#WeeklyWisdom and Top 5 Vacation Time Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

Do you schedule regular vacations for yourself?

I know, you're probably thinking who the hell has time and money for vacations? You do!  What are you waiting for?  Seriously. There is no time like the present to do all the things you want to do. It doesn't have to be a grand or costly vacation, but I am sure you have some type of bucket list of things you want to experience. 

I was talking with my friend Stacey this past week and she told me how she was working on her kids summer schedule. She asked her kiddos what they wanted to do this summer and one of their "musts" was a night with Mom's friends, Laura and Anne. Wow. First I was completely shocked by it but what a great lesson. Taking time to do things you love can be simple and full of so much joy. All you have to do is take the time to make it happen. 

Look at the rest of the year and make a list of things you want to do for yourself. I am so lucky to add "an evening with the Wertzberger kiddos" to my list. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Each week, I put out my Weekly Wisdom Blog which includes my Top 5 Nutrition Noshes: Wisdom, Weekly Conversations, Week in Review, Workout Playlist of the Week 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 as hell adventures as well as having a conversation with you all on this side of the mic. It’s my Top 5 in 5. May has kicked off summer with each weekend planned full of fun with friends, family and food!

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

Nosh Three. Week in Review. 

Oh buddy, this weekend was kind of a blur that I am still trying to catch up on sleep and laundry. I hope to have more details to share about my weekend when I am all caught up but in the meantime, I have to share with you my Memorial Day signature dish. Memorial Day weekend really is the kickoff to summer and I love the BBQ's and get togethers. I participated in a Banza pasta challenge called #BanzaPlusPlants. Have you heard of Banza pasta?  Banza is pasta 2.0. Ditch the empty carbs in wheat noodles, and treat yourself to double the protein, four times the fiber, and nearly half the net carbs because it is made with chickpeas. And the best part is the taste!  I honestly like it much better than a whole wheat pasta and it cooks more al dente than whole wheat pasta. The protein is the other impressive benefit, there is 25 grams of protein in a 3.5 ounce serving and when you add other plant based proteins, you have a protein-packed meal. 

I am excited to share with you the real deal, really delicious dish I whipped up all weekend for my holiday festivities. It's a goodie!

Just in Time for Summer Salad Recipe featuring Banza Pasta 

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1-teaspoon ground cumin
½-cup Greek salad dressing, vinegar and oil based (I like Wishbone)
1-1/2 cup cooked shelled edamame
1-1/2 cup frozen roasted corn
1/2 cup red onions, finely diced
1/2 cup diced bell peppers, finely diced
1 (15 oz) can drained & rinsed black beans
1 package of Banza pasta (shells), prepared as directed

Directions:

  1.  In a medium bowl, mix salad dressing and cumin together.

  2.  Cook pasta as directed, rinse and cool.

  3.  Place pasta, edamame, roasted corn, bells pepper, black beans, onion in a large bowl. Pour dressing mixture over vegetables. Stir to mix. Cover refrigerate 1 to 4 hours or until chilled, stirring once or twice.

I also had to share this photo my Mom sent me. She is a member of the local Legion Auxiliary group in Panama, Iowa and each year they have a nice service every Memorial Day which includes poppies and flags in memory of each veteran in our community. She always does such an amazing job and I'm so proud to know her. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

Every vacation needs a playlist and I always make sure I have mine ready to go, so I'm ready to get a workout in during my time away. Find this weeks Vacation Workout Playlist of the Week on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

Along with my Banza pasta, I am loving this beverage to take to my summer parties. I know rosé is very trendy and I decided to take a leap because I loved the adorable pink 4-packs by Martini & Rossi. Mom and I had some for Mother's Day and I think I may have purchased a few more along the way. It is very refreshing, light and excellent cocktail for the summer and a perfect hostess gift with a bouquet of summer flowers. It was a great week to kick off summer!

~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 Perfect Chaos Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom. 

Do you embrace the perfect chaos of your life?

I am in the process of embracing my own perfect chaos. Perfect chaos happens on the daily in my life but I do not think I do a good job of embracing it. This past weekend I spent time with 2 of my favorite people and their families and watched these badass babes handle perfect chaos like pros. Both of them have husbands and 2 busy children and each of them were so calm, cool and collective with the madness happening around them. I want to be more like Carlena and Lindsey. 

The shift happens when the chaos is thought of as perfect. The word chaos seems harsh and very unsettled but something happens when perfect proceeds it. It becomes more calm, more manageable and much more realistic of our daily lives. It goes from something I want to eliminate, to something I want to embrace. Life would not be as interesting if there wasn't perfect chaos. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with Amy Giffin, a registered dietitian with a passion for gardening, food, cooking and cheese.

In April, I got the amazing opportunity to head to the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and speak with a group of upcoming RD’s. This connection happened because Amy spoke at the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting a few years ago and she remembered me from that meeting. Amy was born and raised in Wisconsin with her father having a long career in the cheese business. She initially thought she wanted to be a food scientist but quickly fell in love with dietetics early in her college career. She has had a variety of jobs so far and always seems to come back to food service management as her specialty. Amy and I took a few moments during the busy WAND annual meeting that she planned and she is preparing to serve as president this upcoming year.

Please enjoy my conversation with Amy

Connect with Amy on her website and blog Eat Right Cook Tonight and following her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Nosh Three. Week in Review.

I truly do not have a great recollection of what happened last week. It was one of those weeks where there was sooo much going on, my head barely hit the pillow and I was out. There were some early days, presentations and lots of kids. One of my favorite work events this week was speaking with a group of General Mills employees and talking probiotics. One of my favorite topics of late because I personally have really felt the benefits of incorporating probiotics in my own life. I have found Kombucha is a convenient way to get daily probiotics and I get a dose in the morning before I eat anything. My theory is this will help my body absorb nutrients better throughout the day. I always come back to MOCU Health Kombucha, for the taste and the easy portability of the individual packets, as well as the low sugar content. 

After my blur of a week, I couldn't wait to get to my fun weekend ahead. I had scheduled a night with my friend Carlena and her family and a second night with my cousin Lindsey and her family. I talk about my friend Carlena and we needed a night to catch up on life with a quiet night on the veranda with her hubby, while her 2 boys played baseball in the backyard. The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast with fluffy eggs courtesy of Doug and then I was on my way to Justin, Lindsey, Ally and Lucy's house. The girls were just getting back from dance, we went for lunch and then made a Target run. Lucy is only two and gets sucked in to the fun aisles in Target just like me.

Part of the deal of me visiting this week, was to make sure Justin and Lindsey got the opportunity for a little alone time. They got dressed up and went out for dinner, it warranted a photo. This family embraces their perfect chaos so outstandingly well. They have a lot going on in their lives and need to make time for each other too. I will also be making more of a point to head their direction. We watched movies, played train outside on the swing set and sang songs before bed. 

The next morning we had coffee and donuts with Lucy choosing a delicious cream-filled long john for me. Then the girls were so helpful and tied my shoes before we headed to the Farmers Market to pick up some peonies, enchiladas and watch the girls dance in the sprinkles of the morning. 

It was a perfectly wonderful and chaotic weekend. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

This weekend I watched 2 movies I had never seen before with the girlies, The Greatest Showman and Leap. We sang along and with each other during all of them and also had a dance party in the car. This weeks playlist is our sing along songs from the weekend. Find the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

This is the best and thing I love right now. A friend of mine from work came to talk to me about her husbands high blood pressure. She asked if she could have some of my Dietitian Pick signs to use at home. Look at how smartly she put the signs to work in the kitchen of her own home. I loved how she sent me the photos of what she did. I thought it was pretty clever. 

~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 Mother's Day Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom. 

Do you have days where you just feel defeated?

As we celebrated Mother's Day this past week, I had the opportunity to have a lovely day with my Mom. As I was sitting there with her laughing, having a great conversation and enjoying a few glasses of Rosé, I couldn't help but think of the days where my Mom felt defeated and wanted to run away from it all. I realize as an adult, what a handful I was (yes, yes this is true) I hope these positive and great times with my Mom as an adult, kind of help her rid her memory of all the moments she wanted to strangle me. At the end of the day, everyone is doing the best they can. We are our worst critics and we need to be more gentle with ourselves when things go every direction except the right direction. I appreciate my Mom in many ways for her patience and understanding of her strong-willed child. I would love to take back all the times she felt the need to lock herself in the bathroom to cry it out and get away from me. I never meant any of it and I know she took it really hard. 

To all the different kind of Mom's out there, you are doing your best! Don't be so hard on yourself when things do not go as planned, the best things and moments in life always come out of the most difficult situations. Like eating SnoBalls in the backyard on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with your 42 year old daughter (see photo below). 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with Karlee Golightly, a donut-loving dietitian and yoga teacher who helps real people rediscover joy with food and movement.

Through this series of podcast, I have been sharing the many fantastic people I have met on Instagram with Karlee being one of them. As I continued to follow her, I felt as if I knew her in some way outside of her beautiful food photos, including photos of amazing donuts and her contagious smile. Then it clicked, I did know her. I met Karlee while she was a dietetic intern with a friend of mine and now she is living her passion out with being a RD and a yoga instructor. Karlee is full of moxie and has a fantastic view on how we can make the world a happier place with our own mindset and dietitian expertise.

Please enjoy my conversation with Karlee

Connect with Karlee on her website and blog Moxie-Mind and following her on Instagram

Nosh Three. Week in Review. 

This week was full of beautiful things. I woke up on Wednesday and was thrilled to see my Crab Apple tree was blooming. I am kind of addicted to all things white and the flowers on my tree are the most perfect shade of white with pale pink. Unfortunately, it is too short lived, only 3 days. Now I will patiently wait for my lovely lilacs to bloom.

I had the joy to be on KCCI this past Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day with my TV friends,  discussing how important protein is to consume and how we don't consume enough. Which is why I am passionate about creating meals with good protein balance. I have struggled on my own with getting enough protein each day and I am always asking my Mom how she is doing getting enough. At a minimum, I always recommend 1/2 your body weight in grams per day. 

After TV, I hopped in my car and headed west to see my Mom. It started off rainy and ended up sunny and beautiful. We started the day off with a snack my Dad really loved and we grew to love with him, Hostess SnoBalls. They usually are white but at certain times of year, they get fancy with their colors. We took the opportunity to enjoy them outside amongst her beautiful green yard. 

After our sweet treat indulgence, we headed inside where I whipped up Mom a protein powered breakfast. I sautéed baby bella mushrooms, green peppers and made a fluffy omelet with swiss and asiago cheese paired with perfectly crisp hashbrowns. You can't have a SnoBall without a protein buddy. 

It was a beautiful day to spend with a beautiful woman. I am very lucky to have been chosen to be her daughter and I know she feels just as lucky to be my Mom. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist.

I think my Mom would appreciate my workout jams of the week. I had a blast putting together this weeks playlist. Find it on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I had to share my great segment this weekend with Alyx and Riley on KCCI, which featured what I love right now and that is the Kodiak Cakes line of products. Believe it or not, I am not a pancake/waffle kind of gal, until I was introduced to Kodiak Cakes. I have been a fan for a long time now. My favorite is their Buttermilk pancake mix, which has 14 grams of protein per serving. The recipe I shared on TV is another way to enjoy a sweet and savory protein powered breakfast or meal anytime of the day, recipe is below. 

Ham & Egg Breakfast Waffle
Serves 1
Recipe courtesy of Hy-Vee.com.

Serving this sweet and savory waffle combo with ½ cup of raspberries adds 4 grams of fiber.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. light ricotta cheese
1 Kodiak Cake Buttermilk & Vanilla Power Waffle, toasted
¼ c. baby spinach leaves
2 slices deli ham
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced
1 tbsp. Hy-Vee Select maple syrup
1 tsp. finely chopped green onion

DIRECTIONS
Spread ricotta cheese on waffle. Top with spinach leaves, ham and egg slices. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with green onion.

Nutrition facts per serving: 320 calories, 13g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 220 mg cholesterol, 840 mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 17g sugar, 21g protein

~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!

Weekly Wisdom and Top 5 Adventures in Michigan Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

How do you make others feel good about themselves?

I have been sharing a variety of things I am very passionate about and making others feel good about themselves is right up there with paying attention to saving lives if you sit in an exit row on an airplane, wearing sunscreen daily and staying the hell out of tanning beds. 

How do I make others feel good about themselves?  I listen. When I am with someone, I engage in a conversation in which I want it to be two-sided. I do not place myself in a conversation where I am thinking about what I am going to say next when someone else is talking. I actively listen. I ask questions because I want to know more.  I provide answers if it is asked of me. I want to have this special moment and be fully engaged with this person. It could be our first time, our hundredth time or our last time. It is our time. 

When you listen, you are giving your time and your acknowledgment. You are giving your most precious currency, your time, unselfishly to someone. Make it count. Be attentive, be warm and fuzzy.  Most importantly, be present and do not make the conversation about you. 

Make someone feel good. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with Dina D'Alessandro, a Registered Dietitian who is passionate about helping people embrace and develop new relationships with food in her own personal community.

Dina is a human who inspires me from the other side of the country. I was excited to learn more about her on a professional and personal level during our conversation, which exceeded my expectations. Dina is the dietitian I am constantly striving to be. She is passionate about nutrition and food in her community, by volunteering her time and providing nutrition education programming right where she lives, works at a high-risk ob-gyn practice, runs a part-time private practice and is a preceptor.  She is also so close to graduating with her masters degree, is working on getting fit by 50 and carries a pure entrepreneurial spirit.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dina.

Connect with Dina by visiting her website Dish With Dina and following her on Instagram

Nosh Three. Week in Review.

Two weeks ago, I had such a memorable experience. I made my way to a new place in Michigan, Bay City, to speak with the Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at their Annual Meeting. I had never been to Bay City and the town is quite lovely and trendy. I only had one night there but had a lovely dinner at Gatsby's Seafood & Steakhouse and a few cocktails at Tavern 101. It was a bit chilly while I was there, but I heard the 4th of July Fireworks on the Saginaw River are a must see. I hope to make it back there. 

I was extremely excited speak with this great group of Registered Dietitians and RD's2Be. I was a bit intimidated when I walked down to the convention center and Dr. Gibson, the leading researcher in the development of the low FODMAP diet, was speaking. Tough act to follow. 

This was my breathtaking view and all was well with the world. I am very appreciative to attend these meetings and be able to meet new friends. The Michigan Academy was nothing but heart warming and it brought me so much joy. I hope all the individuals who came up and talked with me after the presentation stay in contact with me. I met some amazing Dietitians doing some amazing things, I want to have podcasts with so I can share it with you all. These opportunities remind me how powerful human connection is. It doesn't have to be measured in minutes, hours, days or years, it just has to be measured in the heartbeats spent with people who make you feel good. These people made me feel good and I hope I reciprocated it. 

On the road back to the airport, I heard about this little German town called Frankenmuth and a legendary chicken dinner tradition, so it was a must stop, especially for food. The town is adorable, with a feel of being in Germany. As I was walking from the parking lot of Zehnder's Restaurant to the entrance, right across the street is another restaurant, which I later learned is a competitor, but I won't speak of that in this post. Zehnder's has been a tradition in Frankenmuth for over 160 years with their traditional family style chicken dinners, as well as breads and pastries. The menu was quite a few pages and had a vast variety of food to choose from but I was only there for the traditional chicken dinner. This dinner is not for the faint of heart. I got the luncheon serving of 2 pieces of perfectly cooked white chicken (and got three on accident), cole slaw, mashed potatoes and gravy and dressing. It was delicious. I felt like it was Thanksgiving with a different bird. I also had to order a side of the buttered noodles, which were beyond delicious with a crunchy bread crumb topping. After I ate about half of my meal, I knew I had to save some room because once of their dessert specials was key lime pie. I am not kidding you, this was one of the best key lime pies I have ever had. It also came with a side of ice cream, so you know, had to eat some of that too. There is no way you can pass this adorable town by and not have Zehnder's chicken dinner. They also have a bakery (I cannot even imagine what deliciousness was in there), but I skipped it this time. I will make sure wander through next time I am this way. 

I had one more night in Lansing before I had to leave and met up with a couple of my friends while I was there for them to show me a little bit of the capitol city. Our first stop was Zoobie's Old Town Tavern. My tour guides told me this location has been around for a long time and got a revival in the past few years. There were a lot of fun local Michigan beers on tap and they have this yum-filled Truffle Oil, Sea Salt and Black Pepper popcorn. It was the perfect first happy-hour stop. 

After we sipped a few brews, we decided on dinner at the Soup Spoon Cafe. There was a bit of a wait but well worth it. It is a small and quaint place but you can tell by the wait, the eats are top notch. 

The menu had so many tempting options, it was so hard for me to pick. The menu is unique and offers a lot of plant-based options and plenty of plates for carnivore as well. We started with the soup flight, which all I can say:  is a must!  You can choose 4 soups off the menu and each one was delicious. I could have made a meal out of this. Then we chose a lovely bottle of vino and ordered a variety of small plates off their menu. I chose the Goat Cheese Points, Cherry Bomb Shrimp and Crispy Baked Cheese, because I needed to indulge in the cherry goodness of Michigan. 

This short and sweet trip to the new frontiers of Michigan was fantastic and filling. I look forward to another trip, very soon!

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

I was so inspired and loved meeting new people in Michigan this past week, all of these songs remind me of those individuals I met. It makes me happy to meet new friends and have music to accompany the journey. Find my playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I love cheese and this was the food I loved from my trip was the Frankenmuth Cheese Haus. It was a fun little stop after dinner I just couldn't pass by. In the center of the store, they had a variety of cheeses they make in house and I purchased the Cheese of the Week the Tiger Cheese, a colby jack and muenster mixture which is named after the Detroit Tigers being the American League Champs in 2006 and 2012. It may have only lasted an evening and a couple flights back to Des Moines. 

~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!

Weekly Wisdom and Top 5 Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom. 

Are you the type of person who plans and prepares for everything?

Or are you kind of like me who is about 50% prepared and 50% half-assing it as I go?  I really wish I was better at preparing and planning for everything in my life. I know I could do a better job in my preparedness. I want my schedule to go a lot smoother and be less frustrating but I never learn. Then on the days I am really proud of myself for being very ready, it still ends up going astray.  

What I have learned in my 40+ years of life, shit doesn't go as planned. Emotionally, I do much better at winging things:  meals, money, workouts, relationships, and eyeliner. I don't beat myself up for things not going the way I planned them to be when I go with the flow. I still honor having expectations of myself and set realistic parameters, but I am not so rigid with my methods. 

No one prepares us for each day with a perfectly planned schedule, only we can do our best to choreography the best journey possible. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.

Today’s conversation is Carrie Moody, a Registered Dietitian who teaches people to meal prep in their homes, is a Barre3 Fitness Instruction and is often found dancing in the kitchen.

I am a fan of humor and Carrie was someone who made me laugh right from the start with her social media posts. I would see her beautiful meal prep photos, which drew me into watching more of her Instagram feed and getting myself a little more inspired to cook. Carrie has a realistic and humorous way of looking at life and food. She is a busy wife and mom of 4, but still finds a way to inspire others in the kitchen and with their physical fitness.  She owns her own private practice, develops recipes, does nutrition coaching, meal prep lessons and is a Barre3 Instructor.

Please enjoy my conversation with Carrie

Connect with Carrie by following her on Instagram and her website Fit Balance Nutrition.  

Nosh Three. Week in Review. 

I got so inspired by Carrie, my podcast guest this week, I decided to devote my week to meal planning. I will be the first to admit I would rather grab a yogurt, mix it with cottage cheese, top it with berries and add baby carrots as a side before I would mess up my kitchen and cook a full meal for myself. I have realized my yogurt and cottage cheese really doesn't satisfy me because it really isn't a meal. I am easing into the meal prep thing and started with a new product at my place of employment:  Hy-Vee Mealtime Kits. 

Move over all other home delivery meal kits, I think I may have found my new favorite. I have tried a few meal kit services and I will have to say, Hy-Vee's has won my heart. Not only for the variety of meal options from my Beef Bulgogi Bowl choice to Tofu with Red Curry Sauce, there is something for everyone, even burgers, steaks and salmon. 

Why is Hy-Vee's Meal Kits at the top of my list?  Because everything is chopped and ready to go. I did not have to cut the red onion, which makes me very happy!  All the other kits I have tried had me chopping up all the veggies and that is not my jam. 

The kit has very detailed instructions and includes all the other "at home" items you may need to prepare the meal. The Dietitian approved Beef Bulgogi Bowl included a ton of fresh veggies, lean protein and whole grain brown rice. 

It took less than 30 minutes active time to prepare the meal (30 minutes for the rice was the longest thing to cook) and I had dinner and leftovers for the next day. The little Siracha packets and perfectly portion sesame seeds were a nice touch and really added a nice finishing layer to the dish. It heated up really well the next day and I enjoyed it just as much as I did that evening. Next up on my list is the Tofu with Red Curry Sauce for a Meatless Monday meal, I will make sure to share my review. 

Along with the Hy-Vee Mealtime Kit, I made one other dish I could eat this week. It ended up being a clean out the fridge meal, but turned out amazing. I was inspired by my Instagram friends Andrew Doherty and Diane Norwood for their frittata inspiration. As an #EggEnthusiast with the Egg Nutrition Center, I am always looking for fun new ways to incorporate nutrient dense eggs into my healthy lifestyle. I literally opened my fridge and used up all the goodies I had. 

AE's Fancy FrittaTa ~ SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

• 8slices turkey bacon
• 2cups thinly sliced golden potato
• 2cups diced red onion
• 1/2cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/2cup chopped green pepper
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 6whole eggs
• 1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4ounces shredded asiago cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8 inch dish with a little olive oil. Line the bottom of the dish with the slice potatoes. 
2. Cook bacon until crisp. Let cool. Chop and set aside. In a 10-inch skillet, sauté potato in 1 tbsp oil 5 minutes over medium heat.
3.  In a 10-inch skillet, stir in onion and bell peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cool and place on top of the potatoes. 
4. Place chopped turkey bacon on top of the vegetables.
5. In a bowl, beat eggs, rosemary and asiago cheese. Pour on top of the bacon. 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean in the center. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist. 

Every good meal prep day deserves it's own playlist. This one helped me move and grove in the kitchen to make all these good eats. Find it on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

It has been almost 4 years since I kicked my crazy soda habit. I finish each day with "my beer" which is a sparkling water. There are so many wonderful brands and flavors to choose from, it is easy to mix it up. This week I discovered the newest flavor by La Croix which tickled me senseless. I love Key Lime, I mean love it. I mentally knew it wasn't pie or cheesecake, so I went in with an open mind. It is fantastic!  I am ecstatic to add this to my pantry staples and to crack one open on my next meal prepping adventure!

~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!