#WeeklyWisdom and Top 5 #EmbracetheHellYeah Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

What does making a difference mean to you? 

Every year at my work, we have a free breakfast honoring our veterans. We take out all the produce aisle, put up tons of tables and welcome all the men and women who served our country from our community. We also have a map of the world and have each Veteran place a star on the location of where they served.  All of this is a very small token of our appreciation to these special people, many of which do not know what a difference they have truly made in the freedom we have in this country. 

We all can make a daily difference. We don’t have to wait for one day a year like Veterans Day or the upcoming holidays. We all can do our part by being good people, helping others, doing something you believe in and being respectful in the process. It’s time to put your star on the map and define the difference you want to make. 

 Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.

Today’s conversation is with Sam Osterhaus, a registered dietitian and food lover who just recently took a leap of faith in her career, started a new job and is living out her passion for public health.

Sam is the type of person you want to hang out with all the time because of her energy and maybe her awesome skills creating some delicious dishes in the kitchen. Sam had a great start to her career working in corporate wellness and foodservice, but her primary passion for public health kept tugging at her heart strings. While she has made the change, she is excited to work a job she loves as well as put love into her own private practice and the personal side to her dietitian life. Get to know Sam a little more today and learn why she is someone you will want to hang out with too.

Please enjoy my conversation with Sam

Connect with Sam on her Mindfully Well website and Instagram.

Nosh Three. Weekly #HellYeah. 

A few weeks ago, I had the joy to travel to Oklahoma to spend some time with a group of people I am fortunate to have known since I was a little girl. There has been some time in between visits with some of them, but I hope to change this moving forward. These men and their lovely wives spent a lot of time with my Dad, wayyy before I ever existed. When I was younger, I loved when Dad's Air Force buddies would come visit because it meant story time. And let me tell you, these stories are the best. It was also the only time it was ok my young ears heard certain words. What I love about it now, is hearing those stories through my adult ears and having a better understanding about this time in all of their lives. They were brothers and love each other more than anyone will ever know. I am just lucky to still be a part of these special relationships and get the opportunity to be a part of these priceless connections.  This trip really made my heart full and I look forward to next year. 

Crazy car shenanigans with Barb and Mom. 

Tresa takes technology multitasking to the next level with this irresistible photo. While she was in the "office" she had her iPhone, iPad and Kindle operating at the same time to get shit done. 

Breakfast of biscuits and homemade gravy was dreamy. Carol make some delicious gravy. It was so good, Tresa kept the leftovers for the next day. I was a little jealous but did have seconds. 

This Veterans Day, I was traveling and Delta offered a sweet treat in honor of our Veterans.  I really thought this was a nice gesture, while some passengers voiced otherwise. It's the small things that recognizes people who do big things. It is being grateful for the service and sacrifice by being a good American. This is the best way to give thanks, it is by showing them, every day, all year long.  

Nosh Four. Weekly Playlist. 

This weeks "Veterans Day" music playlist can be found on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

In the spirit of the season, I had to share this with you. I met my friend Anita through social media and we recently had a great conversation. At the time of our conversation, she had a list of things she wanted to accomplish in the near future but she left out this being one of them. Congratulations Anita Tamborrel Davila on becoming a citizen!  I am in awe of everything she has accomplished and I look forward to sharing her journey so far with you all very soon on the podcast. 

~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!

Wisdom Wednesday

Hell yeah!!! This time of year, many of us lose site of what the season is truly about. Instead of getting up at 3 am on Black Friday, why not stroll down to your kitchen in your pj's at a normal hour? Food made with love is the best gift you can give your special ones. Whether it is a snack, a loaf of bread, appetizers at your holiday cocktail party, something sweet or a meal with your heartbeats, nothing means more than creating something in your kitchen for the people who mean the most to you. Stop the madness during the holiday season. Pull out your favorite holiday recipes and surprise someone with your cooking to nourish your heart and the hearts of others. 

Weekly Conversation

My conversation this week is with registered dietitian Erin Thole, MBA, MS, RD, CSSD, LD 

Erin and I have known each other professionally through the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by volunteering in Marketing. This is when I learned Erin has a passion for nutrition and dietetics, but also for sports, running and business. What is fascinating about hearing Erin's story, is she struggled to find a job out of her internship and decided to start her own business as a new dietitian. She is one of a handful of certified sports dietitians in Iowa, continues to own and run her own business and is also working in a completely different area of the health and wellness landscape. Not only has she changed her life professionally this year, she is also changing her life personally by getting married in December. This girl is busy and loves the challenge!

I hope you listen and enjoy Erin's story on iTunes:  Conversations with Anne Elizabeth

Week in Review

For me, this past week was all about celebrating our Veterans and celebrating my favorite veteran, my Papa. This is my favorite picture of my Dad and was taken long before I was even a twinkle in his eye. I am so thankful for this special man. I am thankful for all the other special men and women who defend and protect our country and freedom. Damn we are lucky!  We really need to be grateful every day for all the things we take for granted.  I know Dad spent the day with his Air Force buddies and I can only imagine the stories and BS "flying" around them all. 

I got a nice little surprise in the mail and my book was featured in Food and Nutrition Magazine, so exciting!  I think I was more mesmerized by all the other amazing books being created by registered dietitians. We are a really amazing group of professionals and a bunch of smarty pants. So proud to be featured amongst these authors. 

Workout Playlist of the Week

Hey, the 90's called, they want their music back and my horrible hair-don't back in the day. You can't see the last song on the playlist, but you are going to love it!  Listen to Workout Playlist of the Week by Anne Elizabeth on Apple Music. 

What I Love Right Now

Hachiya - Eat only when completely soft

PERSIMMONS! These are seriously my favorite fruit right now!  Have you ever tried one?  The name means food of the gods and these heart-shaped beauties are grown in warm climates, like California. I love introducing people to these delicious fruits during the holidays because that is when they are in season. They are such a beautiful orange color and the fugu's are sweet and creamy. The most common varieties are the fuyu (tomato shaped) and hachiyas (acorn shaped). Before eating either, chose one that is nice and ripe (soft to touch). You can slice them and remove the skin or cut the persimmon in half and scoop out the yumminess with a spoon. If they are not ripe the hachiya variety will have an astringent taste, so be careful!

Besides enjoying them with my tacos this week, I really like to slice them and smear a little goat cheese and sprinkle pepitas on top. I also saw this delicious idea:  Persimmon Tart from EyeDocBakes, so I am going to practice what I preach in my Wisdom Wednesday and make this for Thanksgiving with A LOT of LOVE. Persimmons are packed full of Vitamin A and C, so a great fruit to help boost your immune system as the season changes. Get out there and try one before they are gone!

~AE