before and after

Breakfast, Contests & Giveaways, Recipes, Reviews, Smoothies

Barbie Bowl + Pitaya Plus Giveaway

Today’s recipe and giveaway is brought to you by my new favorite superfood brand: Pitaya Plus!
Ummm, how gorg is this color?
Seriously, to die for.

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I’ve been obsessing over pitaya smoothies and smoothie bowls at my favorite local spot Nekter, and when Pitaya Plus caught wind of my new healthy addiction, they offered to send me some of their smoothie packs to try! They were also kind enough to giveaway some Pitaya Plus Smoothie Packs to one lucky RFFMBT reader!

can’t. contain. my. excitement. right. now.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok. excitement is now contained.

So… what is Pitaya?
Pitaya, otherwise known as dragon fruit, is a fruit that comes from the cactus species. It’s native throughout Asia as well as Mexico, Central America, and South America. It’s glossy magenta exterior cuts open to reveal a gorgeous vivid pink interior (Central America), studded with black seeds. Depending on where the fruit is from the flesh can also be white inside (Asia).

What does it taste like?
Its texture is very similar to a kiwi, but its flavor is more mild, almost a cross between a kiwi and pear.

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Here’s why I love Pitaya Plus Smoothie Packs:

Raw // Did you know that Pitaya Smoothie packs are never cooked or heated? Most other smoothie packs are cooked and pasteurized. Our pitayas are picked at the peak of ripeness, and flash frozen to ensure you get the most nutrients. Maybe that is why it looks so bright and alive when blended?

No added sugar //  Helping maintain healthy levels of insulin in the blood, keeping energy levels stable, a low-carb, low-sugar diet has proven to be a good weapon in the war against obesity. A low-carb diet is essential to maintaining safe blood sugar levels for diabetics, and can help reverse the onset of adult diabetes.

Antioxidants  // Helps neutralize the formation of cancer causing free radicals.

Fiber // Helps to lower cholesterol, Lower blood-glucose levels and improve you digestive health by removing harmful toxins.

Vitamin C // Experts say Vitamin C is one of the safest and most effective antioxidants. Benefits of vitamin C are known to include strengthening and protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.

Calcium & Magnesium // Calcium is essential for the  body to protect and heal. Magnesium increases the absorption of calcium in the body. Both are required for general health. They work in harmony to help the body in numerous ways to keep illness and disease at bay.

Omega-3s // Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
(source)

I  would definitely say that Pitaya puts the “Super” in Superfruit!
These smoothie packs are an easy way to add pitaya to your daily noms. Since pitaya can be tricky to find (often at Asian and exotic food markets), it’s great to have it right at my fingertips and year round in my freezer!

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Barbie Bowl
Serves 1

1 Pitaya Plus Smoothie Pack
1/4-1/2 cup coconut water
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 tbsp coconut butter

Toppings:
1/2 banana, sliced
2 Tbsp granola (I love Nature’s Path Hemp Plus)
1 Tbsp shredded coconut

Blend until smooth. Start with 1/2 cup of coconut water and add until desired texture is reached. Add toppings, and enjoy!

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WIN PITAYA PLUS SMOOTHIE PACKS!

Thanks to Pitaya Plus, one lucky RFFMBT reader will win a case of Raw Organic Pitaya Plus Smoothie Packs!
Giveaway ends on Sunday, March 9th at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced on Monday, March 10th.

*Must use a valid email address and be a US resident to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Show Pitaya Plus some love:
Instagram // @pitayaplus
Facebook // fb.com/pitayaplus
Twitter // @PitayaPlus
Pinterest // pinterest.com/pitayaplus
Google + // pitayaplus
Website // pitayaplus.com
Where to buy // store locator
I need to buy it right now // online

| 200 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Antioxidant Smoothie

Before I get to my smoothie recipe I wanted to talk about a couple of things!

First: Thank you thank you thank you to all of my little bunnies who ordered shirts and “Eat More Rabbit Food” merch! I can’t even tell you how thankful and humbled I am by your support! I’m also so happy that you guys love rabbit food as much as I do : ).

Second: Sorry for being a little MIA on the blog! Once I list merch in my online shop, it turned in to utter madness (and happiness)! I get so excited when I see your orders come in and want to get them packed up and shipped as fast as I can so you can wear your new goodies, but then I totally stress myself out thinking I’m superwoman lol. But guess what, everyone’s orders (up to today at 2pm) have been shipped! WOOO!! It’s just me myself and I running my blog, email, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, so when I add shirts into the mix, I literally go crazy. Today, I ate an entire bag of goldfish while I packed orders and laughed when I realized the bag was empty. Im stress eating like crazy this week! I’m also working on a huge freelance graphic design project right now, so I have a feeling I will be buying another bag of goldfish this week.. haha. These are things I used to beat myself up about, but now, I know that I’m stressed, I’m eating because I’m stressed, I’m going to get my workout on later tonight, everything will be ok, and life goes on! I’m glad to have a much healthier perspective on food now vs a couple of years ago… which leads me to my next subject! The Organic CBD Nugs help with stress.

Since this week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and I wanted to post a different kind of Transformation Tuesday. I didn’t just want to post this, I NEEDED to post this. If you guys have been following me for a while, you’ve probably read my weight loss story, but today, I wanted to talk about my recovery/weight gain story!

Before and After RecoveryYou may have noticed that I don’t really talk about weight very much. I am totally open to talking about my before (heaviest) and after (lowest) weights. I can tell you that in the photo on the left, I was at my worst in my eating disorder and I weighed around 100 lbs. But now… I don’t care what I weigh. Yes, I weigh myself on occasion to make sure I’m in a normal range for my body, and am not getting crazy with the bags of goldfish (haha), but for the most part my jeans and bra are a good indicator of how I’m doing. I will notice if I go to Sprinkles Ice Cream too many days in a row that my bra is feeling a litttttlllleee snug so I replace the Sprinkles Ice Cream with banana nice cream that I make in my Yonanas. It’s taken me a LONG time and a lot of hard work to get to this place where I don’t beat myself up over certain things, and can happily allow myself things like goldfish and ice cream, but it has been 100% worth it.

During my weight loss journey, I became obsessed with losing weight. I loved when people would call me “tiny” and “skinny” and was driven by people who thought that I was too thin. In my ED mindset, the thinner the better. But did it equal happiness? No, not at all. I was extremely depressed, miserable, always hungry, in pain, and my brain was foggy because I wasn’t nourishing my body with enough calories. At my lowest weight of about 100 lbs, I was never small enough. At this point I was terrified of most foods (even fruit, wtf), I had alienated myself from all of my friends, and never had any energy. At one point I didn’t think I was thin enough or worthy enough to live. That’s when I has a huge meltdown that saved my life. I started therapy and working with a nutritionist to become happy and healthy again, which was the best decision I’ve ever made. Was it easy? No. Was it fun? Not really. But was it worth it? Yes. During my recovery I realized what it was like to live again and eat freely without caring. Instead of working out to burn what I ate, now I workout because it’s fun and I love the friends that I’ve made at spin. I eat healthy because I love the way it makes me feel. It scares me when I look back at old photos when I was too small and thought I was “fat.” It’s terrifying how frail I was. I’m so happy to be where I am today! I have so much more muscle and love my strong legs and hiney compared to what I looked like during my ED. Starving & overexercising will not make you happy, no matter how much you think it will. Say yes to healthy eating, sexy muscles, and happiness! I hope that by sharing my story, I can inspire just one person to choose recovery and a healthy lifestyle!

Now that the serious part is done, onto the recipe! Today’s recipe is one of my best friend’s favorites! I can’t eat berries (worst allergy ever… boo), so I make this for my sister and her fiancé to enjoy while I stick with my Tropical Green Smoothie!

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Antioxidant Smothie
Serves 1

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
huge handful of spinach

Blend until smooth.

I promise I will have recipes other than smoothies this week!
xo

| 13 Comments
Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach Hummus + Cabo Chips Giveaway

Who’s ready for the Super Bowl?!

Since Super Bowl Sunday is usually a day of snacking while watching the big game, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite chips and healthy dip!

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Let me start off by saying that Cabo Chips won’t cure health issues, but they are definitely one of the healthiest tortilla chips on the market, and most importantly… they taste delicious!

If you grew up in Southern California like me, you probably grew up eating Have’a Corn Chips. Well let me tell you, that as someone who was raised in Orange County and ate Have’a Chips with every sandwich, Cabo Chips are actually better. They’re evenly coated in soy sauce so that each chip that touches your tastebuds is loaded with that perfect soy flavor. You won’t have to search the bottom of the bag for the broken pieces of “dark” chips that actually taste like soy sauce! (California kids… You totally know what I’m talking about!) There is no other way to describe these chips than LEGIT! NON-GMO verified, 100% whole grain, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher. OH EM GEEE. As Healthy as tortilla chips can get!

Cabo Chips are unique because they are truly authentic restaurant/cantina style tortilla chips. It starts with stone ground non-gmo corn cooked fresh daily into delicious tortillas which are hand cut into triangles and cooked in non-gmo expeller pressed soybean oil. They are then seasoned by hand with real ingredients – no powders or “natural flavorings” here just real lime juice and either gluten free soy sauce or sea salt depending on the flavor. Cabo Chips are light, crispy, and flaky, and they’re great on their own but also sturdy enough for dipping.

Again, Cabo Chips are one of the few non-gmo project verified corn tortilla chips and they’re are also vegan, gluten free, 100% whole grain, and Kosher! I’m in Love!

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Now for the dippage:
Spinach Hummus

1.5 cups spinach, packed
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 glove garlic
1/8 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and puree until creamy and smooth. The mixture will resemble a thick paste.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is my first giveaway using Rafflecopter, so we will see how this goes!
Contest ends Sunday, February 2nd at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced Monday, February 3rd.
Open to U.S. residents only.

| 66 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats

The following post is sponsored by ICED Media on behalf of Arrowhead Mills and Maranatha. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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My favorite thing about overnight oats is that they’re so simple to make, and easy to grab and go in the morning. There is no cooking when it comes to “ONOs,” just combine everything, mix it up, and let it soak overnight while you get your beauty sleep! Then come morning time, you can quickly grab your jar of fully prepped oats amidst the morning madness and eat them on your way to work or while getting ready. There is no excuse for skipping breakfast when it’s already prepared for you! I loveeee eating them cold, right out of the fridge.

Some of you may ask, what is the difference between whole rolled oats & steel cut oats?
The difference between rolled and steel cut oats is that while both contain whole grain oats, they are processed differently. Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, steamed again and toasted, ending up as thin flakes. Steel cut oats are made from oat kernels that have been chopped into thick pieces.

Both types of oats are great choices (especially compared to extremely processed instant oatmeal), but steel cut oats get even more points in my book because they digest slower than rolled ones. Like all other grains in whole or cracked form, steel cut oats rank lower on the glycemic index than rolled oats because they take longer for digestive enzymes to reach the starch inside the thicker pieces, slowing down its conversion to sugar. In a nutshell, they don’t cause a spike in blood sugar!

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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats
Serves 1

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup almond or soy milk
1/4 cup Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and mix until well combined. Cover with lid and store in the refrigerator overnight.

Tip:
If you’re feeling adventurous, add some fun healthy toppings to send your tastebuds over the top into mouthwatering goodness!

Optional Toppings:
1 Tbsp Maranatha Sunflower Seed Butter
1/2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

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The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: strawberries and banana
Whole Grain: steel cut oats
Protein: milk
Plant Based Fat: chia seeds
Free Extras: cocoa powder and vanilla

Show Arrowhead Mills & Maranatha some love!

Arrowhead Mills
Facebook: facebook.com/arrowheadmills
Pinterest: pinterest.com/arrowheadmills
Twitter: @arrowhead_mills
Website: arrowheadmills.com

Maranatha Foods
Facebook: facebook.com/maranathanutbutters
Instagram: @maranathafoods
Website: maranathafoods.com

| 46 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Apple Pie Oatmeal

For the first time all winter, today actually feels like winter. Since it was gloomy and a super chilly low of 60 degrees, I was craving a warm bowl of oatmeal. This recipe is extremely thick, filling, and naturally sweet. Stay warm little snow bunnies!

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Apple Pie Oatmeal
Serves 1

1 fuji or gala apple, chopped
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1/2 cup milk of your choice
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Chop apple and combine with rolled oats, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer/boil, then cover and bring down to low heat. Cover and stir occasionally and until the oats and apple become cooked and liquid is absorbed. Top with chopped walnuts and enjoy!

Toppings: Enjoy with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, or if you’re feeling crazy, try 1 tablespoon of peanut or almond butter!

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The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: apple
Whole Grain: rolled oats
Protein: milk
Plant Based Fat: walnuts (or 1 Tbsp nut butter!)
Free Extras: cinnamon & nutmeg

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I’m so excited and honored to be featured in Natural Delights free eBook “Nature’s Power Fruit” this month! Click through the image to download the free ebook featuring 5 recipes!

Health & Happiness
xo Catherine

| 6 Comments

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