What Do Dietitians Eat On Fourth Of July?

The Fourth of July is an iconic holiday in the states, and it often provides a great opportunity for family and friends to get together as the summer heats up. And what better way to celebrate than over a great meal!

We asked our dietitians what foods they will most be looking forward to this July 4^th, and not surprisingly, many of the foods included patriotic colors and some classic American cuisine! Be sure to check out the two recipes at the bottom for some inspiration if you are still planning your menu!

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What Fourth of July favorite foods are our dietitians looking forward to most?

• Zoe – Grilled corn, watermelon, and popsicles!
• Bridget – Red White and Blue Berry Trifle (angel food cake, berries, whipped cream, etc.)
• Savannah -Watermelon Caprese salad and Costco hot dogs!
• Courtney – Red White and Blue Rice Krispies
• Emily – Flag cake, grilled hamburgers & hot dogs
• Julia-  All grilled food! – (Hot dogs & corn on the cob) then fruit salad with berries and watermelon on the side.
• Adrien – Sweet Corn with melted butter (from when she would visit Iowa as a kid)

Recipes for you to try this Fourth of July

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Firecracker Hotdogs

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Try this twist on a hot dog and see how it could liven up your grill out and be a party must!  This recipe is super easy and you can get the whole family involved in making it.

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Ingredients

• 1 can refrigerated breadstick dough
• 2 packages -16 hot dogs
• 16 thick slices Colby cheese
• 16 skewers

Cooking Directions

1. First take your skewers and stick them all the way through your hot dogs leaving about an inch and a half exposed out of the top of each hot dog. Then take a piece of breadstick dough and carefully wrap it around the hot dog until you get to the top. Place the wrapped dogs on a silpat (non-stick baking liner) or parchment paper and bake according to the package directions for the breadstick dough. It took us about 20 minutes at 350.
2. While the hot dogs are cooking take out your cheese slices, the key to this step is to go to your grocers deli counter and ask for them to slice you pieces of cheese that are 1/4″-3/8″ thick. Then using a small star cookie cutter cut out your stars. Depending on how big or small your cookie cutter is will determine how many stars you get out of each slice of cheese. We could only get one star out of each slice.
3. After your dogs have cooled for 2-3 minutes stick the star through the skewer at the top.
4. We used a pail with a styrofoam ball hidden by crinkly papers to display them here, which would also be a great way to display them at a gathering. You can also just layer them on top of each other on a plate. Enjoy!

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Red, White, and Blue Chocolate Bark

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Ingredients

• 2 cups high quality milk chocolate chips*
• 2 cups high quality white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup red, white, and blue M&Ms
• 1/3 cup sprinkles

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Cooking Directions

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1. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a microwave safe bowl add in the milk chocolate chips.
3. Melt in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring for 5-10 seconds in between each burst until chocolate is melted. Be careful to not over cook the chocolate and be patient with the slow bursts. A lot of the melting happens in between microwave bursts.
4. Using a spoon and a spatula, spread the chocolate evenly over the full surface of the parchment paper on the prepared pan.
5. Let set. (Do not put in the fridge because a cold chocolate layer will make the white chocolate harden even quicker)
6. Add the white chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and again, melt in 15 second bursts stirring in between each burst for 5-10 seconds.
7. As soon as the white chocolate is melted, pour and spread evenly over the chocolate layer. Work quickly as white chocolate hardens very fast.
8. As soon as the white chocolate is spread evenly over the chocolate add the M&M’s and sprinkles.
9. Allow to completely set until the chocolate layers are hardened.
10. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Have a safe and fun Fourth of July from everyone at Nourish!

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