DOLE Bananas Archives - Eat More Rabbit Food

Banana Freezing 101

“How do you freeze bananas?”
This is a super common question that I get all the time. And no, it’s not a stupid question! Freezing bananas is something that I discovered along the way of my weight loss/healthy eating journey. I would buy a bunch of bananas and some weeks I could eat them all, and others they would be left alone on the kitchen counter to wither away and turn into brown blobs. Instead of wasting bananas and throwing them away, I learned about freezing them for smoothies! Frozen bananas are the best discovery I’ve made! When you use frozen bananas in your smoothie, there is no need for ice because it makes your smoothie so thick, creamy, and cold!

Now before we get into Banana Freezing 101, I want to teach you guys about ripe bananas. A banana is fully ripened when it is CHEETAH SPOTTED! There should be absolutely no green, even around the stem. At the cheetah spotted stage, the starches will have fully developed into sugars. If you have the astringent puckering feeling in your mouth after biting into one, you will know that it isn’t fully ripe! You know what weird taste/feeling on your tongue that I’m talking about? Yuck! Wait for the cheetah spots : ) they are the best for perfect shmoozies!

How to freeze bananas 1
Banana Freezing 101

1. Wait until the bananas have become cheetah spotted.
2. Peel
3. Place in a Ziploc bag.
4. Freeze!

-If you don’t have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, you can chop up the bananas before freezing so it’s easier on your blender. I like leaving them in one piece so I know I’m getting a full banana serving when I use them in smoothies! You can literally store them in the freezer for months (although I make a lot of smoothies, Banana Nicecream, and Yonanas, so I go through them pretty fast)!

How to freeze bananas 2
I hope you learned something new today!
Have a healthy & happy weekend!
xo Catherine

January 24, 2014 | 24 Comments

Contests & Giveaways, Desserts, Obsessions, Raw, Recipes, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

DOLE Peel The Love Banana Party + Giveaway (CLOSED)

I am so excited to tell you guys about DOLE Bananas new Peel the Love Campaign!

Bananas: you grill, bake, mash, blend, spread and split bananas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, but this year, Dole is delivering one simple message about the country’s most popular fruit in 2013: Peel The Love.
“The three-word command serves as the theme of a bold, year-long Dole initiative stressing the fun, irreverence and universally beloved aspects of the iconic yellow fruit, which Dole grows more of globally than anyone else.” – Dole

The first-ever Peel the Love Summer Food Truck Tour, sponsored by Dole Fresh Fruit and partners Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk and Dole Packaged Foods, will bring DOLE Bananas and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze recipes and samples directly to you in select cities across the country!

Good news LA foodies, DOLE Bananas Peel the Love Summer Food Truck is making a few more stops until it heads off to it’s next big city (Phoenix, AZ)!
June 21, 4pm-6pm – Albertsons 200 E. Sepulveda Blvd, Carson CA
June 22, 7am-12pm – Into the Summer Fun Run, 19800 Bloomfield Ave, Cerritos CA
June 23, 4pm-6pm – Walmart 1290 E. Ontario Ave, Corona CA
June 24, 4pm-6pm – Albertsons 2627 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica CA

Checkout the DOLE Bananas Peel the Love Summer Food Truck route and calendar to see when it will be in a city near you!

To continue DOLE Bananas’ initiative to “Peel the Love” I wanted to show just how cool bananas really are. Thanks to DOLE, they sent me some awesome party supplies to host a Peel The Love banana party of my own. Their party kit included DOLE Bananas coupons, DOLE margarita glasses, reusable DOLE grocery bags, a yellow platter, banana USB Drive, and a Yonanas machine for my friends and I to enjoy! My first thought was… how can I show my readers how to throw a FUN healthy food party? Umm, obviously by hosting a DOLE Banana Nicecream party! After all, my mission is to make healthy foods fun, exciting, and always tasty!

I had a few friends over for an afternoon of Banana Nicecream and an endless healthy topping bar.
My Banana Nicecream bar consisted of frozen DOLE Bananas turned into banana nicecream/froyo with the help of Yonanas, and all of these yummy toppings:
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, pomegranate seeds, apricot preserve, banana chips, honey roasted sliced almonds, granola, shredded coconut, crushed peanuts, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, crushed graham crackers, trail mix, pistachio toffee, cocoa almond butter, peanut butter, honey, agave, and cinnamon! I went a little crazy with my topping selection! Who doesn’t love toppings?

Instead of going to the grocery store for a pint of ice cream each, this is how we will be partying from now on. Bananas. Toppings. Pixar Movie. Best. Night. Ever.
Such a simple but healthy fun party idea for kids and families of all ages!

Want to host your own DOLE Bananas Peel the Love Party?
Enter for your chance to win a DOLE Bananas Peel the Love Party Kit including:

1 Yonanas Healthy Dessert Maker
1 Banana USB drive
1 Yellow DOLE apron
1 Plastic Yellow serving platter
10 DOLE Bananas coupons
10 DOLE plastic margarita “glasses”
10 Yellow DOLE reusable grocery bags

For your chance to win:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would top your Banana Nicecream with!
You can earn another entry by tweeting: “Enter to #win a @DOLEbananas #PeelTheLove Party Kit and @Yonanas Healthy Dessert Maker! Hosted by @EatRabbitFood http://bit.ly/130eLb7 .”
– Complete your Twitter entry by leaving a separate comment on this post with a link to your tweet.
You can earn an additional entry by taking a photo of DOLE bananas on Instagram along with the handle @RabbitFoodForMyBunnyTeeth and hashtag #peelthelove
– Complete your Instagram entry by leaving another comment on this post with a link to your Instagram image.

That means you can earn up to 3 entries: comment on this post, tweet, and/or Instagram!
All entries must use a valid email address, Contest open to U.S. residents only (I’m sorry international bunnies!)
All entries must be posted by Sunday, June 23 at 11:59pm (PST).
The winner will be announced on Monday, June 24.

Good luck little bunnies!
Make sure you like RFFMBT on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram too!

Interested in Buying a Yonanas Healthy Dessert Maker?
They sell for $49.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. Sign up for their BB&B email subscription and receive a 20% off one item coupon! You know, those ones we all get in the mail every couple of months.

Want to make Banana nicecream without the fancy gadgets?
Here is my recipe for Banana Nicecream!

One last thing… since it’s banana related! If you’re ever having a bad day, read the reviews of this Banana Slicer on Amazon.com. HILARIOUS. I can’t stop laughing!

*The giveaway has ended. A winner will be announced on Monday, June 24.

June 21, 2013 | 314 Comments

Desserts, Raw, Recipes, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Healthy Vegan Banana Split

Happy friday and congratulations to the winner of my Chobani Giveaway: Nicole B.!
“I love to use greek yogurt to make salmon salad with smoked salmon, capers, red onions, cucumbers and dill. YUMMY ” -Nicole
Start making room in your refrigerator for that yogurt! haha

I wanted to say thank you to all of my readers for being so supportive during this roller coaster of a week or so. Between my surgery, thyroid acting up, possibility of PCOS, and countless blood tests I am absolutely exhausted and you guys have really cheered me up! I really wanted to post Part 4 of my Q&A yesterday but I was sidelined by another trip to the doctor and more blood work! I will definitely give you guys a more in depth description of what has been going on in the health department some time next week. For now, have a great weekend, make yummy healthy food, exercise outdoors, and enjoy a banana split! xo

Oh yes you read read the title right, HEALTHY VEGAN BANANA SPLIT! In honor of National Banana Split Day (August 25th) TasteSpotting will be featuring none other than banana splits on their home page this Friday, August 24th to celebrate. To make this holiday even sweeter, DOLE Bananas gave me a challenge to create a healthy banana split under 350 calories. You know that I am not into counting calories, but I couldn’t pass up this awesome challenge. I’m always excited to make healthy versions of often unhealthy favorites.

Right now you are probably thinking, ya right… good luck with that, but I have created an awesome Banana Split that won’t split your pants! This is my take on the old fashioned banana split. My b-split consists of a creamy raw vegan ice cream made with only three natural ingredients and no added sugar, topped with a fluffy vegan cashew cream and juicy bing cherry all for only 295 healthy calories! Now that’s some NICEcream!

Made of avocado, mango, and banana, this nicecream is filled with heart healthy fats and over 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Plus it tastes oh so good! Helathy and tasty? Win win.

Healthy Vegan Banana Split
serves 1

Raw Vegan Nicecream
1/2 (63g) frozen banana
1/2 cup (70g) frozen mango
1/4 (50g) medium avocado

Cashew Cream
1/8 cup (14g) cashews + 1 1/2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp stevia

On Top
1 cherry
remaining 1/2 (63g) of the banana

Prep: Peel and cut the banana in half. Freeze one half (for ice cream) before hand. Also slice and pre-freeze mango and refrigerate the avocado. Combine cashews, water, vanilla extract, and stevia together in a jar and let it sit for at least 1-2 hours.
Directions: Combine the 1/2 frozen banana, frozen mango, and avocado in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ice cream to a bowl. Rinse the food processor and pour in the cashew mixture and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Top your ice cream with cashew cream and garnish with fresh banana slices (from the leftover banana half) and a cherry.
Note: If you eat the nicecream directly after blending, it will be similar to a soft serve consistency. For a more solid ice cream like treat, transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze for about 1 hour before eating.

Show me and DOLE Bananas your healthy banana split creations on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and hop over to TasteSpotting for more mouth watering banana splits!
RFFMBT Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram
DOLEBananas Twitter & Facebook

August 24, 2012 | 11 Comments

Breakfast, Contests & Giveaways, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Banana Bread Breakfast Quinoa + DOLE Bananas Giveaway

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from DOLE Bananas asking if I would like some coupons for free bananas. After the shock that DOLE Bananas (OMG!) emailed me, of course I immediately replied with a very enthusiastic YES! DOLE Bananas was sweet enough to send me a huge stack of coupons for bananas, and let me say, they were instantly put to good use! I have been going bananas in the kitchen, literally! I picked up tons of bananas and threw a bunch (no pun intended) in the freezer (peeled) for future smoothie use, and started crafting away on some new nana recipes for you guys!

Bananas have so many health benefits, they might as well be called “Nature’s Original Energy Bar!” DOLE sent me some awesome banana facts to show that they aren’t just delicious, but nutritious too!

Bananas are a good source of vitamins and nutrients – especially vitamins B6 and C, potassium, manganese and dietary fiber.
Bananas replenish necessary carbohydrates, glycogen and body fluids burned during exercise; contain electrolytes; and are the perfect alternative to processed sports drinks and bars packed with sodium and sugar.

Since I am a huge fan of bananas and breakfast, I wanted to try making a banana bread type of oatmeal… without the oats! I love quinoa for it’s amazing health benefits, so I decided to use it as a breakfast bowl/porridge type of meal. It turned out AWESOME, and I will be making this more often, especially when I need a break from oatmeal!

Banana Bread Breakfast Quinoa
Serves 1

1 very ripe banana – mashed
¼ cup dry quinoa
¼ cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
2 Tbsp walnuts
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp cinnamon

Cook the quinoa on the stove to package instructions. After the quinoa has finished cooking (while over low heat), stir in the almond milk, mashed banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix the walnuts into the quinoa or add on top. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy warm.
Note: You could add additional milk until desired texture is reached.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: banana
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: milk
Plant Based Fat: walnuts

In collaboration with DOLE Bananas, I am hosting a giveaway of “$1 off DOLE Bananas” coupons for 5 lucky winners! Each winner will receive 5 coupons!

For your chance to win:

Leave a comment on this post “Banana Bread Breakfast Quinoa + DOLE Bananas Giveaway” with your favorite way to eat bananas!
All entries must use a valid email address.
Open to U.S. residents only.
All comments must be posted by Sunday, July 1st at 11:59pm (PST).
5 winners will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, July 2.

Go Bananas Every Day™ and receive daily recipes, serving suggestions and tips by following DOLE Bananas on Twitter and Facebook!

I have complied a list of some RFFMBT recipes that include bananas:
Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
Banana Nicecream
Peanut Butter & Banana Toast
Banana Hazelnut Toast With Ricotta
Protein Pancakes
Chocolate Cake Batter Overnight Oats
Ch Ch Ch Chia Pudding
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Gargantuan Green Giant
It’s Easy Being Green Smoothie

* The giveaway has ended, and the winners will be announced on Monday, July 2.
** Congratulations to the winners: Killian from PA, Jessica from IL, Sara from VA, Elizabeth from TX, and Leanne from CA.

June 27, 2012 | 173 Comments

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RECIPES

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DOLE Bananas

Banana Freezing 101

DOLE Peel The Love Banana Party + Giveaway (CLOSED)

Healthy Vegan Banana Split

Banana Bread Breakfast Quinoa + DOLE Bananas Giveaway