Cold Brew Coffee...the best start to your day

So...I'm about to share with you how to make cold brew...You're welcome.

If you follow me on instagram (@donuteatingdietitian), you know that I drink a cold brew latte every single day. Seriously, every day. Sometimes, I drink it in the afternoon too. I've been asked several times about how to make it, so I decided I should just share here on the blog.

Making your own cold brew is suuuper simple. And way cheaper than buying the bottled stuff. I mean, have you seen how outrageous it is to buy it?? No thanks. Besides, I like getting to try different flavors based on the roast I buy. 

Cold brew is different than simply putting ice in coffee. It has it's own method of being made and it has a different taste profile as well. I find cold brew to be less bitter and far more flavorful. I have to add a bunch of sugar to regular brewed coffee to like it (caramel macchiato? Yes, puhlease), but I only add milk to my cold brew and it is ssooooo delicious! I highly recommend buying lighter roasts. I don't know how to describe how the dark roast cold brew tastes, but I'm not a fan.

Sorry to get off subject, but I have yet to catch you all up on my most recent employment status! Last time I posted, I mentioned that I had decided to go the private practice route. Welp, that changed. But it was a GOOD change. I am so stinking excited that it did and about my future....I received a job with a Christian counseling company in the area to do one-on-one nutritional counseling for those with eating disorders, disordered eating, and weight management issues. You guys, this is exactly in-line with my heart and passions and in the kind of environment I longed for!! I didn't think getting a job this perfect for me was possible, but God was good to provide it for me! In addition, I am also doing some part-time nutritional counseling for a physician group in the area. Holy moly, getting to do what you're passionate about is so exciting and rewarding. 

So lately I have been spending a lot of time researching and learning, networking with providers in the area, and getting my feet wet. It is going to take awhile to build up a solid clientele since it is a new service they are offering, but I am perfectly fine with that. And as I learn more about eating disorders and intuitive eating, the more mad I get at the dieting industry and the messages that the media sends us. Our views of food and our bodies and the language we so commonly use with each other is so detrimental! But that's for an entirely different post...

Back to making this cold brew concentrate. Pick a light coffee roast of your liking, place 1 cup of ground coffee in a large bowl with a pouring spout (or else you'll end up with water ALL over your counter), add 4 cups of water (always a 4:1 ratio), cover it, and leave it sitting on your counter for the next 12-24 hours. I normally start mine in the evening and then strain it at the same time the next morning. To strain the coffee, put a coffee filter into a colander placed over a medium bowl and pour the mixture into the strainer. Once it has strained completely, pour it into a resealable glass or plastic container and store in the fridge for up to a week...if it lasts that long. 

Lastly, to drink your delicious cold brew: fill a glass with ice, pour your coffee to about the halfway mark, and then top with milk! Beware, cold brew has more caffeine than brewed hot coffee, so if you get jittery easily, you may want to start out with smaller amounts than you normally drink! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Ranch Turkey Burgers

Raise your hand if you like a good burger! *Insert girl raising her hand emoji here* If only I could use emoji's on this blog. They are so wonderful at capturing my emotions. Well, most of the time. 

Growing up, my family had burgers every Saturday. Every. Single. Week. I know that sounds like bliss for some of you, but I got really tired of beef burgers. And then in high school I went through this phase where I didn't eat beef at all. I convinced myself it was because I didn't like beef (which was partly true), but really it was because of silly food rules I had made for myself.  

These days, I really do enjoy a good burger. But it's gotta be a good burger. None of those pre-made freezer patties. Don't feed me a burger if it's well done. Don't even try to convince me it's worth eating if it doesn't have avocado and tomato on it...and a fried egg. Yeah, I'm pretty picky when it comes to burgers. 

However, I absolutely LOVE these turkey burgers. I came up with them the first summer Isaac and I were married. I wanted to give them some pep (it was my first attempt at burgers as a wife) and I threw a few random ingredients together. The result? Super moist and flavorful burgers! Aaand, the first time I made them we had them on pretzel buns. PRETZEL BUNS! I about died. I was planning on serving them on pretzel buns for this post, but I couldn't find them anywhere. So I settled for cheddar onion buns. They were good, but come on. Pretzel buns...

I know cottage cheese seems like a strange ingredient, but it really lends to a moist and flavorful burger. Don't skip it even if you dislike cottage cheese. You can't distinguish it from the turkey once it cooked. The ranch seasoning really kicks up the flavor. I use ranch seasoning for quite a bit of things (veggies, chicken, etc.). I'm not super comfortable with the ingredient list, so I'm gonna give this homemade ranch seasoning recipe a try. I'll let you know what I think. 

So there you have it, dinner for this upcoming weekend. Or week day. That's what we did. 

Oh, and don't forget to serve it with a side of sweet potato waffle fries <3

Strawberry Mango Salsa

If only you could have seen my set-up for taking these pictures....I kid you not, I was laying on the floor with my pastry board on the carpet, a pair of boots holding up my white foam backboard, and scotch tape adhering a piece of foil onto the wall to reflect light. I'm not sure if I'm dedicated or just crazy. You have no idea how much I wish I had a legit set-up and camera!! 

But the hard work was worth it because this salsa is ahhhmazing!! (and I like how the pictures turned out) I learned how to make pineapple salsa one summer while working in a restaurant, and have found that the basic recipe works for pretty much any fruit. A fruit salsa adds SO much flavor to tacos, fish, chicken, pork, etc. If you're wanting to take your tacos or meats to the next level, definitely give this a try. I was planning on giving you my tropical shrimp taco recipe that this salsa pairs perfectly with, but I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand and I decided that trying to make the food and take pictures of it would be too difficult. I'll give you the recipe at some point--I promise!

So the reason my setup was so crazy for this recipe was because I was in OKC with my parents. New surroundings means finding where the good lighting is and such. I headed down there last Tuesday to vote for the presidential primaries. I've been out of the house for 7 years and have yet to change my voter's registration. I know, it's ridiculous. I'll get myself together at some point...

Since I was going home, I made a trip out of it. I got to spend one day decorating cookies with a special friend, had an incredibly encouraging lunch with my nana, spent an afternoon with one of the sweetest friends EVER, and counseled my first client.

Oh!! I haven't told you about that yet! So some of the biggest news as of lately is that I've decided to stop waiting on a job to come around, and instead create my own. I AM looking for a part-time position, but I've decided to pursue my passion of nutritional counseling by starting up my own private practice. Check out my new website by clicking the "Nutritional Counseling" tab above, or just click the link here.  

I just have such a strong desire to walk with people through their struggles in order to achieve their health and nutrition goals. And I have met and known so many people with food and weight issues. I want to help people find freedom in those areas. This is about so much more than having a job and making money... So my life has recently consisted of listening to podcasts, participating in nutrition-related webinars, and working on marketing/networking. I'll keep you updated on how it goes. 

In the meantime, make this salsa. You won't be able to get over how fresh it is, and how incredible is makes everything taste!

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup strawberries, diced
• 3 Tbsp red onion, diced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp jalapeno, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp honey
• Lime juice from 1/2 lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and set in fridge for 15 minutes to chill and to allow flavors to meld.
2. If mangos or strawberries are unavailable, feel free to swap out fruits. You could do all mango, all strawberry, all pineapple, strawberries and blueberries, etc. Like I said earlier, the possibilities are endless!