Jessie, RD

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That’s right, folks!

Just call me: Jessie, RD.

When I mentioned in this post that I would be taking the registered dietitian exam later this summer, I didn’t realize how SOON I would be taking it. The graduates of my dietetics program and I were told that we wouldn’t be eligible to take the RD exam until the end of July. Thus, it was a surprise to me when I found out on July 2 that I could take the exam at any point thereafter.

So, there I was, staring at my phone and wondering when I should sign up for the exam. Have I ever told you guys that I’m impulsive at times? I called the scheduling center and exclaimed, “I’d like to take the exam! ASAP!” I think I startled the poor woman at the other end, because it look her a moment to respond. “What’s your name, and which exam would you like to take?”

Rule #1: When you’re on the phone asking for something, at least have the courtesy to identify yourself before making demands.

Within a few minutes, I had scheduled to take the RD exam on Wednesday, June 13th at 9 am. It wasn’t until I hung up that I realized just how much studying I would need to do in ten days.

Rule #2: Being impulsive is good for deciding to study abroad in China at the age of 25, or making cartoons out of veggies. Perhaps not good for scheduling exams that condense three years of schoolwork into ten days of studying. Particularly when you’re working on your Master’s degree research at the same time.

During the next ten days, I did a lot of this:

And this:

Yep, they be flashcards.

Plus about a thousand practice questions as part of a study guide (recent RDs and soon-to-be-RDs will know EXACTLY what I’m talking about).

A fabulous aspect of the RD exam is that you find out right away whether or not you passed. On Wednesday, July 13th at 10:42 am, I sat in my car just outside the test center and sent Peter the following text:

Just call me Jessie, RD.

And, now, here we are 🙂

I didn’t cook a lot while studying for the RD exam, but I did pull out a few easy recipes to … ahem … DE-STRESS. One of these recipes was by the lovely LeQuan: Steamed Eggs with Silken Tofu and Conpoy.

Rule #3: When your mind is full of facts about carbohydrate metabolism and about what to do if the person you’re counseling is disgruntled, use simple cooking to fill you up without stressing you out more.

I’ve had LeQuan‘s recipe bookmarked for a while, as I’m always looking for recipes with conpoy (a.k.a. dried scallops). … WHY do we have dried scallops just lying around our house?? Do you really need to ask? One word: PETER. He uses them to make the gosh-darned spiciest XO sauce I’ve eaten in my life. So painfully spicy, yet … so good.

Anyhoo, here are a few pictures from preparing this delicious dish:

Soaking conpoy.

I didn’t add the silken tofu, because we didn’t have any. Yes, we have dried scallops hanging around, but no tofu. Go figure.

Hmm, that’s a heckuva lot of scallops. And, no, I didn’t measure.
Finished!

LeQuan, this dish was perfect! Easy, delicious, full of protein, and delicious with rice and veggies. For more info on why eggs are such a great source of protein, check out this post. For those who make this dish: the dried scallops are KEY! Combined with the fish sauce, the dried scallops and soaking water give this dish its complex flavor. Thanks for the recipe, LeQuan!

As for the future: I’m so thrilled to officially be a part of the dietetics profession. When I began my RD journey three years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to be at the end. Now, I have a better idea about what I enjoy in dietetics, and I will continue to learn as I work on my Master’s degree in nutrition next year.

Take care, everyone!
Jessie, RD 😀

Q: What do you cook when you get busy? Or do you prefer takeout or frozen items? I’ve done that before – hello, Amy’s frozen burritos!

49 Comments

    1. Thanks, Jess!! 🙂

    1. Thanks, Samantha! 🙂

  1. Congratulations Jessie!!!!….., RD!!
    Your hard work has paid off and I’m so happy for you. Hmm….when i’m stressed and busy i usually go with my mom comfort food – tomato soup!

    1. Thanks, Tanantha! Mmm, I could go for some tomato soup right about now … 🙂

  2. Congratulations 🙂 🙂 🙂

    That picture of you studying instantly brought back memories of studying for AP U.S…

  3. Congrats from here as well dear Jessie!! 🙂

    I’ll be honest this recipe sounds like something I would be too scared to try, the words fish and oil don’t normally go so close together in my vocabulary. I could be missing a very tasty food, but I’ll pass because I am a coward 😀 The end product looks very smooth and indeed silken though (even without the tofu)

    Eggs and yoghurt are my go to foods when I am in a hurry. I may fry the eggs and have them with a little bread and feta cheese, or put them in an omelette with mushrooms and/or cheese if I want something really quick but filling. The yoghurt I have with something sweet, like honey and nuts, or marmelade. Sometimes I’ll have both in one evening lol

    Another tactic is to cook my food on Sunday and put it in portions in the freezer, then when I am too lazy to cook my lunch for the next day, I will dig out a portion and voila a home-cooked lunch. 🙂

  4. YAY!!! Congratulations!!! Jessie!!!! So Proud of you!!!

    1. Thanks so much, Sherri! 🙂

  5. Congrats on your hard work rewarded. All the best going forward. Your version of LeQuan’s dish looks entirely edible, especially with so much scallops. Love the presentation.

    The new blog look looks great. I guess we both were in the changing mood.

    Be well

  6. Joyce McVay says:

    Congratulations Jessie! You’ve accomplished a great deal for someone so young. Heck, what am I saying–you’ve accomplished a great deal for anyone of any age! I know your Dad must be so proud of you. Tell him to E-mail me, I can’t get him to respond to any of mine :), doesn’t that sound just like him?

    Love you, keep up the good work!

    Aunt Joyce

  7. CONGRATU-MA-LATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jessie you did it you did it you did it!!!!! I’m so proud of you for finishing this leg of the journey, especially after all that hard work, endurance, and patience. 🙂 You’re an inspiration!

    As for food I like to grab when I’m busy, I’m a fan of the sweet red pepper hummus from the fresh foods section at my grocer. I consider this indulging mainly because I know how easy hummus is supposed to be to make yourself, but somehow there’s always something about the darn thing that makes it tastier when someone else makes it for you. I’m also a fan of frozen cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. 🙂

    1. Also, your rendition of LeQuan’s dish looks amazing! Good on both of you for making such tasty use of dried scallops 🙂

    2. Aww, thanks Aletheia! You are so sweet 😀 I’m looking forward to seeing your show in the fall! xoxo

  8. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! OH gosh, I remember that feeling of elation, as if it was yesterday (and not almost five years ago!). I think I took mine around the same time, July 10th or something, so neat!

    When I get busy I typically do a combination plate. This means I grab any grain, any veg, and any protein I have in the fridge and/or freezer and just throw them on a plate, with some cheese. Nick doesn’t mind, I don’t mind, and it always tastes good!

  9. Jessie RD!!!!!! Big big huge arse CONGRATULATIONS my dear!!!!!! EEEEEEK!!!!!! I’m so super excited for you!!!!!! Can you tell from all my exclamation marks? Teehee. OMG! I can’t get over it! Wait wait wait…..breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out (repeat repeatedly). You ROCK girl! Ok ok, another big HUG! Jessie RD Jessie RD! Doing my happy LeeQie dance right now. Way to go Weiner! And holy moly! Look at all those flashcards! All worth it though. YAY!!!!!! :DDDDDD

    And you made the steamed eggs!!!!!! Doing my happy dance again! Doesn’t the conpoy totally make a huge difference to the dish? You steamed it perfectly too! Looks great, my dear! I’m so happy that you tried this dish. Peter, you rock for having dried scallops in your collection there. Haha. All my best in your journey ahead and best of luck with the masters!

    Sorry I’m so late at commenting, but you know I will always visit you when. Big big huge hugs again! Stalk ya more elsewhere ;). Hope you’re off to a great start to your week, dear.

    1. Oh gosh, you’re not late at all, LeeQs! Thanks for the congrats and for your awesome dish! It kept me nourished while I was studying – a perfect meal 🙂 Also, I’ll have to use the phrase “repeat repeatedly” as often as possible now 😉 Stalk ya later!

  10. PS

    Forgot to say that I’m loving the new look of your blog! Great picture hottie. Teehee.

  11. Congratulations! I am so excited for you! You will make an amazing dietitian.
    Gosh, that darn Inman Review!! So glad to be done with that. 🙂

    1. Haha, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about with that Inman review. I think that packet is going straight to the recycling bin – or at least storage 😉

  12. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    So many congrats to you, Jessie! Awesome, awesome, awesome! I couldn’t be happier for you…you, DIEITIAN, you! 🙂

  13. Hmm, that looks delicious. And of course, congratulations!
    …when I’m busy, I eat a lot of eggs, salad, bread, steamed veggies, wild rice.

  14. First of all: CONGRATS!!!!! Whooo! I’m just so ecstatic for you, Jessie, if only you could see my grin right now! It’s just so rewarding for us readers, who’s been with you through the progression of it all, to see that accomplishment. Yay you!!!

    Oh, and for my quick lazy meal, I don’t even cook, I buy Mexican bread (so cheap and delish) and eat that with yogurt, jam, butter and fruits.

  15. AHHHHH!!!! I’m happy dancing for you! CONGRATS JESSIE! I knew you could do it!

  16. Congratulations Jessie! What an amazing accomplishment and you worked so hard to achieve it. I’m thrilled for you!

    Lovely recipe – I think LeQuan has the most amazing little concoctions, and I will try one of them soon! I just need about 100 ingredients that I never have in my kitchen. 🙂

    1. Thanks, Ameena! I know what you mean about LeQuan’s awesome recipes – I just wish I could find some of the ingredients! I’m still on the lookout for water spinach – and have been for about a year, lol 😉

  17. Congratulations Jessie!! Woohoo! I wish you all the best on the next leg of your journey 😀

  18. A HUGE congrats to you, Jessie!!! Seeing all your hard work pay off like that is so rewarding…that makes it worth all the study sessions, lol! Sending you a huge hug, my friend!

    That looks like a pretty delicious meal…I love the flavors in it, and its creamy texture!

  19. Jessie!! I know I’m late in saying this but CONGRATULATIONS!! I’m so excited for you and happy that you are finally Jessie, RD. I hope you’ve had time to relax after your flurried 10 days of studying and before things with the research Master’s get busy.

  20. Congratulations, Jessie, RD!!!!!!!!

    I keep things really simple when life gets busy, but I always try to make time for planning and shopping. I also try to find time to precook some meals and do some “bulk cleaning and chopping.”

    The steamed egg dish looks wonderful!

    Hope you get to enjoy life a bit before grad school!

  21. Just passing through!

    I wanted to say congrats on your accomplishment! I’m looking forward to see other recipes you have under your sleeve. 🙂

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Carla! 🙂

  22. Congrats, which I just posted on the other post you have. Our internship was audited and I was studying and studying and then just got to a point where I did not want to study anymore. I had to wait until after the audit and review and it was an extra few months past when they said we would be eligible. It was a pain because I could not work until I too the exam. In Vegas they really did not hire RD eligible. But as soon as I got word, I scheduled as quickly as possible.

    1. Thanks, Melinda! I can’t believe you had to wait to take your exam because of the audit – that seems so unfair when you need the RD for your job. Grr. I’m glad everything turned out okay, though.

      I hope your packing is going well!

  23. Congratulations!!! Wow…so excited for you 🙂
    Oh and nice job with LeQuan’s yummy dish 🙂

  24. Congratulations on your wonderful accomplishment!!!!

  25. Hi Jessie! I’m preparing for RD exam in Korea and planning to take the exam on October someday in U.S.A.
    Congrats from the bottom of my heart!!

    1. Thanks, Eunjin, and thanks for stopping by! Good luck with the RD exam in October! 🙂

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