#WeeklyWisdom and Top 5 Inspirational Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One.  Wisdom.

Do you take enough time each day for human connection?

There is this new feature on my smartphone telling me each week my amount of screen time. Anyone else shocked by their stats?  This was a wake up call for me. There is nothing, I mean nothing, in this world more important than daily human connection and I feel we are slowly drifting farther and farther away from it. And no, a simple hello to someone as you are walking into work does not count as the human connection we need to be embracing. 

There must be a plan to put your phone away to give you the time to connect with actual humans that you can see, smell and touch. Social media is not going to love you at the end of the day. Hug you when you when you are sad. Talk with you about things on your mind. Be there for you when you are most happy. It is merely a glimpse into the lives we lead and if we are living there inside our social media, we are missing out on our actual lives. 

Make a plan for your daily social media but also make a plan for daily human connection. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.

Today’s conversation is with Danielle Bertiger, a communications expert who fell into health coaching, fitness and food and is now on her way to a masters in Nutrition Communications and her RD.

From time to time, I always love to podcast with future dietitians and Danielle was a great person to meet. She shares her personal story of falling into the food and fitness world while working after she complete her undergraduate degree in communications. During that time she decided to become a health coach, found a passion for food and recipe creation and also pursuing her certification in group fitness classes. And then, she thought, hey, I also want to get a masters in nutrition education and become a Registered Dietitian. This woman is passionate about her future profession, is  great at multitasking and is looking forward to starting her internship.

Please enjoy my conversation with Danielle

Connect with Danielle on her website and Instagram

Nosh Three. Weekly #Hellyeah

One of the ways I like to connect with humans is through a variety of activities with other Registered Dietitians. There is such a great variety of us in our state. I have made great relationships with dietitians at a state level and now I am excited to get more involved on a local level with my district, Central Iowa District Dietetic Association, CIDDA.

Our first CIDDA meeting of the year was at Della Viti Wine Bar in downtown Des Moines.

Have you ever had a wine bar experience?  All you need is a card that you load with money and then you can choose wine by the glass. 

CIDDA Leadership L to R:  Ali, Anne and Erin

#UndeniablyDairy cheese deliciousness to go with our vino!

The night was a success and I highly recommend seeking out your local District Dietetic Association or State Affiliate to create connections with other RDN's in your community.  Not all meetings are formal so there are options!

Nosh Four. Weekly Kickass Jams.

Find this weeks "Better Together" Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I work at the Fleur Drive Hy-Vee (which is right by the airport if you ever fly into Des Moines) that conveniently has a clothing store called F&F Clothing. Cutest and most reasonably priced clothes, for the whole family: baby, kids, men and women, that are well made. It just so happens they created a shirt specifically for me. Just kidding. But I like to think they did. I am on a no-buy-until-next-July but I couldn't resist a white, polka dot and cherry shirt. Soooo excited to wear this!

~AE

*All views and opinions on products, food and businesses in this blog post are my own and are not sponsored in any way. I just love to share great things!

#WeeklyWisdom and Top 5 Inspirational Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

What kind of music or artists inspire you? 

I am a music junkie. When I was in the "upper grades" aka junior high at Saint Mary's Regional School, my slumber parties consisted of homemade pizza and lip syncing Cyndi Lauper with my friends and my sister. We also did a pretty amazing rendition of "These Boots Were Made For Walking" that won us second place in a local talent show.  Those were crazy fun times. And it only continued to be an intricate part of my life from there. From family vacations, still have fond memories of my personal cassette tape player or my high school days of driving around with a boom box in the back seat because my 1981 Pontiac Bonneville only had the radio. You can still find me with a set of headphones in my ears no matter the task. I never go anywhere without my music. 

Music is like a forever hug. It is always there for you and can catch your emotions and feelings exactly when you need it. It also helps me be creative and driven when I need to complete goals and projects. It reminds of people, places and happenings I love. It also reminds me of people who have chosen to not be in my life anymore. 

I hope you have many volumes of music you love creating the soundtrack of your life. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with Jill Coleman, a fitness expert who is living her best life all through her passion for coaching in the areas of mindset, body and business.

In the midst of my dietitian career, I did what we all sometimes do, take a step back from all the things we learn and see what other approaches are out there to best help our clients. During my research, a website called Metabolic Effect caught my eye, in which Jill Coleman was a co-founder with a degree in exercise science and masters in human nutrition.  Her contributions to this site lead me to (a slight girl crush) and following her own business JillFit where she shares her down to earth approach to living a healthy lifestyle, awesome workout programs, inspiration and mindfulness coaching, her Moderation365 approach to eating and the podcast she does with her friend Danny Johnson: The Best Life Podcast.

Please enjoy my conversation with Jill

Connect with Jill on her website, , Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Youtube.

Nosh Three. Weekly #Hellyeah!

A night out with the girls sets my soul on fire!  Amanda and Brenda are such great friends. As Brenda would say:  we had a lot of funsies tonight. 

We started the night out early by going downtown Des Moines and tried out a new restaurant Dumpling Darling. It so happened to also be happy hour and I tried their seasonal Whispering Maple cocktail with pumpkin notes.  

Darling Dumpling

We were a little focused on cocktails but had to try a few bites so we got the pork&cabbage steamed dumplings and the cashew tempeh bao. Both were great and you can tell everything is made my hand. The dumplings were bursting will fillings and I really enjoyed the cashew tempeh mix and the spicy honey sriracha sauce it was served with. Highly recommend a visit!

Next stop was the Iowa Taproom, which is a little tradition Amanda and I started for our downtown concert experiences.  If you have read the blog before, I am a huge fan of anything in a flight and they have a cider flight. We will take 3 please! 

Mat Kearney did not disappoint!  I have been wanting to see him in concert for a long time and was very excited when I heard he was coming to Des Moines. He played at least 22 songs, all dance worthy. I will see him again in the future. Atlas Genius opened up for him and they were great too. There is just nothing like the vibes of live music with performer leading the crowd like Mat did.  

Nosh Four. Weekly KickAss Jams. 

That's right friends, the whole music playlist this week is devoted to Mat and my favorite songs from the concert. Find the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I follow Sugar Makery on Instagram (you should too) just in case I need a sweet fix.  Knowing Brenda was headed my way, I saw they had posted their caramel apples and put in my request. I also requested a bag of their cheddar cheese popcorn because it is one of my favorites and I knew theirs would be amazing. Brenda did not fail me and showed up with 2 caramel apples, a bag of popcorn AND their macaroons. I was and still am speechless. I couldn't stop eating all of them. I still haven't made it to their store but I just downloaded their popcorn menu and I am going to have to pick and choose each time I go. 

The caramel apple was drizzled in white chocolate and then dipped in cinnamon sugar. Just to make you jelly!

~AE

*All views and opinions on products, food and businesses in this blog post are my own and are not sponsored in any way. I just love to share great things!

#WeeklyWisdom and Top 5 Inspirational Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom. 

What are you waiting for?

What have you been putting off?  Is it a project at work?  An assignment in school?  Balancing your checkbook (do people even do that anymore)? Replacing a burned out light bulb?  Home improvement projects (like me)?  Living your dreams?

All these "tasks" go together believe it or not. If you are putting off simple things how in the world are you ever going to accomplish the big things?  You have to deal with the WHOLE to-do list, crossing each task off to live the life you want. If you're not taking care of things needing attention (including a burned out light bulb) you're living in a state of scatter.  It will be very difficult to keep your eye on the prize of the life you want to live because everything else is distracting you. Do not put things off, don't tell yourself you will get to it later. 

Get shit done. All of it. Even the stuff you don't want to do. If you don't know how to do it, figure it out or hire someone to help you.  Everything you cross off the list is just getting you one step closer to the deep down true life goals you want to crush.  

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Each week, I put out my Weekly Wisdom Blog which includes my Top 5 Inspirational Nutrition Noshes: Wisdom, Weekly Conversations, Weekly Inspiration, Weekly Music Inspiration and What I Love Right Now. At the end of each month, I want to get more up close and personal with you all on the other side of the airwaves. I will be recapping my crazy, delicious and random #hellyeah adventures in my Top 5 in 5. September is one of my favorite months because I have been enjoying being home, spending time working on all things me and looking forward to fall. I also talk a little more about what authenticity means to me.

Connect and let me know what you think by emailing me or connecting with me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Nosh Three. Weekly #Hellyeah. 

I am a procrastinator by nature and it is an awful trait. I have tried to change it repeatedly and it never sticks. Sooo, I'm embracing it and rolling with it. But this week I did not procrastinate. I planned it and it was amazing. I had time off and had a honey-do list of home projects and things I wanted to accomplish. Then it rained and derailed my outdoor things I needed to do. Instead of putting it off after a minor setback, I rocked it out and feel so accomplished. I also look back on the week, wonder how I got it all done and confirmed with myself I probably never want to do it again. 

I have never made so many trips to Menards. Thank goodness it is right down the street. 5 trips, 4 days is a new record. I appreciate my Mom helping me with one trip to keep me calm. Did you know they have snacks at Menards?  That might have helped keep me calm too. 

I decided it would be a good idea to pain the concrete foundation of my house after living there 9 years. I also decided I needed 45 bags of soil to even out some low spots. Then I decided I needed a lot of energy and hydration to get me though this project. Thanks to Perfect Bars and MOCU Kombucha. 

After 5 rounds of paint removal, concrete wash, primer and 2 coats of paint, 45 bags of dirt and 1 bag of grass seed. I completed my outdoor project. Then it was time for a TV segment on KCCI for Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics bright and early Sunday am. 

September is #FamilyMealsMonth and it a great time to focus on planning more meals with your family at home each week. I shared one of my favorite meals we would make as a family. 

Tacos was a meal my family would make together, with each of us taking a task. I loved to grate the cheese because then I could "sample" it to make sure it was ok. You can find the recipe for these delicious tacos thanks to Hy-Vee:  https://www.hy-vee.com/recipes-ideas/recipes/tricked-out-tacos. I also love how Chobani created this new way to deliver plain Greek yogurt to my tacos.  

Nosh Four. Weekly KickAss Jams.

I don't know about you but I need music to pump me up to accomplish hard things. It gets me in the right mindset to get shit done and keep me doing it. Here are some of my favorite "pump me up" songs to help you accomplish any task this week - on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I was excited to receive this in the mail this past week and a signed copy too!  I just started reading it and hope to have the author, Dan, on my podcast. It is so great to see Registered Dietitians writing books! Now, I am off to put my feet up after a long week of being a domestic goddess and dive in. 

For those of you who might be interested:  Food Sobriety by Dan Fenyvesi, MS, RD 

Registered dietitian, chronic disease specialist, and Fulbright Scholar Dan Fenyvesi was inspired to write Food Sobriety after years of working on obesity and weight loss in Nicaragua and the United States. After his own experi­ences with diet — and seeing his patients’ successes and failures — he understood that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, he developed a simple, inexpensive method of sustainable weight loss based on solid science and the traditional diets of Latin America.

~AE

*All views and opinions on products, food and businesses in this blog post are my own and are not sponsored in any way. I just love to share great things!