easy

Medjool Date BBQ Sauce

When Natural Delights sent me an email with their new “naturally sweet” summer recipes, I knew I had to give their Medjool Date & Citrus BBQ Sauce a try! My kitchen is always stocked with medjool dates for raw vegan dessert recipes and my crazy sweet tooth. Although I do throw medjool dates in an occasional salad, I never really thought about using them in savory recipes. I was excited to see a naturally sweet barbecue sauce recipe since I’m always looking for ways to lower my refined sugar intake. This recipe does call for half a cup of brown sugar, but I actually omitted it, using only the dates as sweetener and LOVED how it turned out!

Homemade barbecue sauce= gluten free, vegan, and naturally sweet with no refined sugars!
Just in time for the 4th of July!!!

Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ SauceMy friend Behnaz brought me a huge bag of fresh picked grapefruit from her backyard! Perfect timing!

Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce
Natural Delights Medjool Date BBQ Sauce

Medjool Date & Citrus BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Natural Delights

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup low-sodium tomato paste
12 Natural Delights Medjool Dates, pitted & coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Chop onions and mince garlic. Heat oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (grapefruit juice, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, chopped medjool dates, and spices) and let simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or immersion blender and purée the mixture. Transfer the completely blended mixture back to a saucepan and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Note: Great for basting tofu, or tempeh for a mock BBQ chicken salad!

Visit NaturalDelights.com for the original recipe (using brown sugar) and nutrition information!

If you’re a visual learner, Natural Delights has an excellent YouTube video showing step by step insructions on how to make the BBQ Sauce!
Natural Delights Medjool Dates

ViSalus Protein Pudding

Congratulations to my DOLE Bananas Peel The Love giveaway winner, Tammy!
Make sure to check your email!

Motivation Monday: “Be strong, you never know who you are inspiring!”

As you guys know, I’ve been traveling a ton lately. Along with traveling comes little time to cook my own meals and unhealthy airport options, so I was excited when ViSalus contacted me and asked if I would like to try their Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix. I’m always searching for the perfect, quick, no hassle  protein shake that actually fills me up for days where I’m short on time. I’m not a huge fan of protein shakes because they never fill me up and I end up snacking times 100 about a half an hour later, but ViSalus actually kept me full until my next meal!

Since I’ve been on the go a lot recently, I’ve been replacing my usual breakfast (or sometimes lunch) with one Vi-shape shake. I throw it in my blender bottle with one cup of almond milk and hop in my car to go to my meetings. I was really surprised by the flavor. While most protein shakes taste chalky, ViSalus‘ Sweet Cream flavor tasted like cake batter! Very pleasantly surprised!

When I took a road trip a few weeks ago to Chicago with my friend (she got a new job and needed a driving buddy!) I took my ViSalus Vi-Shape Mix and a blender bottle. It was easy for me to get some fresh nonfat milk and shake it up each morning! I NEVER skip breakfast, so the Vi-Shape shakes have really helped me when I have little time in the morning. I even created a recipe for Protein Pudding that I can make overnight and have in the fridge to snack on when I get a sweet tooth!

About ViSalus Vi-Shape Mix:

  • Only 90 calories per serving
  • 20g protein per serving
  • 25 Vitamins & Minerals
  • Lactose free
  • Gluten free
  • Certified kosher
  • Non GMO soy
  • Proprietary Tri-SorbTM protein blend helps build lean muscle to help your body burn fat
  • Full serving of fiber (5g)
  • Low fat (1g)
  • Low sodium (75mg)
  • Low sugar (less than 1g)
  • Low carb (7g)
  • Heart-healthy
  • Includes calcium for bone health
  • Good for those watching their sugar intake

ViSalus Protein Pudding
ViSalus Protein PuddingViSalus shake and chia seeds before refrigerating for 3 hours.

ViSalus Protein Pudding
ViSalus Protein PuddingChia seeds in the ViSalus shake after refrigerating for 3 hours.

ViSalus Protein Pudding
ViSalus Protein Pudding
ViSalus Protein Pudding
Serves 2

2 scoops ViSalus Vi-Shape Nutritional Mix
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 Tbsp chia seeds

Combine ViSalus mix and almond milk and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar and stir in chia seeds. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight for best results.

The final tally per serving:
Calories: 180
Fat: 10g
Carbohydrate: 14.5
Fiber: 13g
Sugar: <1g
Protein: 12.5g

*nutritional information based on Bob’s Red Mill Chia Seeds, and Unsweetened Original Blue Diamond Almond Breeze.

For awesome inspiration, motivation, and jaw dropping transformation photos, checkout the ViSlus Facebook page, website, and blog!
Website: http://www.ViSalus.com
Facebook: ViSalus
Blog: http://www.ViSalusBlog.com
ABout Vi-Shape Shakes: Vi-Shape Shake Mix

Sweet Summer Wrap

Hoppy Monday!

Motivation Monday: “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

I’m so excited because I finally edited my RFFMBT shirt photos for the online store and updated my inventory, but dun dun dunnnnnnn I’m going out of town AGAIN! This bunny is a jet setter! Since I do all of the shipping and handling for the RFFMBT online store myself, I don’t want to open the store and not be able to send you guys your shirts, so I will be postponing it yet again until I get home. I just couldn’t imagine buying a product and waiting forever for it to ship, that’s just not fair to you guys. Eeeeeeek I can’t wait to show off the new store when I get home! Thank you for your patience!

In other updates, United Luv donated 9 iPads to St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula, MT! St Patrick’s also matched their donation with 9 more iPads for patients! Thank you thank you thank you everyone for supporting United Luv! The little things like “liking” United Luv on Facebook are helping enormously! For all of my little bunnies who purchased United Luv shirts, I hope you like your little surprises that I sent in the mail! The Eaton family and I are so grateful for all of you!

If you have a second, checkout RFFMBT reader Melissa’s healthy living blog Little Blue Dress and her post about United Luv too! Thank you for your support Melissa!

I’m also super excited that a little bunny in Mexico shared my Personal Pan Pizza recipe on her fab blog en espanol! Be sure to checkout Dolores’ blog La Lola Dice! Hi international bunnies! xo

Onto the yummy stuff!
Light, filling, Sweet Summer Wraps!
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Sweet Summer Wrap
Serves 1

1 iceberg or romaine lettuce leaf
3 oz tempeh
3 Tbsp chopped fuji apple
2 Tbsp chopped red grapes
2 Tbsp Almond Butter
1 tsp honey

cut the tempeh into cubes and cook over stovetop to package instructions. Chop apple and grapes. Once tempeh has finished cooking, combine with apple, grapes, almond butter, and honey and mix well. Place the mixture into a leaf of lettuce, wrap, and enjoy!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: iceburg lettuce, fuji apple, grapes
Whole Grain: –
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: almond butter

Frosty Light

Hi honeybunnies!

I had a super fun photoshoot with my friend Brett yesterday to photograph all of my new RFFMBT shirts! After traveling to San Francisco, Denver (twice), Palm Springs, Nebraska, Iowa, and Monterey,  I’ve finally had some down time to get the ball rolling on my shirts! Ohhhhhh my goji I’m so excited I can’t even stand it!!! I did Brett’s hair and make-up yesterday (she looks like the ultimate rffmbt bunny!) and then we blasted some top 40 hits while taking pictures. We had so much fun that I ended up with over 500 pictures! Oopsiessss! Now I have lots of sorting and editing to do in order to get my store up and running. Hopefully (cross your little bunny paws) that the new inventory will be ready for the store this weekend or early next week! Of course I will definitely notify you guys in a post as soon as they are up!

Eat More Rabbit Food Shirt Promo
So I’ve seen this recipe for a healthy Frosty Shake floating around the interwebs recently, and this morning my friend’s mom (Brett’s mom, actually!) posted it on my Facebook! It was pretty much a sign that it needed to be tried. I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it. The end result? Not up to RFFMBT standards… It was a little too icy and bland for my taste, so I took to the kitchen to perfect a Frosty Light for you guys!

Frosty Light
Did you know, that a small Original Chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s has a grand total of 290 calories, 7 (g) fat, and 40 (g) of sugar? Yes 40 grams of sugar! OMG! Ya, I had no idea either. I’m usually really good when it comes to reading nutrition labels, but when I indulge in ice cream I usually avoid the label and enjoy. So when I do look up the nutrition information for things like this, sometimes my jaw drops! I forget how much sugar restaurants add!

Behold the Chocolate Frosty Light! Only 5 ingredients (well 6 if you count ice cubes) that you probably already have in your kitchen! Score! I’ve used a frozen banana for natural sweetness, almond milk for that rich creamy texture, and chia seeds for thickness! Chia seeds in a “Frosty?” You betcha! Chia seeds swell to about 10 times their natural size when combined with liquid, resulting in a thick gel-like texture. Blend them thoroughly in your Frosty Light and get a nice ‘n’ thick smoothie and an added bonus of healthy Omega-3s and fiber. Trust me, after they’re blended up you won’t even know they’re there!

Chocolate Frosty Light
Serves 1

1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8-10 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Frosty Light

Coconut Mug Cake

Ohhh my gosh, I am so excited to share this recipe with you! On Tuesday, I went to a Kappa Alpha Theta Alumni Group social and came home with the BEST recipe! My fellow sister, Carter (sorority sister for those of you who may be confused) told me all about her new healthy dessert creation, and I was all over it! Only 6 ingredients and takes 2 minutes to make, what’s not to love?! Carter has a Tumblr with tons of delish healthy recipes so make sure visit choisis la joie!

Choisis la joie

Coconut Mug Cake
When I asked her how she came up with the recipe, she explained, “I am not Paleo, because I love cheese and sourdough bread too much, but Paleo recipes are a great place to start, because they are focused on veggies, fruits, healthy fats and proteins. This makes it so that overall, the foods I make for myself are healthier and more nutritious. Then I can indulge without guilt when I’m out for happy hour or food-truck day!” I love her philosophy on using Paleo guidelines as a starting point or base for her recipes. It’s a great way to explore different healthy foods and experiment with new recipes!

I like to emphasize that all types of foodies are welcome here whether you are vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, candy lover, paleo, gluten-free or if you follow Weight Watchers, or a low carb diet like Atkins. I want my blog to be a place where anyone can come to find inspiration and motivation to try new healthy recipes. There is no foodie judgement here! Plus most of my recipes can be easily adjusted to fit your dietary needs.

I do however want to talk about the pressure to follow a certain “diet.”
My most requested recipe adjustments are usually to make meals gluten-free, but recently I have been asked about Paleo options. I don’t follow the Paleo diet, but I love the way that Carter explained it! It makes Paleo seem less cult-like and more approachable! If you are an avid healthy living blog reader, you probably know what I mean by “cult-like” haha but if not, let me explain. CrossFit has recently turned into a phenomenon. Not only for fitness, but for it’s own “language” (box, WOD, AMRAP, etc.) and even adopting it’s own diet; Paleo. It seems like any blogger that I follow (or even Facebook friend) that goes to CrossFit, gets sucked into this crazy CrossFit cult! Suddenly they give up their vegetarian lifestyle to become full-blown carnivores and LIVE to plaster their new weight lifting PR all over the internet. It seems more like people are quick to jump into the Paleo world for the trendy CrossFit reasons than for their health. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, I’m proud of all of my friends who do CrossFit. I know it’s something that I A) would never enjoy B) would probably suck at, and C) would most likely get hurt doing, so props to the CrossFitters in the world! But why has CrossFit gone from a trendy new exercise to intimidating hardcore lifestyle? Honestly, I would be so scared to set foot into a “box” because I wouldn’t be able to lift more than 10 lbs, would feel guilty that I ate whole-wheat, and think that Fran is my instructor, not my workout! As you can tell, CrossFit is probably not for me, but it’s a great match for so many others! Long story short, I like Carter’s approach for creating healthy recipes by starting with paleo guidelines. To me, that’s how special diets should be used. You shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured into eating a certain way to sit at the cool table haha. Not every diet or lifestyle works for everyone, and most of the time it takes a little while to find out what works for you and makes you feel your best. I don’t want anyone to think that because I eat a certain way, that they have to as well I also want everyone to know that no matter what their diet is, they are very welcome here and I respect their choices. The important thing is to eat clean whole foods as much as possible and have a healthy balance and relationship with food. Healthy eating should be fun, not intimidating!

choisis la joieAlso love that Carter made my DIY Workout Shirt before meeting me or knowing that this was my blog! So awesome!

Coconut Mug CakeI had some very curious kitchen assistants today. Elin (Labrador Retriever) & Teddy (Corgi) had tons of fun as the cleanup crew.

Coconut Mug Cake

Coconut Mug CakeSince this recipe requires a heaping tablespoon, I thought I would show you what that looks like. If you are unsure of anything in my recipes, always feel free to ask! I had no idea what a heaping or scant Tbsp was a while ago haha yay for learning new things!

Coconut Mug CakeThe batter before microwaving.

Coconut Mug CakeCoconut mug cake cooked!

Coconut Mug CakeMy favorite way to eat it, with one tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter!

Coconut Mug Cake
Serves 1

1 heaping Tbsp coconut flour
1 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp almond milk (or coconut)
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg

Combine all all ingredients together in a microwave safe mug and mix well. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes until cooked.
Carter’s notes: Enjoy with a big dollop of peanut butter if you’re as obsessed with the pb/choc mix as I am! You can also add some dark chocolate chips in the cake for a little extra flavor.

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