03 Mar Inside the fridge welcomes FANNEtastic Food founder Anne Mauney

One of my faves: Anne Mauney’s Spinach, Feta, Cucumber and Orzo Salad

You may have heard of a little blog called FANNEtastic Food—written by Anne Mauney, right?  Um, hello?!

I’m super excited to take a peek into Anne’s fridge today–and I’m thrilled to know that we both covet the same convenience products–90 second rice and canned beans!  

I’m not even going to introduce her—she’s going to take it from here…..Anne, take it away!

I’m Anne Mauney – a Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian with a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I own my own nutrition counseling private practice, helping clients to lose, gain, or maintain weight, feel healthier, and improve their relationships with food. I encourage my clients to ditch the diet mentality and scales and focus instead on mindfulness and self care – with weight loss/maintenance being a side effect of that behavior change.

When I’m not working with clients, I’m writing for my food and fitness blog, fANNEtastic food. I started it nearly 6 years ago to inspire others to lead happier, healthier lives – and to show readers that eating healthy and being active can actually be fun, too. J On my blog, I share easy healthy recipes, quick meal ideas and packable lunches, daily fitness adventures, running training plans, health tips, and more.

Want to follow Anne? Twitter: https://twitter.com/fannetasticfood  Instagram: http://instagram.com/fannetasticfood  

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/fannetasticfood/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fANNEtasticfood

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+AnneMauney/posts

Let’s begin!

Where do you shop for food?

Usually Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or Giant. For fresh produce and meat/fish, I like Whole Foods. For some “fun” pantry/prepared/frozen items, Trader Joe’s. For cheaper pantry staples, Giant.

What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?

 Quality and the ingredient lists – aiming for simple, minimally processed foods. I try to buy mostly organic dairy/meat/eggs, and organic produce when it’s available/makes sense.

How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet or fly by the seat of your pants?

We mostly take the fly by the seat of your pants approach! I usually try to pick at least one new and fun meal to make per week (hopefully involving some leftovers), and the other nights we just wing it, or make easy standard favorites that we already have the ingredients on hand for. The key for this to work is always having healthy options and fresh produce on hand!

Do you believe in leftovers? 

YES! My husband hates leftovers, but I love them, so I usually end up eating most of them. I love throwing random leftovers together to make new and interesting meals, and the best part of leftovers, of course, is that they require no effort!

What convenience product can you not live without?

 90 second brown rice! Greatest. Invention. Ever. Also, canned beans!

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?

My Nespresso machine! I LOVE lattes and espresso and used to spend way too much money at Starbucks. Now, I usually make them myself at home. We got the Nespresso Pixie as a wedding gift a couple years ago and it’s my favorite machine in the kitchen!

Another big favorite is the garlic press – that gets a lot of use in our house!

If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?

 Maybe the owner of True Food Kitchen? I love their food – nutritious but tasty, too!

What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?

    I just completed and released a Nutrition for Runners program, which I spent the past year developing alongside a running coach. It’s a comprehensive nutrition and training program for runners, and includes meal guides, expert interviews, a full recipe cookbook, and a library of training plans designed for either performance or weight loss.