Thyme Blueberry Crisp

Looking for a yummy dessert? This dessert is so good. and highlights Summer blueberries.  It's my lighter take on a dessert I had in a restaurant. The combination of blueberries, thyme, and cinnamon is savory, sweet, and fresh. This recipe uses my favorite homemade granola. It's quick, easy and great for entertaining. You can assemble this dessert ahead. Then, bake when your guests finish dinner.

Thyme Blueberry Crisp
1 cup homemade granola recipe
1/2 cup slice almonds
1 quart (4 cups) blueberries
1/16 teaspoon thyme (3 pinches)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add 2 Tablespoons brown sugary. Add 1 cup granola. (Reserve remainder of granola for breakfast or another treat later.)  Add almonds. Mix together.
Wash and dry blueberries. Add thyme, cinnamon, and 1 Tablespoon brown sugar. Fold together gently.

Place one cup of blueberry mixture into 4 ramekins. Top with ~1/4 cup of the granola mixture. Bake at 350*F for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. If you want more caramelization and toasting on the topping, broil on high for 2-3 minutes. Top with 1/2 cup of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Enjoy! 

I love combining sweet with something contrasting. For example, I like sweet & salty or sweet & savory. So, I love this sweet, cinnamon, thyme dessert. I love the contrast in textures and temperatures of the fresh blueberries, warm, crunchy granola, and cool ice cream. I think this is great dessert to share.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you may enjoy:

Homemade Granola Recipe

 10 Salad Ideas

Fresh Summer Salad

Grilled Shrimp Poboy

Let's Celebrate July

Y'all I LOVE celebrations! I love birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays, and Fridays! I love celebrating achievements: graduations, babies, marriage, or just being an amazing human being. Give me a reason, and I'll celebrate with you! So, this is a new feature that I thought would be fun! 

In this series, I provide an overview of the food celebrations and holidays in the month, so you can celebrate! For me, this list is helpful for menu planning or throwing themed dinners. These food holidays are a great way to have a themed meal and invite people over to your home. 

I feel like inviting people into your home is a great way to build community. There's something about breaking bread, cooking, sharing recipes, and food that sparks conversation. I love talking and celebrating around a table. So, here are some food celebrations in July.

July has several celebrations throughout the month. July is:

• National Picnic Month
• National Baked Bean Month
• National Culinary Arts Month
• National Hot Dog Month
• National Ice Cream Month

There are also many celebrations on days throughout July. 

• July 4 is National Barbecue Day & Caesar Salad Day
• July 5 is National Turnover Day
• July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day
• July 7 is National Macaroni Day
• July 9 is National Sugar Cookie Day

• July 10 is "Pick Blueberries' Day
• I have several recipes that use fresh blueberries. Check out my homemade granola and make a parfait. Drink a peach and blueberry breakfast smoothie. Or, create a fresh Summer salad to enjoy for lunch or dinner.

• July 11 is National Blueberry Muffin Day

• July 12 is National Pecan Pie Day

• July 17 is National Peach Ice Cream Day
• July 20 is National Ice-cream Sundae Day
• July 21 is National Creme Brûlée Day 
• July 23 is National Vanilla Ice Cream and National Hot Dog Day
• July 25 is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

• July 28 is National Hamburger Day
• July 29 is National Lasagna Day
• July 30 is National Cheesecake Day

I thought this list would be inspiring for your meal plan for July and would encourage some party and entertaining ideas. So, let's celebrate. If you participate in these monthly celebrations, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, and use the hashtag #RDTODcelebrate for a chance to be featured. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you might enjoy:

June Reader Favorites

Easy Empanadas

Homemade Granola

Reader Favorites: June

Thank you for all of the love this month! June is one of my favorite months; it's officially Summer! If you missed any of the posts this month, here are the top posts you visited in the month of June. Enjoy!

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Undergraduate Degree

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: RD Exam

Homemade Granola Recipe


Cooking Class: Pasta

RDtipoftheday's Favorites: June Edition

Recipe for Fresh Summer Salad with Almonds

Let me know if there are any nutrition-related topics you would like me to cover. You can comment below or tag me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you may enjoy:

May Reader Favorites

April Reader Favorites

March Reader Favorites

RDtipoftheday Favorites: June Edition

Welcome to RDtipoftheday's favorites June edition. This is my blog series that highlights some of the best things I've been watching, reading, listening to, cooking, and eating. These are a few of my favorite things this month.

Eating & Cooking

Homemade granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit

Watching

Have y'all seen the Cookie Monster commercial? I think we can all relate to this because he knows how it feels to wait for cookies to bake.

For a few more giggles, check out Cookie Monster's outtakes.

Also, I love celebrity musical impressions.


I really enjoy watching Food Network Star. I found some videos and articles about previous contestants on Food Network Star. From Season 7, Whitney Chen on Following Your Passion and information about being a contributing editor at Guilt Taste.















Also from Season 7, Mary Beth Albright's article about Food Writer's Take on Gingerbread. Here's an inside the Food Network Star Kitchen; it's a really neat perspective on the set. I love seeing behind the scenes pieces.




Listening
Hope writers podcast - I liked this episode about learning from unlikely writing teachers. I find inspiration in many things, but it seems to come in spurts or seasons. So if you need some inspiration for writing, check out this podcast.

Encouraging
I loved Annie F Downs' talk on One Calling, Multiple Expressions. I believe we all have gifts and abilities. How we use our talents may look different in different seasons. Check it out; I found it to be super encouraging.

Reading
If you are wanting to use your gifts and talents in a creative way, are you blogging? Writing may not be everyone's creative outlet. But if you're starting a blog, check out these five ways to start and grow a blog.

I hope you enjoyed these tips, recipes, and all of my favorites from this month. Let me know if this is a feature that you would like me to continue by commenting below. And, let me know if you have something you want to be featured. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy:

RDtipoftheday Favorites: May Edition







RDtipoftheday Favorites: April Edition

RDtipoftheday Favorites: March Edition

Reader Favorites for March 2016

Homemade Granola Recipe

RDtipoftheday's Homemade Granola

I love breakfast! It is my favorite meal of the day. As a Registered Dietitian (RD), I get asked  "what is the most important meal?". It's breakfast! As the name suggests, you break your fast of not eating all night. It's the best way to start your day. Let's start your day with homemade granola. It's a great start to fuel your day.

Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups old fashion oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sliced almonds

Instructions
Combine oil, honey, sugar salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and water. Mix together. Add oats, pecans, and almonds. Mix until dry ingredients are coated. Place on 2, 9 x 13 half-sheets lined with parchment paper or a nonstick pastry mat. Bake at 300*F for 20-25 minutes until golden and toasty brown. Enjoy!

Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy my homemade granola.

Strawberries & cream (well . . . vanilla yogurt) with RDTOD's homemade granola

RDTOD's granola breakfast bowl: peaches, blueberries, & yogurt 

 Red, white, and blueberry yogurt bowl

I'll be sharing more ways to enjoy granola, so stay tuned! For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy:

Healthy RD Challenge

Celebrate June

7 Quick Breakfast Ideas to Jumpstart Your Day

Easy Entertaining: 5 Breakfast Entrees for Entertaining

I love breakfast! I love to eat breakfast foods any time of the day. Breakfast allows you to serve sweet foods, savory foods, or both! I think that makes breakfast especially great for entertaining. Breakfast has an ease about it. It can be very informal but still feel special. Breakfast is approachable.

If I'm eating breakfast at a restaurant, my toughest decision is whether to choose something sweet or something savory. If that's the hardest decision of the day, you know that's a great day! So, I would encourage you to offer something sweet and savory when hosting a breakfast or brunch.

Here are some ideas for a great breakfast options that can be prepared ahead of time.

Quiche or Frittata
These easy entrees only differ by one ingredient. A quiche has a pasty crust with an egg-based filling. A frittata is simply a crust-less quiche. Quiche and frittatas are easy ways to use up leftovers. This frittata features mushrooms, asparagus, and cheese. It is delicious!

French Toast Casserole or Bread Pudding
I was making a French toast casserole recently, and I thought to myself "I'm making bread pudding for  breakfast." Dessert for breakfast; what a meal! I like the idea of a bread pudding because it can be sweet or savory. My RDtip would be to use skim or nonfat milk for the custard for a lighter French toast casserole. This French toast is peach and pecan. Peach is one of my husband's favorite flavors, and I love pecans. What a great marriage of flavors!

Pancakes or Waffles
Make a large batch of pancakes and waffles. Freeze the extra. Frozen pancakes and waffles reheat easily and are ready whenever you need them.

Parfaits with Homemade Granola
I love making homemade granola. It makes the house smell fantastic! I make granola about once a month with old fashioned oats, pecans, almonds, brown sugar, honey, and warming spices. I'll post my recipe soon. Parfaits are like a healthier breakfast sundae. A parfait elevates humble granola, yogurt, and fruit to a fancy layered breakfast treat. Add fresh herbs for a flavorful garnish to further elevate your parfait.

Breakfast Sandwiches
This is a great way to use leftovers from the week. Think about what breads you have leftover: biscuits, wheat bread, rolls, tortillas. Then, fill them with leftover protein: ham, turkey, egg, etc. Add cheese, veggies, and enjoy! Leftovers never tasted so good!

I would love to see how you are entertaining, so tag your entertaining pictures with #EasyEntree and #EasyEntertaining. And tag me @RDtipoftheday, so I can see what you do and maybe even feature you on the blog or Instagram.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you may enjoy:

 Easy Entertaining: 8 Simple Sides

Easy Entertaining: 6 Easy Entrees

Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving Edition