Super Simple Apple Crisp

One of my very favorite things to bake (especially in the fall) is apple crisp.  I have lots of childhood memories of my mom and I going apple picking and then heading home to make homemade applesauce and apple crisp.  Typically I tweak my recipes to make them healthier, but I'm not messing with this family recipe!  Be sure to enjoy this sweet fall treat, but remember--everything in moderation! :)

Apple Crisp

-Apples (We love & use Macs but you can use Cortland, Fuji or Jonamacs too!)

-Butter (about 4 Tbsp)

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour (I use half whole wheat to add a healthy boost)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon to taste

1. Cover a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

2. Cut apples (I keep the skin on for added fiber!) and fill pan 3/4 full.

3. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and ~1 Tbsp sugar.

4.  Slice butter into small pads and spread over top of apples.

5. Prepare the crumble: Mix sugar into 2 eggs (beaten).  Add flour, baking powder and salt.

6.  Get your hands dirty and crumble dough evenly over apples.  

7.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

9. Enjoy!

Did you know I'm an RD? And I'm thankful too!

Hey friends.  First, let me apologize for skipping the last TWO weeks of Thankful Thursday.  It's not that I wasn't feeling thankful, but more that I was feeling overwhelmed with working and studying for my R.D. exam.  Now that that's over, I can get back to enjoying my life! Woo!

So let's get down to it.  This week (month?) I'm feeling thankful...

...that I passed my RD exam!!! I've been a Registered Dietitian for 5 whole days and I'm still not over it.  Although I know that I know my stuff, I finally feel like a credible professional. So listen to me darnit! :)

...for my incredible friends! They are so sneaky and surprised me last night with a Wednesday wine party to celebrate my big accomplishment! Since we already celebrated when I got my job, this was totally not necessary...but much appreciated!

...that those friends I mentioned really know how to party.  And by party, I obviously mean play Outburst and Charades.  Isn't that how everyone spends Wednesday nights?  Oh..and there was lots of wine & cheese! Yum.

...that my absolute favorite season is officially here! Fall=apples, cool weather, pumpkins and comfy sweaters.  What could be better?

Apple crisp = love.

...for my beautiful hometown.  I don't know that I appreciated the beauty of the Hudson Valley until I moved away and I love going back to visit! On Sunday, my mom and I had a really nice walk on the Walkway over the Hudson and took in some incredible views!

...for my Foodie Pen Pal package! Check back on Monday for the big reveal! In the meantime, head over to The Lean Green Bean Blog to sign up for October yourself! 

Okay. Now your turn! What are you thankful for? Do you have the best friends in the world? (Hint: you don't...I do.) Are you psyched for fall? TELL ME.

My Road to R.D.

It's official! I'm a Registered Dietitian!!

This past Saturday, I took and passed my R.D. exam! Eight long years after I started out on this career path, I'm finally here.  I'm so thrilled to join the ranks of so many fantastic nutrition professionals that are working to make our world healthier! 

{If you're not sure what type of work R.D.'s do or if you're interested in becoming an R.D. yourself...check out the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics site here.}

Let's take a look back at the long and winding road that has gotten me to this point...

In the fall of 2004, I started working towards a B.S. in Dietetics at the SUNY College at Oneonta.  During my four years there, I made lifelong friends and partied a tad.  Oh, I also took courses in Medical Nutrition Therapy, Foodservice Management, Biochemistry, Community Nutrition and more.  By the time graduation came, I honestly wasn't sure I was going to continue on this path to become a Registered Dietitian.  So I didn't apply to Dietetic Internship programs.  

In the summer of 2008, I began working for Nutrition Energy, a private nutrition practice in Manhattan.  It may sound cheesy but I consider this one of the best things to happen to me in terms of my career path.  I was able to get first-hand experience with nutrition counseling and was introduced to some of the absolute best dietetic professionals out there.  I found myself in awe of the incredible R.D.'s at Nutrition Energy and was reassured of the amazing impact nutrition has on people.   It was my inspiration to finish what I'd started.

I applied to Dietetic Internship programs for 2010 and was not selected.  The internship process is extremely competitive and frustrating.  The DI is a requirement for exam eligibility, and yet so many intelligent and experienced dietetics students get denied every year.  And then have to wait until the following year to apply again.  Which I did.  In the meantime, I went back to school and began working toward my M.S. in Nutrition.  

Finally, in April of 2011 I was matched with the North Shore LIJ Health System DI program.    This intensive 10-month program included rotations in long-term care, community nutrition, foodservice, and a main focus on clinical nutrition in the acute-care setting.  It was ridiculously challenging but I gained so much clinical knowledge...and a few fantastic friends. 

After graduating from the DI in June and successfully landing a job in a long-term care facility, I still had one more hoop to jump through!

I think the R.D. Exam might have been the most frustrating part for me, because I don't really feel that it is an accurate measurement of one's ability to be a good dietitian.  Hopefully that will change in the future.  As for me, I passed and that's all that matters!

So with all of that behind me, I'm officially Kimberly Hoban, RD.  I'm extremely proud of myself for setting a goal, finally achieving it...and doing something I'm passionate about.  In addition to patting myself on the back, I think it's important to thank the people who supported me along the way and made this all possible.  Bear with me as I give my best cheesy "acceptance" speech:

Thank you...

...to my parents and my family.  They have given me so much unconditional love and support over the years and I'll never be able to repay them. Thank you isn't enough.

...to my roommate.   She allowed me to borrow her wardrobe when I was working full-time for free.  She let me vent my endless frustrations over the past 8 years.  She let me and my laptop, internship modules, study-guides and flash cards take over the coffee table for way too long.  She's put up with my studying techniques (a.k.a. walking around the apartment talking to myself about adult diarrhea or the proper temperatures for cooking and storing meat).  Couldn't have done it without her! Thanks, LP.

...to my mentors, preceptors and peers.  The nutrition community is truly amazing and I'm excited to continue being inspired by and learning from these people.  

...to my friends.  I have put a lot of people on the back-burner during this process due to time and money constraints, yet every hoop I jumped through I was met with reassurance, support and love.  Thanks dudes. 

...to my running shoes, hot tea and dark chocolate.  Every girl needs outlets and "me" time.  

...to anyone still reading this post.  Thanks for listening.  It's been a long road and I'm psyched for the rest of my journey ahead.  Let's do this.

Signing off,

Kimberly Hoban, R.D.

My Sunday Runday

 Today was awesome.  So awesome I feel like writing about it.  After skipping my runs earlier in the week due to that silly head cold, I was more than ready to get in some mileage this morning.

Before I write about my stellar run, let me quickly say how proud I am of my dad!  This morning he ran the Heads Up Half Marathon in Concord, NH...finishing in 2:04:45! Way to go Dad! Looks like I'm going to have to pick up my pace to stay with him during the Staten Island Half next month! 

And now, back to me. :)

My alarm went off at 6:45am and I spent a few minutes trying to convince Rocky to spoon with me.  He wasn't having it, so I got up and had oatmeal with peanut butter and a big glass of water. I strapped on my fuel belt and Asics and headed out.  

The weather was absolutely perfect: mid-60s and sunny.

To get 12 miles in, my plan was to run down to Queensboro plaza, over the bridge, add 1.5 miles in Central Park and turn around and run back.  

I'm not exactly sure what's going on with the QB Bridge construction, but half of the bike path is torn up and with the storms this weekend, it was a puddly (not a word...) mess.  I quickly decided to scrap my original run plan.  

I knew I could easily add 6ish miles in Central Park and hop on the subway back to Astoria.  As soon as I crossed over 5th Ave, I got excited about my new plan.  I've run a few races in CP but rarely get over there for training.  

In a city where everyone is always in a big stinkin hurry, it's really nice to slow down and take in the beautiful sights and sounds of Central Park.  So I did.

I ran infamous Cat Hill.

And around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.  Twice.  Smiling the whole way. I really got distracted by the beauty of this city and it was awesome.

When I finally snapped out of my happy place, I finished the last few miles on the Bridle Path. 12 miles at 10:16 pace.  Other than a tight quad and achy hip, I felt great on this run.  

After my run, it was time for weekly grocery shopping.  And football.  And of course an afternoon nap!

Finally, after some studying and more football, I cracked a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.  It's the perfect taste-of-fall beer and is a great ending to my awesome day!

Are You Ready For Some....Thankful Thursday!?

Gooood morning! I've got a busy day ahead of me so let's be thankful early!  

Today, I'm thankful...

...that I feel a little bit better.  Or at least not worse.  I've been sick with some kind of head cold situation for the past 3 days and it has not been fun.  I woke up this morning and was actually able to breathe...so I went for an easy 4 mile run.  

...that it's Football Season! The GMEN might have lost last night (I'm also thankful I didn't stay up to watch), but I'm still excited for a fall/winter full of football!!!

...for good friends, good food & good wine!  Tuesday night we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of The Saint Austere, my dear friend Jackie's place in Brooklyn.  The menu and wine & beer list is kick-butt and you should definitely try them out next time you're in Williamsburg!

...for Fro-Yo. Period.

...that I'm going baby shopping with my SIL tonight! Did you hear...? I'm going to be an Aunt!!!

First present for baby H <3

On that note, I'm off to pack my lunch and get to work! Bring it on, Thursday!!! 

What are you thankful for today!?

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fact: I love to bake.  Since I've been getting hyped about fall and all things pumpkin, I was planning on making pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip muffins (my fave!).  Then my cousin came back from upstate with all this deliciousness from my uncle's garden:

Photo credit to Steph :)

See that big ole zucchini right there?  I snatched that up and decided to switch to Zucchini bread.  Or muffins rather, to make them easier to share!

The end result:

So stinkin good, if I do say so myself.  Of course, to make it a tad bit healthier I tweaked a basic zucchini bread recipe, incorporating whole wheat flour and swapping whole eggs for whites.

You should definitely make these babies yourself and here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 egg whites

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup zucchini (shredded)

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl.

3.  In a separate bowl, mix egg whites, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.

4.  Add wet ingredients to dry until combined.  (Don't worry-the mix will look a little too dry to be bread/muffin mix at this point)

 5.  Add shredded zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

And last but not least...

ENJOY! :)

Summer Wrap-Up

Since it's officially September and we'll soon be welcoming in fall, I thought I'd do a post recapping all of the amazing things I did this summer.  

I used to hate when you got back to school and teachers made you talk about all the fun and amazing things you did over the summer, because of course it meant that fun was over for the next 10 months.  Well now that I'm a "grown-up", I love looking back on the awesome things I've done.  It makes me feel grateful and inspires me to carry the awesomeness into the next season!  In this case, my favorite season: FALL!

So, here's what I did over my summer vacation....

I went to my best friends bachelorette party!

 And then her wedding...

<3

 I graduated from my Dietetic Internship program! Woohoo!!!

I went to a bunch of Yankee games.

I carried a tire around.  

And ran/crawled through some mud with these guys:

I spent some time at the beach and Astoria Park pool. 

I got dragged into some intense crafting projects with these lovely ladies:

I enjoyed some delicious food.

I found out I'm going to be an aunt!!!

Hi, Nephew baby! Can't wait to meet you!

I had color thrown on me with my friends.

And I got all sorts of sweaty, as much as I could!

As I'm sure you can tell, I had an absolute blast this summer.  I'm sad it's coming to an end but I have a lot to look forward to this fall.  My plans already include running the Staten Island Half with dad, reuniting with friends upstate and spending lots of money spoiling my little nephew fetus.

Stay tuned for fabulous fall updates.

In the meantime, tell me what about your summer! Go!