weight loss

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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!

| 8 Comments
Desserts, Recipes, Snacks

Lightened Up Date Shake

Living in Southern California my entire life, I grew up going to Palm Springs every Easter with my family. Every trip to palm springs always included a quick stop by the date gardens in Indio to get a date shake. Since you guys know I love “healthifying” comfort foods, today is the day for a Lightened Up Date Shake. Traditional date shakes consist of full fat vanilla ice cream, whole milk, and dates. My recipe still consists of 3 ingredients, but adds up to nearly a fraction of the calories! Plus it’s vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, paleo, and low-fat!

A traidtional date shake adds up to:
Calories: 626
Fat: 25.3g
Sugar: 77.5g
Fiber: 4.5g
Protein: 13.2g

And my Lightened Up Date Shake totals:
Calories: 330
Fat: 1.25g
Sugar: 57.5g (all natural unrefined sugar)
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 3g

Not all sugars are created equal. Say a candy bar (refined sugar) has the same amount of sugar as a banana (natural sugar). They process through your body completely different. Whole fruit has a lot of fiber, which actually slows down your body’s digestion of glucose, so you don’t get the crazy insulin spike (and crash) that candy causes. That also means your body has more time to use up glucose as fuel before storing it… as fat.

That’s the #1 reason why I love using Medjool Dates as a sweetener in baking and other recipes versus regular table sugar!

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Lightened Up Date Shake
Serves 1

3 Natural Delights Medjool Dates, pitted
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Remove pits from dates. Blend blend blend until smooth and creamy!

Tip: To make this more filling as a meal replacement, try adding 1/4 cup of dry rolled oats to the blender!

Huge thank you to Natural Delights for supplying the dates for this recipe!

| 15 Comments
Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach Chips

Hoppy Monday everybunny!
I am so excited to announce that I am taking over the Natural Delights Medjool Dates Facebook page this week! I have a special recipe for tomorrow and I’m hosting a live chat this Thursday (1/9) at 12pm (noon) PST! The live chat will take place on the Natural Delights Facebook page, so if you have any questions about cooking or weight loss, be sure to join me!

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This could be my new favorite recipe. I’m calling it right now, Spinach Chips are the new Kale Chips. Actually, I’m probably way late to this party since I remember a few readers mentioning spinach chips before haha. But man oh man are they good! They literally melt in your mouth. I’m pretty sure you’re going to LOVE these. They’re super easy to make, have a short baking time, and only 4 ingredients! What’s not to love? They’re the ultimate healthy snack!

My friend Anna Marie and I just ate the entire batch of them, so I’m not sure how well they store if you have leftovers. Pretty high change you will eat these in one sitting, but no shame or guilt, they’re actually good for you! Completely gluten-free, vegan, low-calorie, and awesome! Not to mention, packed with vitamins and minerals!

Spinach-Chips96 Facts About Spinach:

  • Filled with powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium, which combat the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.
  • One cup of spinach contains over 337% of the RDA of vitamin A that protects and strengthens “entry points” into the human body, such as mucous membranes, respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts.
  • One cup of spinach has nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, and curbs overeating.
  • The abundance of vitamin K contributes to a healthy nervous system and brain function.
  • Contains two anti-inflammatory epoxyxanthophylls; Neoxanthin and violaxanthin.
  • Packed with magnesium, folate, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6, and a great source of selenium and niacin.

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Spinach Chips
Serves 1-2

2 large handfuls of spinach (I used about 1/2 the bag)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp Italian herb seasoning  (I use Frontier & sometimes McCormick)
1/8 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Massage oil into spinach until all leaves are completely coated.  Add italian seasoning and salt, combine until evenly dispersed. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place leaves on the parchment paper so that they aren’t overlapping (this will allow them to cook evenly). Bake for 9-12 minutes until crispy.

| 23 Comments
Desserts, Recipes, Vegan

Light Vegan Apple Crumble for One

I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I am so very thankful for all of my readers.
You make me so happy and inspire me every single day.
Thank you for allowing me to do what I love for a job.
It’s incredibly rewarding and I love hearing your success stories!

Thank you so much for being patient with me the past few weeks! A lot has been going on recently.
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I can finally tell you guys why I have been so MIA!
I’ve been traveling a ton meeting with RFFMBT brand sponsors,
buttttt the big news is: my sister got engaged!
And of course amidst the chaos along came Thanksgiving and tons of family events!

This was seriously the cutest proposal in the world! I’ve had to keep my mouth closed for a month and it has been the hardest thing in the world! Patrick had asked my dad for his blessing, and then told my mom and I that he wanted to propose. Patrick actually asked me to be a part of the proposal which was so sweet! My sister is a photographer, and since photography is obviously very important to her, Patrick asked if I would hide and capture the proposal on camera (um duhhh this is every girl’s dream!). Of course I was all over it! I ended up hiding in a bush at the beach for 3 hours in the rain while Jess was “photographing” the beach and sunset until they made their way to the proposal sight where Patrick had written “Jessica will you marry me?” in shells and rocks! Both families were waiting at our house with champagne when they got back! It was too cute and I am soooooo happy that I was a part of it! My sister was beyond surprised, she had NO clue it was happening : ).

Of course for me, this means bridesmaid bootcamp! I’m ready to get those arms and shoulders toned for the wedding! I’m patiently waiting for the fiancés to set a date!

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proposalGreetings from my hobbit hole!

Since the holidays are here and dessert is essential at every gathering in my family, I have been inventing some new healthy single serving sweets for you guys. This recipe is the ultimate quick and easy dessert. Serve with nostalgia and the warm cozy feeling of fall!

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Light Vegan Apple Crumble
Serves 1

For the Apple Filling
1 medium fuji or gala apple
2 Tbsp almond milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

For the crumble
1/4 up rolled oats
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup or 1 packet stevia
1 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread with Olive Oil or coconut oil

Optional: Top with 1 cup of Chobani 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt as a light & healthy ice cream replacement.

Chop apple into small pieces and combine with almond milk, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Microwave for 4-5 minutes until apple becomes soft. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, maple syrup, and earth balance. microwave for 1 minute and stir. Place cooked apples in a bowl and top with the crumble mixture.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: apple
Whole Grain: rolled oats & whole wheat flour
Protein: Greek yogurt
Plant Based Fat: Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Free Extras: salt, cinnamon, nutmeg

| 18 Comments
Juicing, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Juice Pulp Crackers

Hi everybunny!

I hope you guys are having a great week so far!
I wanted to start by saying THANK YOU for your support with my last post. There are so many times that I struggle with body image and/or eating and just want to crawl into my bed and lock myself in my room because I’m ashamed, upset, and flat-out sad… but time and time again you guys have shown me that I am most definitely not alone, and have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your comments were so empowering and I appreciate your vulnerability and honesty. You are all so strong and seriously beautiful writers! I love you guys so much. My readers make me so incredibly happy each and every day. Expect a giveaway this week, to show my love and appreciation!

So I just found out this week that my “advertise” contact form has not been working. Ahhhh! This is the WORST! I apologize to anyone who has messaged me in the past few weeks and not gotten a response. I feel so unprofessional and cannot even imagine how rude people must think I am. I am working with my web host to get my contact form working again. In the meantime, if you have a professional inquiry please email me at: Screen Shot 2013-11-18 at 11.12.39 PM.

I also wanted to say sorry for being MIA last week! I was in Texas for a wedding and then in Arizona visiting my friends at Natural Delights and judged the recipe contest at the 2nd Annual Yuma Medjool Date Festival! There will definitely be some new Medjool date recipes coming up and possibly a giveaway for you guys!

Finally, here is the recipe I promised!
Sorry for the delay : ( and thank you for your patience!

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Don’t you hate seeing food or nutrients go to waste?

Although most of us use juice pulp for compost or unfortunately throw it away… many people don’t realize that they are leaving behind all of the great fiber that the fruits’ and veggies’ skins contain.

Fiber serves a very important role in our diet. When eating whole fruits and vegetables, the natural fiber helps to slow down the process in which the body breaks down and releases sugar, which prevents blood sugar from spiking and crashing. Fiber can also help you feel fuller longer and keeps your digestive system running smoothly and efficiently.

Bottom line, there is value in this often-neglected pulp!

Next time you make a juice, think twice before tossing the pulp!
It’s easy to transfer your fibrous juice pulp into hearty and delicious Juice Pulp Crackers.

Juice-Pulp-Crackers-9I love slathering hummus on my Juice Pulp Crackers!

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Juice Pulp Crackers
Makes about 25-30 crackers

2 cups juice pulp
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp thyme (I used dried)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup water

*Make sure that all inedible seeds and skin are removed from produce before juicing if you intend to use the pulp for crackers!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Slowly add water until the mixture is well combined but still sticky (The amount of water may vary based on how watery your pulp is). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture out very thinly (you want this as thin and even as possible). You will want this to be as thin as possible or your crackers may turn out bready versus crunchy. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven and cut into 1.5 inch squares.

Note: Like kale chips, these don’t store very well, so they are best to eat the same day they are made!
Dehydrating: If you have a dehydrator you can spread the mixture evenly onto a teflex or “fruit leather” dehydrator sheet. Set dehydrator to 115 and for 5-6 hours, flip the cracker over, and dehydrate for an additional 4-5 hours until crunchy.

The pulp for these crackers was from my Glowing Green Juice so I thought that thyme, salt, and pepper was a great addition, but feel free to experiment with different spices and seasonings! Cayenne would give a ice kick to your crackers!

| 16 Comments

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