weekend

Dole Salad Circle Party + Giveaway

Happy Monday, I hope that you had a fantastic weekend!
Motivation Monday: “Eat better, feel better”

When DOLE asked me if I would like to host a Salad Circle Party, I was pumped. Wait… beyond pumped… I was overly excited! Before I could even respond, I had my party completely planned out. I had visions of cute little fruit and veggies balloons hanging from the tree and all of my friends joining together to make one giant Friendship Salad. After my reply to DOLE, “When is the soonest I can host my party?” my vision quickly became a reality. DOLE was kind enough to send me the perfect starter kit and basis of my salad party: a plethora of fresh greens of DOLE Extra Veggie mixes with Snap Peas, Grape Tomatoes, and Garden Vegetables, some gorgeous Dole Hand Picked Selections Red Butter, Green Butter, and Green Oak whole lettuce heads, along with a wooden salad bowl, matching tongs and awesome goodies for my guests! Each guest received a DOLE reusable grocery bag, DOLE salad or cut-vegetable item coupons, DOLE fresh vegetable product or berry coupons, and a Salad Circle Recipe Booklets, and Salad Guides!

When I invited my friends to come over for a Salad Circle Party, I think everyone was a bit confused! Seriously, a party for salad? Oh yes, but not your average party or your average salad. This is the Olympics of salad parties.

Instead of preparing a salad for my guests, I wanted them to be a part of it! I wanted to try something new and have each person take part in the making of a Friendship Salad. I requested that each guest bring an ingredient that began with the first letter of their first name. As the host and official “Salad Guide” (thanks for the amazing apron, DOLE!) I started the Friendship Salad with a bed of fresh DOLE greens. We went around the table in a circle tossing each of our ingredients on top of the crisp mix of DOLE lettuces, and I couldn’t help but wonder what this masterpiece would taste like. I actually cringed at one point… We had quite an interesting ingredient list going on! After everyone put their ingredients into the bowl, I completed the Friendship Salad with a drizzle of dressing and gave it a nice toss. The mishmash of ingredients blended into a gorgeous array of colors and incredible flavor. Hesitant to try the salad, I took my first bite and was pleasantly surprised as to how oddly, but perfectly, the flavors came together. You would not believe that this combination of less than ordinary ingredients was seriously DOLEicious! It turned out so well that I and many of my friends ended up going back for seconds! A Salad Circle Party will definitely be a new summer tradition in my kitchen. It’s a fun, affordable, and healthy way to entertain guests and every salad will always be different!



Catherine/Host: Greens & Dressing
Holding Dole Hand Picked Selections Green & Red Butter lettuce heads.

Anthony: Avocado & Brett: Beets

Cathie: Corn & Jessica: Jicama

Linda: Lentils & Lauren: Lemon

Michael: Mozzarella & Mike: Medjool Dates

Patrick: Pineapple & Sarah: Sunflower Seeds

Tammy: Tangerines & Trevor: Tomatoes













Huge thank you to DOLE for all of the Salad Circle goodies!

DOLE is offering one lucky RFFMBT reader a change to host their own salad party for 10!
The lucky winner will receive a Salad Circle Pack consisting of:
1 DOLE salads apron
1 wooden salad bowl and tongs
10 DOLE reusable grocery bags
10 DOLE salad guides
10 DOLE salad circle recipe booklets
20 DOLE coupons (10 DOLE Salad or cut vegetable item coupons & 10 DOLE fresh vegetable product or berries coupons)

For your chance to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post “Dole Salad Circle Party + Giveaway” telling me what your favorite salad ingredient is!
  • You can earn a second entry by tweeting: “I entered for a chance to host a @DOLESaladGuide Salad Circle Party via @EatRabbitFood http://bit.ly/MrMrWG .”
  • Complete your second entry by leaving a second comment on this post with a copy of your tweet.
  • All entries must use a valid email address.
  • Open to U.S. residents only.
  • All comments must be posted by Thursday, August 9th at 11:59pm (PST).
  • 1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, August 10th.

For more DOLEicious salad ideas and information, visit their Twitter and Facebook!

* The giveaway has ended, and the winner will be announced on Friday, August 10.
** Congratulations to the winner: Vanessa G. from TN.

Buckwheat Pancakes With Ginger Pear Glaze

There is no better way to start off your weekend than a hot plate of pancakes. Trade in your Bisquick and syrup for this pretty plate of healthy pancakes. This glaze is so good, you won’t even miss ol’ Aunt Jemima!

Buckwheat Pancakes With Ginger Pear Glaze
Serves 1

1 small pear
¼ cup buckwheat pancake mix
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp water

Slice pear into small pieces. In a microwave safe bowl, toss the pear slices with lemon juice, water, and ginger. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 2-4 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the buckwheat pancake batter to package instructions (I usually use water/milk and omit oil). Pour batter into pan over medium heat and flip once the pancakes are golden brown. Transfer pancakes to a plate and drizzle with pears and ginger glaze. Top with sliced almonds and enjoy warm.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: pear
Whole Grain: buckwheat pancake mix
Protein: enjoy with a glass of milk
Plant Based Fat: sliced almonds