almonds

Breakfast, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian

Quinoa Orange Breakfast Bowl

My friend Taryn and I went to Zinc Café on Sunday and decided to try their new quinoa bowl. It was filled with red quinoa, oranges, almonds, and topped with rich ricotta cheese. Zinc Café served their dish hot, which I really enjoyed since the weather has taken a turn. I wanted to try making the quinoa bowl at home,  and used cold quinoa that I had prepared and stored in the refrigerator the night before. I might even try making it into a parfait by alternating the layers of quinoa with ricotta in a glass jar. Perfect to have waiting in the fridge for mornings where I don’t have time to make something. Hot, cold, or in a jar, this is definitely going to be one of my new breakfast staples!

Quinoa Orange Breakfast Bowl
Serves 1

½ cup cooked red quinoa
1 cup Mandarin orange slices
¼ cup nonfat ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
½ Tbsp fresh orange zest
½ Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp honey if desired

Cook quinoa to package instructions. Combine quinoa with orange slices, orange zest, orange juice, and slivered almonds. Top with ricotta cheese, and garnish with a pinch of orange zest and honey if desired. Enjoy warm.
Note: You can use 2 small fresh mandarin oranges, 1 cup of canned Mandarin orange slices (no sugar added), or slices of 1 tangerine or orange!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Mandarin orange
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: ricotta cheese
Plant Based Fat: almonds

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Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Raw Bites

Hoppy Easter healthy little bunnies!
I hope that everyone is having a fantastic weekend and enjoying time with their family and friends!

We all know that along with Easter, comes the oversized brunch portions, chocolate bunnies, and those darn Cadbury eggs… We might as well just call it Feaster. Instead of reaching for typical Easter candy and cookies filled with refined sugars, preservatives and saturated fats, have a raw bite! They can be made in 10 minutes, require no cooking or baking, and your family and friends will love them because they taste just like cookie dough! This is a great fun recipe to make with kids too!

When you consume raw unprocessed that are not cooked above 104° F, your body metabolizes them much more efficiently, allowing your body to focus energy on other parts of your system, other than digestion. These gluten-free, raw, vegan bite-sized treats provide healthy fats, natural sugars, and macronutrients that will satisfy your sweet tooth, give you a little burst of energy, and keep you away from the candy dishes!


Raw Bites
Makes 10 bites

6  pitted medjool dates
¼  cup unsalted almonds
¼  cup unsalted cashews
¼  cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp mini vegan chocolate chips or carob chips (optional)
1 Tbsp water

Combine almonds, cashews, and coconut in a food processor or high powered blender (I used my Vitamix). Pulse or blend until ingredients break down into small pieces but not into butter. Add dates and 1 Tbsp of water for moisture. Blend until a thick dough is formed. Remove the dough from your blender and stir in chocolate chips. With a measuring spoon, divide the dough into 10 balls, at 1 Tbsp each. Place in mini cupcake liners and store in a container in the freezer. Cool for 20 minutes before consuming.

Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 bite
Raw Bites (Without Chocolate Chips)
Amount per serving: Calories, 80, Fat 4g, Carbohydrate 11g, Sugars 8g, Fiber 1.5g, Protein 1g

Raw Bites (With Vegan Chocolate Chips)
Amount per serving: Calories, 95, Fat 5g, Carbohydrate 12g, Sugars 9g Fiber 1.5g, Protein 1g

Recipe adapted from TIU 

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Breakfast, Recipes, Vegetarian

Protein Pancakes

These are not your ordinary pancakes, these are Protein Pancakes!
We all have big tubs of protein powder laying around the kitchen don’t we?
You know the story… You get on a health kick, start drinking protein shakes after workouts, and then a week later put the jar in the back in the pantry. Let’s be real, no one can live on protein shakes, they get old fast. I for one would rather eat my calories than drink them anyway.

So how do you put that protein powder to good use? You turn it into warm fluffy pancakes with a purpose!

Kiss the Bisquick goodbye. I promise you won’t even miss it!

Hemp Prtein Pancakes

Protein Pancakes
Recipe By TIU
Makes 1 serving of 4, four-inch pancakes, or one large pancake

Batter:
1 scoop protein powder – any kind or flavor (I used hemp protein powder, hence the green color)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional for an added nutritional boost)
2 Tbsp almond milk
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 banana – mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (if your protein powder is plain)

Toppings:
1 Tbsp sliced almonds or almond butter
1 Tbsp low sugar syrup

In a small bowl, mash half of a ripe banana and set aside. In another bowl, combine one scoop (or one serving listed on packaging) of protein powder, ground flaxseed, almond milk, egg whites, and cinnamon. Add the mashed banana and stir all ingredients together until smooth batter is created. If using a unflavored protein powder, pure vanilla extract can be added into the batter. Lightly coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray, and place on stove over medium heat. Pour the batter into 4 inch circles (or one gigantic pancake!). Flip pancakes once they start to bubble. Top with sliced almonds or almond butter and low sugar syrup.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: banana
Whole Grain: no grains for this one! Keeping it simple and low carb
Protein: protein powder
Plant Based Fat: ground flaxseed and sliced almonds

If you’re interested in Hemp Protein Powder, I used Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder + Fiber. This particular powder is unsweetened and unflavored and has an earthy taste to it. It can be found at Whole Foods or your local health food store.

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