Weekly Wisdom and My Wisconsin Adventure Top 5 Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

When was the last time you did or said something to lift someone up, without expecting anything in return? Did you regret it?

When I started working in retail, part of my training was to greet and say hello to every person I encountered during my day at work. I had never done this before. I remember working in the hospital and walking down a long hallway with one other person coming toward me and neither one of us acknowledging each other. This happened all the time and now looking back, I am so mad at myself for not being the one who took the initiative to say hello. Why didn't I just do it? 

Now, I find myself greeting everyone I encounter all day, every day and everywhere. It has trickled into my everyday life:  at the gas station, at the hair salon, at the vet. I am throwing out hellos and smiles like I am getting paid $1000 for each one. I do not give one thought to wanting something in return. Some people do not respond back, some people look at me like I have lost my mind and some people give me all the feels with a smile of their own. 

I have never regretted smiling, saying hello or giving out a compliment to a complete stranger or someone I know.  Everyone is going through something and even though I have no idea what it is, I know am going to be a second of positivity in their life at that moment and lift them up.   

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with the woman who gets me excited to cook, try new things in the kitchen, makes me laugh, has 4 kids AND is very passionate about having a lot of color on her plate, my friend and chef, Stacey Wertzberger.

Stacey and I started working together almost 10 year ago and we have collaborated on many cooking and nutrition projects. Some of these have been at work and some of them have been outside of work as we have become friends. Stacey has a realistic and down-to-earth outlook on food and cooking, which applies to how she prepares food in all aspects of her life. Stacey has taught me a lot about food but especially has changed my feelings about cooking, that is doesn’t have to be complicated.  In our conversation today we talk food, cooking, kids and how she decided to try a new adventure: completing her first Half Ironman.

Please enjoy my conversation with Stacey

Connect with Stacey by reading her blog Embracing My Chaotic Life and following her on Instagram

Nosh Three. Week in Review.

This was such a great and exciting and scary week for me!  I have known for quite a while that I would be heading to the Wisconsin Dells to speak to future registered dietitians for the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for quite a while, but it doesn't bring the excited/nervous jitters down.  I was so honored and grateful to be chosen to speak for their first student focused presentation.  After a crazy beginning of my flight being delayed and rescheduling, I got to the Wisconsin Dells and was greeted by WANDA. She is fancy!

Their theme this year was Passion Into Action, which was right up my alley.  They had a great speakers lined up in their amazing 3 day annual meeting, including my friends Jen Haugen, who was providing a pre-conference gardening workshop and Chere Bork who was the motivating closing presentation. I unfortunately did not get to see either because of my flight, but I am sure they were nothing but amazing!

I got to start the day with some delicious eats and was so happy to see yogurt and cheese on the buffet. I mean I was in Wisconsin, cheese is a food group. 

I absolutely loved talking with around 65 RD's to Be about starting their career. There were so many things no one told me and to be able to share this passion and insight with them was wonderful. The best part was connecting with a few after the presentation and also on social media so I can continue to follow their journey. Again, I want to lift them up and help them be confident in moving forward with all the unknowns about starting in this awesome profession. 

After presenting, I also got the opportunity to podcast with a few amazing WAND members to be revealed at a later date. This is also such a great part of the journey, listening to other people's stories and passions about being a Registered Dietitian. The two members I podcasted with, sincerely chose this profession and that gives me all the feels. 

This experience was priceless. The people I had the opportunity to meet and the passion I see in so many of my peers, is what being an RD is all about. I love our tribe! Thank you to the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for an experience I will never forget. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

I always like to do a playlist with all music either about the state or the location I am going, but there is not a lot of songs about Wisconsin. Who knew?  But there is this legendary music festival occurring every Summer, that I have had a longing to attend for as long as I can remember. I finally put a reminder in my phone to make sure I get online to see when ticket sales open next year for Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This years line up is AMAZING, so I decided to create my playlist from the artists I would have like to see (there are a ton but these are my top picks).  I will just close my eyes and pretend I am there this June/July. Find the playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I know I have said this before, but there is nothing like a handwritten note. This little note I received after my presentation was something that lifted me up. It was also hand stamped and I could feel the love. Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note. Another opportunity to make someone feel special. 

~AE

Weekly Wisdom and Only Getting Better Top 5 Nutrition Noshes

Nosh One. Wisdom.

Have you heard the breaking news?

Being a human is hard. We put so many things on our plate at one time and try our hardest to harness our superhero powers to make it all happen. Each time we conquer a task, a new challenge arrives. How we address and attack the challenge is all on ourselves. Do we take the "whoa as me" approach or do we take the view of "I got this?" The ultimate question is are we even putting ourselves out there for the challenge?

Things don't get easier, no matter which approach you choose. This is why is it called a challenge. I challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone and try new things to get better. I want to be better. I want to be better at all the things that scare the crap out of me. I want to get better at being a great human. If things seem easier, then I know I am getting better. 

And knowing is half the battle. 

Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation. 

Today’s conversation is with Liz Dunn, a registered dietitian with a passion for sports nutrition, being active and wheelchair rugby.

This is another episode of where I sing the praises of Instagram and how it brings people together. I started following Liz last year and I remember the first photo of hers I saw. It was of her with holding her paper stating she had passed the RD exam. But what really caught my attention was she said in the caption “I may not be where I hoped to be at this point, but that’s ok.”  I remember thinking, neither am I and you know what, it is ok! There is so much more to Liz’s story and I am happy we were able to have such a great conversation.

Please enjoy my conversation with Liz

Connect with Liz by email, her website Adapting Nutrition and follow her on Instagram

Nosh Three. Week in Review. 

How can I not have a great week with a food this delicious and a sign this adorable?  It is really fun being a retail dietitian. I get to be around food and people and fun all the time. Every month, we have a dietitian pick in the store and this month is a really great one. Avocados are really popular right now but there are still people who are scared of these green balls of goodness. I get the opportunity to educate everyday but the best part is getting the opportunity to have people of all ages taste food where food means the most. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the face of someone who thought they didn't like a food, give it another try and tell me they liked it. It is the best. 

This past week, we finally got to close out my March Birthday celebrations with my friend Ryan's 40th year on this earth. 

Kevin threw a great get together to celebrate this special milestone in Ryan's life. 

We of course had Cocktail Club with a Sloe Gin Fizz, which I have never had before.  Anything with a cherry on top is something I knew I would like. It was very refreshing and not too sweet. I liked the combination of the fresh lemon juice and the soda addition for bubbles. I will have this again.

Kevin decorated with photos of Ryan all over the house. It was fun to reminisce the years since I have known Ryan and the years I hadn't. This is a kick ass idea for a future birthday of someone special in your life. Collect photos of who you are celebrating from different people like family and friends. Place them in different areas of the space you are holding the party. Kevin had them on balloons, hanging from doorways, on the refrigerator and in the space by the food. Each time you changed locations, you caught a different and fun photo of Ryan. 

The theme of the evening reminded us all we are never to old to enjoy anything you want in life. Including your own Magic Tracks Mega Set and being able to watch Wrestlemania and just be a kid again. Not everything has to be so serious all the time and we don't have to act our age all the time. It's only a number. 

Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

I am only getting better week by week with my workouts too. It is all about being consistent and working hard. It doesn't get easier, I just get better and stronger. I love noticing that as each week goes by and enjoying this weeks playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

I am very excited (and nervous) to have the opportunity to travel this week to Wisconsin and speak during their Annual Conference this year. I love Registered Dietitians and at this conference, I am getting the opportunity to speak to future Registered Dietitians, RD2Be's. Speaking is something that scares me and it never gets easier, I just get better. I get better because the people I am with at each conference I go to, make me WANT to be better. The Registered Dietitians and RD2Be's I meet along the way get me fired up to be a part of something greater than me.  WAND here I come!

~AE

Weekly Wisdom and Top 5 Nutrition Noshes

Nutrition Nosh One. Wisdom. 

As we near the end of National Dairy Month, I had to share one last thought provoking nutrition-ish dairy delicious wisdom that came to me when I was making my morning smoothie. My morning smoothie/milkshake (because yeah that happens sometimes) makes me happy.  It is the perfect blend of all the things I love for breakfast and I truly look forward to it. As the day progresses and my interactions with humans start, my positive vibes can tend to dwindle. I let negative talk take over my brain. What if I always chose to look for the things I liked about a situation or a person?  It could be anything or anyone I encounter at any particular moment. What if I focused on seeing only the good things, instead of the things I like? 

 If we chose to always find the positives in people and situations, the world would be full of strawberry milkshakes.

If you start the day by looking into the mirror at yourself...the gorgeous and brilliant human being you see staring back at you...and looking at all the things you like about yourself, is exactly where to start. It is then, you can continue the momentum to do the same with everyone else who graces your day. Positive thoughts undeniably equal positive vibes others can sense and feel.  Kind of like the feeling you get when you drink a delicious milkshake. 

Nutrition Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.

My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian Amanda Kruse.

While I was continuing my adventure in Indianapolis, then president-elect of the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Amanda Kruse just got done putting the final touches on their annual meeting. It was about 9:30 pm and I knew upon first meeting her, passion is everything to Amanda. Amanda learned a lot about being a collegiate athlete, but also being a college student and how important food is where the student is dining. She started her career being a resource for college students in dining services and quickly advanced her career in management in K-12 for the Indianapolis Public Schools. She values conversations like I do and finds her best ones come when talking with students about food. She not only works a full time job, but volunteers for her state affiliate, the Academy and loves being a preceptor.

Please click here to enjoy my conversation with Amanda 

Connect with Amanda:  kruseama@gmail.com

Nutrition Nosh Three. Week in Review.

This summer has been a little different and I think a little delayed. I have had baby birds all over my backyard this year and Lil g has been in heaven!  The best part is, she loves to look outside but not so excited about actually going outside. This week, we had a baby robin working really hard on his flying skills but just quite couldn't get off the ground. He spent about 24 hours sitting on the patio trying hard to get going. Lil g spent all 24 hours monitoring the situation. She seriously did not leave the back door all day or night. Finally, he found his wings!

I had Friday off this past week and my friend Jason and I had a local day of adventure by doing a little shopping, getting mani's and pedi's and attending happy hour at a new local brewery. When I went to the Barn Town Brewery website, I was hooked with the opening line of their "About" section. 

"Barn Town was built on one word - Passion."

The atmosphere of Barn Town Brewing is very much Iowa. It has a cozy barn feeling and is bright and airy. The back wall has a mural made of beer cans into the shape of the State of Iowa with the infamous Des Moines area code "515" in the middle. I can't believe I forgot to get a photo!  Next time. Barn Town Brewing provides homemade, full -flavored, artisanal ales and chef-inspired elevated America style pub fare. They try to locally source ingredients from Iowa farms and pride themselves in the freshness, quality and origin of their food and drink.  My kind of place!  It was Des Moines Beer Week, so even more reason to jump into a flight of beer. There is an extensive menu of their own beers, with clever names, so it was very difficult to choose! My favorite was The Real Slim Shandy and the Iowa Gold. But with names like Millennial Disco Party and Wagon Wheel Wit, I will be making another trip. 

Since we were there during happy hour (3-5 pm Monday-Friday), we took advantage of $6 appetizers. In honor of National Dairy Month, Cheese Curds and Bavarian Pretzels with Iowa Gold Cheddar Sauce were chosen. Both were very delicious and a perfect compliment to my beer selection.     There are also items such as Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Craft Mac & Cheese, a variety of salads and sandwiches, including burgers. I am excited to have a new watering hole in my neighborhood!

I ended my weekend with a quick trip to Omaha for some Frista time with Carlena. It has been too long in between our visits so I needed my fix and a bonus was getting to have her hubby Doug come with us!  When you are busy parents of 2 boys, it is hard for both of them to get away, so it was an even more special night out on the town!

Nutrition Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

Sharing with you my "Undeniably Dairy" Playlist to get your fitness on this week.  I even discovered a song I had never heard by Elvis. 

Nutrition Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now. 

A few weeks ago, I got a wonderful package from Land O' Lakes filled with their new Less Sodium Butter and I am a fan!  It is great to use with almost everything I do and is easily spreadable after leaving it out for a few minutes on the counter-top. The other day, I had a craving for Alfredo pasta and I wasn't sure what I had for ingredients and I also really did not want to head out to the grocery store. Luckily, I was able to put together this recipe with what I had and it simple and fast. 

Undeniably Simple Alfredo Sauce

Serves 2

2 tablespoons Land O' Lakes Less Sodium Butter

1 cup fat-free half and half

3 ounces of whipped cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 clove of minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano 

1/2 pound of your favorite pasta, prepared per directions on package

1. Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat adding butter, half and half and cream cheese. Stir or whisk continuously until melted. 

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk for another 2-3 minutes to blend and thicken. 

3. Add in your prepared pasta and blend with the sauce. 

4. Serve and eat immediately. 

I topped my pasta with fresh chives from my herb pot in the back yard for some pretty green color and an additional layer of flavor. 

~AE

Top 5 Nutrition Noshes and Weekly Dairy Good Wisdom

Nutrition Nosh One. Wisdom.

Why in the world would anyone settle for anything less than the real deal? As a Registered Dietitian and nutrition expert, aka RD aka "Real Deal" this is how I roll. I am all about the real deal; when it comes to food and when it comes to people. When you start making compromises in your life, all you are doing is letting yourself down. You are not giving you what you are worthy of and what you deserve. Why would you do that to yourself?  Why? You are the most important person in your life, without you, nothing else would have followed. So treat yourself that way. When it comes to nutrition, feed yourself like you would feed the Queen of England if she stopped in for a snack. No more food without any flavor or crazy ass ingredients. If you want a cookie, grab some butter and make a batch of damn delicious cookies. The love you put into making those cookies will give some love back to you with a sense of satisfaction after eating just one (instead of the 5 or 10 cookies you ate from the store). Then share those cookies. Share them with genuine, kind and loving people who make your heartbeat strong and steady. These are the people who are worth your time. These are the people you share your butter and cheese. These people are also the "real deal."

Nutrition Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.

My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Kelli Boi.

This spring I had the absolute joy to travel to the beautiful state of Utah and speak at the Utah Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting, Kelli Boi was the annual meeting chair and graciously took time out of her busy schedule those two days to share with me her inspiring journey so far. Kelli has a strong passion for multiple areas of practice including being an educator, clinical dietitian in long term care and skilled nursing as well as being a full-time preceptor and mentor to future registered dietitians.  She is one of the most emotionally invested registered dietitians I have met so far and is very inspiring because she gives 100% to being the expert and stresses the importance to advocate for our profession. Our conversation just made my heart happy.

Click here to enjoy my conversation with Kelli

Connect with Kelli: boi.kelli@gmail.com and follow her life and food adventures on Instagram

Nutrition Nosh Three. Week in Review. 

For the past 4 years, I have been attending a conference/summit with Midwest Dairy. At first, it was an opportunity for a great learning experience. Now is it life-changing learning experience. The knowledge I have gained about all aspects of dairy production and farming has made me a better dietitian and also a better person. My weekly wisdom quote above is sincere with all of my heart. I will admit, I took a little sabbatical from Dairy foods for awhile but it was not sustainable.  Dairy foods are the real deal.  This week launches National Dairy Month and I will be celebrating by sharing how I Dairy 3 For Me. I hope you will share too by using this hashtag, #DAIRY3FORME with your photos on social media. 

 

One of the best parts of this yearly summit is meeting the local dairy farmers and learn about their operation. Each time I visit a farm and meet the farmers, my biggest take away is this:

These devoted humans love their animals and love what they do. 

This year we had the privilege to visit family-owned and operated Jer-Lindy Farms & Readhead Creamery in Brooten, Minnesota. This multigenerational dairy farm is a beautiful partnership between parents and children. What is so unique is milk from dairy cows go straight to the creamery that is located on the family farm to make fresh and delicious cheese. The milk is pumped directly from the cows to the creamery through a unique underground tunnel and in less than 24 hours, the magic has happened and the cheese wheels enter the caves below the cheese plant. This type of creamery is called a farmstead creamery, where all of the milk used in Readhead Creamery cheese is produced at the same location as the cheese. 

When I can see the passion a farmer has for their farm and animals, it creates a connection between us, where I want to share their store of passion and purpose. VERY much like my podcast. Being dairy farmer is hard work and is a 24 hour a day job. There are no sporadic vacations or a lazy day of watching Netflix. This beauty was only 18 hours old when I met her. Newborns usually weigh around 90-100 pounds at birth and she was doing her best at walking when we visited her. She does need her own little residence to keep her healthy and free from illness-causing bacteria. She receives healthy, nutrient-packed colostrum for the first couple of days to boost her immune system and then transitions to milk and a special grain until about 4-8 weeks.  

As these baby girls grow within 6 months, they are eating silage/grains and can also go out to pasture to feed on grass, weighing in around 400 pounds. Around their first birthday, they weigh around 700 pounds and still has a lot of growing up to do. Around year 2 is when they are all grown-up and has had their first calf, starting to produce milk and joining the milking crew. These ladies weigh in around 1100-1200 pounds are are still early in their careers with a lot more growing to dos. An adult and distinguished lady weighs in around 1500 pounds and has had around 3-5 babies.  She eats really well and can produce much more milk than when she had her first baby, up to 12 gallons day.

Dairy farmers love their cows. I mean really love them. They do everything they can to keep them safe, healthy and happy. A happy cow means a lot to the livelihood of a dairy farm. Happy and healthy cows produced the best milk, therefore the farmers can give us the best nutritious, great tasting product. There are around 7,400 dairies in the 10 Midwest States represented by Midwest Dairy, with around 97% of those being family owned, like Jer-Lindy Farms. These dairies are right in our backyards and provide us with fresh milk in less than 48 hours from farm to store. We were able to tour the entire farm by the dairy calves and heifers, the mothers-in-waiting (preg­nant bovines), the milk­ing cows, the milk­ing par­lor (with cows milk­ing) and milk hold­ing room. 

Another part of the operation on Jer-Lindy Farms is very unique to the midwest. This family-owned dairy farm also has a farmstead creamery on-site, Redhead Creamery (click to learn more about the creamery). Alise is president of Redhead Creamery and has always had a passion for cheesemaking, since age 14, as well as being part of her family business and living her dream.

Jer-Lindy Farms & Redhead Creamery have a strong devotion to sustainability and stewardship of the land with their farming practices. A farmstead dairy is defined as a creamery that uses on-site milk to produce cheese. Alise designed a perfect system for transporting milk with an underground pipeline that goes from the barn directly to the creamery. Alise gets up bright and early when the cows are first milking to make cheese twice a week (with hopes of more because of wider distribution of her products). Alise shared with us some interesting facts about cheese making:

• The more comfy the housing (of the cows) the better the cheese. Feeding the cows corn silage changes the taste of the milk of how long the silage has been developing. 
• A member of the creamery will journal each day and write down the weather/humidity, moods of the employees, what the cows ate because it all affects the taste of the cheese. After the cheese has ages for the appropriate time, Alise can determine the state of the cheese and the different nuances. Only the cheese maker would notice the difference.

• The state of Minnesota is awesome for cows to produce higher fat/protein in the milk during winter because they favor being cold. The fat/protein is less in the summer because the cows are trying to stay cool. 
• Alise is testing for antibiotics in the milk all the time and is continually being FSMA/food safety compliant. 
• The mold formed on the cheese during the aging process is specific for this farm, it cannot be replicated anywhere else because of the location, very unique.

• The creamery produces 800 lbs a week of cheese. Alise is always thinking 6 months out and is focusing on what will be needed at Christmas. 
• Whey protein goes to the cows for nutrition. She has been approached about why for a protein powders but the creamery does not produce enough whey to market it for protein powders.

• Always keep cheese cold and serve at room temperature. 
• Readhead Creamery has different levels of aged cheese, from 6 months - 2 1/2 years and also makes delicious cheese curds. 
• Redhead Creamery ships all over the world, retail and online.  She ships outside of the Midwest to specialty stores and restaurants. 
• Favorite thing about her job is being creative! 

We were not only served a wealth of knowledge on this family farm, we got to experience the wonderful flavors of Alise's cheese. Just like the family farm, the names of the creamery's cheese are also family focused. Lucky Linda's cave-aged cheddar is named after her mom and incredibly delicious Little Lucy Brie is named after her daughter. She has plans to keep creating new cheese as her business grows. This was a dietitian's dairy heaven!  

Jer-Lindy Farms and Redhead Creamery has tours, on-site cheese shop and hosts private events. If you are ever this way, I highly recommend you make a stop. 

Nutrition Nosh Four. Workout Playlist of the Week. 

Click here for this weeks playlist which is full of artists from Minnesota.

I didn't realize how many I already had on my playlist. Hello? Singles the movie? Dyslexic Heart!!!

Nutrition Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now.

We were fortunate to visit Land O' Lakes headquarters on our trip to Minneapolis. They pride themselves in being a farm-to-fork company with around 10,000 employees and providing crop inputs, dairy foods and feed to a variety of animals. While we were there we met chefs and the leads of the test kitchen. There are many different products created and testing in any given years times and we got to try their latest product, Less Sodium butter. This creamy and great tasting butter made with canola oil and has 25% less sodium than butter. We were so generously sent this goodie box. 

This past weekend, I celebrated National Egg Day and made the creamiest, best tasting scrambled eggs with this butter.  There is nothing like local eggs made even more delicious with a local product. 

I had a healthy dose of dairy good nutrition on my trip and will be celebrating the entire month of June with nutrient-packed and great tasting dairy foods!

~AE