DOLE

PB Green Smoothie

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I loveeee green smoothies, and I love that DOLE has added all of these amazing new Power Up Greens to their lineup. I usually do a lot of fruit and veggie green smoothies, but this week I decided to try a different type of green monster smoothie from my fellow DOLE buddy, Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats! I love the addition of Greek yogurt and peanut butter in her smoothie recipe! It tastes so good, yet it’s so good for you!

DOLE’s new Power Up Greens ‘Baby Kale & Greens’ is loaded with baby spinach, baby kale, baby green chard, and baby red chard. This combination of dark leafy greens provides the perfect lineup for bold flavor and nutrition. With vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, manganese and calcium, this blend is a perfect way to power up by adding a boost of nutritious flavor to soups, smoothies and more.

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During the launch of DOLE Power Up Greens, DOLE sent me an adorable smoothie tumbler so I can power up on Green smoothies all summer long. They also sent me a super cute salad green yoga mat and custom DOLE earbuds for my workouts! They’re the perfect power up workout accessories!

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PB Green Smoothie
Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 1

1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla (or regular flavor) almond milk
2 cups DOLE Power Up Greens™ ‘Baby Kale & Greens’

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled Bites

You guys are seriously too cute. I loved reading all of your comments about why I should keep writing personal posts! My favorite is when a couple of you said “If I only wanted to see recipes, I would just buy a cook book!” That totally stuck with me : )

Soooo ever since I started working with DOLE Salads, I’ve been BEGGING them for kale! At every event I would raise my hand and say “WHERE’S THE KALE?!” Seriously, this bunny can’t get enough kale!

Through the past year I’ve been pleasantly surprised seeing kale pop up in DOLE’s Chopped Salads, buttttt the moment has finally come for an entire package of kale! Drumroll please…

DOLE POWER UP GREENS!!!
DOLE Power Up Greens come in 3 different varieties:

Dole-Power-Up-Greens-Kale-Bites-3 Baby Kale: Just baby kale
Baby Kale and Greens: Baby spinach, baby kale, baby green chard, baby red chard
Spring Mix and Greens: Arugula, baby green oak, baby green romaine, baby red oak, red baby romaine, green chard, green tango, lola rosa, mizuna, red chard, tat-soi, spinach, baby kale, curly endive, green leaf, red tango, mache. <<< The perfect mix for the ULTIMATE green smoothie!

DOLE has been challenging me to think outside of the bowl by using salads in different ways, and for their new Power Up Greens, they’ve asked me to create a super power snack that is pop-able and bite-sized! My friend Beth has been telling me to use the name “Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled” for months now, and I finally found the perfect time to use it! These adorable little Kale Bites resemble “cotton tails!” They may be cute but they’re tasty too!

These little morsels are baked not fried, and loaded with antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and K from the DOLE Power Up Greens! They’re an easy super power snack to serve to your friends and family that’s healthy and delish.

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Bright Eyed & Bushy Kaled Bites
Yields about 15 kale bites

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 packages (4 cups packed) DOLE Power Up Greens – Baby Kale
1 large scallion
1 egg
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pan over medium high heat, sauté yellow onion in olive oil until softened and translucent. Add kale to frying pan, sautéing until the kale wilts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Place cooked kale and onion into a food processor along with the chopped scallion, and pulse for several seconds. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the egg, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix with a spoon until well combined. Using a one Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the kale mixture into 1 Tbsp sized balls. Place kale balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Tip: After 15 minutes, turn your oven to broil and let the tops of the kale balls brown for about 1 minute.

DOLE has definitely been thinking outside of the bowl, and they’ve created some super power recipes for you to try!

It’s a chip, its healthy, it’s Kale Chips!
These oven-baked chips are the crunchy, satisfying snack you’ve been craving. And, because they’re made from DOLE® Power Up Greens™ Baby Kale, they have the calcium and manganese your body needs. Try them as an accompaniment to a sandwich, a topping on a pasta dish, or enjoy a big bowl of them while you veg out!

Lentils “Meatballs” with Kale Pesto
Meatballs are a hit at nearly every mealtime and occasion. But what about a meatball without the meat? Round, flavorful morsels, our “meatballs” turn lentils and greens into small pleasures that even the most ardent meat lover will enjoy. A great way to get your protein, and topped with a robust kale pesto, it is easy to see why these little goodies are a favorite among vegetarians.

Interested in DOLE Power Up Greens?
Use their Store Locator to find greens near you!

DOLE Packaged Foods Summit 2014

I had the honor of attending the DOLE Packaged Foods Summit this year! I’ve been working with Dole fresh for a couple of years now, and I’m really exciting to be working with Dole packaged as well. Dole packaged foods consists of frozen, canned, and other shelf stable items that make healthy eating on the go and in a hurry, simple and easy! I am loving some of their new products and can’t wait to share them with you below!

DAY 1:
All of the bloggers met at Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, California for a fun night of drinks and ton of food! Chef Ben Ford welcomed us to his fabulous restaurant with an endless amount of hors d’oeuvres!
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Dole-Summit-2014-5Mixologist, Jordan from This Girl Walks Into A Bar created the perfect cocktails for our evening in Culver City. Each drink recipe was created with one DOLE packaged item! Her Pineapple Island Cocktail had DOLE Frozen Pineapple Chunks in place of ice for a sweet cooling addition to the drink. The Blueberry Vista Champagne Cocktail also had the addition of DOLE Frozen Blueberries at the bottom, and the Summer Golden Cocktail had delicious DOLE Pineapple Juice!

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Dole-Summit-2014-7From left: Katie from Once A Month Meals, Nikki of Seeded at the Table, Chef Ben Ford, Ally from Ally’s Kitchen, Amelia of Eating Made Easy.

Dole-Summit-2014-9Of course I made some of the girls pose for ridiculous pictures haha. Instant friends! Katie from Once A Month Meals, Pattie of Living Mi Vida Loca, Chrystal from Duo Dishes, Nikki of Seeded at the Table and I!

Dole-Summit-2014-10Typical blogger summits equals everyone on social media at all times! #working

Dole-Summit-2014-12I love seeing other bloggers in their element! Pattie from Living Mi Vida Loca was so fun to watch, she is brilliant at arranging food for photographs!

Dole-Summit-2014-11I love hearing how everyone started their blogs! The best part of blogger summits for me is meeting everyone and hearing their personal stories. Some people started their blogs because they went to culinary school, some started because they were diagnosed with food allergies and restrictions, some are simply passionate about cooking, and some like me, started their blog because they lost weight! Each blogger at the summit brought a different strength to the group which was so fun to see.

Dole-Summit-2014-13Ally of Ally’s Kitchen was the winner of the 2013 DOLE California Cookoff recipe contest! She describes her style as “bohemian bold” and “peasant chic!” Loves her! Too cute!

Dole-Summit-2014-8Meet the bloggers!

Amelia: Eating Made Easy
Pattie: Living Mi Vida Loca
Ally: Ally’s Kitchen
Katie: Once A Month Meals
Kristy: The Wicked Noodle 
Leslie: Hungry Housewife 
Amy: Super Healthy Kids 
Nikki: Seeded at the Table
Chrystal: Duo Dishes
Sara: Average Betty

After a fun night at Ford’s Filling Station, we headed to the Four Seasons – Westlake Village to check in and rest up for the big day ahead.

DAY 2:
We woke up bright and early and headed across the street to the Dole headquarters, which is conveniently located just feet across the street from the Four Seasons.

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Dole-Summit-2014-15Inside the DOLE headquarters there is a huge mural of fruits and vegetables in the heart of the building.

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We had the pleasure of meeting Brad Bartlett, President of Dole Packaged Foods! He joined us for breakfast and the rat of the day at DOLE!
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We ate breakfast outside and then gathered in the official DOLE test kitchen! This is where all of the DOLE recipes are made and well… tested!
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I love bloggers, we are always on our phones social media-ing it up haha. I had to get a photo of this moment when we were literally all on Instagram sharing the new DOLE products with our followers!
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One of my fav new DOLE products is DOLE Fruit Squich’ems. Applesauce may seem like a kid’s snack, but these are AWESOME. The BPA free squeeze pack is portable, mess free, and designed so you don’t need a spoon! The produce in DOLE Fruit Squish’ems use a rapid heating and cooling technique made by scientists at North Carolina State. This process kills microbes within 80 seconds which retains 90% of the original vitamins and nutrients versus other processes that have to heat produce for 15 minutes which lowers nutrients and alters taste. This is a brand new technology that doesn’t exist in any products in a grocery store besides these! DOLE wants their products to have the least amount of processing as possible while making it safe to consume from the shelf.

Squish’em Tip: Freeze your DOLE Squish’ems for a slushy like sweet treat, or freeze and throw into your kids lunch boxes in place of ice packs!

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Another favorite product is the new DOLE Shakers. A.K.A. the blender-less smoothie! You may have seen tehese in the frozen fruit aisle of your grocery store, but these are the new and improved Shakers – now with Greek yogurt AND vegetables! As you guys know, I’m addicted to smoothies, especially smoothies with veggies added in! This is a suer convenient way to get a serving of fruit, veggies, and protein rich greek yogurt when you’re on the go and don’t have time to use your blender! All you do is fill it with your juice of choice, shake shake shake, and you have a perfectly blended fruit & veggie smoothie!
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Inside of the Shakers are tiny frozen beads of pre-blended fruits, veggies, and Greek yogurt, kind of like Dippin’ Dots! Since I have a severe berry allergy, I was SOOO happy to find a flavor that I could enjoy! I’m obsessed with the new Pineapple and Mango flavor, which also includes sweet potato and carrots!
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We all filled our Shakers with DOLE Pineapple Juice, but I actually love using fresh orange juice in mine!
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Amelia and Kristy shaking it up!
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Another new product that I was super stoked about are the DOLE Fruit & Oatmeal instant oatmeal cups! Unlike other instant oatmeals that contain dehydrated fruit, these come with fruit packed in 100% fruit juice on top! After heating the oatmeal mixture with water, you pour the fresh fruit and juice into the cup and stir it in!
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Have you ever wondered why DOLE Pineapple Juice is in a can and never a plastic bottle? I have! and I learned why at the DOLE Summit! DOLE stores their Pineapple Juice in a can to avoid exposure from light which alters the color os fresh juices. Look at a competitor’s pineapple juice on the left and the fresh DOLE Pineapple Juice on the right! the other brand looks like apple juice!
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A very very exciting announcement: Dole is coming out with DOLE Garden Soups! They have short ingredient lists and are made with natural ingredients! We got to sample the Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil soup, and it was to die for. I’m a HUGE fan of tomato soup, and this flavor did not let me down! I cannot wait for these to hit the shelves.
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I had no idea until the summit, but Dole acquired one of my favorite snack companies Mrs. May’s! I used to be addicted to their Cashew Crunch!
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The Mrs. May’s Crispy Veggie Chips are so good. They’re unlike any “vegetable chips” I’ve had before. They’re made from real vegetables, not vegetable blends, and they’re perfect seasoned and crunchy! We ate the entire bag by the end of the presentation haha.
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After sampling all of the new DOLE packaged foods products in the test kitchen, we all headed to the DOLE cafeteria for lunch. Their cafeteria is really incredible. It’s the healthiest corporate cafeteria I’ve ever been to – everything is made to order, and nothing is pre-made. There were tons of vegetarian and vegan options, and an abundance of fresh produce. If I worked at DOLE HQ, I would never eat anywhere else. Wait until you see my veggie wrap from lunch, you will agree!
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Veggie wrap with hummus, roasted red bell peppers, spinach, chopped tomatoes, avocado, and shredded mozzarella wrapped up in a sundries tomato tortilla and lightly grilled in a panini press.
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After lunch, we walked back across the street to our hotel for some R&R, and I mean real R&R! The DOLE team treated us to spa treatments at the hotel. It was such a dream, and I am so spoiled from the realizing massage.
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Once we all finished our spa treatments, we walked down the street to Lure Fish House where they had a special menu prepared for our DOLE Blogger Summit.
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I had the most incredible Organic Tuscan Kale Salad. Chopped raw kale mixed with carrots, quinoa, wild rice, red peppers, green onion, and red grapes. Mixed in shaved parmesan and toasted sunflower seeds and tossed with a citrus champagne vinaigrette. Still drooling over here!
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The best part of blogger summits is the ridiculous amount of food photos that we all take, and we all understand. We will literally let our food get cold until we get “the perfect shot.” My family usually tells me to put my phone away, but these ladies get it! I also love the amount of selfies that went on during the summit! Katie and Ally to “selfie” to a whole new level! So cute!
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Halfway through dinner, I looked over to see Pattie staging a photo of her dinner with candles from the table for lighting! Amaze!
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DAY 3:
I have to say that Day 3 was my favorite day of the summit! We met at the California Health & Longevity Institute Wellness Kitchen where Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE prepared us breakfast made from DOLE packaged products! The Wellness Kitchen is absolutely stunning. I’ve decided that I NEED a chandelier in my kitchen ASAP! How stunning is the light? Swoon.

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Breakfast consisted of a Detox Smoothie, Almond Date Energy Bars, Blintze Soufflé, and Spiced Quinoa Breakfast Porridge.
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The Almond Date Energy Bars were my absolute favorite. I will share the recipe with you guys so you can make them too!
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After breakfast we took a walk to the California Health & Longevity Institute while Miss Ally prepared for her cooking demo!
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Ally is a total rockstar in the kitchen! She cooked up a gorgeous DOLE Jerusalem Fruit Tabouleh.
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Kristy photographing Ally’s dish!
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Next up we watched Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE cook our lunch. I LOVE LOVE LOVED watching and listening to Paulette talk about each ingredient she used and WHY she used it! When I make recipes with kind of funky ingredients, I love sharing why that certain food is good for you and how it benefits your health, and that is exactly how Paulette cooks as well! I was mesmerized watching her chop and cook 5 dishes at the same time!
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As Paulette cooked, we sipped on Pineapple Apricot Bellinis!
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Loved seeing a Vitamix in the Wellness Kitchen!
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Below are the finished lunch dishes by Paulette Lambert, R.D., CDE! Recipes to each dish are coming to you this week! Check back each day for a new DOLE recipe from the summit!

Gingered Carrot & Orange Soup
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Beet & Mandarin Orange Salad
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Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu
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Dark Cherry Buttermilk Cake
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Saying good bye to everyone from the DOLE Summit was so hard! I just adored all of the bloggers and am crossing my fingers that I see some of the girls at the Dole Cookoff in Santa Monica! Have any of you bunnies submitted a recipe for the contest?! The grand prize is $25,000!
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Stay tuned all week long as I post recipes from the DOLE Summit!
Health & Happiness
xo Catherine

Disclaimer: Dole Summit was a sponsored event. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Slam Dunk Lettuce Wraps + Dole Giveaway

I love DOLE Chopped Salads because it’s a quick and easy way to eat more rabbit food. They’re filled with all sorts of goodies like different lettuces (green cabbage, red cabbage, and kale), broccoli slaw, carrots, and even snap peas! It’s an easy way to change up my usual all spinach or all kale salad and get some different textures and new flavors in the mix. My fav way to eat a chopped salad is to pour the entire bag (yup, all 4 servings! Only 100 calories and 8 grams of fiber for the entire thing!) into a gigantic mixing bowl, throw on some homemade dressing, mix it up, and nom nom that shiznit up. Straight out of the mixing bowl. Awww yeahhhh. But besides eating the entire bag like a rabbit, I love branching out and making new recipes. For example, I love filling spring rolls with the Asian Blend for a quick and easy appetizer when friends come over!

Since March Madness is just around the corner and basketball is all about those slam dunks, I teamed up (no pun intended!) with DOLE Salads to make the ultimate dunk recipe! Serve them up while watching the March Madness games as a fresh snack that’s so healthy, you can dunk into that sauce alllll you want! I love that the Asian Blend is filled with green cabbage, red cabbage, kale, broccoli slaw, snap peas, and carrots. It makes for a super easy veggie filling for my lettuce wraps with little prep!

These fresh Asian lettuce wraps are so easy to make, and even easier to devour!
They’re a total slam dunk!

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Dole-Chopped-Salad-Asian-Blend-Helathy-Lettuce-Wraps-4Love this adorable chopping block from DOLE to chop my ingredients! This bamboo Mezzaluna style chopping block comes with a double-bladed herb knife that actually stores inside of the unit when it’s not in use!

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Slam Dunk Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4-5 as an appetizer or 1 as a meal!

Lettuce Wraps:
2 cups DOLE Chopped Asian Blend
1/2 cup cooked quinoa, chilled
2 Tbs cashews, chopped
2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
5 butter lettuce leaves

Sweet Chili Sauce:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp chili pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Cook and chill quinoa beforehand. Combine all ingredients for the sweet chili sauce, mix well, and refrigerate. In a mixing bowl, combine the DOLE Chopped Asian Blend, quinoa, and sweet chili sauce. Scoop the filling into lettuce wraps using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Dunk into sweet chili sauce as desired, and enjoy while watching March Madness!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: Dole Chopped Asian Blend and butter lettuce
Whole Grain:  quinoa
Protein: none
Plant Based Fat: cashews

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I’m hosting a giveaway in collaboration with DOLE Salads & EatingWell!
One lucky RFFMBT reader will win:

(Free) DOLE Salads coupons to try DOLE Chopped Salads
DOLE chopping block
DOLE reusable grocery bag
The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook
EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals Cookbook

*Must use a valid email address and be a US resident to enter.
Giveaway ends on Friday, March 14th at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced on Saturday, March 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want more dunk able March Madness recipes to make with DOLE Chopped Salads?
Checkout their “Super Dunk” dip & “Avocado Spring Rolls,” both featuring DOLE Chopped Asian Blend!

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!

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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)!

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I hope you learned something new today!
Have a healthy & happy weekend!
xo Catherine

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