Wisdom Wednesday

As 2016 is coming to a close, how have you filled your pages?  

Are your pages full of ideas, memories, hard work, things you never want to do again, things you cannot wait to do again?  Is it a story you are proud of?  Is it a story that has inspired growth?  There are a few pages left, to complete your story, in the place you want it to end and begin at the same time. I have a few pages left because I will celebrate my New Year on my day of birth.  Upon review, I am pretty damn proud of Volume 2016. I always look forward to the next clean white page I get to fill with purpose. It is never perfect, but it is all mine.  I am so lucky to have had all these moments so far and I hope I am just as lucky to start working on Volume 2017. 

Cheers to the pages that have been and to the pages that are to come. 

~AE

Anyone else's pants tight right now?  Tis the season to be happy! Just be happy, however you define it. Who cares if your pants are tight. What matters are the meaningful relationships and simple joys you have in your life. Time is precious and if you are pre-occupied with shopping, eating and a bunch of other exhausting happenings, you are missing out on priceless moments with people. Put your credit card away, stop shopping online and put your phone away. Grab a cookie, unbutton your pants and engage in a conversation with the people who mean the most to you as 2016 is slipping away. 

Weekly Conversation

I did this crazy-ass thing this year and started doing a podcast. It has been one of the most exhilarating things I have done. I have enjoyed every conversation I have had with the people I love the most, the people who love food and care about health:  Registered Dietitians. As I am getting ready for 2017 and more adventures, I wanted to share the one podcast that started it all. Number one, numero uno, my first. It is even more crazy that since I had my conversation with Jena, she is now a new mother!  Time flies people, don't waste a single moment. 

Please click here to head over to iTunes and listen to my conversation with Registered Dietitian,

NEW MOM, and my friend, Jena Hunt.

Week in Review

I have some amazing friendships and this week was a great celebration of them. My friend Erin married the love of her life, James. It was a little dicey at the beginning of the day with a snowfall, but love prevailed and it all cleared up by the afternoon. They had a beautiful wedding and I know they will have a joyful life together. This picture says it all. 

The tribe also got together and had a cookie and cocktail club. Thankfully, we had a responsible member of the party to maintain motivation for the task at hand. Stacey, Cyril and Hollis manned the kitchen and created some delicious eats. 

Our theme for the party was to make a holiday cookie that reminded you of your childhood or something you made with your mom. My mom made a ton of cookie delights when we were kids. I know we tried to help, but I am guessing we were much of a help by licking bowls and spoons and eating cookie dough. I do remember my Dad loving all the treats my mom made and sitting at the table during the process sneaking bites. I made these peanut butter blossoms with Cyril helping me roll the dough and then dip them in sugar. This was my sissy Kate's favorite holiday cookie, so it only seemed appropriate to make them. 

Jason was in charge of making the cocktail, which seemed appropriate to have cranberry juice, with a splash of vodka for the cookie party.

Justin made some delicious peanut butter cookies with chunks of peanuts in it. Kevin got after it and made sugar cookies (with sprinkles!!!) and black raspberry jam cookies. He would not give me the recipe for the jam cookies, but they were delicious and sooo pretty. 

Workout Playlist of the Week

Listen to Anne Elizabeth's "Pants are Tight" Workout Playlist of the Week on Apple Music.

What I Love Right Now

I got a pretty kick ass package in the mail this past week.  Thank you Sierra!

About 6 months ago, I was out shopping with my mom and we saw a cool display of beautiful soaps at a local retailer. What was even better was the luxurious smells coming from the display. I was drawn to the lavender and the lemon poppy seed bars coming in all shapes and sizes. There were actual poppy seed in the soap. As we did more investigating, the company Pacha Soaps did not only have an impeccable message and mission, but were locally made in Hastings, Nebraska. (Side note:  for those of you who do not know, my college roommate, well-known organic chemistry guru and potato and vinegar loving, Katie Hervert Thomas is from Hastings). I love supporting locally created products and businesses and I love great smelling and beautiful personal products. 

"We are dirty hippies with a clean purpose."

"Pacha Soap is on a mission to provide the highest quality products, to promote health and well-being around the world and to implement sustainable solutions to the poverty cycle....all with veracity and love!"

Pacha Soap also gives back, number three of why I love their products. They have their "Raise the Bar" campaign to help someone in need. For every bar purchased, a bar is donated to a variety of people, including children in developing countries. This campaign also supports developing careers in soap making  for men and woman in developing nations. 

These colorful, fragrant and handcrafted soaps come in a variety of versions:  handouts loaves, bars and moons with scents like Ruby Red Grapefruit, Frankincense Myrrh and Pocket Full of Cozy; logs that are moisturizing and exfoliating with flavors of avocado, carrots, rosemary and eucalyptus; and soaks and scrubs for the bath. 

Their new product is this bar soap variety pack. You get a great selection of their scents in a smaller bar than the normal size. The bars last a long time and fill your shower or bath with scents reminiscent of essential oils. My mom loved the variety pack so much, she places a different bar underneath her pillow each week just to have the lasting and relaxing scents fill her slumber. 

I got these as stocking stuffers for all members of my tribe this year, head on over to Pacha Soap to explore their great products, learn more about their great mission and find a store closest to you to purchase a unique, made in the Heartland gift for those who make your heart beat. 

~AE 

Wisdom Wednesday

There are very few people in your life who just get it. They are with you through everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. They come close when you need closeness and give you space when you need solitude. They embrace the greatness in themselves and in you, they embrace the flaws in themselves and you. It is easy to be in each other's lives.  There is not anything forced. There is only the purity of just wanting to be present. However it is defined, however is it accomplished, this is the place you need to be, with people who just get it. 

Weekly Conversation

As I have set out on a quest to meet registered dietitians, I decided I would make it a priority whenever I go to a new city, I would meet up with RD's from this location. I headed to New Orleans in October of this year and had the great opportunity to meet Dorria Amer. Dorria graciously opened up her beautiful shotgun home up to me and we had a great conversation on her comfy couch. Dorria  has had a fascinating career so far as a registered dietitian with family roots and first job out of college in California, an internship and next career moves taking place in Boston and certain events happening in her personal life leading her to her current life and career in New Orleans. Find out how owning a catering business, Hurricane Katrina and Au Bon Pain had a big part in her registered dietitian journey. Dorria lives by the mantra of "not dreading Monday" and has worked in or created jobs to fit this positive life goal. I hope you are inspired by her as much as I am. 

Please enjoy my conversation with Dorria.

Week in Review

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are as fat and happy as I am!  My mom and I ventured to Omaha, NE for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner with the Huebert clan. It was a warm and cozy filled house and the table was beautifully set. 

The "Adult" Table

I was head of the "Kids" table this year!

As our tables change each year, we remember the loss of our loved ones over the year. It was the second year without Dad and the first year without Kate. Even though it never gets easier with their absence, we know they are right there with us being grateful. I also know my sister was extremely present this year as the Hawkeyes kicked some Husker ass. We could hear her cheering and see her flashing her signature, satisfied smile. 

A great part of each year is the new faces that join us and add life and love to the party. These 2 little boogers are such a joy to be around. The best part is they are called Frick and Frack. That is what my sister and I were called because we were so close in age and best of friends.  It will be great to watch Ally and Lucy grow and "just get it" with each other.

I could not go without posting my favorite part of the meal and that is the traditional Aloha Bake that goes on top of the ham. This is the one time of year I eat ham (which is hand selected by my uncle) and is topped with my Aunt Polly's infamous pineapple-ly sweet goodness. There is not one thing in this dish that is dietitian approved, so it is good that dietitian Anne was not present for dinner. 

Workout Playlist of the Week

It has been a bit difficult to get my behind back in the gym, but these pants are tight!  They are also redoing my gym a bit, so that has been an interesting change. Here is my motivation for the week:  Listen to the Workout Playlist of the Week by Anne Elizabeth on Apple Music. 

What I Love Right Now

As I close this Wisdom Wednesday, what I love right now is dedicated to my friend Joe who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this week.  You are such an incredible person Joe. You have always shown the world how real and true you are by loving your family, friends and job, no matter the circumstances. You have touched so many people with your amazing being and that includes me. You are and always will be, one of those people who "just get it."

~AE

Wisdom Wednesday

I love mornings. It is a gift that comes in soft and sweetly each day. It is full of hope and joy.  The present and the future start each morning as you open your eyes with gratitude that another day has been bestowed upon you. You decide what the day will bring. Listen. The morning will tell you everything you need to know.

~AE