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August 1, 2012 (Updated April 12, 2023)

Matt’s Birthday Dinner!

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

22 comments
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Morning! As you know, Monday was Matt’s 30th birthday! He requested a home cooked meal for the occasion and I set to planning a cozy dinner for the two of us to enjoy upon arriving home from our workout at Crossfit Dupont.

First up — wine, of course! I picked out this Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and we both loved it.

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Matt hung out in the kitchen while I cooked, enjoying his wine and these fancy olives I picked up as a little appetizer.

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Our first course was salad! Just a simple combination of mixed greens, heirloom yellow tomato, green pepper, avocado, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper).

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Enjoyed on the porch with our wine. Beautiful night!

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While we enjoyed our salad, part of the main course was roasting away in the oven — asparagus!

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I used my usual plastic bag trick — just throw the veggies into a ziplock bag, drizzle in some olive oil, salt, and pepper, then shake the bag up to evenly mix it! So much easier (and more effective) than trying to drizzle on the oil when it’s already on the tray.

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I roasted them at 350 for about 20 minutes.

For our main course, Matt requested my Almond Encrusted Tilapia (click for recipe)! Coming from a guy who used to hate seafood when we first started dating, this was a huge victory. Try this recipe — it’s a winner! The key is toasting the almonds in the pan after the fish is done. SO good!

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Dinner is served! Almond Encrusted Tilapia, roasted asparagus, and some of my quinoa and lentil salad from Sunday. Yum!

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Then, of course it was time for dessert. You can’t have a birthday dinner without dessert! I picked up an assortment of mini desserts from Whole Foods — an apple tart, a fruit tart, and in the back on the left is a cookies and cream cheesecake. Our favorite was the apple tart — it was awesome.

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Make a wish! 🙂

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Such a fun night. We followed dinner with present and card opening and the birthday celebration continued last night because my parents took us out for a fancy dinner at Ray’s the Steaks! Yum.

Time to get back to the grind — work awaits! Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

What’s meal do you request when it’s your birthday? I usually ask for some sort of fancy seafood dish!

Fish + Seafood
- anne
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22 comments
  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat
    August 1, 2012 · 8:12AM:
    We usually go out for my birthday. I love the varied birthday desserts rather than plain old cake!
    Reply
  • Sarah @ Blonde Bostonian
    August 1, 2012 · 8:54AM:
    Sounds like such a cute and fun birthday night! I love Kendall Jackson Chardonnay -- it's my favorite inexpensive Chard.
    Reply
  • Annie
    August 1, 2012 · 9:23AM:
    Looks fab - great trick with the ziplock bag! Love all the little desert bites from WF. I need to request that for my next birthday!
    Reply
  • Jill K August 1, 2012 · 10:36AM:
    Looks delish! Matt's having an awesome Birthday week! :-) And Ray's the Steaks ROCKS!!!
    Reply
  • Lauren T August 1, 2012 · 11:25AM:
    That looks like a great birthday meal! I usually either like to grill brats with potato salad and fruit or make Henny Penny Chicken which is a cheesy, creamy, chicken casserole that is one of my favorite meals ever! I'll usually choose chocolate chip oat cookies or yellow cake with chocolate frosting for dessert :) Oh so healthy, right haha too bad it's my birthday ;)
    Reply
  • elena August 1, 2012 · 11:55AM:
    the plastic bag trick for the asparagus is brilliant! i roast all my veggies this way (quicker and crispier than stove top, i've found) but usually just add the olive oil, sea salt, and pepper on the train and toss with my hands - messy. i am so using this trick! thanks!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 1, 2012 · 5:09PM:
      SO much easier, right?!
      Reply
  • Renie August 1, 2012 · 12:16PM:
    Looks like Matt had a wonderful 30th birthday. Doing what I like best. Eat. My b/d is April 30th and I start celebrating on April 1 through April 30th. I have such a large family it takes all 30 days to fit everything in. Haha
    Reply
  • Rachel August 1, 2012 · 12:41PM:
    So jealous of your Ray's The Steaks dinner! I use to live in Arlington and that was our favoite place to celebrate. Can't beat the peppercorn crusted steak in my opinion! Happy Birthday Matt!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 1, 2012 · 5:10PM:
      Yes, love the peppercorn crust!
      Reply
  • Sam @ Better With Sprinkles
    August 1, 2012 · 2:02PM:
    I always want Mexican or sushi - aka, my two favourite meals. And for dessert, I usually ask for ice cream cake, or some sort of cake with more chocolate stuffed on it that most people can handle. :-)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 1, 2012 · 5:10PM:
      I love ice cream cake, too :)
      Reply
  • Kris S August 1, 2012 · 2:31PM:
    Looks like a great birthday dinner! :) Glad you are making good use of your awesome balcony!!
    Reply
  • Molly @ Heart, Sole & Cereal
    August 1, 2012 · 4:47PM:
    ommmmgggg ray's the steaks is so good. i take my roommate there every year for her birthday :) its really a gift for both of us.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 1, 2012 · 4:50PM:
      Haha good idea!
      Reply
  • Cate
    August 1, 2012 · 6:25PM:
    I love that wine! I've been to their tasting room and it's amazing.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 1, 2012 · 7:02PM:
      I have too - it really is!
      Reply
  • Kelly @ My love affair with running
    August 1, 2012 · 6:54PM:
    Homemade Birthday dinners are so special! So much love goes into making it! Those olives to start look yum... I tried some from the markets stuffed with feta and sundried tomato.. As you can imagine we're delicious!
    Reply
  • Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
    August 1, 2012 · 10:41PM:
    what a delicious evening! that asparagus looks incredible! yum!
    Reply
  • Hanna
    August 2, 2012 · 5:07AM:
    Hi, I'm Hanna from Finland. I'm new to reading your blog and can't remember how I got here. Anyway, I like your blog a lot. Answer: For my b-day (which is in March) I usually ask my dh to cook lamb stew with green tagliatelle, parmesan cheese and Greek salad. This scandinavian girl loves Mediterranean food =o)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      August 2, 2012 · 7:22AM:
      Hi Hanna! Welcome to the blog. I love Mediterranean food, too. :)
      Reply
  • Orgreenic
    August 8, 2012 · 4:02PM:
    It doesn't seem to ever hurt putting in more effort for a friend or loved one's birthday dinner. Thanks for sharing these ideas.
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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