greens

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.

Balela Salad

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you: a healthy Middle Eastern dish!

I’ve been addicted to Trader Joe’s Balela Salad (Middle Eastern chickpea & black bean salad) for a while now. Balela is savory and tangy with a gratifying bite. Plus, thanks to the amazing plant-based protein and fiber, it’s quite filling. I’m pretty sure you guys are going to be hooked like I am!

It’s amazing on it’s own, but if you are following the Rabbit Food Pyramid, you can add some lettuce and tuck it into a whole wheat pita pocket, or serve over a bed of lettuce and quinoa!

Love my new bunny bowl that Brett gave me for Christmas! It’s so photogenic : )

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Balela Salad
Serves 1
1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked (I use Eden Organic – No Salt Added Chickpeas)
1/4 cup black beans, cooked (I use 365 Organic No Salt Added Black Beans)
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
Pinch of cayenne
Salt & Pepper to taste

Rinse and strain cooked chickpeas and black beans. Chop, tomato, garlic, red onion, parsley, and mint. Combine together with the chickpeas, beans, lemon juice, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Note: This dish is best after the chickpeas have marinated for several hours of overnight.
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Make your meal RFFMBT Pyramid approved:
Serve over a bed of lettuce and quinoa
or
Add lettuce and tuck it all into a whole grain pita pocket!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: tomato, garlic, red onion, parsley, mint (1 cup of lettuce if desired)
Whole Grain: None (1/2 cup of cooked quinoa – or 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket if desired)
Protein: chickpeas & black beans
Plant Based Fat: olive oil
Free Extras: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, salt & pepper

… I love rabbit food!

California Summer Wrap

Motivation Monday:Be stronger than your excuses.

Since it’s getting hot out, I’ve been craving lettuce wraps of all kinds.
Try this filling wrap for a picnic in the sun or a beach day!
My favorite type of greens to use for wraps are collard greens, but I was actually out when I made this wrap. Of course any leafy green will work! Greens = delish!

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California Summer Wrap
Serves 1

3oz tempeh
1/4 cup cooked quinoa – chilled
1/4 avocado
1 lettuce leaf (romaine, iceberg, or collard)
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Cook quinoa to package instructions and chill in the refrigerator beforehand. Cut tempeh into long thin strips and cook to package instructions on stovetop. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and chop onions. Combine tomatoes and onions with quinoa. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the mixture and gently stir together. Pour the mixture into one washed lettuce leaf  and top with tempeh and avocado slices. Roll up into a wrap, cut in half,  and enjoy.

California Summer Wrap

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: lettuce leaf, onions, and tomatoes
Whole Grain: quinoa
Protein: tempeh
Plant Based Fat: avocado

What is your favorite green to use for lettuce wraps?

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:

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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.

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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.

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