Good morning friends! How are you today? I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday! Hump day! And that the rain has finally moved on out of here! Making the walk into work in the rain has been rather cumbersome for the past few days.

Anyway, today I’m asking you for a favor. I am asking you to give one of my favorite… foods… a second chance.

Brussels sprouts to be exact.

Now before I lose you, hear me out.

When I tell people that Brussels sprouts are my favorite food, I get one of two reactions:

“OMG! Me too!”

or…

“Tell me you’re kidding, Ashley.”

For those of you who can relate to the second response, please just give them one more chance – following the guidelines below that is!

I find that the majority of people that respond this way are a part of the Baby Boomer generation and their response always follows with this story:

“Growing up, my mom used to boil Brussels sprouts and then she would make us eat them. They were so disgusting and I have never liked them sense!”

Yes, I would agree with you too… boiled Brussels sprouts are probably pretty nasty – especially, for a non-veggie loving person unlike myself.

Today, I beg that if you can relate to this story at all, give them a second chance and try them a different way.

Brussels sprouts are one of the world’s healthiest foods for many reasons.

• They are in the family with broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and are are low in calories (40 calories per four-sprout serving) and high in fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A and folate.
• They have been shown to provide cholesterol- lowering benefits, DNA protection and cancer-protective substances.

Brussels are not a vegetable that you want to give up on just yet!

If you will, try the recipe below and if you stilllll don’t like them, then okay, chow down on broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower instead; however, I am pretty confident that you will find a new love for them prepared a different way then the method that your mom or grandmother used decades ago!

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of fresh Brussels sprouts
• 1.5 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1.5 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• adobo seasoning to taste (or salt,  pepper and garlic powder to taste will work too)

The post My Favorite Food is Asking You for a Second Chance: Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Hi there and happy Friday!

As of today, I am one week out of my dietetic internship graduation from the Mayo Clinic Florida. It still feels surreal. Three years ago when I embarked on my journey to return to school, I never thought the day would come. Now the time has already come and gone.

This blury photo was taken after our graduation of me and my two fellow interns, Jessica and Abbie. It seems so strange that we are all states away again after being side-by-side, every.single.day. for the past nine months. We chat almost everyday, so I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that we will never be Class #54 physically at Mayo again.

Since graduation, I (with the help of my parents) moved out of my Jacksonville place, returning back to my hometown for the first time since 2005 (for an extended period of time). It’s hard to believe that eight years have already passed. I’ve taken a complete break from all things nutrition, with plans to hit the books hard on Monday in preparation for the RD exam. I hope to take and pass it within the next six weeks so I better get busy!

It’s been so nice to hang out with my husband again, after living in seperate states for the past five to six months. We both make jokes that we don’t remember what it’s like to live together anymore, but we are certainly rememering quickly! Because he travels so much for work, I decided to hop in the car with him and spend some time checking out what his life has been like for the past six months. He keeps joking that he knows I will always join him on the road if he takes me to all of the healthy food spots along the way, so our past few days on the road have looked a lot like this…

Steel cut oats, berries, bananas, and granola at our hotel this morning.

Kale, spinach, and cabbage salad (+ so much more!) from Whole Foods.

Daily Kombucha!

He knows me too well! We have spent more time in Whole Foods this past week than I did during my entire internship. No complaints here though. I haven’t eaten this well since our Orlando days. (I’m hoping he thinks this way forever!)

Tonight, we are in Oxford, Mississippi so that Dustin can check out the Ole Miss baseball game while I explore the town and write to you. We are going to dinner in the Square tonight,not quite sure where yet but hopefully finding more delcious, healthy food!

And now you have to be wondering what is the exciting news that I mentioned in the title. I’m so excited to share with you that the blog is getting a makeover with an entire new face and more nutrition related content (since I will be an RD in just a few short weeks!). I am told by my designer that it will be only a few more weeks; he is sending me the first “draft” soon! I know both you and I will be happy with it based on my conversations with him.

Well, I’m off to get ready for a datenight with my HUSBAND. Sure feels strange to be in the same town as him! I hope you have a great weekend as well!

Good health!

The post C’est La Vie, Internship and Exciting News! appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Hey Ashley! I love reading your blog and have an entry request. I was wondering if you would post a typical grocery list and how long it last you. If the items on the list are a weeks worth, months worth, etc. I think this might help me figure out staples for my pantry and just kind of where to start. Hope you are doing great!

Hello Reader!  So great to hear from you!  A grocery list is imperative, one of the most important things in order to appropriately tackle the grocery store.  I’ve typed out a grocery list below as a backbone for your trips.  Also, I do want to say that while I know that this is a lot and can be expensive at first, please remember that we rarely eat out: once a week at most, and that’s including all three meals.   Even when we go out of town, I still usually plan ahead and pack a cooler full of things we can throw together in the room: fresh fruit, almond/peanut butter, Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread, hummus, carrots, etc.  I know this probably seems crazy to some, maybe even most, but trying to eat healthy at a restaurant is next to impossible.

Recently, while in Columbia, SC, Dustin tried to order a veggie omelet at our hotel breakfast.  Healthy, right?  You would think, but no, not at all.  Dustin watched him pour nearly half a cup of liquid (?) butter in the pan before he made the omelet.  Why would someone that ordered a cheese-less, veggie omelet want it soaked in butter?  THEY DON’T.  That’s why I didn’t even attempt to order from there and rather, made a healthier option in the room.  If Dustin hadn’t been standing there, he would have had no idea that his supposed to be 300 calorie, healthy omelet would really have probably around 600 calories, with 50 grams of saturated fat.  UNNECESSARY.  Needless to say, this omelet went straight to the trash can and he followed my lead to a nut butter, banana sandwich in the room.

Also, I don’t buy EVERYTHING, EVERY WEEK.  Only when needed.  However, I do try to make one big trip to the grocery store a week.  I don’t like making several small trips; I spend wayyy more money that way.  And another thing, sometimes when I try crazy, unusual ingredient, new recipes, those ingredients aren’t included in this list and require a special trip.

Anyways, back to the grocery list

My Typical Grocery List/ Staples

(Depending on what’s needed)

(Non-vegetarian additions at the end):

Fruit:

• Bag apples
• Bananas
• Frozen berries
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
• Grapes
• 1 Avacado
• Lemons
• Limes

Vegetables:

• Bag onions
• Bag potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Head of garlic
• Leafy greens
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Romaine
• Bag carrots
• Tomatoes (Fresh during summer/ canned during winter)
• Zucchini
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• 1 Cucumber
• Bag frozen veggies (to throw together a quick dinner)

Grains:

• Brown rice
• Whole grain spaghetti/ pasta
• Quinoa/ Couscous
• 2 lbs. quick cooking oats
• Steel cut oats
• Ezekiel 7 Grain bread
• Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread 

Dry beans: (or if you prefer, canned, but dry is much cheaper and doesn’t include BPA)

• Black
• Kidney
• Lentils
• Garbanzo (for homemade hummus)           

Nuts:

• Raw almonds
• Raw cashews
• Raw walnuts
• Raw sunflower seeds

 Processed Items:

• Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
• Crunchy Almond Butter
• Spaghetti Sauce (Classico: Tomato and Basil)
• Nature’s Path Cereal
• Nut Thins crackers
• Brown rice cakes
• Non-dairy unsweetened milk (almond: plain and vanilla)
• Whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• Stevia
• Coffee
• Salsa

Other:

• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more)
• Red wine
• La Croix/Sparkling water
• Spray Olive Oil

 Spices/Necessities:

• Cinnamon
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Italian seasoning
• Flax seeds/ Chia seeds
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• White vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Blue 100% Agave
• Brown Mustard

Animal Products (for the hub):

• 0% Fat-free Plain Greek Yogurt
• Salmon
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• Chicken breast

I hope that this helps you!!

The post Reader Question: Grocery List appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.