Wisdom Wednesday

Diet. Not a word I really enjoy and apparently neither did Julia. My kind of woman!  As a registered dietitian, I love working with people who choose to live a healthy lifestyle and remove the word "diet from their vocabulary. Food is here to nourish our lives so we can think of great ideas, keep our heart beating, ride a bike or play piano. It should never be something we punish ourselves with. It should be something we enjoy and fuels our lives. For many of you, you may have set resolutions involving food and I would recommend tossing those resolutions in the trash. If you told yourself, "I cannot have" or "I will not eat" or "I will not eat out" you are attaching negativity to food. This will only make you desire these foods even more. It is time to build a healthy relationship with food and allow yourself to enjoy all of it. All foods fit, all year round. 

Weekly Conversation

By listening to my conversations, I hope you know by now how much I enjoy talking with registered dietitians and having them share their story. There is truly something special when I can share the story of a registered dietitian who had a huge impact in my life by being my preceptor, co-worker and now one of my most dearest friends. Brenda chose to become a registered dietitian a little later in life and has worked in a variety of settings with her current position as  a registered dietitian in Iowa who works for a special population of individuals at Glenwood Resource Center where her clients have significantly unique nutrition needs. This woman has taught me much and inspires me everyday.

Click here to enjoy my conversation with Brenda

Week(s) in Review

I am playing a little catch up from all my holiday adventures and I have to share pictures from one of the mostly lovely New Years Eve's I have had a in long time. It was such a great evening with the closest members of my tribe. My cousin Christine, her husband Denis and their pup Karlie hosted a mouthwatering dinner for my Mom, Gramma and I.  At first Gramma was going to stay in, but we talked in her to joining us for the evening. She shared stories about my great-grandpa's and grandma's and even spoke a little German for us! We all managed to kind of miss midnight for our toast but we made up for it.

 These are the moments, with family, that are so precious. All the cocktails and food were made with love and when enjoyed with the people you love, well that is the best combination. 

Gramma Alice telling her infamous stories

My favorite!  Rainer Cherries by candlelight.

Manhattan anyone?

Beautifully dressed table with white and cream lovelies everywhere! 

Denis prepping the Gruyere goodness

Homemade French Onion Soup recipe courtesy of Cooks Country 

My favorite view of the evening

Filet, Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus, and mashed potatoes!

Workout Playlist of the Week
This weeks playlist was inspired by the start of 2017 and some of my favorite oldies but goodies. The last one is my favorite to stretch to.

Listen to Anne Elizabeth's Inspired by a Snazzy Dinner Playlist of the Week on Apple Music

What I Love Right Now
Along all my adventures, I really get some great opportunities to try and experience new things.  My friend Andrew surprised me with a dozen of eggs. That may sound a little weird, but him and his wife Melissa, have couple of chickens they have raised and have at their home. I cannot wait to taste them. What a great gift! Talk about food made with love, truthfully from start to finish. There is nothing like  a farm fresh egg, find a farmer close to you and experience the difference for yourself.

Another awesome new thing I get to try is the Joule by Chef Steps. I have only gotten the box open and I am looking forward to sharing my adventure with this exciting cooking tool in the future. I have a lot a research to do to educate myself on working with it.  Let the cooking adventure begin!

~AE