What I Ate Wednesday: Registered Dietitian’s Real Meals

My RD and food blogger friend Carlene from Healthfully Ever After invited me to participate in the “What I Ate Wednesday: RD Edition.” I admire her style and design sense, and thought it would be fun to share a typical day of eats. Clients often ask what dietitians eat — today an athlete even asked me, “Do you eat clean?” I laughed, remembering the cookie I’d eaten the day before, and explained I follow an 80/20 approach: eat well most of the time and leave room for treats. Below is a recap of my Monday meals. (All photos taken with my iPhone.)

My day began very early — up at 4:30 a.m. I didn’t make it to CrossFit, but I was excited for the day. First thing I had coffee with a splash of half-and-half (not pictured — it was too dark for a photo).

Around 5:00 a.m. I ate a Van’s Ancient Grains gluten-free waffle topped with peanut butter and fresh blueberries. It was quick, satisfying, and easy to prepare before starting my day.

I’m usually hungry for eggs first thing, but that morning I wasn’t. After a bit of reading while waiting for Eric to wake up, I went to the store since we needed groceries after a busy Mother’s Day weekend. When I got home, I snacked on a handful of dark chocolate–covered plums while I put everything away — a sweet, portable bite that felt indulgent and still nourishing.

An hour into work I made myself a latte with 2% milk using my Nespresso machine. I love making coffee at home, though my favorite mug doesn’t retain heat well — it cools down after a few sips.

Around 10:00 a.m. I tried a “Pink Power Detox Smoothie” I’d been pinning about. I had peeled beets in the fridge and decided to use them. I added lime juice to help tone down the beet flavor. It was surprisingly good for a beet-based drink, though very filling — I could only finish half. To me it felt like two servings.

Lunch around 1:00 p.m. was leftovers from Chipotle. Their portions are generous, which I appreciate: if I’m very hungry I can eat a full meal, and if not, I end up with leftovers for later. Two meals for about $10 felt reasonable to me.

At about 4:00 p.m. I had Chobani peach Greek yogurt. It’s a reliable snack that hits the protein note and keeps me satisfied until the next bite.

Thirty minutes later I ate a banana. I always get hungrier in the late afternoon, and a banana is a convenient, energizing choice.

Dinner at about 8:30 p.m. was pulled pork with caramelized onions, apple slaw, and Sweets & Beets chips. Mondays are long for us because we attend ReGroup at church, so a comforting, hearty meal felt just right after a full day.

For dessert I made a quick homemade chocolate ice cream using chocolate milk, cream, and a bit of sugar — it tasted like a rich chocolate milkshake and satisfied my fro-yo craving without going out.

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The WIAW Dietitian Tag! #WIAWRD

This post is part of a dietitian tag to share what registered dietitians around the world actually eat. To continue the tag, copy and paste the tag instructions into your WIAW post, share the link with the hashtag #WIAWRD on social media, add your post link to the list, and tag a few other dietitians to participate.

I tag Carissa from Fit2Flex, Jenna from Fresh Food Perspectives, and Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean — snap, eat, and share, fellow RDs.