The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook

With September being Family Meals Month, the key to getting healthier meals on the table is meal prep. Register Dietitian and cookbook author, Toby Amidor, makes it easier with her latest cookbook, “The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook“.

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook - reviewed by RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook – Photo courtesy of Nat & Cody Gantz

It’s easy to reach for frozen and microwaveable meals when you’re short on time, but being too busy shouldn’t mean that you can’t have balanced and delicious meals. Learning how to meal prep properly will not only save you time and energy, but it will also help to make sure that you and your family eat homemade and nutritious meals. Providing practical and simple solutions with easy to follow instructions, The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook shows you how simple it is to enjoy fresh and flavorful meals on even the most hectic days.
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook features:

  • 3 flexible 2-week meal plans for ready-to-go healthy meals without the hassle of prep
  • More than 100 simple, wholesome recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, complete with nutritional breakdowns and portion control to keep calories in check
  • Practical weekly shopping lists with easy to find ingredients to prepare your pantry for the week
  • Convenient illustrated guidelines on how to freeze, thaw, and reheat your meals to keep food fresh, safe, and tasty

I was excited to chat with fellow RD, Toby, about her latest cookbook.
The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook - reviewed by RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen

A little about Toby Amidor:

With over 18 years experience in the food and nutrition industry, Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN is a leading dietitian and recipe developer who believes that healthy and wholesome can also be appetizing and delicious.
In her new book, The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook, Toby provides practical and simple solutions with easy to follow instructions. She shows you how simple it is to enjoy fresh and flavorful meals on even the most hectic days.
In her first book, The Greek Yogurt Kitchen, Toby shows readers how to cut back on fat and calories without compromising flavor. She shares how Greek yogurt is one of today’s most versatile and nourishing ingredients and how it can be used in unexpected ways, making even the most bad-for-you foods healthier, tastier and more satisfying.
Toby is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services for individuals, restaurants and food brands. For 10 years she has been the nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com, writing for their Healthy Eats Blog, and is a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report Eat + Run blog, and MensFitness.com and has her own “Ask the Expert” column in Today’s Dietitian Magazine. She also freelances for Furthermore by Equinox and Sparkpeople.com, has been quoted in publications like FoxNews.com, Self.com, Oxygen Magazine, Dr. Oz The Good Life, Mic.com, Reader’s Digest, Shape.com, Women’s Health, Redbook, Men’s Journal, Huffington Post, Everyday Health, and more. Toby has also appeared on television including shows like The Dr. Oz Show, AMHQ with Sam Champion,  Good Day Street Talk Fox5 NY, and San Antonio Live. For the past 8 years she has been an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University and beginning in fall 2017 she will also begin teaching as an adjunct at Hunter College in New York City.
Toby trained as a clinical dietitian at New York University. Previously, Toby was a consultant on Bobby Deen’s cooking show, “Not My Mama’s Meals.” Through ongoing consulting and faculty positions, she has established herself as one of the top experts in culinary nutrition, food safety, and media.

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook - reviewed by RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen

Apricot Chicken Drumsticks – Photo courtesy of Nat & Cody Gantz

With her stellar resume, I was excited to ask her questions about her latest project – “The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook“.
Q: You have written a wonderful cookbook “The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook.” What inspired you to write a book about the topic of meal prep?
A: Juggling a busy schedule can make it difficult to prepare healthy family meals, especially during the week. As a mom of three and a registered dietitian, I understand that struggle all too well. Over the years I have developed a weekly meal prep routine, and it has been a lifesaver. I wrote The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook to share my tips and tricks for getting food on the table fast.
Q: How do you think your meal prep strategies help families eat healthier?
A: When you plan out your meal and prepare them ahead of time, you avoid that last minute trip to a fast food joint or stopping at the local deli for an oversized muffin on the way to work. Not only do you eat healthier, you can save money by purchasing these last minute meals.
Q: What are your suggestions for dealing with a picky eater in the family?
A: Making a picky eater involved in the process can help them enjoy food and become exposed to foods they may not be used to. It can start with helping to select recipes. I loved taking my kids when they were younger to the supermarket and showing them the different fruits and vegetables. As my kids got older, I showed them how to determine the ripeness of a fruit and/or vegetable. Kids also love getting down and dirty in the kitchen from mixing to measure to even zesting citrus fruit. Setting the table has also become a way kids can also get involved.
Q: What would you say are top three pantry items that every family should have stocked in their pantry? 
Quinoa: This whole grain (which is technically a seed) provides 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per cooked cup. It’s easy to pair with beans, serve alongside a protein like chicken, beef, or fish, and even toss on a salad for added protein.
Beans: Beans are an excellent source of fiber providing about 7.5 grams per ½ cooked cup. I prefer the ease of canned beans, but will look for those with no added salt. Beans can be tossed in a soup, over a salad, used to make burgers, chili, and even rice and beans.
Canned tuna: If you forgot to defrost your protein or finished it up for the week, canned tuna can come to the rescue. I prefer chunk light tuna canned in water and can toss it over a salad, mix it with celery, apples, Greek yogurt and light mayo for a delicious salad, or stuff it into a whole grain pita with my Chopped Chickpea Salad.
Q: What is your favorite recipe from the cookbook?
A: I am a huge breakfast fan, so Zippy’s Shakshuka and the Brooklyn Breakfast are two of my favorites. Zippy, my mother, always made Shakshuka (eggs in tomato sauce) for me and my 4 siblings when she was in a hurry and kept jarred crushed tomatoes and eggs on hand in case she had to whip something up in a hurry. As for the Brooklyn Breakfast, I was born in Brooklyn and smoked salmon and cream cheese was part of my regular diet. To this day, it is still one of my favorites.
Q: How long did it take you to write this book?
A: I wrote this cookbook in about 6 weeks and tested each recipe (some recipes I tested several times). I did work through weekends and did not take any days off. This is pretty unusual for cookbook authors but was the deadline I agreed to meet.
Q: What is your favorite spice to cook with?
A: I love cinnamon. It just has such a warming feeling that makes me feel so good. I used it in my baked goods (like scones and muffin), pancake batters, and oatmeal.

The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook - reviewed by RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen

Beef Stir Fry with Asian Peanut Sauce – Photo courtesy of Nat & Cody Gantz

Ready to get started?

Ready to start meal prepping? Order your copy of “The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook” here!RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen

Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians

Did you know October 4th is National Taco Day? Learn to build a better taco and celebrate with making one of these RD approved taco recipes created by Registered Dietitians.
Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians via RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen
To successfully build a better taco you have to start from the bottom and build up. Each layer is important and can be made a little healthier on taco night.
Start with your tortillas. 
The big debate – soft or hard shell. That’s really up to you. Opt to use whole grain tortillas. Not into the shell, no worries! Try making a Veggie Loaded Taco Dip and dunk with a bean-based chip. Another option is to add more fiber and use large leaf lettuce to hold your taco filling.
Choose your filling.
Great creative with healthy fillings. First add some protein. If you choose beef, choose a lean ground beef.
If you pick chicken or turkey, look for ground chicken or turkey breast. This is ensuring that is ground from all white breast meat, making it a leaner choice.
Try seafood! Many varieties of seafood work well with tacos. Seafood is lean option. If you like a firmer texture, try using salmon, shrimp, or scallops. For a flakier texture, use tilapia, haddock, or catfish.
Looking for plant-based proteins? Try beans, lentils, tofu, or tempeh.
Plus, pump up your tacos with plenty of veggies. Think beyond the traditional lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Add roasted squashes, sautéed kale, broccoli slaw or a peach salsa. The possibilities are endless!
Make your own taco seasoning for a lower-sodium option for your taco filling.
Add your toppings.
After you loaded your taco with healthy fillings, top it with some more flavor! Add a fresh salsa, guacamole, and/or Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream for a leaner choice and a boost of protein.

Need some taco inspiration? Choose from these 25 delicious taco recipes created by Registered Dietitians.
Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians via RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen Classic Tacos via Living Well Kitchen
Sloppy Joe Tacos via Teaspoon of Spice
Steak Tacos with Nectarine Corn Salsa via Nuritioulicious
Slow Cooker Beef & Beans Tacos via My Menu Pal
Shredded Beef Breakfast Tacos via 24 Carrot Life
Chipotle Beef Tacos with Watermelon Salsa via Nutritioulicious
Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians via RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen Baked Chicken Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce via The Lean Green Bean
Crockpot Chicken Tacos via Real Food Real Deals
Spicy Asian Chicken Tacos via Hungry Hobby
Mom’s Taco Skillet via Kroll’s Korner
Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians via RDelicious Kitchen @RD_KitchenChipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos with a Creamy Avocado Broccoli Slaw via RDelicious Kitchen
Crawfish Boil Tacos via Living Well Kitchen
Easy Fish Tacos via Homemade Nutrition
Blackened Salmon Tacos via The Nutrition Adventure
Spiced Lime Vinaigrette Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa via My Menu Pal
Speedy Shrimp Tacos via My Menu Pal
Build a Better Taco + 25 Taco Recipe Ideas from Registered Dietitians via RDelicious Kitchen @RD_Kitchen Vegan Tacos with California Walnuts via Nutrition a la Natalie
Vegan Tempeh Tacos via The Grateful Grazer
Black Bean and Kale Tacos via Living Well Kitchen
Crunchy Lentil Tacos w/ Avocado Feta Guacamole via The Spicy RD
Fish Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Mango Habanero Salsa via My Cape Cod Kitchen
BBQ Salmon & Kale Tacos via Marisa Moore Nutrition
Shrimp Tacos with Yogurt Slaw via fANNEtastic Food
Loaded Tofu Tacos via My Cape Cod Kitchen
Wild Mushroom Garlic Tacos via 24 Carrot Life
Want to skip the shell? Try a Grilled Tofu Taco Salad with Peach Mango Salsa, or Quinoa Taco Salad. Rather slurp with a spoon? Try a Crockpot Taco Soup or a Freezer Friendly Taco Soup. The taco-bilities are endless!
What is your favorite taco combination?
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Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour

I had the most amazing opportunity to be part of the Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour this year.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThis post was sponsored by Chelan Fresh. My travel, accommodations and meals were all covered. I was not compensated by writing this post. 
Sunday I went from NJ -> WA. I’ve never been to the west coast before and it’s safe to say, my first time here was a wonderful experience. I was invited to attend the Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour in Chelan, Washington.
Sunday was a long day of traveling. Of course, I had to pack some healthy travel snacks.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenIt’s crazy the power of a simple hashtag (#tourchelancherries) is. I had tweeted the day before about my travel plans and excitement about this trip. As I was waiting at the Seattle airport during my layover, Lori, aka The Produce Mom messaged me to meet up before the next flight. That’s when more and more attendees came together as we all were waiting together for our flight to Wenatchee.
Myself – Supermarket RD & Blogger
Amber Bloom – Public Relations & Social Media representative at Produce for Kids (twitter & instagram)
Amber Denmon – ShopRite Retail Registered Dietitian
McKenzie Hall – Registered Dietitian and co-founder of Nourish RDs, a nutrition communications and consulting company
Lindsey Kane – Healthy Eating Specialist and Registered Dietitian for Whole Foods Market, Philadelphia Metro Area
Lori TaylorThe Produce Mom, advocate for the fresh produce industry
Allison Kuhn – Kroger’s Corporate Dietitian
Sylvia Melendez Klinger – Registered Dietitian and founder of Hispanic Food Communications
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenA limo picked us up and we were whisked away to the beautiful Campbell’s Resort for the fun to begin. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together getting to know each other. It’s really great to learn more about others in the same industry.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenWith the time difference and all travel that day, I hit the hay early that night. We had a lot on the agenda for the next day!
The next morning I woke up refreshed and sipped coffee while enjoying the gorgeous view from my balcony.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenI headed down to the Campbell’s Resort Bistro to meet the group. I was eyeing the the portobello Benedict with roasted red peppers, cherry tomato, spinach, mushrooms, poached eggs in a portobello mushroom cap with hollandaise sauce. I definitely have to recreate this again.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAfter breakfast, we headed to Chelan Fruit Test Orchard Tour and had the pleasure of Harold Schell, Horticulturalist speak to us. He explained to us that it takes 3 years for an apple tree to produce apples. It’s amazing how advanced technology is and the irrigation system they had equipped in their orchards. The apple trees are watered once a week due to the dry climate using a drip irrigation which feed fertilizer and nutrients to the trees automatically.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThere is going to be a new apple of the market in the next couple of years – the Sugar Bee Apple. They are still in the process of testing and there is not currently enough to sell nationwide at this time. It’s a non-gmo “open cross” meaning the known mother seed comes from a honey crisp apple, but it is unknown of what the father seed is from bee cross pollinization.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenIt’s rumored that it’s better than a honeycrisp, which I don’t even know how that is even possible! I did not get the chance to try one, but I am excited for a new apple to come into town.
.. And I made a new fur-friend named Annie!
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenNext stop was at Gebber’s Farms Warehouse for a tour. At Gebber’s Farms Warehouse all cherries and picked, processed, and packaged all within the same day. They go through a vigorous process in order to be determined if they are to perfection to be packaged. So when any customer ever complains how expensive cherries are, it’s because of the detail and precision that goes into the process to ensure you are getting the best cherries. Peak cherry season is June – August.

Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

Did you know? – After it rains a helicopter hovers over the cherry trees enough for the excess moisture will fall off the cherries, which help prevent the cherries flesh from splitting.

Cherries are sorted into different bags based on their size. There is a cherry sizer chart to determine what batch they belong to. This is done manually and mechanically.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAt one point during processing, each cherry has it’s photo taken at all angles and a computer software system can instantly detect any deformities and then it is determined if it will be kept or discarded for repurposing. Our group called it the #cherryselfie!
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAny cherries with abnormalities, not able to be packaged are used for cherry juice or dried cherries. No cherries go to waste!
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThe warehouse tour was really fascinating! After the tour we headed over to the Stenne’s Family Homestead for lunch. Their family opened up their home to us for us to learn more about their family owned business in agriculture. Their family has passed on the family business from generation to generation and has significantly grown with their hard work and dedication. With only starting out with 25 acres of land to now 600 acres of land growing pears, apples, and cherries, I would say that is quite a success.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenIt was so refreshing to hear them talk about how passionate they are about their family and business dynamic and how it works for them. They have now also ventured into organic farming.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen…. And their family can make an amazing berry crisp!
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAfter lunch, we stopped at a sushi restaurant, where they showed us how to make fruit sushi! Typical nori (seaweed) doesn’t really work with fruit sushi and their sweet and savory flavors tend to clash. Instead they used soy paper, with a very neutral taste to wrap the fruit sushi. The soy paper is naturally colored using spices. The turmeric soy paper has a vibrant yellow tone.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAlso, Rachelle and E.A. Weymuller, from Caramelize Life, were there giving up tips and tricks when presenting food, how to make it visually appealing. This was a great session that I will definitely use when food demoing at work.
E.A. had some really awesome photography tips and tricks. I recently purchased my first DSLR camera and still have now idea half the time what I am doing. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I am starting to get comfortable using it in a manual setting.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThat evening we dined at Vin du Lac Winery. We took a tour of the property while sipping on their many variety of wines.
IMG_0087Everything on the menu that evening was locally sourced. The chef did an amazing job. Each part of the menu was paired with one of their wines.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenI was pretty full, and remember thinking “i’ll only have a few bites”. I have a weakness for apple crumble and enjoyed every. last. bite. #sorrynotsorry. The apples were so sweet and tender.
We had a discussion during the orchard tour that golden delicious apple crops are becoming less and less because they are not as popular anymore. I’ve never really used golden delicious apples in baking before, but everyone raved how amazing they were baked and didn’t get mealy like other high moisture apples tend to do.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenAfter a jam packed day, this was the perfect way to end the day.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThen next morning, we went to Blueberry Hills for breakfast and blueberry picking. Kari Sorenson, spoke to us about their sustainability. They are open all year round and utilize every part of their crops.
Kari repurposes all the leaves from the trees or excess blueberries after season. She created a blueberry powder. Her blueberry powder is different than others on the market. She uses the whole blueberry keeping it’s antioxidant level high with also keeping it’s delicious blueberry taste. Other only use the skin which loses it’s flavor and also valuable nutrients.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenKari also uses the blueberry leaves and created various tea varieties. You can visit her online shop here.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenWe went blueberry picking after breakfast. I’ve never gone blueberry picking before and couldn’t believe how sweet and delicious they were right off the tree.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenA few clusters of the blueberries were huge, about the size of a quarter.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenI snacked on so many blueberries that morning, I felt like I was going to turn into Violet, like in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThe best stop was saved for last. We went to the cherry warehouse the day before, but this day we were directly to the cherry orchards where all those cherries were picked from.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenDid you know ? – You are supposed to pick the cherries from the stem, leaving the spur in tack on the tree. The spur needs to remain in order to let that tree grow cherries again for the next year.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenPicking cherries is a very delicate process and workers are trained how to pick properly. All these cherries are hand picked and I can’t believe how fast and skilled the Chelan Fresh workers were. Within a matter of minutes a bucket of cherries was filled, loaded into a larger bin and immediately shipped out from the orchard to cool before going to the warehouse to be processed and packaged that day.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenThe workers were done for the day, carrying their ladders and equipment up the hill after a long morning of cherry picking, which meant our day at the cherry orchard was wrapping up too.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchenI had mentioned during the trip how much I LOVE rainier cherries, which are yellow in color with a hint of pinkish red. We pulled over on the side of the road driving out of the orchard and Dan grabbed me a branch from the tree to snack on.
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitche
What a wonderful couple of days. Good food, good company, and the complete Chelan Fresh experience!
A big thank you to Mac Riggins, Marketing Director at Chelan Fresh, Kathryn Grady, manages Chelan Fresh Marketing, and Lorinda Oscarson for making this a remarkable experience that I will continue to share what I learned with others.

Chelan Fresh
Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // YouTube

Adios Washington. Until we meet again ..
Chelan Fresh Cherry Tour #tourchelancherries via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen
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Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two

Join Julie at RDelicious Kitchen as she shares the steps in order to become a Registered Dietitian and her journey to becoming a RD.

National Nutrition Month - Take a Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle: Becoming a Registered Dietitian via RDelicious Kitchen

March is National Nutrition Month. Myself and other dietitians are blogging all month to celebrate. So far on RDelicious Kitchen, we have covered what the difference between a Registered Dietitian and a Nutritionist and Part One of becoming a Registered Dietitian.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part One covered Steps 1 & 2 of becoming a Registered Dietitian, about college courses and the dietetic internship you must complete in order to be eligible to take the RD Exam. In case you missed it, stop there first.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - Study materials to prepare for the RD exam via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

Today is all about Step 3 – Study materials to help prepare you to pass the RD exam. While completing the dietetic internship you learn so much, you really need to study to be fully prepared to take the RD exam.

The exam is broken up into 4 domains: Food & Nutrition Sciences, Nutrition Care, Management of Food & Nutrition, and Foodservice Systems.

The exam is always taken at a test center that must follow the regulations of the exam. It is computerized and you are provided with a calculator and a mini white board to work out answers.

What's on the RD exam? via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen(source)

The questions are not in any specific order. The exam gives a minimum of 125 questions. Out of those 125 questions, 100 of them count toward the exam and 25 of them are testing for future RD exam questions. I personally, did not like knowing this. When I got to a particularly hard questions I second guessed if it was a real question or a question for future exam that wasn’t counting toward my exam.

Also, 125 exam questions is the minimum. You could get up to 145 exam questions. As you are taking the exam it is being monitored of the difficulty level. If the examinee receives more difficult questions throughout, fewer questions are needed to be answered correctly to pass the exam. Personally, I had all 145 questions.

The exam has a time limit set for 2.5 hours. You must answer each question to move on to the next one. The exam times out once the 2.5 hours are up.

The exam costs $200 dollars. If you happen to not pass the first time, you unfortunately have to wait 6 weeks to take the exam again.

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Before you take the exam, you have to fully prepare yourself. There are various study materials out there to utilize. I want to share the ones I have used and other resources that are available.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - study materials for the RD exam via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

Jean Inman’s Study Guide
You could go to her two day seminar to go through all the material in full detail, or you can purchase the materials to study at home. While it’s a little pricy at $385, I believe it was 100% worth it and I valued this guide the most and felt like it prepared me the best.

The study materials include:

• Detailed, comprehensive Study Manual following CDR study guidelines, covering all Domains. We do all the research, so your time is spent studying, not searching for information!
• All lectures on CD. Listen as you study the Manual. Because most of what is discussed is printed for you in the Manual, note-taking will be minimized. Your time can be spent learning.
• Over 1000 sample test questions.
• Tips on how to study and how to take the computerized test.
• Individual support provided by mail, phone or e-mail. If you have questions after you have studied a section.
The study materials are very in depth covering the nitty-gritty details that will appear on the exam. I would listen to the CDs in the car or on my iPod and go for a walk. [Side note: An embarrassing moment happened when I just put my iPod on shuffle before teaching a spin class. On the the tracks from the study guide came on and was talking about anthocyanins and the gym go-ers were a tad confused. lol]
Visual Veggies

Get the experience you need to prepare yourself for the Registration Exam for Dietitians.  The RD Practice Exam is a multiple-choice quiz application that closely resembles the actual RD Exam.  The practice exams contain questions comparable to what is asked on the actual exam.  All exam domains and their subcategories are included with many questions in each.  The practice exams are timed tests to simulate the pressure of test-taking with limited time.  Beyond the actual exam, the RD Practice Exam provides immediate feedback on whether the selected answer is correct or incorrect.  Plus, a detailed description for each question explains more about the topic for a full learning experience.

I really loved Visual Veggies. It was great to have a structure like the how the RD exam would be – a timed series of questions. While Jean Inman’s practice questions had an answer key to the questions, I preferred Visual Veggies practice tests, because it had an explanation for each question you got incorrect.
What is also great, is that you can download the software to your computer, iPad, iPhone, or iPhone touch so you can easily study on the go!
Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - Study Materials via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen
Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - Study Materials via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen
The practice exams also give you a breakdown of how you did with the questions from each domain. This was a big help to see which areas I was strong in and other areas that I was weak in and needed to study more. The software can take an average of all of your exams taken to give you an overall average in each domain as well.
Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - Study Materials via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen** Other study materials my fellow RD friends have used: materials from EatRight.org, RDstudy.com, RD Exam Secrets Study Guide. I have not personally used any of these. If you have used any of these before, please share what you liked/didn’t like about these study materials.

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Tips for studying and taking the exam:

Becoming a Registered Dietitian: Part Two - study materials via RDelicious Kitchen @rdkitchen

1. Give yourself a timeline.
I scheduled my exam the second my paperwork went through for completing my dietetic internship. Knowing when I was taking the exam, I scheduled the days I would study and planned what domains I would cover each of those days.
2. Get out of the house.
Studying at home, I would often get distracted. I became Starbucks best customers during those weeks of studying. I would be more focused when I was studying elsewhere. Plus, the perk was a a treat to a latte.
3. Practice!
Yes, you may have majority of the material memorized, but make sure you are able to apply the information to answer the exam questions. I personally felt the exam questions were great prep to apply the information studied.
4. Don’t overstudy.
Often times, overstudying can lead to second guessing the answers. Which brings to the next tip.
5. Be confident!
Be confident in your answers. What took me awhile to get used to, was that you had to answer the question to move forward to the next questions, and not able to go back to any questions. I would get super anxious about this, but remember you don’t have to get a perfect score. The questions I noticed I was taking a little too long on, I would try to eliminate as many wrong answers as I could and make an educated guess.
6. Celebrate!!!!
You just passed the RD exam. Congrats on becoming a Registered Dietitian. It is am amazing feeling after passing the exam. All the hard work feels like it has truly paid off!
Passing RD exam #rdchat
RDelicious Kitchen
Disclosure: I received permission by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for use of NNM logo. I was provided the Visual Veggies software for free. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Supermarket RD’s Pick: Boom Chicka Pop

Boom Chicka Pop – Popcorn is a whole grain and is perfect for snacking. See how this brand gives their popcorn a pop of flavor and why it makes the list of a  Supermarket RD Pick.
Supermarket RD's Pick @ RDelicious Kitchen

Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn flavors
First off, let’s just talk about the name. When I first saw this on the shelves, it immediately caught my eye.

Boom Chicka Pop  is a great snack for munching that you can feel good about eating.

Not only is Boom Chicka Pop made with all natural ingredients, but there are less calories, sodium, carbs, and fat in one 3 cup serving of Boom Chicka Pop (sea salt flavor) than in one 1 cup serving of some other packaged popcorn brands.

Each bag has symbols that indicate each products characteristics.

Boom Chicka Pop symbols

boom chicka pop symbols

As the Boom Chicka Pop line has expanded, they now have many new flavors! Their website gives this great chart of how the products stack up to each other nutritionally. I had a little trouble putting the white cheddar flavor down. It’s so delicious.

Boom Chicka Pop calorie comparison chart

They also have seasonal flavors, like there iced gingerbread kettle corn, that you can check out here.

What I also really like about it, is that is already popped. I really like to pack popcorn as a snack, but it’s not very feasible to pop up some popcorn when you are on the go. I’ve noticed in other (already popped) popcorn that it has this weird almost stale taste, and Boom Chicka Pop does not!

Snack Happy with Boom Chicka Pop!

Disclosure: Boom Chicka Pop did not sponsor this post. Images are from the Boom Chicka Pop website. All opinions are my own.

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Supermarket RD’s Pick: The Good Bean – Roasted Chickpea Snacks

Some people hate the task of going grocery shopping. Even before I became a Supermarket Registered Dietitian, I loved it! I would always be ready to go with my shopping list, but every single time a few new items would sneak into my cart. Whenever I would see a new item, I was intrigued and needed to try it! Yes, maybe 90% the little extras that snuck into my cart were health/nutrition conscious choices. That other 10% we will talk about another time (cue the Trader Joes cookie and cocoa swirl spread or a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie!).
What is the Supermarket RD’s pick this week? – The Good Bean Roasted Chickpea Snacks!!
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Our chickpeas are so darn crispy, crunchy and flavor packed that you might think they’re junk food. Not to worry, one serving has as much protein as almonds, as much fiber as two cups of broccoli and as much folate as three cups of spinach!
(source)

Currently, at my store we carry sea salt, cracked black pepper, smoky chili & lime, and sweet cinnamon flavors.
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I just found out they have 3 new flavors (thai coconut lemon grass, chocolate, and mesquite BBQ) that I cannot wait to try and hopefully they can get on the shelves soon too!
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With the good bean roasted chickpea snack, you can eat them as is or incorporate them into snack and other recipes. I recently just made a Kale Caesar Salad and topped it with the sea salt roasted chickpeas in place of croutons for a healthier crunch. You can incorporate them in a trail mix, mixed in with yogurt, on top of salads, in a wrap, the possibilities are endless!
What I really like is that they are gluten-free, nut-free, cholesterol-free, low fat, low in carbohydrates, nothing over-engineered, nothing artificial. Plus, the nutrition facts on these make a dietitian happy!
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Have you ever tried these before? What is your favorite flavor?
Next time you are going grocery shopping maybe add these on your list!

* Disclaimer: The Good Bean did not sponsor this post. All opinions are my own. 

In good health,
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