affordable

Quick Kale Salad

I just found the best dressing at Wold Foods! You guys know that I am obsessed with Chef AJ’s Hail to the Kale Salad. Well, I found a quick fix for the dressing if you don’t have the ingredients on hand or are short on time. Whole Foods is now making a Health Starts Here: Sesame Ginger Dressing with no oil added. I swear this dressing was created by Chef AJ herself. It is almost spot on to her original recipe and I am soooo excited!

Quick Kale Salad
The Sesame Ginger Dressing is gluten-free and has excellent nutrition stats coming in at only 70 calories, 5g fat, 4g carbs, 2g sugar, and 2g protein per serving (2 tablespoons).
Plus the ingredient list isn’t too bad either:  sesame tahini , pear juice , almonds, tamari, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, ginger puree, chives, and xanthan gum.

To cut down prep time even more, grab a bag of Harvest Sensations pre-washed Organic Kale! There is no excuse for not eating a healthy lunch because this is the absolute easiest thing to prepare. Massage the kale with Sesame Ginger Dressing and store in an airtight container. I love kale salads after they have marinated overnight in the fridge. It really let’s the flavor absorb and makes the kale less tough.

Eating this as I type!
Quick Kale Salad

Quick Kale Salad

Cashew Cookie Larabars

Any LÄRABAR lovers out there? I am totally addicted to them! There are so many great things about these bars that I don’t even no where to begin! Maybe with their mission.

“At LÄRABAR, we believe that the foundation of a sound mind, body and spirit is derived from what you eat. And what you eat is most delicious and satisfying when it’s in a whole, natural state.”

Amen, Lara!

  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • Soy Free
  • Made from 100% whole food
  • Delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices.
  • Each flavor contains no more than 9 ingredients.
  • Ingredients that you can actually pronounce.
  • No added sweeteners or sugar.
  • Uncooked and unprocessed.
  • Loaded with nature’s own vitamins and minerals.
  • Sustaining with no added fillers, preservatives, supplements, or flavorings.
  • A great source of natural fiber, protein, good carbohydrates and healthy fats.
  • The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state.

Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

I have about 10 favorite flavors but the first one I ever tried was love at first bite. Cashew Cookie, oh how I love thee. It’s made of only dates and cashews, and let me tell you, it tastes like a cookie! A pricey cookie though… at about $2.50 per bar, your grocery bill can add up pretty quickly. Since Larabars are made from simple whole ingredients, I though to myself… pshhh I can make these! So I did.

Top: LÄRABAR brand.
Bottom: RFFMBT bar!

Cashew Cookie Larabars
Cashew Cookie LarabarsCashew Cookie Larabars
Makes 6 bars

1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
1 Tbsp water – if needed

In a food processor, pulse the cashews until they are broken into tiny pieces (do not pulse for too long, as it will turn into powder). Pit the dates and add them to the food processor. Blend the dates and cashews together occasionally scraping down the sides of the food processor. If the mixture is not sticking together, add one tablespoon of water and continue blending. The mixture should stick together and be pliable. Remove the mixture and form into a ball. Place the ball on a large piece of saran wrap. Cover the top of the ball with another layer of saran wrap and flatten with a rolling pin or your hands. Cut into 6 pieces and wrap individually in saran wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and enjoy!
Note: Store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer for maximum life.

Measure…

Cashew Cookie Larabars Pulse…
Cashew Cookie Larabars Blend…
Cashew Cookie Larabars Roll…
Cashew Cookie Larabars Flatten…
Cashew Cookie LarabarsCut…
Cashew Cookie LarabarsWrap…

Cashew Cookie Larabars…Enjoy!

Dole Salad Circle Party + Giveaway

Happy Monday, I hope that you had a fantastic weekend!
Motivation Monday: “Eat better, feel better”

When DOLE asked me if I would like to host a Salad Circle Party, I was pumped. Wait… beyond pumped… I was overly excited! Before I could even respond, I had my party completely planned out. I had visions of cute little fruit and veggies balloons hanging from the tree and all of my friends joining together to make one giant Friendship Salad. After my reply to DOLE, “When is the soonest I can host my party?” my vision quickly became a reality. DOLE was kind enough to send me the perfect starter kit and basis of my salad party: a plethora of fresh greens of DOLE Extra Veggie mixes with Snap Peas, Grape Tomatoes, and Garden Vegetables, some gorgeous Dole Hand Picked Selections Red Butter, Green Butter, and Green Oak whole lettuce heads, along with a wooden salad bowl, matching tongs and awesome goodies for my guests! Each guest received a DOLE reusable grocery bag, DOLE salad or cut-vegetable item coupons, DOLE fresh vegetable product or berry coupons, and a Salad Circle Recipe Booklets, and Salad Guides!

When I invited my friends to come over for a Salad Circle Party, I think everyone was a bit confused! Seriously, a party for salad? Oh yes, but not your average party or your average salad. This is the Olympics of salad parties.

Instead of preparing a salad for my guests, I wanted them to be a part of it! I wanted to try something new and have each person take part in the making of a Friendship Salad. I requested that each guest bring an ingredient that began with the first letter of their first name. As the host and official “Salad Guide” (thanks for the amazing apron, DOLE!) I started the Friendship Salad with a bed of fresh DOLE greens. We went around the table in a circle tossing each of our ingredients on top of the crisp mix of DOLE lettuces, and I couldn’t help but wonder what this masterpiece would taste like. I actually cringed at one point… We had quite an interesting ingredient list going on! After everyone put their ingredients into the bowl, I completed the Friendship Salad with a drizzle of dressing and gave it a nice toss. The mishmash of ingredients blended into a gorgeous array of colors and incredible flavor. Hesitant to try the salad, I took my first bite and was pleasantly surprised as to how oddly, but perfectly, the flavors came together. You would not believe that this combination of less than ordinary ingredients was seriously DOLEicious! It turned out so well that I and many of my friends ended up going back for seconds! A Salad Circle Party will definitely be a new summer tradition in my kitchen. It’s a fun, affordable, and healthy way to entertain guests and every salad will always be different!



Catherine/Host: Greens & Dressing
Holding Dole Hand Picked Selections Green & Red Butter lettuce heads.

Anthony: Avocado & Brett: Beets

Cathie: Corn & Jessica: Jicama

Linda: Lentils & Lauren: Lemon

Michael: Mozzarella & Mike: Medjool Dates

Patrick: Pineapple & Sarah: Sunflower Seeds

Tammy: Tangerines & Trevor: Tomatoes













Huge thank you to DOLE for all of the Salad Circle goodies!

DOLE is offering one lucky RFFMBT reader a change to host their own salad party for 10!
The lucky winner will receive a Salad Circle Pack consisting of:
1 DOLE salads apron
1 wooden salad bowl and tongs
10 DOLE reusable grocery bags
10 DOLE salad guides
10 DOLE salad circle recipe booklets
20 DOLE coupons (10 DOLE Salad or cut vegetable item coupons & 10 DOLE fresh vegetable product or berries coupons)

For your chance to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post “Dole Salad Circle Party + Giveaway” telling me what your favorite salad ingredient is!
  • You can earn a second entry by tweeting: “I entered for a chance to host a @DOLESaladGuide Salad Circle Party via @EatRabbitFood http://bit.ly/MrMrWG .”
  • Complete your second entry by leaving a second comment on this post with a copy of your tweet.
  • All entries must use a valid email address.
  • Open to U.S. residents only.
  • All comments must be posted by Thursday, August 9th at 11:59pm (PST).
  • 1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, August 10th.

For more DOLEicious salad ideas and information, visit their Twitter and Facebook!

* The giveaway has ended, and the winner will be announced on Friday, August 10.
** Congratulations to the winner: Vanessa G. from TN.