I haven't been to a wedding in quite some time and I was fortunate to be a part of my dear friend Amanda and her husband, Andy's wedding last weekend. I am not sure if you are like me or anyone else who attends a wedding, but you get all the feels for everything love. Of course I am talking about the love between a couple, but more importantly, all the other love.
The love that creates a special moment like this. The love of Amanda and Andy's parents for each other, the love of siblings, the love of extended family and the love of friends. All of these different kinds of love help create and shape our lives. Love is just a word, until all of these relationships so graciously happen in our lives.
I exist because of the love of my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and all of those who came before me. I exist because of the love of my sister, the love of my friends, the love of my mentors. We exist because someone came along and gave the word love true meaning.
Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.
My conversation today is with boss babe and product entrepreneur, Sara Gotch
It is a blast to be connected to new people through friends you have met along the way and this is exactly how Sara and I met. Sara is a fellow Iowan who loved to eat dips as a kid, realized the serving size of dips, took a leap of faith, quit her job and created dip mixes she loved to eat and was proud to share with the rest of the world. Sara and I talk about what it is like to create a product and all there is involved to get the product to the people. If you are someone thinking about making your own product, this podcast is for you!
Connect with Sara: Gnarly Pepper and follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest
Nosh Three. Week in Review.
After the start of 2018, it was fun to be a part of wedding the first week in January. MINUS, the extremely cold weather. It was in the single digit for degrees, but it didn't stop a thing. WEDDING POST ALERT, for those of you not into weddings, totally understand, it is not everyones jam. But like I said above in my wisdom, weddings are so much more than just a couple pledging forever.
The day was started at the salon and Amanda got all pretty with hair and makeup.
While we were there, her bouquet got delivered because right after, she was heading to see the groom for their first look. First looks are an important part of weddings, which I never knew. Way back in the years of my friends getting married and myself (yes, I was married-I will save that for another time), it wasn't really a thing. Amanda got a little delayed at the salon...but the schedule got adjusted and everything went great!
This was the second time I was a bridesmaid and I will have to say, Amanda's picked out beautiful dresses. They were comfy and flattering. This is the photo I took so my mom could see the dress.
The flowers were sooo pretty. The white roses did pretty well holding up in the cold temps, a few petals bit the dust in our bouquets and Amanda's. Mine is still in a vase on my mantel and it still looks beautiful. There were 7 bridesmaids in all and unfortunately, I didn't get a photo with all of us! She had a mix of childhood friends, college friends and dietitian friends.
Amanda had her sister Kristine as her maid of honor and her rockstar personal attendant, her cousin Abigail. There were a few moments we had to calm Kristine because she became overwhelmed with emotion. That is the kind of love I am talking about. The love of a sister...there is nothing like it. I remember at my wedding, my sister did the same thing...emotional, but happy tears. It brought back such sweet memories of my beautiful maid of honor.
The happy couple made it through the vows without a hitch and Amanda was ready to relax! This is my favorite photo I got of them that day. Look at how Andy is looking at Amanda...now that is pure love.
We had a lovely dinner, a plethora of cocktails, a lot of amazing conversations and danced the night away. The Iowa Taproom was a beautiful venue and I will have to share more of the formal photos at a later date. I am proud to say I kept my heels on all night (thanks to Clark shoes creating an adorable black patent leather peep toe) and cut a rug in them until the last song. And then I was done...thank you to my friend Jason for taking this photo, just lovely (ha).
It was a day to remember and I know Andy and Amanda will continue to give love meaning during a long, happy life together. Happy 1 week anniversary you two!
Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week.
How could there be a wedding without a wedding workout playlist of the week? Again, this kind of music may not be your jam but it was a blast to put together. Some of the songs were in the wedding, so it will be a fun week to workout to it and remember the weekend. Playlist is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now.
I am pretty excited about Gnarly Pepper dip mixes. These tear packets are the perfect size for a small container of plain yogurt (which of course I had to mix with my favorite Siggi's) and is portable when packing your lunch. These are something not available on the market. I am so glad I got the opportunity to connect with Sara to experience this handy and healthy way to dip. Most of the time I pack cold veggies in my lunch and now I can get some extra protein and flavor. My favorite is the Onion Dip mix, it is the best!
Sara has a bunch of great recipes on her website and you can also order the mixes on the Gnarly Pepper website and Amazon. This past week, I made the Gnarly Zucchini Fries and I ate them so fast, I forgot to take a photo. Whoopss! Here is the recipe from the Gnarly Pepper website.
Gnarly Zucchini Fries
Serves 4 • Appetizer Style
2 medium zucchinis – quartered lengthwise
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 t Gnarly Pepper Onion Dip Blend
1/2 T fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
2 T olive oil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 t Gnarly Pepper Onion Dip Blend
1/2 T fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
2 T olive oil
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a bowl, lightly toss and coat the zucchini with olive oil. In another bowl combine grated Parmesan, panko, 1 teaspoon Gnarly Pepper Onion Dip Blend, and pepper.
Lay zucchini out on a flat stone and sprinkle Gnarly Mix on top. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 2-5 minutes. While the zucchini is cooking, mix 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt with 2 teaspoons of Gnarly Pepper Onion Dip Blend. Get your gnarly zucchini dip on!
Lay zucchini out on a flat stone and sprinkle Gnarly Mix on top. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 2-5 minutes. While the zucchini is cooking, mix 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt with 2 teaspoons of Gnarly Pepper Onion Dip Blend. Get your gnarly zucchini dip on!
I just got hungry...off to snack!
~AE
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