeeeek I can’t wait to show off the new store when I get home! Thank you for your patience!

In other updates, United Luv donated 9 iPads to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, MT! St Patrick’s also matched their donation with 9 more iPads for patients! Thank you thank you thank you everyone for supporting United Luv! The little things like “liking” United Luv on Facebook are helping enormously! For all of my little bunnies who purchased United Luv shirts, I hope you like your little surprises that I sent in the mail! The Eaton family and I are so grateful for all of you!

If you have a second, checkout RFFMBT reader Melissa’s healthy living blog Little Blue Dress and her post about United Luv too! Thank you for your support Melissa!

I’m also super excited that a little bunny in Mexico shared my Personal Pan Pizza recipe on her fab blog en espanol! Be sure to checkout Dolores’ blog La Lola Dice! Hi international bunnies! xo

Onto the yummy stuff!
Light, filling, Sweet Summer Wraps!
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Serves 1

1 iceberg or romaine lettuce leaf
3 oz tempeh
3 Tbsp chopped fuji apple
2 Tbsp chopped red grapes
2 Tbsp Almond Butter
1 tsp honey

cut the tempeh into cubes and cook over stovetop to package instructions. Chop apple and grapes. Once tempeh has finished cooking, combine with apple, grapes, almond butter, and honey and mix well. Place the mixture into a leaf of lettuce, wrap, and enjoy!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: iceburg lettuce, fuji apple, grapes
Whole Grain: –
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: almond butter

Workout Playlist

When I was on the plane the other day I came across the best snippet in Self Magazine:

“5 Songs Not To Put On Your Workout Playlist”
as told my Martha MacIsaac from NBC’s 1600 Penn.

1. Kelis’s “Milkshake.” ‘Cause it always makes me crave an actual milkshake.
2. Anything by Bon Iver – You’ll fall asleep. But if my gym had a napping room, I’d be there more often.
3. Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” (aka the ASPCA song). Those sad puppies…
4. Jack Johnson’s “Bubble Toes.” Unless you’re working out in Birkenstocks around a campfire.
5. Nickelback’s… everything. We all love a Nickelback joke, am I right?

I literally laughed out loud on the plane reading this. I always see workout playlists, but I’ve never seen a list like this. Too funny!

Speaking of workouts, there is only one rule I have: thou shall never sweat in silence.
Music is crucial while getting your sweat on at the gym. Have you ever forgotten your headphones and had to listen to the person next to you pounding on the treadmill? Ya, been there done that. There’s nothing more irritating. Needless to say I only last about 10 minutes in the gym when that happens. My favorite types of workout classes are the ones with the best music because you find yourself getting so into it!

Workout Playlist

Spinning without music would be miserable!

I thought it would be fun to introduce you guys to my musically inclined friend Kevin. He’s a total music maven with a great ear for finding new bands and music that will have you hooked and wanting more. Each season he takes to his website to share mixes of his favorite bands and newly discovered artists. Not only are his mixtapes insanely good, they’re 100% free too! Browse around Kevin’s website MOMENTARY to find your perfect workout playlist and discover some new bands!

MOMENTARY ARTEach mixtape is 100% free for you to enjoy, inspired by the season, no one artist repeats on a tape, and displays cover art designed by Kevin at MOMENTARY ART!

MOMENTARY ARTOne of my favorite’s “MOMENTARY SUMMER MIXTAPE VOL. III ” has some great finds from Coachella 2013 and a track from the new Great Gatsby Soundtrack. It’s a must hear! Go to MOMENTARTOFFICIAL.COM to download the mixtape for free!

1. Capital Cities – Safe & Sound
2. Foals – My Number
3. Gold Fields – Dark Again
4. Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool
5. DIIV – Follow
6. Tame  Impala – Elephant
7. Mac Demarco – My Kind of Woman
8. Jessie Ware – Running
9. Lana Del Rey – Young & Beautiful (Kulkid Remix)
10. Young Wonder – Time (Feat. Sacred Animals)
11. Toro y Moi – So Many Details
12. Flume – Sleepless
13. The Presets – Fall
14. Empire of the Sun – Alive
15. Walla – No Time
16. Dan Croll – From Nowhere
17. Alt-J – Breezeblocks
18. Washed Out – New Theory
19. Chrome Sparks – Marijuana
20. Elizabeth Rose – Again (Feat. Siden)
21. Purity Ring – Grammy (Soulja Boy cover)
22. Chad Valley – I Owe You This (Feat. Twin Shadow)
23. Classixx – Borderline
24. White Arrows – Coming or Going (RAC Remix)
25. Major Lazer – Get Free (Feat. Amber Coffman)

MOMENTARY ART“Fresh to Death” by Kevin/MOMENTARY ART.

Stalk Kevin
Website:
momentaryofficial.com
Instagram: @momentaryart
Twitter: @m0mentary
Facebook: Momentary Official
Oh, and his French Bulldog, Griffey is famous.

Tweet us @EatRabbitFood and @m0mentary with the hashtag #momentarymix and let us know what you think of the mixtape!

Question: What is your favorite workout song, and one you would NEVER add to your workout playlist?

Tuscan Kale Salad

You may have heard me talk about my FAVORITE kale salad before. If not, let me introduce you to the Tuscan Kale Salad from True Food Kitchen. True Food’s menu was created by  Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, but “you don’t have to be a die-hard Yogi to dine at True Food Kitchen. You need only a desire to give your body nutrients, and your palate something memorable. The basis for Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet isn’t meant to deprive a healthy body of great flavors, it’s meant to take popular trends in cuisine and pair them with healthy living.”

The Tuscan Kale Salad is my all time favorite. Ever! Since There isn’t a True Food Kitchen everywhere, I am bringing the restaurant to your kitchen with a single serving Tuscan Kale recipe! This particular salad doesn’t come with smoked tempeh on it, but it’s my favorite way to order. Since I don’t have a smoker, I found an awesome short cut to get the same smokey flavor!

So what is tempeh?
Tempeh (tem-pay) is similar to tofu because it is made from soybeans, but it’s taste and texture are completely different. Tempeh is much more textured and firm since the soybeans are cooked and slightly fermented, and has a mild nutty flavor. It’s low in fat and high in protein and calcium, making it a great addition to salads!

Where do I buy Tempeh?
Most grocery stores such as Ralph’s, Kroger, Pavillions, Trader Joe’s, and health food stores like Whole Foods carry tempeh. It’s usually located by tofu and other vegetarian foods in the refrigerator section. I used Tofurkey Brand Smokey Maple Bacon Flavored Tempeh from Whole Foods for this recipe.

P.S. I love when my sister lets me use her camera and fancy lenses!

Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Tuscan Kale Salad
Serves 1

4 Strips of Smokey Maple Bacon Flavored Tempeh
2 cups chopped Tuscan kale (aka dinosaur kale)
1 Tbsp shaved parmesan (or shaved cheese blend)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 garlic clove – mashed
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of hot red pepper flakes

Wash and dry kale. Cut kale into half inch strips and place in a bowl. Mash garlic with a fork and combine with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot red pepper flakes. Massage dressing into the kale and set aside. Place 4 strips of tempeh in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Cooke each side of the tempeh for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove tempeh from the stove and cut into one inch pieces. Toss the tempeh and parmesan in the salad and enjoy.

Tuscan Kale Salad
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: kale
Whole Grain: enjoy with one serving of whole grain crackers or a side of quinoa
Protein: tempeh and cheese
Plant Based Fat: olive oil

Frosty Light

Hi honeybunnies!

I had a super fun photoshoot with my friend Brett yesterday to photograph all of my new RFFMBT shirts! After traveling to San Francisco, Denver (twice), Palm Springs, Nebraska, Iowa, and Monterey,  I’ve finally had some down time to get the ball rolling on my shirts! Ohhhhhh my goji I’m so excited I can’t even stand it!!! I did Brett’s hair and make-up yesterday (she looks like the ultimate rffmbt bunny!) and then we blasted some top 40 hits while taking pictures. We had so much fun that I ended up with over 500 pictures! Oopsiessss! Now I have lots of sorting and editing to do in order to get my store up and running. Hopefully (cross your little bunny paws) that the new inventory will be ready for the store this weekend or early next week! Of course I will definitely notify you guys in a post as soon as they are up!

Eat More Rabbit Food Shirt Promo
So I’ve seen this recipe for a healthy Frosty Shake floating around the interwebs recently, and this morning my friend’s mom (Brett’s mom, actually!) posted it on my Facebook! It was pretty much a sign that it needed to be tried. I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it. The end result? Not up to RFFMBT standards… It was a little too icy and bland for my taste, so I took to the kitchen to perfect a Frosty Light for you guys!

Frosty Light
Did you know, that a small Original Chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s has a grand total of 290 calories, 7 (g) fat, and 40 (g) of sugar? Yes 40 grams of sugar! OMG! Ya, I had no idea either. I’m usually really good when it comes to reading nutrition labels, but when I indulge in ice cream I usually avoid the label and enjoy. So when I do look up the nutrition information for things like this, sometimes my jaw drops! I forget how much sugar restaurants add!

Behold the Chocolate Frosty Light! Only 5 ingredients (well 6 if you count ice cubes) that you probably already have in your kitchen! Score! I’ve used a frozen banana for natural sweetness, almond milk for that rich creamy texture, and chia seeds for thickness! Chia seeds in a “Frosty?” You betcha! Chia seeds swell to about 10 times their natural size when combined with liquid, resulting in a thick gel-like texture. Blend them thoroughly in your Frosty Light and get a nice ‘n’ thick smoothie and an added bonus of healthy Omega-3s and fiber. Trust me, after they’re blended up you won’t even know they’re there!

Chocolate Frosty Light
Serves 1

1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8-10 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Frosty Light

Dole Taste of Spain Salad Summit

Happy Monday bunnies!

To start things off, here is your Monday motivation!
Motivation Monday:What you eat in private you wear in public.

Thank you so much to my beautiful bunnies who bought shirts from United Luv. Ryan’s family and I are so overwhelmed with your support and I cannot thank you enough. For those of you who purchased shirts, I will be putting something special in the mail for you this week!

This week is one of the first in months that I will actually be home for more than 5 days! I have been traveling all over the US for my blog and am finally home snuggled up in my own bed. I have been blessed with so many incredible opportunities because of my blog. Sometimes I find myself in (happy) tears because I just can’t believe what RFFMBT has become. Thank you to all of my readers for reading, commenting, tweeting, pinning, re-gramming, sharing, and most importantly supporting me. You have changed my life!

Last week I went on an amazing trip to Carmel, CA for Dole’s Taste of Spain Salad Summit!

DAY 1: Travel, Dole dinner, and s’mores!
I left early Monday morning from Orange County with a connection at San Francisco International Airport before arriving in Monterey, CA. The weather was gorgeous, but I somehow ended up with a 3 hour delay in SF. In between switching gates multiple times I found two other Dole Salad Summit Bloggers: Nikki from Chef in Training and Marie from Make and Takes! When our mysteriously delayed/missing plane arrived we couldn’t help but laugh at how tiny it was! We weren’t expecting a little propellor plane haha. Nikki was in the very first seat on the plane in her own row. Photo op was a must. Safe to say I actually payed attention to the safety briefing!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad Summit There’s Nikki in her own row! VIP chef haha.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitWhen we finally arrived in Monterey, we were greeted by our driver with a Dole sign and got into our escalade. It felt like a scene out of Gossip Girl! Away we went to Carmel Valley Ranch.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitWe arrived at Carmel Valley Ranch and checked into our gorgeous rooms. CVR is absolutely stunning! The hotel has a natural rustic look that is relaxing and upscale without being over the top. I definitely enjoyed my wraparound balcony and two fireplaces! Besides the gorgeous decor and tranquil views of my room, I was impressed my Carmel Valley Ranch’s dedication to energy saving. My suite was equipped with many simple and sophisticated energy efficient and environmental friendly features. When entering the room, you simply place your hotel keycard into a slot by the door to turn on the power to the fans, air conditioning, lights, etc.  When leaving the suite, all you need to do is simply remove the room keycard and all lights and A/C are turned off to conserve energy. No need to run around turning all of the lights off each time you leave. The top outlet plugs can run without the card, so you can still charge your electronics when you leave, too. It’s pretty remarkable and so simple! I have so much appreciation for a stunning hotel with great service that is also eco-friendly. It just goes to show that hotels can still have wonderful 5 star accommodations while contributing to our environmentally friendly efforts.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitGorgeous view of Carmel Valley from my room. Each morning I woke up to deer and wild turkey’s roaming around the fog covered hills.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitAfter getting settled into my room I changed out of my plane clothes and joined everyone for dinner at the hotel. I loved meeting new friends from Dole and talking with Lisa Gosselin from Eating Well Magazine at dinner. My bunny cell phone case was a huge hit at the table every time I got it out to take a photo!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitDinner was a gorgeous mix of fresh salad greens from Dole’s local farms and perfectly cooked veggies (not photographed because I ate it so quickly!) followed by none other than a decadent Dole Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitAfter dinner some of the other bloggers and I headed over to the pool area for s’mores! Carmel Valley Ranch has a s’more bar open for guests every night! How cute is this? They even had wipes to clean off sticky s’more hands!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitOur little helper Roxy (a permanent Carmel Valley Ranch Resident) joined for s’more roasting!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad Summit

S’more roastin’!

DAY 2: Touring the lettuce fields!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitTuesday morning started off with a delicious breakfast incorporating Dole salad greens! Dole prepared an Asparagus Salad Topped with Poached Eggs that was to die for! I LOVE my greens, especially in smoothies, so I was super excited to see a green smoothie created by Dole!

Good Green Tea Smoothie
Visit DoleSalads.com for nutrition and serving size information

3 cups frozen white grapes
2 packed cups DOLE® Baby Spinach
1 1/2 cups strong brewed green tea, cooled
1 medium ripe avocado
2 teaspoons honey

Combine grapes, spinach, green tea, avocado and honey in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitAfter breakfast, we headed to Salinas to visit a Iceberg Lettuce field. For those of you who haven’t driven through Salinas, California, this is the famous Lettuce Man. So awkwardly amazing! hahaha. Every time I drive to Carmel, I always laugh at this huge cutout in Salinas. I was really talking up Lettuce Man to my fellow bloggers during the car ride, so I secretly asked the bus driver if he would drive by the cutout so we could get photos. Everyone was cracking up when they saw Lettuce Man! SO worth it!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitLettuce fields forever!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitHow gorgeous is this lettuce? It literally looks like someone perfectly placed it there!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitThe owner of this specific field, farmer Mark Pisoni, grows multiple types of lettuce for Dole. Right after we hopped off of the bus he took a huge head of lettuce from the ground, chopped off the end, and took a big bite! We all got to take bites of the fresh lettuce straight from the field. It was crisp and seriously juicy!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitA member of Mark’s team and Kelly from Dole with big ol’ heads of fresh lettuce! No one can pull off a hairnet quite like Kelly! For those of you who are wondering, we were required to wear hairnets while on the field because of FDA guidelines that are set for Dole.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitGetting a briefing on the harvesting process on the field.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitIt was incredible to see Mark and his team harvesting lettuce by hand up close and personal in the fields. It still shocks me that Iceberg Lettuce is so affordable (around $2 per head) after seeing all of the manual labor that goes into harvesting it. The harvesting team puts lots of love into that lettuce, so make sure to thank your farmers! I have so much appreciation and respect for farmers!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitThe Dole team and bloggers knee deep in lettuce.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitLettuce to my knees!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitKristin from Iowa Girl Eats (and her adorable baby bump!) and Stacy Fraser from Eating Well Magazine walking through the field!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitFrolicking through the field in my Eat More Rabbit Food hoodie! Rabbit. Food. Heaven. Is this real life?!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitOur next stop of the day was to the Dole Packaging Plant. After lettuce is harvested from the field, it is immediately transported to here to be triple washed, cut, packed, and shipped to a grocery store near you! Sorry folks, no photos were allowed during this part of the tour.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitAfter touring the packaging plant, we made our way to the lab with Emilio! While at the lab, we were given a Lettuce 101 test! Probably my favorite test of all times! It reminded me of bio tests in high school much way better, because it consisted of lettuce. lots o’ lettuce! Emilio and the Dole team displayed 25 different types of lettuce and fresh vegetables marked with numbers for us to identify! Saldy team RFFMBT could only match 16 correctly! I need to study up!!! Don’t worry, I DEFINITELY identified kale and baby kale correctly! haha.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitA look at Dole’s new Taste of Spain inspired promotional packaging! Look closely at the bottom left of select lettuce bags, you could win a 40,000 trip to Spain! Yes, it’s confirmed, Dole is the best!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitAfter visiting the plant, we made our way to Paraiso Vineyards for some wine and lunch!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad Summit
Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitThe view of Salinas was stunning! Lettuce fields for days!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitDole roasted veggies and cheese with some white wine.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitFresh Dole Arugula and Quinoa Salad tossed with grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, smoked almonds, fets cheese, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitOnce we finished lunch, we headed back to Carmel Valley ranch for a Global Trends Seminar with Lisa Gosselin from Eating Well! It was fun learning what foods are trending all over the world and what meal is gaining the most popularity. I was shocked to learn that only 1 in 100 eat the recommended serving of fruits and veggies per day. WOW. That NEEDS to change! We should all be filling our plates with fruits and veggies at every meal!

My best advice to help incorporate veggies into your meals easier is to start with vegetables as your base. Growing up, I always remember my parents starting our meals with a meat. I would come home from school and my mom would tell me “tonight we’re having chicken with rice and steamed broccoli.” Dinner would be served with a large piece of chicken, generous helping of rice, and  small (almost minuscule) side of broccoli. I think we have been building our meals wrong all along. The main star should be the produce! Why not start your meal with a vegetable? Say… Broccoli, and then add your desired protein, whole grain, and serving of fat from there. This way you will end up with a full serving of veggies from the start! It’s a simple and easy way to add more vegetables without running your family out of the kitchen!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitOnce the Global Trends Seminar concluded, Executive Chef Brandon Miller from Mundaka taught a healthy tapas cooking class!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitWe numbered off into groups for a tapas competition! There’s Jane from This Week for Dinner chopping away!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitExecutive Chef Brandom Miller and Mundaka owner Gabe Georis took the tapas competition judging very seriously!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitTeam 2! We won “Best Presentation” and “Most Authentic!” From Left: Executive Chef Brandon Miller, ME!, Mundaka owner Gabe Georis, Ali from Gimme Some Oven, Tessa from Handle the Heat, and Jane from This Week for Dinner!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitNext on the itinerary was dinner at Mundaka in Carmel-By-the-Sea for some Spanish tapas!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitI squealed over the bull salt and pepper shakers, they’re so cute!!! I’m a dork!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitGabe Georis demonstrating how to drink wine out of the Porron. As you can see, most of us couldn’t figure it out and resorted to pouring it straight into a glass! There was lots of wine splashing everywhere, and everyone was having a great time!

Dole Taste of Spain Salad SummitWe ate an unbelievable amount of tapas at Mundaka that night! Some of the highlights were the Seafood Paella and rich chocolate with toast for dessert! I loved how excited Gabe Georis to have us for dinner. His restaurant has a family vibe as he is always walking around from table to table greeting his dinner guests. You can tell how much he loves his restaurant and guests! If you love seafood, you should definitely stop by Mundaka if you are in the area!

DAY 3:
homeThe next morning I sat down for a bite to eat at breakfast during our last seminar with Stacy Fraser from Eating Well before heading to Monterey Airport for my flight home. As soon as I got to the airport I grabbed a fresh cup of java from my favorite local coffee roasting company in Carmel and boarded my plane. While flying on the big bird I began writing my post for Ryan + United Luv to celebrate his birthday.  It was hard leaving all of my new blogger friends, beautiful suite, and freshly prepared dole meals, but I’m having so much fun spreading the salad love with all of my bunnies! I have some fun events and giveaways coming up, but before then I promise I will post some new recipes for you guys! I know you have been patiently waiting while I traveled the country, but the recipes will be worth it!

For more information and exciting Dole recipes, please visit them at http://www.dolesalads.com

Health & Happiness xo

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