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. 

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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. 

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Fresh Summer Salad with Almond Crusted Feta

It finally feels like Summer, the temperatures are consistently in the 80s here and the daylight is lasting longer. There are gorgeous strawberries and blueberries at the farmer's market and in all the grocery stores. I finished grading all the final exams. It's Summer time!

I have a confession; I can not stop eating this salad. Second confession, I don't want to stop eating it. This salad is inspired by a similar salad I had at a restaurant with almond covered goat cheese. It was so good! Warm feta encrusted in a golden, toasted shell. Yes, please!

My recipe has more fruit, both in amount and variety. I also used my favorite salad green, spinach. Spinach is high in folate, which plays an important role in DNA and cell proliferation. Folate has been shown to play roles in preventing some types of cancer and is an essential nutrient especially during pregnancy. I hope you enjoy this quick, delicious, nutritious, nutrient-dense recipe.

Fresh Summer Salad with Almond Crusted Feta Cheese

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
1/4 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
1 egg

For salad dressing:

1 Tablespoon pureed strawberries or strawberry jelly/jam

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Crack egg into a bowl and scramble.

Mix panko and 1 Tablespoon almonds in a second bowl.

Slice 2, one-ounce slices of feta. Place feta into egg mixture. Then, dip in panko and almonds. Cover all cheese with the crunchy coating. Repeat with second slice of feta. Place breaded feta on a place and put in freezer for ~5 minutes.

Wash and thoroughly dry vegetables.

Place spinach, strawberries, and blueberries in a salad bowl.

Mix strawberry puree or strawberry jelly, lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and olive oil to make salad dressing. Use 1-2 Tablespoons to dressing for your salad.

Preheat oven to 300*F. Heat a small oven-safe pan with 2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil on medium heat. Place feta into pan. Brown cheese for 2-3 minutes until crust is golden brown. Flip cheese and brown on second side for 2 minutes. Then, place in the oven for 4-5 minutes until cheese is golden brown and warmed through.

Top salad with 1 Tablespoon almonds and feta. Enjoy!

This red, white, and blue recipe is perfect to bring on a picnic, Fourth of July Party, or Memorial Day party. To make it more transportable, you can pack this salad in a mason jar or recyclable plastic cup. Layer the dressing first, Then the blueberries and strawberries. Add your salad greens and top with feta. 

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

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RDtipoftheday Favorites: May Edition

Welcome to RDtipoftheday's favorites May 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
This salad, y'all! I can not stop eating it.

I'm loving the copper trend for all things kitchen.

Reading

I've been loving anything by Shauna Neiquiest. I started reading her book, Bread & Wine, and put all of her other books on my reading list. Here's what I read this month.

image from amazon.com

One of my 2016 resolutions is to read more. This month, I've read Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. I enjoy the author's writing style; she paints pictures with her words. She is able to describe food, smells, experiences, and even difficulties and makes the reader feel like she is right there with her. 



I love seeing people succeed. I think it is amazing to see people discover what they're good at and then do that well. For all the graduates or people trying to find what they are meant to do, check out these 7 lessons. I believe that we all have gifts and talents, and there isn't only one thing we're good at. You're good at a lot of things, right? I think these tips are great for pointing you towards the things you are good at.

Watching

Brene Brown's Ted Talk on Vulnerability - encouraging and inspiring

This month, I got sucked into a black hole on YouTube. I don't find myself spending hours on most forms of social media. But, YouTube, that's a whole other thing. Once I start watching YouTube videos, I'm occupied for at least half an hour. This month's YouTube things that make me happy are cooking & baking instructional videos. I'm taking a few hobby cooking and baking classes this month, so I think the excitement and anticipation for these upcoming classes prompted these videos.

Basic buttercream icing recipe

Chocolate buttercream icing recipe

For tips on icing a cake with buttercream, check out this video on basic layer cake decorating.

Cupcake decorating with 8 buttercream designs.

Swiss meringue buttercream recipe *Note: For those that aren't familiar with the terms, caster sugar is superfine granulated sugar. And, icing sugar is powdered sugar.

Cream cheese & chocolate cream cheese icing recipe

I've been searching for a good, homemade brownie recipe. I think this might be a winner.

Hydrangea cupcake decorating tutorial.

Succulent cake decorating tutorial. *Note: Plant tutorials start around 5:50.

After all these sweet, I'm craving something more savory.

What's better than a cupcake? I'm not quite convinced. Are ya'll team cupcake, team cake, team pie, or team cookie? Comment below and tell me your vote. I'll post the results.

Listening
That Sounds Fun Podcast with Annie F Downs and Angie Smith. Y'all these are funny girls. I laughed out loud listening to this episode on my commute to work.

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: April Edition

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10 Simple Satisfying Salads

I love the idea of entertaining with salads. Especially since May is salad month. It feels like most people are trying to eat healthier. However, my population sample may be bias, since I am a Registered Dietitian (RD) who works primarily in weight management. Salads are a great way to get in a variety of micronutrients, and salads are a super filling meal with all the fiber.

There are several restaurants that have this build-your-own salad idea. You have the freedom to choose what you like. But, my favorite part of these restaurants are the salads that the chefs have suggested. You can do this too when you entertain. Make recipe cards or a chalkboard menu with ideas for assembling the ingredients into different salads. Here are some ideas for simple, satisfying salads:

Southern Italy Salad: Romaine lettuce or spinach, Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, shallots, Parmesan cheese

Summer Salad: strawberries, blueberries, spinach, pecans or sunflower seeds, feta, fruit vinaigrette

Fiesta Salad: carrots, corn, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, Mexican cheese, black beans, grilled chicken or steak, avocado and lime juice or light ranch

Caprese Salad: tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, spinach, roasted or grilled chicken, pine nuts, oil and balsamic vinegar

Supreme Salad: Romaine lettuce and spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, onions, Canadian bacon, light ranch dressing

Caesar Salad: Romaine Lettuce, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, Caesar vinaigrette

Peachy Spring Salad: Arugula, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, peaches, and peach vinaigrette

Cobb Salad

Harvest Salad: Green apples, blue cheese, Romaine lettuce, red or purple cabbage, almonds or walnuts, grilled chicken or turkey, vinaigrette

Greek Salad: onions, olives, cucumber, Romaine lettuce or spinach, feta, chicken, oil and vinegar

RDtipoftheday Tips for Salads:
1) Salads are a great way to use leftovers.
You can add whatever protein, beans, cheese, veggies, or fruits you have leftover to salad greens. It is a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious meal. I love salads around the holidays, especially for balancing the heaviness of many holiday dishes. It is a great way to use all the leftovers, so you don't have to eat the same meal for a week. I also love to take salads to work as my lunch. This way, I can eat my leftovers but as a new and different meal.

2) Use what you have.
This tip coincides with tip #1. You don't have to use all the ingredients listed to make the salad. You can omit ingredients you don't have on hand or don't love. And, you can add other ingredients. Use what you love! Enjoy your simple, satisfying salad!

3) Make it your salad a complete, well-balanced meal.
Salads are a great way to get your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. They can be a well-balanced meal and also include dairy products aka cheese and protein (beans, chicken, poultry, etc.). I like to add baguettes, whole grain crackers, or another whole grain to go along with the meal. I like to have some sort of grain to "bulk up" the meal by adding fiber.

I hope you enjoy the salads and some easy entertaining. I would love to see how you are entertaining, so tag your entertaining pictures with #EasyEntree and #EasyEntertaining. You can also tag your healthy eating choices with #HealthyRD or #RDTODgoals. Remember to 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. 

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RDtipoftheday's Friday Favorites: March Edition

Welcome to RDtipoftheday's favorites from March. This is blog series that highlights of some of the best blog posts I've found and my favorite things from this month.

Cookbooks
I've been loving my new cookbooks. I received several cookbooks as Christmas and birthday gifts (thanks family!). Here are some of my favorites.

image from amazon.com

Duff Bakes

image from amazon.com

Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

image from amazon.com

Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Books
One of my 2016 resolutions is to read more. So far this year, I've read two books For the Love and Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker.

Cooking
When I'm stressed, I find that I benefit from rest and a creative outlet. Cooking and baking are generally my outlet. So, I've been cooking and baking quite a bit.

I am loving this salad with spinach, goat cheese, blueberries, and almonds. I've been eating it for lunch; it has been on repeat. So yummy!

I made pizza dough. Look for a post with pizza dough recipe coming soon.

In the Spring, I always look forward to eating King Cake. Here's my easy King Cake recipe. Enjoy!

Easter is a time for celebration. It's a time to remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. When I think of Easter, I remember going to church and gathering with family after church. I remember celebrating forgiveness and all that Easter entails with family. We gathered and ate ham, rolls, and my Aunt always had deviled eggs as an appetizer. Here are my two takes on deviled eggs: bacon, egg, & cheese deviled eggs and Tex-Mex deviled eggs. Click on the links for recipes and nutrition facts. You can also sign up for FoodCare for free to access hundreds of recipes.

Podcasts

I have been listening to a new-to-me podcast. It's called The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. I have been listening to about 1-2 episodes per day. I usually listen on my commute or while cleaning house. I've started at the beginning, and I'm on episode 50ish. I'm loving it! Check it out. It's free. She posts one episode per week but sometimes there are bonus episodes!

I hope you enjoyed these tips, recipes, and all of my Friday favorites. 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. 

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