Happy Independence Day!

Berry and Watermelon Spinach Salad

Dressing:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon The Delicious Dietitian Thai Spice Blend

Whisk the lime juice into the olive oil until emulsified. Add the Thai Spice Blend and whisk until combined. 

Salad:
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh mint leaves, rough chopped plus extra for garnish
2 cups watermelon, deseeded and cut into 3/4″ chunks
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

Toss the spinach and mint together in a large serving bowl. A few minutes before serving, fold in the fruit and gently drizzle with the prepared dressing. Add a little bit of dressing at a time, and stop when you think you have enough–this salad is great with just a hint of dressing.

Garnish with a sprig or two of mint and serve.

Enchilada Casserole

This easy take on enchiladas makes a fantastic weeknight meal.  You could substitute the ground beef for ground turkey breast, shredded chicken or shrimp.

1 pound ground sirloin

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons The Delicious Dietitian Southwest Spice Blend

1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers

Chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400°.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.  

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, Southwest Spice Blend, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef and onions; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.

Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Top with green onion.  Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

Italian Sloppy Joes

This grown up version of the Sloppy Joe is a quick weeknight dinner that everyone in the family will love.  Use lean ground beef or ground turkey and a whole wheat bun for a dose of low fat protein and whole grains.  Add a green salad and you have a great meal in about 20 minutes.  Perfect for those nights when you need something on the table fast!

Italian Sloppy Joes

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 pound ground round (or ground turkey)

2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons The Delicious Dietitian Italian Spice Blend

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

12 whole wheat rolls, split

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add first 3 ingredients; cook until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato sauce and next 8 ingredients (tomato sauce through black pepper); reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/4 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun. Cover with top halves.

Meatloaf Minis

Nothing says home cooking like meatloaf.  As All-American as apple pie, there are as many meatloaf recipes as there are home cooks.  Meatloaf is easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive.  The twist to this recipe is to make the meatloaf in a muffin tin.  The minis guarantee portion control, and leftovers can be frozen in a zip top plastic bag and reheated for single serving lunches or dinners.  Serve the meatloaf minis with roasted potatoes or mashed cauliflower and your favorite steamed green veggie.  

Meatloaf Minis 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed low sodium saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons The Delicious Dietitian Italian Spice Blend
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Serving size 2 minis.  

Family Friday

What better time to emphasize family meal time than during the holiday season? As schedules become more packed with holiday events, shopping trips, and travel time it is difficult to focus on dinner time at home and connecting with your kids.

An excellent way to maximize your time at home is to include your kids in food preparation for family dinner. Not only are your kids learning good skills for life, but they are able to increase their interest in trying new foods. Kids of any age are able to help through cutting, pouring, and mixing.

Pouring, mixing and counting are skills that are appropriate to reinforce with toddlers. Older children can practice their math and measuring skills by preparing the ingredients for toddlers to pour/mix. Teens are perfect for a little more responsibility. It is a prime opportunity to teach them cooking methods like grilling and sauteing.

Try out the meal below for your family cook time:

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat

Non-stick cooking spray

1 tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern Spice Blend

1/2 cup marmalade

1 Tbsp The Delicious Dietitian Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar

1. Slice the pork into about 4 pieces and sprinkle with Southern Spice Blend.

2. After spraying a skillet with cooking spray, cook pork approximately 4 minutes on each side at medium-high heat. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Rest pork tenderloin on a separate plate.

4. Add marmalade and Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar to pan. Reduce for 3-5 minutes and pour over pork slices.

Harvest Salad

Serves 4

4 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
¼ cup pomegranate seeds

1 apple, chopped

¼ cup crumbled bleu cheese or gorgonzola cheese

¼ cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons The Delicious Dietitian Blueberry Wine Vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, Blueberry Wine Vinegar, black pepper, and sea salt then set aside.

2. Toss together romaine, apple, pomegranate seeds in a large bowl.

3. Add mixed dressing.

4. Sprinkle cheese crumbles over top.

Anna Dean is a registered, licensed dietitian with professional experience in preventative nutrition for cardiac disease and diabetes. She also served as a professor in nutrition and a contract dietitian in pediatrics assisting with menu development. Dean holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in nutrition from University of the Incarnate Word. Join her conversation on Twitter @adeanrd