lemon juice

Sunset Bunny Bowl

Hi everyone, I hope you had a fantastic bunny day yesterday!

Motivation Monday: “You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for.”

Obvi my favorite holiday since I was a little tike… haha Bun and a bun!

Easter Throwback
This bun is in bunny heaven!Bunny Heaven
Since I’m sure most of us ate our weight in Easter candy and… plug your ears… chocolate bunnies, NO! A Tragedy! It’s time for a little Easter detox. This Bunny Bowl was inspired by a photograph on Chobani’s Instagram. After seeing the photo, it was all I could think about, so I headed to the grocery store for some fresh ingredients to make a similar concoction. After a very long deliberation on what this delectable bowl should be named, I ended up going with “Sunset Bunny Bowl” which was reader Julie Scott’s idea! Please note that my awesome recipe names were vetoed: Rainbow Bunny Bowl, Chop Chop Bunny Bowl, and Veggie Nom Nom Bowl. April Fools on the last one haha. I thought those named were suh-weeeet, but apparently not so much! Easter Detox Bowl was a close second, but this “salad” if you will, can be made ANY day!

This colorful bowl is filled with protein, fiber, and micronutrients. It’s the perfect lunch for a warm day! Don’t forget healthy food should be pretty, we eat with our eyes! Pretty food= delish food!

Sunset Bunny Bowl

Sunset Bunny Bowl
Sunset Bunny Bowl
Serves 1

1/3 cup red bell pepper
1/3 cup orange bell pepper
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup mushrooms
1/3 cup tomatoes
1/3 cup carrots
1/4 medium avocado
1/4 cup white cannellini beans
1/4 cup plain 0% Chobani Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Salt, pepper, & lemon juice to taste

Wash and chop produce into small pieces. Rinse and strain cannellini beans. Arrange chopped produce, beans, avocado, and almonds in a bowl and top with Chobani Greek yogurt. Add salt, pepper, and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Toss, and enjoy cold.
Note: I used canned low-sodium cannellini beans

Greek yogurty goodness:

Sunset Bunny Bowl
Sunset Bunny Bowl
The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots
Whole Grain: none
Protein: cannellini beans and 0% Greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: almonds and avocado

Harvest Grains with Tofu and Veggies

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes everyone!

I has a fabulous day filled with family, friends, and delicious food haha. Great mind think alike, and the theme of my birthday gifts ended up being Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth, and I was adorned with some fancy shmancy new goodies for the blog! My sister got me a photography & lighting kit so I can perfect my foodie photos! I take all of my photos in natural light, which means I have to cook and photograph all of my dishes in daylight to get the right lighting. Now that I have a handy dandy lighting kit, I will be able to take photos even after the sun goes down! I was also given some new blog props from my best friend Lauren. She found the cutest fruit decorated knives and veggie shaped cutting boards for me! With the blog themed gifts still going strong, my parents gave me a set of gorgeous Italian hand painted bunny dishes. I can’t wait to show them off in some future recipe posts! Although Sam is out of town, he managed to surprise me (with the help of Lauren) with an insanely amazing dehydrator and I cannot wait to bust that box open and make some kale chips and healthy treats! Thank you so much to everyone who made my birthday so special!

Since I am having my mini surgery today, I thought I would post a recipe while I am up on my feet moving around. My latest grain addiction (don’t fret, quinoa is still in the mix) is a fabulous Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe’s: A savory blend of Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa.

It’s slightly chewy and rather hearty. Most mixed grain blends look fabulous in the bag, but end up turning into an uncooked and overcooked mess due to a need of completely different cooking times to get the correct texture. This blend is perfectly selected so that each grain cooks within the same amount of time. It’s like magic!

Unfortunately Trader Joe’s in not accessible everywhere, so if you don’t have a chance to try this blend, one half cup of whole wheat couscous, brown rice, or quinoa would still make for a delicious dish! Or you could blend all three of those grains evenly and use a one half cup serving for your own whole grain blend! On second thought, I want to try that! I love the textures of all three of those grains!

Harvest Grains with Tofu and Veggies
Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked Harvest Grains (from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup peas
1/5 package of tofu
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic – minced

Cook harvest blend to package instructions (omit butter and extras, only using water). Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a pan over medium heat. Add the vegetables and tofu. Cook tofu for about 3 minutes on each side and until vegetables have reached desired tenderness. Serve veggies and tofu side by side with the grains.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, peas
Whole Grain: harvest grains blend
Protein: tofu
Plant Based Fat: olive oil

Mediterranean Lentils

Today started off with a magical phone call from the Apple store telling me that my computer was ready to be picked up! After arriving at the apple store, they told me that my baby got some brand new shiny parts: logic board, track pad, wifi antennas, right fan, rubber foot, and 2 new screws. I was so pumped and ready to take my little lappy home until the dreaded word dun dun dun…”unfortunately” came out of the employee’s mouth. He said, “Unfortunately we were not able to replace your battery because that is not considered a repair, but a new purchase and installation, so we’re going to have to do that in the store.” He told me that they are usually able to replace batteries in MacBook Pros during Genius Bar appointments but due to an overbooking of appointments that were then running 45 minutes behind, they could not replace my battery at that time and had to keep it overnight. Boooooo! So off went my computer in a bright white apple box… Hopefully we will be re-reunited tomorrow morning!

Yesterday, an amazing RFFMBT reader, Tamiko completed the Skinny Bunny Cleanse with a total loss of 7 lbs! Tamiko also shared her awesome one day meal plan for her first day post cleanse so I thought you guys might like to see what she’s whipping up in her kitchen! Thank you so much for sharing your success and meals with me and the RFFMBT community Tamiko, you are so inspiring! Don’t forget to join the RFFMBT Facebook community for more updates and discussions like this!

If you are interested in doing the Skinny Bunny Cleanse and have any questions, make sure to read through the comments on the post to see if your question has already been answered. There are tons of comments from readers regarding questions and their success stories after the 5 day cleanse!

TAMIKO’S ONE DAY RABBIT FOOD MEAL PLAN

BREAKFAST:
Produce: 1 Apple
Whole Grain: 1 Slice of Toasted Whole Grain Bread
Protein: 1 Cup of Soy Milk
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Almond Butter

LUNCH:
Produce: 1 Cup Peas and 1 Cup Carrots
Whole Grain: ½ Cup Cooked Whole Grain Couscous
Protein: 3oz Chicken Breast
Plan Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

DINNER
Produce: 1 Cup Broccoli and 1 Cup Asparagus
Whole Grain: ½ Cup Cooked Brown Rice
Protein: 3oz Salmon
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

SNACK
Produce: 1 banana
Whole Grain: ¼ cups rolled oats + ½ cup water
Protein: 1 Cup Soy Milk
Plant Based Fat: 1 Tbsp. Almond Butter

I have found that the serving sizes and combinations listed on my blog in the Rabbit Food Pyramid work perfectly for me. Everyone is different and not every day or workout is the same, so it could take some tweaking to find the perfect amount of food is for your body. Since I am maintaining, I do add in some extra fruit throughout the day if I am hungry and usually incorporate a post workout protein shake if I exercise that day. The pyramid is meant to be a guide to build healthy balanced meals to lose weight, and can be adapted for your individual needs, so if this is not enough food for your body/exercise level, or you are now maintaining, you can add another small meal or up your protein to fit your needs!

Earlier this week I posted a photograph on Instagram of a nutrition label for a round of “NAME THAT FOOD!” After tons of great guesses, a RFFMBT reader was able to identify that the label belonged to a bag of dry lentils! You guys had tons of great questions about lentils and I got a few requests for a lentil recipe, so here it is: vegan Mediterranean Lentils!

Let’s get to know these little legumes know as Lentils!

  • High in fiber with an average of 10-15g per serving.
  • Helps to regulate blood sugar by providing steady, slow-burning energy and balancing blood sugar levels from the high amount of fiber.
  • Loaded with iron, making them an excellent choice for vegetarians, vegans, and people who don’t eat red meat.
  • The protein in lentils makes up 26% of its overall calories, which makes them an outstanding source of protein for vegans.



Mediterranean Lentils

Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked lentils (you may use dry or canned)
1/2 cup cooke whole-wheat couscous
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup tomato
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
10 pitted kalamata olives
1 Tsp  balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
lemon juice to taste

Cook the lentils to package instructions (usually 1:4 lentil water ratio). Cook couscous to package instructions (in only water – no butter if suggested). Chop the onion and tomato. Mix the vegetable broth and garlic and pour into a pan over medium high heat. Cook the onion and spinach in the vegetable broth. Once the spinach has wilted, add the tomatoes to the pan (to avoid overcooking). Rinse the lentils once they have finished cooking, and combine one half cup lentils with the cooked vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar and chopped pitted olives to the lentil mixture and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste. Place the couscous on a plate and top with the lentil mixture.
Note: If you use canned lentils, rinse and strain lentils, and cook in the pan with the vegetables to heat them.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: spinach, tomato, onion
Whole Grain: whole wheat couscous
Protein: lentils
Plant Based Fat: olives

Mediterranean Toast

It’s Mediterranean Toast Tuesday!
This is like a little slice of heaven Greece!


Mediterranean Toast
Serves 1

1 slice whole-grain bread
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 Hass Avocado
2 Tbsp hummus
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Toast the bread. Chop the tomatoes and cucumber. Cut the avocado and remove 1/4 of the “meat” from the skin and chop into cubes. Spread the toast with hummus and  top with tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado. Finish it off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and enjoy.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: cucumber & tomato
Whole Grain: slice of bread
Protein: hummus
Plant Based Fat: avocado

Fresh Avocado Multi-Grain Toast

Mmmmm, It’s Toast Tuesday again!

It is getting hot here in Los Angeles! Today I was craving some fresh avocado, and I just happened to have one chilling in the fridge. Fresh avo with a dash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper topped on a slice of multi-grain bread makes a delicious summer snack!

Avocado Toast1

Fresh Avocado Multi-Grain Toast
Serves 1

1 slice Milton’s Healthy Multi-Grain bread
1/2 Hass Avocado
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Remove half of the avocado from skin and cut into thin slices. Toast the bread, top with avocado slices, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, and sprinkle with a dash of salt & pepper to taste.