treats

Disney Magic of Healthy Living

I hope everyone is having a magical week!
Congratulations to the winner of my BeckleyByMelissa Scarf Giveaway: Celina!

Yesterdays delayed Monday Motivation: “To change your body, you must change your mind.”

Ahhh Disneyland. The worlds biggest human trap operated by a mouse!
A magical land of discovery, dreams, and really unhealthy food!
I’m quite spoiled, living only a short drive from the Disneyland resort in California. My best friends and I all have annual passes and love going as much as we can, even if it’s just for one ride a fireworks. See, I told you. Very spoiled living so close… I LOVE Disneyland. I’m a total kid at heart and am in awe of it’s magic every time I go. One small problem I’ve always had with Disneyland is that it’s not so easy to eat healthy there.

A quick flashback story: When I was trying to lose weight, I never wanted to go to disneyland with my friends. I basically cut one of my favorite things to do out of my life because I had a fear of the sugary fatty temptations that were at the park. I thought that if I went to Disneyland, I wouldn’t be strong enough to avoid the temptation and go on a crazy sugar binge of churros and Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Sandwiches and gain 20 lbs overnight. We all know that isn’t true… but at the time, my disordered mind told me that it would happen. So ya, you read that right. I was basically scared of Disneyland! Who is scared of Disneyland? Speaking of wanting to stay “healthy” and only eat “healthy foods” I should’ve known how unhealthy I actually was at that point. After I was able to get back on my feet and recover from my eating disorder, I started going to Disneyland with friends again. I was in a much better place where I didn’t fear food or the house of mouse, and allowed myself to have fun and enjoy a churro. It’s all about balance!

RFFMBT DisneylandToning my arms on the Teacups! haha just kidding!

 

For a company who promotes the “Disney Magic of Healthy living,” there are not many healthy options for us at Disneyland. Or at least not advertised around the park! I did some super detective work to find the best options to stay healthy while having fun at Disneyland. Call me Catherine: Mouse Detective! During my exploration at Disneyland for healthier foods, I discovered some excellent options!

Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” – Walt Disney
Enter Tomorrowland: bringing inspiration, ingenuity, and ideas of building a better tomorrow.

Did you know that Tomorrowland is home of the only all-healthy-food cart at Disneyland, CA?
The Tomorrowland Fruit Cart is the only cart that strictly sells healthy foods. You won’t find any tempting chips or sodas at this cart! Just 100% healthy, wholesome foods to nourish your body during a long day at the happiest place on earth. Here’s what the Tomorrowland Fruit Cart has to offer!

Red and green apples, bananas, oranges, sliced pineapple, sliced mango, grapes, apple slices, strawberries & blueberries, pickles, veggie sticks with ranch dip, Sabra Hummus & Pretzel Pods, Disney Freeze Dried Fuji Apple Crisps, OceanSpray Craisins, and OceanSpray Craisin Trail Mix! They also sell Vitamin Water Zero, Powerade Zero, Honest Tea, Smart Water, and Dasani.

Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Did you know that all of the plants in Tomorrowland are edible?
The visionary landscaping doubles as a potential farm, projecting an ecologically astute future, where humanity makes the most of its resources. It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, in Tomorrowland! I absolutely love this idea of an agrifuture. I never noticed the gorgeous display of veggies until now.Look how gorg that red kale & rainbow chard is? Umm inspiration for my future house’s landscaping! I would take a kale bouquet over flowers any day!
* I wouldn’t recommend eating the Kale landscaping at Disneyland! haha

Disney Magic of Healthy Living
Disney Magic of Healthy Living
At Frontierland in Disneyland, CA there is a pretty good Mexican restaurant by Thunder Mountain called Rancho de Zocalo. The restaurant has different stations for tacos, burritos, and tostadas. There is a great vegetarian option for tacos called Soft Tacos Monterrey which contains two tacos with sautéed vegetables, rice, and beans in a flour tortilla along with a side of spanish rice and beans, guacamole, salsa and shredded lettuce. This huge plate of deliciousness is $10 (annual pass discounts available here, score!)
*You can make these tacos vegan by requesting no cheese and no sour cream.

My order: Soft Tacos Monterey without cheese or sour cream.
* This meal is big enough to split with someone!

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: sautéed vegetables
Whole Grain: flour tortillas & rice (two servings of grains, but very filling)
Protein: beans
Plant Based Fat: oil that the veggies are sautéed in

Soft Tacos Monterey
I’ve also found a pretty healthy vegetarian option at California Adventure. The Lucky Fortune Cookery in the Pacific Wharf area at Disney’s California Adventure Park has a variety of Asian Rice Bowls with your choice of protein and sauce over sautéed Asian vegetables and steamed rice for about $9 (annual pass discounts available here too, wooo!).
*All of the sauces are vegan except for the Thai Coconut Curry sauce!

My order: Asian Rice Bowl with tofu and sautéed veggies and some teriyaki sauce on the side.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: sautéed vegetables
Whole Grain: rice
Protein: tofu
Plant Based Fat: avocado (guacamole), and oil (that the veggies are sautéed in)

Asian rice bowl
With a little bit of faith trust, and pixie dust, you can stay on track with your healthy eating while visiting Disneyland! Balance is key. Healthy produce for snacks all day, a well balanced meal, and a little something special like a churro to indulge in!

RFFMBT DisneylandWith my main squeezes Boo & Kitty a.k.a. Sully!

Health & Happiness xo

Coconana Bars

Motivation Monday: “When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or let it strengthen you.”

Indulgent ooey gooey chewy coconut banana bars with a secret ingredient!
TOFU!!!!

Coconana Bars
Coconana Bars

If you aren’t a fan of tofu (or think it’s scary!) this is a great starter recipe for you. You cannot even taste it, yet it contributes to the gooey texture of the bars with a dabble of protein. Tofu is so incredibly versatile that it goes way beyond the traditional stir-fry. I have used tofu in pudding and smoothie recipes, and yesterday I decided to take it to the next level. Enter baking experiment.

Coconana Bars

It took me about 3 tries to get this recipe to the right texture. I had never baked with tofu or Splenda Brown Sugar before, so it was a day of trial and error.The first round turned out like a rubber ball. No joke, it probably bounced. After the first catastrophe I aimed for more tofu and less flour, which resulted in a sloppy mess that slightly resembled dog food. Before I knew it I had baked through two episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta, Sex & The City the movie, and Shahs of Sunset. Alas Coconana Bars were born!

Here they are in all their glory.Coconana Bars
Coconana Bars

100% dairy free, 100% oil free, 100% vegan, 100% DELIGHTFUL

Now let’s talk Splenda. I know, I know, some of you may be thinking… Splenda? Is she kidding? Is that healthy? Well here it is folks: I felt adventurous and wanted to make a guilt free dessert without all of the fat and sugar that usually comes along with it! Everyone has their own opinion on artificial sweeteners, but once in a while I don’t mind living on the edge and using Splenda. It’s also a great alternative for others who are trying to watch their sugar intake for medical or weight loss reasons. Of course stevia is still my main squeeze when it comes to daily use! I hope that someone comes out with a Stevia Brown Sugar Blend, that would be fannnntastic.

Coconana Bars
Makes 6 bars

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 banana – mashed
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup silken tofu – blended
4 Tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp rum extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Optional Toppings
1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Blend the tofu in a blender until smooth. Transfer mashed tofu into a mixing bowl. Mash the banana and combine with tofu. Next, add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract, and coconut to the tofu banana mixture. Stir until well mixed. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt ).Pour the tofu banana mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold the ingredients together until well combined (be gentle, and do not over stir the batter or the bars will come out tough). Spray a 9 x 5in loaf pan with nonstick spray. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 13-14 minutes.
Note: The center should be a little gooey and soft. If overcooked, they can have a tough rubbery texture. There is no harm in undercooking the bars since there are no eggs!

If you’re feeling fancy, mix powdered sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the bars right after they come out of the oven. Cut and serve for a healthy dessert.

If you are interested in baking with Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, here are their conversions to make baking a cinch:

BROWN SUGAR:
USE THIS MUCH SPLENDA®BROWN SUGAR:
1/4 cup
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons or 6 teaspoons)
1/3 cup
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp (or 8 teaspoons)
1/2 cup
1/4 cup (or 4 Tbsp or 12 tsp)
2/3 cup
1/3 cup (or 5 Tbsp + 1 tsp, or 16 tsp)
3/4 cup
6 Tbsp (or 18 tsp)
1 cup
1/2 cup 

Question: What do you think about artificial sweeteners? Do you use them on occasion? Do you steer clear?

I’m off to have an ultrasound of my thyroid. Wahhhh! Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts! xo

Catherine’s 23rd Birthday Giveaway!

Today is my birthday! YAYYY!

Since I have the most amazing readers in the entire world, I wanted to do something special.
In honor of my 23rd birthday, I am giving away 23 of my favorite things!
One lucky RFFMBT reader will win the following prize package:


  1. EAT MORE RABBIT FOOD Racerback in your choice of size (XS-L)
  2. Whole Foods Los Angeles Reusable Grocery Bag
  3. Trader Joe’s Tempting Trail Mix
  4. Trader Joe’s Sesame Honey Cashews
  5. Trader Joe’s  Harvest Grains Blend
  6. Trader Joe’s Chia Seeds
  7. Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseed
  8. Trader Joe’s Roasted Seaweed Snacks
  9. Trader Joe’s  Speculoos Cookie Butter
  10. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar Filled with Speculoos Cookie Butter
  11. Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Spread
  12. Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
  13. Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates
  14. Archer Farms Freeze Dried Green Peas
  15. Authentic Foods Xanthan Gum
  16. Go Raw 100% Organic: Original Super Cookies flavor
  17. Alive & Radiant Kale Krunch: Quite Cheezy flavor
  18. Justin’s Nut Butter sample packets in Vanilla Almond, Chocolate Almond, Honey Almond, Maple Almond, and Chocolate Hazelnut
  19. Artisana Raw Cashew Butter sample packet
  20. That’s It Bars: Apple & Pear, Apple & Apricot, and Apple & Cherry flavors
  21. 18 Rabbits Organic Granola Bar: Haute Diggity Date flavor
  22. Larabar: Cashew Cookie flavor
  23. Mini Star Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar samples

There are over 13lbs of goodies in this gift package! You are crazy pants not to enter!

For your chance to win (earn up to 3 entries per person!):

  • Leave a comment on this post “Catherine’s 23rd Birthday Giveaway!” telling me about the most unique thing you have received for your birthday!
  • You can earn another entry by tweeting: “I entered Catherine’s 23rd Birthday Giveaway via @EatRabbitFood http://bit.ly/Pcd8h7 .”
  • Complete your Twitter entry by leaving a separate comment on this post with a copy of your tweet.
  • You can earn an additional entry by taking a photo of your favorite food on Instagram along with the tag @RabbitFoodForMyBunnyTeeth and hashtag #RFFMBT23
  • 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.
  • Open to U.S. residents only.
  • All comments must be posted by Thursday, August 16th at 11:59pm (PST).
  • 1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, August 17th.

ALLERGY WARNING: Some products in this package do contain, may contain or may be manufactured on the same equipment as peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, eggs, and gluten. Please read allergy warnings and ingredients with caution before consuming.

* The giveaway has ended, and the winner will be announced on Friday, August 17.
** Congratulations to the winner: Megan J. from OK.

Foodie Penpals – July

Guess what? Today is the last day of July which means… FOODIE PENPALS REVEAL DAY!

Last month I decided to join Foodie Penpals, which is a program created by another blogger named Lindsay, also known as The Lean Green Bean. Foodie Penpals is a fun program that matches food lovers as penpals each month!

Foodie Penpal Details:

  • 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. You will send a package to someone different than from whom you receive.
  • Your package is to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats!
  • The spending limit is $15.
  • The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe.
  • 15th of the month, you put your box of goodies in the mail.
  • Last day of the month, reveal the Foodie Penpal package you received in a post!
  • Open to bloggers and blog readers.

Click here for more information about becoming a Foodie Penpal! Who knows… we could get matched as Foodie Penpals! xo

My first Foodie Penpals  were Heather from Brownsburg, IN and April from Austin, TX! I was assigned to send a package to Heather, so I sent her some of my fav goodies from LA which conveniently arrived on her birthday making my first Foodie Penpals experience pretty memorable! April was assigned to send a package to me, and after exchanging a few emails, I was so excited to learn that she was from Austin, TX; where the flagship Whole Foods store is! April sent me some REALLY yummy goodies! The coolest part about April’s package was that I had never tried any of these items before!

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!

  • Mint Double Fudge Bite-Lettes by Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food: O.M.G. My sister and I nearly finished the entire container in a matter of hours… SO. GOOD. and vegan. and healthy. and amazing. April… you’re the best!
  • austiNuts Chili Lime Cashews: Loved that she sent me something local from Austin! These cashews had the perfect amount of chili, perfect amount of lime, and a perfect little kick!
  • Hint Raspberry-Lime Water: I’m a huge fan of natural flavored waters versus artificially sweetened and flavored waters but had never tried Hint before. I loved the light flavor.
  • Late July Organic Vanilla Bean with Green Tea Cookie Sandwiches: These were awesome! The taste is similar to Oreos, but they have ingredients that you can actually pronounce haha.
  • Mints in a Moustache Tin: Cute addition! I can tell April has a sense of humor!

Thanks for the vegan treats from Austin, TX April! You’re so sweet! xo 





Interested in joining Foodie Penpals?! Get more information here!

Campfire Kisses

Motivation Monday: “You are always stronger than you think you are.”

UPDATE: LAPTOP IS BACK! YESSSS!
Today and tomorrow are super busy days for me as I am trying to get together a new part of my blog, Sam’s brother is here visiting, and two of my best friends are moving to Denver! It’s been kind of bittersweet this week… but I do have some really sweet giveaways and recipes coming up for you guys, yayyy!

If you didn’t get a chance to see my guest post on Wonder Forest a couple of weeks ago, you can read my original guest post on here! The author, Dana is an incredible artist with a gorgeous blog full of pretty type and imagery that you will just adore!

Here is the recipe for my Campfire Kisses from my guest post! The perfect healthy alternative to S’mores for your summer camping, hiking, or backpacking adventure!


Campfire Kisses

Makes 10 kisses

2 graham crackers + 1 for outer “crust”
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup Medjool dates – pitted
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips (or carob chips for a vegan option)
Optional: 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed for a boost of healthy omega-3s

Place 1 graham cracker in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Empty the graham cracker contents into a bowl and set aside, as it will be used to roll the kisses in later. Combine cashews and 2 graham crackers (and flaxseed if desired) in a food processor and grind until they become very finely ground, but not a butter. Remove pits from dates. Once pits have been removed, add the dates and vanilla into the food processor. Process until the contents are evenly chopped/combined and form a sticky dough. Remove dough from the food processor and fold in chocolate chips by hand or mixing spoon. Using a 1tbsp measuring spoon, scoop the dough into balls and roll evenly in your hands. Roll the ball through the bowl of ground graham cracker, coating it evenly (this will add flavor and prevent the kisses from sticking to the foil!). Wrap each ball separately in a 4x4in piece of tinfoil and twist off the tops like Hershey Kisses.

Take your Campfire Kisses on your next hiking trip or store in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freezer for up to 1 month.

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