Hurdles

Thyroid Disgnosis & Another Biopsy

Motivation Monday: “I’m not losing weight, I’m getting rid of it. I have no intention of finding it again.”

Hi little bunnies, I’ve missed you!

I took a much needed week off after a very overwhelming doctors visit. Last week I went to my appointment to go over my lab work results with my doctor. Fortunately I do not have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Unfortunately I do have hypothyroid. Luckily hypothyroid is something that is easy to regulate with medication, and my doctor is hoping that I will start feeling a little better within 2-3 weeks. I am crossing my fingers on that one. I’m happy that I have finally figured out what is probably the main culprit of my depression, hair loss, weight gain, and lethargy. I’m just hoping and wishing that I will gradually see changes with all of my symptoms after my thyroid gets all leveled out. It’s probably going to take time and more blood tests to get everything regulated perfectly, but I am looking forward to it. I cannot explain how drastically different I feel physically and mentally compared to last fall. I can’t believe that one little gland can cause so many different issues in the body. I just want to feel like myself again!

As I was leaving my doctor’s office, I received a phone call from my dermatologist’s office. The nurse informed me that the biopsy results came back from my second incision (right foot, pinky toe) and that it was abnormal. She scheduled me for another appointment this Thursday for a second biopsy and to talk more about the biopsy results and about possibly scheduling a surgery. Ummm surgery? You’ve got to be kidding me. I hung up the phone and sat in my car crying at a stop sign. I could not imagine having another surgery and once again be set back another couple of weeks with crutches. Oh and not to mention the pain, I was luck I got the best CBD oil for pain. After I got my stitches out from my first surgery, the incision split open and has taken so long to heal. The surgery on my left foot was on August 16th and I can still barely walk. I’m going to my dermatologist on Thursday to learn more about my biopsy results. Since I only talked to the nurse, I have no idea if it’s cancerous or what is going on. All I know is that my poor foot is going to get cut up again! The timing couldn’t be worse as I am going to an out of town wedding next week! I really can’t process all of this right now.

After my cry session, I made a detour to the mall for some retail therapy to hunt for a dress to wear to my friend’s wedding. This dress might be accessorized with some chic bandages and shiny crutches. Stylin’.

While I was at the mall, a parking attendant asked me what happened to my foot. I explained that I had a mole removed from my foot to be biopsied. I think that everyone is surprised when I tell them, because they are expecting a sprained ankle or stubbed toe. He said “good thing you had it removed, Bob Marley died of skin cancer.” I had no clue that was how he died, so of course when I got home I took to the fabulous world wide web to learn more. I stumbled upon a story that Bob Marley died of skin cancer that was found on his toe! Naturally I started freaking out because my bad biopsy came from my toe! Googling “Bob Marley skin cancer” quickly turned into searching WebMD to assess the issue. OMG why do I do these things? WebMD should be illegal! Literally the worst thing you can do. All of the sudden a headache turns into the self-diagnosis of a brain tumor after 1 minute of being on that site. Never a good idea!

Are you guilty of going on WebMD when something is wrong?

In all of the bad news that I received last week, I’m so thankful that my thyroid condition is curable, and that my dermatologist caught my mole sooner than later.
I apologize if I’m a bit MIA this week, I’m just going to say it straight up: I’m having a bad week. Boooo. I really want to start a juice reboot, but I don’t think that is a great idea right now. Maybe when I get my thyroid stuff figured out and am feeling a little better!

My friend tagged me in the most adorable photo on Instagram that I just had to share with you guys.
Oh no big deal, just grocery shopping for some rabbit food for his bunny teeth!


I die over this picture! How freaking cute is that mini shopping cart? I wonder who took this! haha

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Hurdles

Stitches Out & Skin Cancer Awareness

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for all of your support regarding my last post about my recent health issues! I get my lab results back next Friday, so I will let you guys know what is going on in the health department at that time. Your comments and stories of similar health issues have been so inspiring and I am trying my best to keep my head up and keep moving forward.

Sorry I’ve been a little MIA for the past couple of days. I have not been feeling well at all. Still pouring over here in Catherine’s world! Ugh. I just got home from the dermatologist and I have a foot update:


Good News: Stitches are out!
Not Good News: My skin biopsy came back showing abnormal cells. It wasn’t melanoma, but it wasn’t normal or “ok” either. This means that if I left the mole and didn’t have it removed, it had a potential to turn into melanoma. Luckily my doctor removed the surrounding borders of the mole so I don’t have to have another surgery. All of the bad parts are gone! I am so thankful!
Bad News: Since my biopsy came back abnormal, my dermatologist wanted to check the soles/pads of my hands and feet for other suspicious moles. He saw another dark oddly shaped mole on the opposite foot and insisted that he remove it and have it biopsied. My eyes started to tear up. Was this really happening? I kept it together and thought about the reality, I would rather suck it up and deal with the pain, crutches, or even a wheelchair than leaving a possibly cancerous mole.

Skin cancer is something that runs in my family, so it’s important to check my skin (you should too!) for new and changing moles frequently. Three years ago I felt a bump on my scalp while combing my hair. At first I thought it was an ingrown hair, but a month later it was still there. I made an appointment with my dermatologist to check it out. While observing the bump on my scalp, he also noticed a strangely shaped flat light brown mole about an inch down. He decided to biopsy both moles since one had irregular borders and one was raised. When my biopsy came back, I was informed that the flat mole was pre-melanoma. I went in for another appointment to remove the mole and surrounding borders completely which left me with a little bald spot on the crown of my head. Missing a little patch of hair didn’t even matter, I was so happy to have that spot removed! Better safe than sorry! Ever since then, I have been more cautious of new and abnormal looking moles.

This summer I noticed that a once tiny small dot of the pad of my left foot had turned into a triangular shaped blurry spot about the size of a pencil eraser. I already had an appointment with my dermatologist since I was experiencing breakouts, and decided to show him my foot. The instant he saw it, he said “this needs to come out, this has three different colors and a fuzzy border.” He also explained that moles should not be found on the soles/pads of feet or hands, which is a big red flag. There is a very serious kind of skin cancer called Acral Lentiginous Melanoma that is found in these spots. I am so glad that my doctor decided to schedule a surgery and remove the mole because it definitely needed to go.

I don’t want to fill my food blog with disturbing photos of skin cancer, but I think it’s an important subject to address. A couple of my family members have had melanoma and basal cell carcinoma which have luckily been removed in time, but we have also lost friends from skin cancer. Of all the cancers that humans can get, skin cancer is the most common, but when caught early, skin cancer has a 98% cure rate.

ABCs of Skin Cancer
Asymmetric:  If you draw a line through this mole, the two halves will not match.
Border:  The borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.
Color:  Having a variety of colors is another warning signal. A number of different shades of brown, tan or black could appear. A melanoma may also become red, blue or some other color.
Diameter:  Melanomas usually are larger in diameter than the size of the eraser on your pencil (1/4 inch or 6 mm), but they may sometimes be smaller when first detected.
Evolving:  Any change — in size, shape, color, elevation, or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting — points to danger.
–Source

“1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer. Don’t be the 1.” –The American Academy of Dermatology

My Motto: When in doubt, cut it out!
Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t matter how dark or tan you are. If you see anything suspicious, make an appointment with your dermatologist and get that sucker removed!

After I got home from the dermatologist I was super excited to see this book waiting for me! My grandma dropped it off while I was at my appointment, thanks Grammy! So excited to have something to look at since I’ll be back on the couch haha

I was even more excited to receive this gorgeous little box in the mail. One of my best friends from college asked if I would be her bridesmaid! FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!!! I am soooo excited and honored. She is going to be the most gorgeous bride and I cannot wait for her big day!



Although I had a little setback today with my  foot feet, things are looking up. I have the most amazing friends and family in the world! I can’t wait to get back on my feet and start posting some recipes again!

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Juicing, Obsessions, Raw

Joe the Juicer

Motivation Monday: “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” -La Rochefoucauld

I hope everyone started their week off right with a healthy breakfast! Last week was completely exhausting. I have stitches in my bottom of my foot, crutches, am waiting for my skin biopsy to hear if my mole was cancerous, and feel pretty crappy all around. To top it off, I went to a new doctor for my thyroid issues last Wednesday, and my recent lab work showed that my thyroid is getting worse and worse. Do you ever feel like when it rains, it pours? Like everything happens all at once? I was surprised to learn that my thyroid has gone out of whack in the completely opposite direction than before. My previous doctor told me that I had HYPERthyroid, but after retesting and seeing a new doctor, my results showed up as HYPOthyroid. With my current lab results and all of my symptoms, my doctor wanted to do a more in depth panel of blood work for my thyroid, and test me for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I dealt with painful ovarian cysts in high school, and have literally every symptom in the book for PCOS: weight gain, hair loss, acne, depression, severe mood swings, etc., so I am really curious to see my results. Right now, I’m at a point where I just want everything to get figured out. I feel terrible all the time and I just want to feel better!

I went back to my doctor the next day for a fasting glucose/insulin test and more thyroid panels. I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything from 9pm Wednesday night until after my insulin/glucose test on Thursday. The test was not fun at all. Not that blood tests are a party… but they are usually quick. In, out, and done. After running thyroid panels (so many tubes!), I had to stay for 3 hours of glucose/insulin testing.


First draw: normal blood sample after fasting
Then I had to chug a bottle of “Orange” 100 Glucose for my test. Ohhh my gosh. Sick. Not in a good way. In a nasty, bad way. I had to drink the highest level possible, which was 100 grams of glucose! That’s more than anyone should have per day, omg! It was thick like syrup and tasted like a mix of orange Gatorade and Tang! A few minutes later I got a huge sugar rush and felt so sick. There’s no better feeling than being hungry, and then pumping your body full of sugar, right? ughhh.
Second draw: 30 minutes after consuming the drink. Then had a rash all over my arms from where the cotton ball and tape were, so we had to switch to kid’s non adhesive Band-Aids.
Third draw: 30 minutes later
Fourth draw: one hour later, couldn’t get any blood out of my vein and had to switch arms and be re-poked
Fifth draw: one hour later
End result: 7 pokes, 1 Scooby Doo Band-Aid, 1 Strawberry Shortcake Band-Aid, 2 bruised arms, 1 allergic reaction, and extreme hunger.

After I was finished with all of my tests I met my mom for the world’s biggest lunch. While hobbling up the 3 small stairs to the restaurants one of my crutches slipped on some water and I ate it, and stepped on my injured foot. Omg, it was a hot mess. Love that everyone watched it happen and no one came to help me… that was super duper! After I have my championship comeback moment and got myself back up on the crutches I was literally shaking because I was so hungry. I’ll just end the story there and say I ate, and got home safely!

The next couple of days were okay, I was just exhausted and my foot was in so much pain. I finally felt like things were looking up when I remembered that I was going to go see Joe Cross from “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” speak at a conference! I was so excited that I couldn’t even sleep on Friday night, so I watched “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” on Netflix while I put together some T-Shirt orders. I cannot remember how I found out about this conference, it was so random. I only remember seeing online that Joe Cross was speaking in Orange County, and then saw that it was at a conference called “A Day for M.E. (Mom Empowerment)” by an organization called Moms In Charge. I have to admit I felt a little awkward buying a ticket to a mom conference haha. Just a bit out of place… but I just had to hear Joe speak!

Saturday night, I managed to get myself to the conference and even better: a front parking spot, and a second row seat! I bought a half day ticket to the conference, so I arrived around 6:30pm and caught a cooking demonstration by Chef Jenny Ross, owner of the raw restaurant 118 Degrees.

Chef Jenny was adorable! She gave a great presentation with fun and easy ways to make kid friendly raw meals. She made a raw PowerFull Parfait, raw Deviled Tomatoes, and gave an excellent demo on how to cut open a young coconut. Extra points because she used a Vitamix! She finished her cooking demonstration with a quote that I absolutely loved:

“There are no diets, no calorie counting, and no measuring fats, carbs or protein grams. None of that matters if you choose real, whole, fresh, live foods. If you choose quality, the rest takes care of itself.” -Dr. Mark Hyman

In between speakers the founder of Moms In Charge, Dotty Hagmier went up on the stage to speak about the organization. Before arriving at the event, I had no idea what this organization was, nor did I really care, because of the word “mom.” I figured it was a conference for mom and baby types of products, but I was so wrong. The organization is a “resource for moms who are searching for ways to give their kids the best chance of living healthy, vibrant lives. It is also a movement for moms to become empowered with informations of what is in our food and products so we can make the most informed decisions and transition to a healthier, vibrant life with our kids to ultimately: change the shape of our future.” –Source

The conference showcased everything from healthy recipes and snacks, to safe chemical free cleaning products to use in your home. Although I’m not a mom, I felt like I really related to this group of women, because I too am part of a movement to help and inform others to make healthy choices. Now only am I excited that I bought a ticket to this conference to see my juicing idol Joe Cross, but I am so happy that my money went to such a fantastic organization which shares similar beliefs as I do. If I didn’t think this organization was this fantastic, I wouldn’t have mentioned it at all and would’ve just talked about hearing Joe Cross speak, but I think this group deserves a shout out. This is the type of group that I would love to be a part of if I have children one day. If you are a mommy who lives in the Orange County area and is interested in Moms in Charge, checkout their website for more information! I wish them success and hope that they open more chapters in other areas as well.

Next up was the main event: JOE THE JUICER CROSS
OH MY GOSH!!!!!


Joe started off with a general intro about his film and then went into some details about how he got started and where he’s at today. I couldn’t help but laugh because three minutes into his speech, he grabbed a pice of Kale that was on stage from Chef Jenny’s cooking demonstration and held it for the entire duration. The photograph above is the only one that I have without him holding a piece of Kale. I think its pretty symbolic and amazing that he’s holding kale in all of my photos though! Just the way that I had pictured him… Joe, with kale.


I honestly wish I had a timestamp on these photos because although it may look as if they were taken at the same time, these photographs were taken throughout his 1.5 hour speech! Serious kale love right there!

I enjoyed his speech because not only did he bring up important points about the benefits of juicing, but he also showed us that he is a normal person who struggled with weight and health issues before, and still deals with temptation today just like anyone else. He gave us a little story about his life before the documentary. Joe said that “as a child I used to turn to sugar as a pick me up. It’s always there, it never lets me down, and it never talks back. I find myself still doing that today, and I want you to know that.” He also mentioned that while on dates, he used to be very self conscious of what he was eating so he would order a salad because he wouldn’t want anyone to see how he really ate. He then laughed as he informed us that he would buy a pizza on the way home because he was so hungry!

We also got a little behind the scenes information on before the filming began. Up until midnight before the filming started, Joe had his “last dinner” which consisted of chinese food and beers, and then… another round. We were cracking up as he told us that he went for yet another round when he realized that although it was midnight in New York, it was still 9pm on the west coast! After a night of feasting, he said that it made the first few days of his juice fast even harder. His tip for anyone who is starting a juice fast: “don’t do what I did,” and start eating only plant based foods a few days prior. Excellent tip Joe haha. I can’t imagine going from such a large volume of food to just juice! Yikes! Midway through his speech, Joe spoke about consumerism and his love for Oreos. He said “I love Oreos. I love them. I would marry one if I could!” I think everyone felt relieved that even Joe the Juicer still gets tempted by foods like Oreos!

After Joe wrapped up his speech, it was time for some book signing! I was so excited to meet Joe and have him sign my “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” book! He was full of personality and super energetic. As he signed my book he was sipping on a green juice so I asked him what kind of juice it was. He replied “I have no idea, everywhere I go people give me juice. I eat too!” with a laugh. He then asked what happened to my foot and helped me stand sans crutches for a photo with him. He’s a great guy with an incredible story. If you haven’t seen his documentary, you have to watch it! It’s available for rent or purchase on both Amazon.com and iTunes, and is streaming on Netflix. If you are interested in doing a reboot visit Joe’s website: Reboot Your Life, become a fan of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and Joe on Facebook, and follow Joe on Twitter!




My weekend ended yesterday with a broken iPhone, pinched nerve in my underarm form my crutches, and food poising. Fun times. Luckily my Monday was a very happy one indeed as I received a thank you note from my “23rd Birthday Giveaway” winner, Megan J.! Seriously made my day. Things like this are why I continue to blog and share my journey with you every day!


Hearing Joe speak and meeting him in person was such an amazing experience. He is so inspiring that I am thinking about doing a reboot soon! Is anyone interested in doing a juice reboot?

You can read about my previous 5 day juice cleanse here:

Juice Challenge Day 1
Juice Challenge Day 2
Juice Challenge Day 3
Juice Challenge Day 4
Juice Challenge Day 5
Juice Challenge Ended

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Desserts, Raw, Recipes, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Healthy Vegan Banana Split

Happy friday and congratulations to the winner of my Chobani Giveaway: Nicole B.!
“I love to use greek yogurt to make salmon salad with smoked salmon, capers, red onions, cucumbers and dill. YUMMY :)” -Nicole
Start making room in your refrigerator for that yogurt! haha

I wanted to say thank you to all of my readers for being so supportive during this roller coaster of a week or so. Between my surgery, thyroid acting up, possibility of PCOS, and countless blood tests I am absolutely exhausted and you guys have really cheered me up! I really wanted to post Part 4 of my Q&A yesterday but I was sidelined by another trip to the doctor and more blood work! I will definitely give you guys a more in depth description of what has been going on in the health department some time next week. For now, have a great weekend, make yummy healthy food, exercise outdoors, and enjoy a banana split! xo

Oh yes you read read the title right, HEALTHY VEGAN BANANA SPLIT! In honor of National Banana Split Day (August 25th) TasteSpotting will be featuring none other than banana splits on their home page this Friday, August 24th to celebrate. To make this holiday even sweeter, DOLE Bananas gave me a challenge to create a healthy banana split under 350 calories. You know that I am not into counting calories, but I couldn’t pass up this awesome challenge. I’m always excited to make healthy versions of often unhealthy favorites.

Right now you are probably thinking, ya right… good luck with that, but I have created an awesome Banana Split that won’t split your pants! This is my take on the old fashioned banana split. My b-split consists of a creamy raw vegan ice cream made with only three natural ingredients and no added sugar, topped with a fluffy vegan cashew cream and juicy bing cherry all for only 295 healthy calories! Now that’s some NICEcream!

Made of avocado, mango, and banana, this nicecream is filled with heart healthy fats and over 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Plus it tastes oh so good! Helathy and tasty? Win win.


Healthy Vegan Banana Split
serves 1

Raw Vegan Nicecream
1/2 (63g) frozen banana
1/2 cup (70g) frozen mango
1/4 (50g) medium avocado

Cashew Cream
1/8 cup (14g) cashews + 1 1/2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp stevia

On Top
1 cherry
remaining 1/2 (63g) of the banana

Prep: Peel and cut the banana in half. Freeze one half (for ice cream) before hand. Also slice and pre-freeze mango and refrigerate the avocado. Combine cashews, water, vanilla extract, and stevia together in a jar and let it sit for at least 1-2 hours.
Directions: Combine the 1/2 frozen banana, frozen mango, and avocado in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ice cream to a bowl. Rinse the food processor and pour in the cashew mixture and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Top your ice cream with cashew cream and garnish with fresh banana slices (from the leftover banana half) and a cherry.
Note: If you eat the nicecream directly after blending, it will be similar to a soft serve consistency. For a more solid ice cream like treat, transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze for about 1 hour before eating.

Show me and DOLE Bananas your healthy banana split creations on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and hop over to TasteSpotting for more mouth watering banana splits!
RFFMBT Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram
DOLEBananas Twitter & Facebook

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Interviews, Tips

RFFMBT Q&A Part 3

Hello and welcome to part 3 of my Q&A! I hope you guys aren’t getting bored of this already because I still have a ton of questions to answer and stitches in my foot that are preventing me from cooking and photographing!

Foot Update: “Rabbit Foot for My Bunny Feet” ha.
I made it out of the house to dinner at Veggie Grill and Trader Joe’s with my mom last night. Needless to say, I got my cardio in, and my right quad is looking mighty fine. I have also passed my best time going up the stairs with crutches and set a new PR to just over 1 minute. I cut my previous 3 minute 17 second record down by more than half, go team! I’m really over the crutches & record high temperatures. It’s not a pretty combination. Stitches removal countdown: 9 more days… I’m still awaiting biopsy results and am hoping for the best. I’ll keep you guys posted, sorry my updates aren’t very exciting! Now for some more fun questions and answers!

How do you store kale chips? How long do they last?
I would like to know the same thing! My kale chips are usually gone by the end of the day since my friends and family love them, but when I do have leftovers they don’t store very well. I am still searching for the miracle solution to store home make kale chips, so any tips would be appreciated! I have tried different airtight containers and Ziploc bags, but once I open them up the next day, the humidity has already gotten the best of them and they are soggy. I have heard that storing them in a paper bag helps to keep the crunch, so that is next on my list to try. You could also pop them in the oven at 350 for 3-5 minutes to make them crispy again the next day.

Where does dairy fit into the Rabbit Food Pyramid?
Dairy products are considered protein. Nonfat/educed fat cheese, nonfat yogurt, and nonfat milk would all be part of the protein group.

What kind of blender do you have?
I have a Vitamix 5200, and I am beyond obsessed with it! Hands down, my favorite kitchen appliance that I own, thank you so much Grammy & Grandpa! It has so much power that it can blend an entire bunch of kale in seconds with no problem! Vitamix blenders are a bit pricey (around $450), but keep your eyes peeled at Costco, Amazon.com, and on QVC! I have seen them at Costco for $350, and when QVC has Vitamix blenders available, they usually offer payment plans that can be very helpful. I also have a Magic Bullet that I got my freshman year of college when I was in student housing! I still use it all the time for simple single serving fruit smoothies and protein shakes. It gets the job done and it’s super affordable. Check Target, Amazon.com, and Bed Bath & Beyond for competitive prices.

What kind of juicer do you have?
I have a Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus – 850-Watt Juicing Machine. I bought a certified refurbished juicer on Amazon.com from the official Breville store for only $99 (Usually $149) and it works wonders! The pulp comes out dry which makes me happy that I am getting the maximum amount of juice as possible from my produce. I used a friend’s $50 juicer before and we had to run the pulp through twice to actually get all of the juice, which was very time consuming. Investing in a high quality juicer is key to saving money on produce in the long run.

Do you have the calories or nutrition stats for your meals?
My blog is 100% calorie counting free. No counting calories, carbs, or points here, only measuring proper servings and portion sizes. During my weight loss journey I became obsessed with counting calories, which led to restrictive disordered eating. Now, I like to focus on the type of calories that I consume, not the amount. There is a huge difference between eating a 100 calorie snack pack versus 100 calories of fresh berries. I don’t think that calories should be disregarded altogether, but I don’t obsess over them anymore. I have found a better approach to losing weight and managing my intake, which is The Rabbit Food Pyramid. Each of my Rabbit Food meals total anywhere from about 300-400 calories, which adds up to a healthy amount for my frame, so I know that if I am following my portion guidelines, I don’t need to worry! This is based on my personal experience and research and I am aware that everyone is different and not everybody eats the same way that I do. The purpose of my blog is to show you what worked for me, and to inspire others to make healthy choices. All types of foodies are welcome here whether you eat meat, count calories, or are on a completely different diet plan! I love when I get a comment from a reader “This is only 2 WW points!” because it makes me so happy to see that my recipes can be used and altered to fit specific dietary needs. That makes my day!

What are you kitchen staples?
A few things that you can ALWAYS find in my kitchen are quinoa, almond butter, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, fresh greens, Greek yogurt, apple slices, frozen fruit, almond milk, Larabars, whole-grain crackers, whole-wheat flour, stevia, vanilla, and seasonings. These are my most used ingredients that I like to have on hand at all times. When I have these, I know that I can put together a quick meal in a jiffy! Of course I always stock up on different fresh fruits and veggies, but my selection varies per week!

Your recipes have so many different spices and seasonings, what ones should I get?
I LOVE seasonings, especially when they’re salt free. Mrs. Dash makes a great line of salt-free seasoning blends that are available in most grocery stores. Seasonings are an easy way to add flavor or spice to a dish without unnecessary calories, fat, etc. My most used spices and seasonings are probably cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, salt-free Italian herb, and black pepper. Seasonings can really add up when each jar is around $3-5, so instead of loading up on 10 spices and blowing your grocery budget all at once, I have a little tip on how to expand your spice cabinet. Every time you go to the grocery store, make it a goal to purchase 1 spice. Before you know it, you will have a collection of delicious spices to compliment your meals!

Since you only use ¼ an avocado as a serving, how do you keep the rest of your avocado from spoiling?
If I open an avocado, I usually get creative and try to use it within the next day or two in smoothies, smeared on toast, or cubed in salads. When I store my extra avocado in the fridge, I leave the pit and shell intact and keep it in a Ziploc bag (air removed) or saran wrap. By leaving the pit, it will help to keep the avocado from browning as quickly. An opened avocado should still remain fresh after one day in the fridge. If it does turn a bit brown, just remove the thin top layer that has browned due to oxidization. This is also a great tip to keep guacamole from turning brown at a party, just place the pit in the guac and you’re good to go!

Do you have any suggestions on what to bring to school or work that doesn’t need refrigeration?
Not everyone has a refrigerator available for home made meals during school or work hours, but I do have a few ideas for you. I wrote a post of my favorite travel snacks that include some shelf stable, preservative free foods such as Justin’s Nut Butter packets, whole-grain crackers, almonds, dried veggies, and Larabars. The key to eating healthy is being prepared. Portion and store healthy snacks like whole-grain crackers, trail mix, and nuts in Ziploc bags or reusable airtight containers at the beginning of the week so they are ready to go. You can make your own RFFMBT on the go lunch with these ideas:

Produce: Kale chips, sun dried tomatoes, apples, oranges, grapefruit, banana, dates, raisins, prunes, no sugar added dried fruit
Protein: Dried edamame, dried green peas, protein mocha: chocolate protein powder + coffee, Protein Latte: vanilla protein powder + coffee
Plant Based Fat: Mixed nuts, assorted nuts, seeds, trail mix, Justin’s Nut Butter packets
Whole-Grains: Whole-grain crackers, slice of whole-grain bread, brown rice rice cakes, air popped popcorn, whole corn tortillas, whole-grain tortilla, bran cereal

Natural Bars: Larabars, That’s It Bars, Pure Bars, Barre Bars

Examples of how to put together grab and go RFFMBT meal kits:
Example 1: Larabar (plant based fat & produce/fruit) with a side of whole-grain crackers (whole grain), and protein mocha: chocolate protein powder + coffee (protein) mixed in a Blender Bottle.
Example 2: 1 Packet of Justin’s Nut Butter (plant based fat) spread on one serving of brown rice rice cakes (whole-grain), with banana (produce/fruit), and side of freeze dried green peas (protein).
Example 3: 1 serving of mixed nuts (plant based fat) combined with dried peas or edamame (protein), with a side of kale chips (produce/veggies) and  whole-grain crackers, or air popped popcorn with salt-free seasonings (whole-grain).
Example 4: Almond butter (plant based fat), and a banana (produce/fruit) rolled into 2 soft taco sized whole corn tortillas (whole-grain), with a a protein latte: vanilla protein powder + coffee (Protein).

It can be tricky to find healthy shelf stable meal options, but it can be done! Larabars are one of my favorite go to items.

Brace yourself… Part 4 tomorrow! Contain your enthusiasm, bunnies! xo 

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