I appreciate my Mom so very much. I appreciate all Moms very much. I cannot imagine how hard it is to be a Mom. Just think of the journey. No journey is the same and no journey is easy. No child is easy. In my eyes, it is the most difficult and challenging job on the market. I know my Mom has had her struggles and I also know she has had many joys. I know I might have been one of her biggest struggles and I hope one of her biggest joys. There is nothing I can do to repay my Mom for all she has done. She has comforted my tears and fears, kept me safe and alive, kept me fed with good nutrition and food, and hugged me when I wasn't so huggable. I know I was (and maybe still am on occasion) a pain in the ass sometimes, but I also know I am loved so very unconditionally. That is the beauty of our relationship. One we only share. I am so glad she chose me to be her daughter and I am so glad she was chosen to be my Mom.
Nutrition Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.
My conversation today is with my beautiful Mom, Ruth.
I was excited to sit down today with my Mom on Mother’s Day, which is a very special day. I always go back and see her every year and just celebrate her being my Mom. In a conversation a couple of months ago, my mom made the sweet comment that she was the “original dietitian.” That is when the light bulb went off and I thought it would be a great idea to do a special Mother’s Day podcast with my Mom (and hopefully more). My Mom is great and I love her with all my heart. She really is the inspiration of me becoming a dietitian and I am very thankful.
Nutrition Nosh Three. Week in Review.
May is the start of warmer weather here in Iowa. We start to shed some layers of clothing, but sometimes a little too soon. I was fortunate to attend an event put on by the Iowa Food and Family Project with these lovely ladies, Paige and Anne. We started the day bright and early at 4:30 am without realizing how cold it was outside. While we shared information about local food products, we snuggled and drank a lot of coffee. The event's focus was centered around the local farms and food the great state of Iowa has. We even had the privilege to meet the new Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purduehttps://www.usda.gov/. To make the day even more fun, we partnered with the guys behind Tres Mentes Salsa, a delicious and local salsa made right here in Des Moines. If you haven't tried their salsa, you are missing out! I always have a container of their medium salsa in my fridge for to use as salad dressing, tacos and a great topper for baked proteins.
An exciting year of FNCE is approaching in October and I am still trying to figure out if I am going to attend this year. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is celebrating 100 years in their hometown, Chicago. It is very close to me this year, so I will be considering it pretty hard. I know it will be the most exciting one yet to see where our profession is headed in the next 100 years.
I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at my favorite local spot, Cozy Cafe. I can walk to it from my house, so it balances out my latte and enormously delicious portion of hash browns. The food here is homemade, fresh and yummy. You should see their selection of homemade pies and muffins. I am pretty confident a plateful of hash browns and a latte are the way to go for breakfast. Top that off with great company and conversation and I am in weekend heaven.
On Mother's Day, I jotted home to spend the day with my special lady. We really didn't have anything planned so that lead to opening up a bag of Cheetos (which is one of my Mom's and I favorite crunchy snacks). If I haven't shared this before, I like to eat Cheetos with a fork. It prevents the orange, cheesy finger madness and I also can't overdue it on those crunchy suckers. They best part about my weird fork-eating Cheetos habit, is my friends know me so well, they send me pictures of others doing the same thing! My friends Carlena and Jenny both send me pictures of their littles munching down our favorite snack with a fork. If anyone else shares in this ritual, send me pictures please. I would love to see them!
We did eat something else besides Cheetos. I was trying to think of something easy and fun for a sweet treat for Mom and Gramma on Mother's Day. A yogurt parfait kept coming to mind, but I wanted to mix it up. As I was contemplating a change of dessert and wandering through the ice-cream aisle, I spotted the waffle cones and bowls. What a perfect vessel for a yogurt parfait! It was fancy, fun, easy and delicious.
Mother's Day Parfait
Serves 4
4 - 5.3 ounce containers of Dannon Vanilla Light and Fit Greek Yogurt
2 large prepared blueberry muffins, cut into cubes and divided
1 cup of granola, divided
2 cups of fresh fruit, diced and divided
4 waffle bowls
1. Place divided blueberry muffin in each bowl.
2. Top with container of yogurt.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of granola on top of yogurt.
4. Top with 1/2 cup of your favorite fresh fruit.
Nutrition Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week.
Of course it is Mom inspired! Dance party in the living room anyone?
Nutrition Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now.
Well hello there.
If you have ever had a morning flight on United Airlines and are in need of much needed travel nutrition, you may have encountered one of these tasty treats. Insert Stroopwafels. Until recently, I have only had them when I was traveling. After posting a picture of a recent Stroopwafel flight on my Instagram, I received confirmation of Stroopwafel retail spottings across Des Moines. One of those locations was less than 1/2 mile from my house. Since they appear to be infiltrating Walgreens, if you haven't had one of these Dutch delicacies, you must give them a try. (Are you picking up on the waffle obsession this week?). There are many different brands out there, so I cannot speak to any other brand or flavor but the original from Daelamans. My favorite way to enjoy is to place one of the toasted waffles filled with caramel, cinnamon and real bourbon vanilla on top of a piping hot cup of coffee. The waffle and caramel inside starts to soften and the sweetness pairs perfectly with the bitterness of the coffee. I obviously stocked up on a few that day of discovery. Then I went online and realized there is chocolate ones, bags of mini ones and I can even get them by the case. I might be in a little trouble!
~AE
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