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Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegetarian

Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Motivation Monday: “Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart.”

I have been traveling so much recently. I can’t wait to update you guys on what I’ve been doing and what is happening in the blogosphere! I’m gathering all of my photos from my recent adventures and will post them later this week.

I love upcycling old recipes. There are so many simple ways to alter old recipes and make them into something completely different.
Let’s start with my Southwest Quinoa Collard Wrap recipe. Subtract the collard greens and add whole bell peppers, throw in some pepperjack cheese, green chiles, and tomatoes, and turn those avocado slices into some guacamole. Voilà, a new dish is born!

I suggest pre-making a batch of Southwest Quinoa so you can make stuffed peppers and collard wraps all week!
Helpful Hint: 1 cup of cooked southwest quinoa = 1 serving.
1 Tbsp of Quick Guacamole + 1 serving of plant based fat.
Use these measurements when making wraps or individual stuffed bell peppers.

Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4-5

4-5 bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa + 2 cups water
1 15oz can unsweetened corn kernels
1 15oz can low sodium black beans
1 4oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 Tbsp Southwest/Fajita seasoning (I used Mccormick Salt-Free Southwest)

Quick Guacammole
1 ripe avocado
1 small jalapeño
1 Tbsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. Cut tops off of bell peppers and remove seeds and “meat” from inside. Rinse and strain the beans and corn. Once quinoa has finished cooking combine with corn, beans, green chilies, tomatoes, onion, pepper jack cheese, and fajita seasoning. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the bell peppers. Transfer stuffed bell peppers (without lids) to a baking dish lined with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.
For the Guacamole: Remove the avocado “meat” from its skin and transfer to a bowl. Dice jalapeño into small pieces. Add jalapeño and lime juice to the avocado and mash with a fork. Serve one tablespoon of guacamole on top of each stuffed bell pepper after they are cooked.
Note: 1 cup of southwest quinoa mixture = 1 serving. Use this measurement when making wraps or individual stuffed bell peppers.

Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell pepper, green chilies, tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño
Whole Grain: quinoa and corn
Protein: beans and pepper jack cheese
Plant Based Fat: avocado

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Recipes, Snacks, Tips, Vegan, Vegetarian

Brown Bag Popcorn

Thank you EVERYONE for your incredible support from my last post!
I’m so in love with all of my readers!

I have been reading healthy living blogs for a few years. I love them. They are great for inspiration, motivation, and tips to meet your goals, but sometimes they can be the exact opposite. Not only that, but I’ve also been reading blogs on unclutterer to keep myself updated on the newest kitchen appliances, which was quite interesting. Seeing a handful of bloggers post about their perfect meals & workouts day after day started to make me think that I was a failure because I couldn’t stick with a perfect diet and workout 7 days a week. I’ve realized that people only show what they want others to see. The world of social media is very filtered, and sometimes what you see is just a facade. Often times, people hide their true feelings and struggles. I had wanted to start a blog since the beginning of my weight loss journey, and I realized that I wanted to be something different. Why should I censor my hurdles and bumps in the road if so many others go through it as well? I realized that my struggles weren’t something that I needed to hide or be embarrassed about. It’s just a part of life, and there are so many others who could relate and know they are not alone. Just knowing that I have helped one person makes me happy.

Over the past couple of days I have seen such a beautiful thing occur on my blog. I’ve seen readers from all around the world support other readers through comments. A rare thing to see on the internet, right? (For example, any time I go on YouTube, videos are often filled with hurtful comments.) I love this little RFFMBT support community that is evolving! I’ve learned that there is so much more support than criticism to people who are honest and real, so I just wanted to say thank you so much for your respect, support, encouragement, and kind words.

“You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important” -The Help
“You are beautiful. You are enough.”

Since it’s a new year, I’m going to start with a new approach. I’m going to take everything one day at a time. I want to start out slow with some healthy snacks and recipes. They may not always follow the Rabbit Food Pyramid, but they will be healthy and clean! I want to focus on healthy swaps that can help you meet your goal!

Fried potato chips: Homemade Sweet Potato Chips, or Kale Chips
Starchy mashed potatoes: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Carb loaded pizza: Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Sugar loaded yogurt: Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Prepackaged pudding: Chia Pudding

And of course my other favorite healthy snack: air popped popcorn!

Brown Bag Popcorn

Most microwavable popcorn that you see in stores (even the “low fat” kind) is filled with oils, butter, and tons of salt. By air popping your own popcorn, you can enjoy it as a light guiltless snack without the extra sodium and fat! Take that movie theater popcorn! All you need is a brown paper lunch bag, popcorn kernels, a measuring cup, and a minute and thirty seconds!

Brown Bag Popcorn


Brown Bag Popcorn
Makes about 4 cups popped (one serving= 2 cups)

1/4 cup popcorn kernels – yup, thats it!

Measure and pour the kernels into a brown paper bag. Close the bag by folding the open edges three times. DO NOT staple or tape the bag closed. Microwave on highest power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Sprinkle with your favorite salt-free seasoning.
Note: Some microwaves cook faster than others, so if you start to hear 3 second pauses in between pops, it is probably done.

Brown Bag Popcorn


Join me in making small healthy changes to reach your goal. Let’s do this together!

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Lunch, Raw, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Summer Salad

I hope that everyone had a nice holiday weekend! It is getting hot hot hot in Los Angeles, and I couldn’t think of anything more refreshing than a cold fruit salad with a twist! Instead of the usual all-fruit salad, how about combining some other plant based components of protein, whole-grain, and fat to complete your meal!

Hold the dressing… This salad consists of 4 different flavors that perfectly compliment each other to make a tart yet sweet and refreshing dish, so there is no need for anything else. I’m so hooked, I could probably have this every single day!

P.S. If you are trying to incorporate vegetarian or vegan meals into your diet, this is a great easy option for meatless mondays. On a high note, this salad is boyfriend approved and my sister went back for seconds haha

Summer Salad
Serves 1

1 medium grapefruit
1/2 cup chilled unshelled edamame
1/2 cup chilled corn
1/4 medium avocado

Remove the skin of the grapefruit by cutting with a knife between the rind and flesh. Once the outer skin and pith has been removed, separate segments of the grapefruit and remove all of the membrane, pulp, and seeds so only the grapefruit flesh remains exposed. Chop the segments into smaller cubed pieces. Remove 1/4 avocado meat from it’s skin and cut into cubes. Add the chilled corn (rinsed and strained) and edamame  to the grapefruit and avocado and gently toss. Serve chilled.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: grapefruit
Whole Grain: corn
Protein: edamame
Plant Based Fat: avocado

| 37 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Southwest Quinoa Collard Wraps

The last time I was in Houston visiting Sam, we invented an awesome dinner dish! Since we were cooking together, this didn’t end up as a single serving sized recipe, but trust me, you will want to have this everyday for as long as your leftovers last! I got Sam totally addicted to quinoa (keen-wa) with my Apple Pie Parfait  and it has turned into one of his favorite whole-grains. If your meat loving boyfriend, hubby, dad, or brother is scared of vegetarian or vegan meals, this one is boyfriend approved and a great option for “Meatless Mondays” if you’re trying to go veggie! If you are a big time RFFMBT fan, you may remember a sneak peek photo of this recipe that I posted on my Facebook page! At last, the detailed recipe is finally here!

This is a great healthy dish if you are having guests over for lunch or dinner. You could even set up a little wrap station where your guests can make their own collard wraps!



Southwestern Quinoa Collard Wraps
Serves 4-5

1 bunch collard greens
1 cup dry quinoa + 2 cups water
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 15oz can unsweetened corn
1 15oz can low sodium black beans
1 large red bell pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1 ripe avocado
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Southwest/Fajita seasoning (I used Mccormick Salt-Free Southwest)

Bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. Dice the onion and bell pepper and sauté in a pan with low sodium vegetable broth over medium/high heat. While the quinoa is cooking and peppers and onions are sautéing, rinse and strain the beans and corn. Once quinoa has finished cooking stir the beans and corn into the same pot. After the peppers and onions have become tender and cooked, stir them into the quinoa mixture as well. Add fajita seasoning and lemon juice to taste and gently mix into the quinoa until well combined. Cover the quinoa mixture and set aside. Rinse and dry collard greens and remove stems. Remove the avocado “meat” from its skin, and cut into thin slices. Place a collard green leaf on a plate and fill with 1 cup of the quinoa mixture, 1/4 avocado slices, and roll up into a wrap. Cut in half and serve!
Note: This recipe pairs really well with mango! Cut one mango into slices and add into the wrap along with the avocado for some sweetness.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: collard greens, bell pepper, onion
Whole Grain: quinoa and corn
Protein: beans
Plant Based Fat: avocado

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