vegetarian

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

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!

California Summer Wrap
California Summer Wrap

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?

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.

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

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