Chobani

Sunset Bunny Bowl

Hi everyone, I hope you had a fantastic bunny day yesterday!

Motivation Monday: “You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for.”

Obvi my favorite holiday since I was a little tike… haha Bun and a bun!

Easter Throwback
This bun is in bunny heaven!Bunny Heaven
Since I’m sure most of us ate our weight in Easter candy and… plug your ears… chocolate bunnies, NO! A Tragedy! It’s time for a little Easter detox. This Bunny Bowl was inspired by a photograph on Chobani’s Instagram. After seeing the photo, it was all I could think about, so I headed to the grocery store for some fresh ingredients to make a similar concoction. After a very long deliberation on what this delectable bowl should be named, I ended up going with “Sunset Bunny Bowl” which was reader Julie Scott’s idea! Please note that my awesome recipe names were vetoed: Rainbow Bunny Bowl, Chop Chop Bunny Bowl, and Veggie Nom Nom Bowl. April Fools on the last one haha. I thought those named were suh-weeeet, but apparently not so much! Easter Detox Bowl was a close second, but this “salad” if you will, can be made ANY day!

This colorful bowl is filled with protein, fiber, and micronutrients. It’s the perfect lunch for a warm day! Don’t forget healthy food should be pretty, we eat with our eyes! Pretty food= delish food!

Sunset Bunny Bowl

Sunset Bunny Bowl
Sunset Bunny Bowl
Serves 1

1/3 cup red bell pepper
1/3 cup orange bell pepper
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup mushrooms
1/3 cup tomatoes
1/3 cup carrots
1/4 medium avocado
1/4 cup white cannellini beans
1/4 cup plain 0% Chobani Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Salt, pepper, & lemon juice to taste

Wash and chop produce into small pieces. Rinse and strain cannellini beans. Arrange chopped produce, beans, avocado, and almonds in a bowl and top with Chobani Greek yogurt. Add salt, pepper, and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Toss, and enjoy cold.
Note: I used canned low-sodium cannellini beans

Greek yogurty goodness:

Sunset Bunny Bowl
Sunset Bunny Bowl
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots
Whole Grain: none
Protein: cannellini beans and 0% Greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: almonds and avocado

Carrot Cake Bites

Hoppy Easter Everybunny!

Even if you don’t celebrate Easter, you can celebrate bunnies, spring, pastel colors, and carrot cake with me!
I’m so excited to hangout with my family this weekend. I will be celebrating Armenian Easter Saturday with my cousins tomorrow, and then Easter Sunday with my dad, mom, sister, grandparents, and aunt. Can’t wait for all of the bunny cuteness that will occur this weekend!

Since Easter is often associated with bunnies and carrots and those are pretty much the two best things on this planet, I thought it would be fun to make Carrot Cake Bites. Little bites of natural energy that won’t hurt your waistline! True rabbit food!

Carrot Cake Bites
Carrot Cake Bites

Carrot Cake Bites
Makes about 20 bites
Adapted from Baking Serendipity

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 chopped almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, combine shredded carrots, almonds, raisins, flaxseed, and cinnamon and stir. Add almond butter and maple syrup and stir until evenly combined. Place mixture in refrigerator for at least one hour. Shape mixture into one-inch bites.

Don’t forget my other healthy carrot cake recipes:

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Serves 1

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup nonfat cream cheese
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cook the oats with water in a pan over medium-high heat. Once most of the water has been soaked up into the oats, stir in the chia seeds, cream cheese, and grated carrot. Add in the rest of the spices, vanilla, and maple syrup and stir until all ingredients are combined. Transfer the cooked oatmeal to a bowl, garnish with extra shredded carrot, and top with raisins. Enjoy warm.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: carrot and raisins
Whole Grain: rolled oats
Protein: nonfat cream cheese
Plant Based Fat: chia seeds

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Carrot Cake Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup chopped carrots
1 frozen banana
6oz Chobani Pineapple Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add almond milk as needed to acquire your desired thickness.
Note: For a vegan option, omit the Greek yogurt (and almond milk) and sub with 1 cup of coconut milk instead.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: carrot and banana
Whole Grain: rolled oats
Protein: Greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: chia seeds

All Green Everything

Hi loverbuns!

Just incase you were wondering, yes the title of this post was inspired by Young Jeezy’s song “All White Everything.” I couldn’t resist.

I’m writing to you from San Francisco, CA! I’m here speaking at Produce for Better Health’s Annual Conference 2013: The Consumer Connection! I’ve been enjoying the past few days in the city trying some fun restaurants, meeting new friends, and walking up lots and lots of hills! My gluteus and calves are going to look superb when I get home. My stay in San Francisco have been incredible and I feel so lucky to be a part of DOLE and work alongside such talented bloggers like Kathy Patalsky of Healthy. Happy. Life. I will get into more detail and post photos from the conference when I get back!

Ok I don’t know what it is, but recently I have been absolutely obsessed with all things green. Maybe because it’s March and St. Patrick’s day is on Sunday? Oh, and I’m not just talking about the color. I’m talking about micronutrient rich green veggies my friends.

For the past week, I have been living off of clean green meals. I’m pretty sure this obsession is all thanks to Suja Juice (ummm how cute is their packaging?), who sent me a shipment of their finest USDA certified organic cold pressed juices. Which ones do I go for first? The vibrant emerald green juices!

Some of you have been asking on Instagram, Twitter, and FacebookWhere do I find Suja Juice?” Suja informed me of their awesome Suja Locator feature on their website! Just type in your zipcode and it will show you where it’s carried!

Here’s a look at my recent green rabbit food addiction:

All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
All Green Everything
Kale Chips

And in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I have to leave you guys with an awesome green monster smoothie recipe! This is one of my absolute favorite green smoothies, and it totally deserves some love. So I’m bringing this recipe back out of the archive! This was created by the incredible Chef AJ, and I have been hooked ever since she first made it for me. This smoothie is an excellent “first green smoothie” for anyone who is hesitant to try them.

green smoothie

It’s Easy Being Green Smoothie
Recipe by Chef AJ
serves 3

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup almond milk
1 bunch kale
2 frozen ripe bananas (peel and freeze beforehand)
2 cups frozen mango
about 1 cup of mint leaves (start with less and add to taste)

Start off by combing orange juice and almond milk with kale and blend until smooth. Then add the frozen banana, mango, and mint leaves.
Blend until thick and smooth, pour into 3 glass jars and enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

All Green Everything
Have a happy St. Patricks Day!
EAT YOUR GREENS! xo

Chobani LA Dinner

Yesterday I had the honor of attending a Chobani dinner with Amy Keefe (Chobani) and some über awesome LA bloggers! Dinner was held at Hatfield’s in West Hollywood for an evening of nothing but good food and drinks, complete with Chobani-inspired dishes specially prepared by acclaimed chef Quinn Hatfield. I entered the restaurant to see a group of lively bloggers and Amy, the girl behind the Chobani emails! It’s so exciting when you finally get to put a face to the name of someone you have been talking to via email. Amy is hilarious and so much fun to chat with! After dinner, we decided we were long lost soul sisters. I definitely need to make a trip to the Chobani SoHo Yogurt Bar in the big apple and say hi to all of my other email pen pals at Chobani! CHO has the funniest bunch of employees I have ever worked with.

I was so excited to meet some blogger pen pals and new bloggy friends like the adorable Jessica from What Would Jessica Eat?,  Kelly from Foodie Fiasco (um ya, this little powerhouse is a freshman in high school. She is so inspiring and wise beyond her years! Needless to say I am obsessed with her), and Adrianna of A Cozy Kitchen. Adrianna and I found out that we both have tri-colored Corgis and after that… there was tons of squealing, picture showing, and “awwwws” going on until wee hours into the night. Proud corgi mommas. Oh, and I decided that my Corgi Teddy and her Corgi Amelia are dating. It’s love.

Why do I love Chobani so much?
Besides their awesome employees, I love that their yogurt is natural and Greek strained. It’s made with only milk and cultures with the addition of real fruit and cane sugar in flavored options. Some brands market their product as Greek yogurt, but in fact it isn’t true Greek strained yogurt. Be aware that “Greek-Style” yogurt is not the same. Greek-style yogurts contain additives, milk concentrate, and added whey protein to make the yogurt taste and mimic the texture of authentic Greek yogurt.

So what is Greek Yogurt?
The word Greek refers to the straining process which gives the yogurt it’s thick texture and high protein content. True Greek yogurt only contains milk and live & active cultures.

Did you know that Chobani uses 3 pounds of milk for every 1 pound of Chobani Greek Yogurt? Thats where that high protein rich creaminess comes from!

Chobani LA Dinner
#1 Chobani community coordinator Amy Keefe and I! If you love cats & Chobani, you will def love Amy!
 

Chobani LA Dinner
Finally met one of my favorite healthy living pen pals: personal trainer Bree Bond!
Bree and I have been exchanging tweets for almost a year! You have to checkout her Instagram. She is so inspiring, and girl has a sweet six pack!
I told Bree she needs to start training me haha
Bree’s Instagram & Twitter.

Chobani LA DinnerChobani LA bloggers!

Chobani LA Dinner“It’s time to treat CHOself!”

Chobani LA DinnerFIVE courses of Chobani inspired nom noms! Ohhhh my gosh, checkout that menu!

Chobani LA DinnerAnd of course, the wine pairing. Because Chobani goes all out!

Chobani LA DinnerThe night started with a small crab salad.

Chobani LA DinnerFirst Course: Raw Marinated Kanpachi
Marinated baby radish, herbed Chobani Yogurt, fresh horseradish.

Chobani LA DinnerSecond Course: Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted apple, pancetta, hon shimeji mushrooms, Chobani yogurt crema.
 – took a photo of Amy’s soup to show you guys since I’m allergic and couldn’t have it! –

Chobani LA DinnerModified Second Course: Arugula Salad
Marisa Sheep Cheese and Pecans.
Since I found out the hard way that I am in fact 200% allergic to squash a couple of weeks ago… the sous chef made me a fresh salad! Simple and delicious.

Chobani LA DinnerThird Course: Sous Vide Chicken in Greek Yogurt
Roasted Fennel, Chobani creamy barley, apple salad, whiskey prune smear.
I’m pretty much vegetarian, but I really wanted to give all of the menu items a try. The Creamy Chobani Barley was insanely amazing. I NEED to learn how to make this! Totally inspiring me to make a Chobani Risotto. Or shall I say RiCHOtto!

Chobani LA DinnerFourth Course: Thirty-Six Hour Braised Beef Rib
Smoked Chobani yogurt potatoes.
Once again, I’m not really a meat eater at all, especially red meat, but I’ll try anything once. I like to live life on the edge! haha. The potatoes and roasted broccolini were out of this world. Oh. my. gosh. Absolutely mouthwatering!

Chobani LA DinnerFifth Course: Meyer Lemon and Chobani Yogurt Meringue Tart
Grapefruit confit, mint, huckleberry.
Minus the huckleberry because of my allergy!

Chobani LA DinnerAfter dinner coffee, a must!

Chobani LA DinnerChobani swag bag: Love this bag, upcycled from a burlap coffee bag! Inside the bag was a sweet reusable Chobani water bottle, wooden spoon to get my cookin’ on, Chobani Nike Dry-Fit shirt, and a magnet with conversions for cooking with CHO
Chobani LA DinnerConversions for cooking with Chobani!
Simple swaps to make any meal even healthier! #justaddgood

Aren’t you totally inspired to cook something with Chobani now?
Checkout their awesome recipes and get inspired


Huge thank you to Chobani and Hatfield’s for the amazing dinner!

Quinoa Granola

Ok granola lovers, today is your day! HEALTHY GRANOLA!
Can I get a woohoo?!

Most store bought granolas are loaded with unnecessary amounts of refined sugar and contain nearly no protein. I’m a granola lover, but it’s hard for me to find a good healthy granola, so today, I made my own! Not going to lie, I burned the first batch because I forgot about the altitude here in Denver! It was totally worth it though, this granola is so delish! It has the perfect amount of crunch and sweetness with the addition of protein from quinoa. Oh ya, it’s also vegan and gluten free! I might add some raisins next time!

Quinoa Granola

Let’s talk about why this granola is so excellent!

Quinoa (keen-wah)
Quinoa is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids.
Twice the fiber over most other grains.
High in iron.
Gluten free.

Flaxseed
Fich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid.
Excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Contains B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin,thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates.

Coconut
Great source of manganese.
Improves digestion with dietary fiber.
Contains plant-based healthy saturated fat, monosaturated fat, and Omega-6 fatty acids that promote weight loss and increase HDL or “good” cholesterol levels in the body.

Agave
Natural sweetener.
Lower glycemic value than regular refined sugars.

Quinoa GranolaQuinoa Granola
Makes 2 servings

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 Tbsp whole flaxseed or chia seeds
1 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp agave
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the mixture thinly on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Once the granola has started to turn a golden brown, remove from oven and let cool (this will let the granola set so you will have different sized pieces). After the granola has cooled for about 5 minutes remove from baking sheet with spatula.

You can portion this granola into halves and eat it as a little mid afternoon pick me up snack, or make it into a filling, protein packed breakfast by combining it with the following:

6oz of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 banana
1 serving of quinoa granolaQuinoa Granola
Quinoa Granola
Quinoa GranolaThe Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: banana
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: flaxseed and shredded coconut

1 2 3