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Breakfast, Recipes, Smoothies, Vegetarian

PB Green Smoothie

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I loveeee green smoothies, and I love that DOLE has added all of these amazing new Power Up Greens to their lineup. I usually do a lot of fruit and veggie green smoothies, but this week I decided to try a different type of green monster smoothie from my fellow DOLE buddy, Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats! I love the addition of Greek yogurt and peanut butter in her smoothie recipe! It tastes so good, yet it’s so good for you!

DOLE’s new Power Up Greens ‘Baby Kale & Greens’ is loaded with baby spinach, baby kale, baby green chard, and baby red chard. This combination of dark leafy greens provides the perfect lineup for bold flavor and nutrition. With vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, manganese and calcium, this blend is a perfect way to power up by adding a boost of nutritious flavor to soups, smoothies and more.

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During the launch of DOLE Power Up Greens, DOLE sent me an adorable smoothie tumbler so I can power up on Green smoothies all summer long. They also sent me a super cute salad green yoga mat and custom DOLE earbuds for my workouts! They’re the perfect power up workout accessories!

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PB Green Smoothie
Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 1

1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla (or regular flavor) almond milk
2 cups DOLE Power Up Greens™ ‘Baby Kale & Greens’

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

| 7 Comments
Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach Hummus + Cabo Chips Giveaway

Who’s ready for the Super Bowl?!

Since Super Bowl Sunday is usually a day of snacking while watching the big game, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite chips and healthy dip!

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Let me start off by saying that Cabo Chips won’t cure health issues, but they are definitely one of the healthiest tortilla chips on the market, and most importantly… they taste delicious!

If you grew up in Southern California like me, you probably grew up eating Have’a Corn Chips. Well let me tell you, that as someone who was raised in Orange County and ate Have’a Chips with every sandwich, Cabo Chips are actually better. They’re evenly coated in soy sauce so that each chip that touches your tastebuds is loaded with that perfect soy flavor. You won’t have to search the bottom of the bag for the broken pieces of “dark” chips that actually taste like soy sauce! (California kids… You totally know what I’m talking about!) There is no other way to describe these chips than LEGIT! NON-GMO verified, 100% whole grain, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher. OH EM GEEE. As Healthy as tortilla chips can get!

Cabo Chips are unique because they are truly authentic restaurant/cantina style tortilla chips. It starts with stone ground non-gmo corn cooked fresh daily into delicious tortillas which are hand cut into triangles and cooked in non-gmo expeller pressed soybean oil. They are then seasoned by hand with real ingredients – no powders or “natural flavorings” here just real lime juice and either gluten free soy sauce or sea salt depending on the flavor. Cabo Chips are light, crispy, and flaky, and they’re great on their own but also sturdy enough for dipping.

Again, Cabo Chips are one of the few non-gmo project verified corn tortilla chips and they’re are also vegan, gluten free, 100% whole grain, and Kosher! I’m in Love!

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Now for the dippage:
Spinach Hummus

1.5 cups spinach, packed
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 glove garlic
1/8 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and puree until creamy and smooth. The mixture will resemble a thick paste.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is my first giveaway using Rafflecopter, so we will see how this goes!
Contest ends Sunday, February 2nd at 11:59pm PST.
Winner will be announced Monday, February 3rd.
Open to U.S. residents only.

| 66 Comments
Breakfast, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Apple Pie Oatmeal

For the first time all winter, today actually feels like winter. Since it was gloomy and a super chilly low of 60 degrees, I was craving a warm bowl of oatmeal. This recipe is extremely thick, filling, and naturally sweet. Stay warm little snow bunnies!

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Apple Pie Oatmeal
Serves 1

1 fuji or gala apple, chopped
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1/2 cup milk of your choice
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Chop apple and combine with rolled oats, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer/boil, then cover and bring down to low heat. Cover and stir occasionally and until the oats and apple become cooked and liquid is absorbed. Top with chopped walnuts and enjoy!

Toppings: Enjoy with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, or if you’re feeling crazy, try 1 tablespoon of peanut or almond butter!

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The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: apple
Whole Grain: rolled oats
Protein: milk
Plant Based Fat: walnuts (or 1 Tbsp nut butter!)
Free Extras: cinnamon & nutmeg

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I’m so excited and honored to be featured in Natural Delights free eBook “Nature’s Power Fruit” this month! Click through the image to download the free ebook featuring 5 recipes!

Health & Happiness
xo Catherine

| 6 Comments
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
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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