Hi ! So happy you are here!

So, this all starts with family.

My father could sit down at a food-filled table with four perfect strangers and a glass of wine, and by the end of the evening every person around that table would feel known. Heard. Connected.  Family was his heart. My mom was the quintessential homemaker . Quietly, she made all the magic happen. In the kitchen. The same kitchen I learned how to cook in. And while some kids were off playing sports or out at parties , I’d sit there listening to the grown-ups talk over Mediterranean food  and drink.

I’d watch how people felt safe letting my father into their inner worlds. It was like his superpower.

I too love listening, learning and finding a common thread. I love listening to peoples stories.

That is also the kitchen where I became a dieter.  I bought into diet culture because I I always had this goal weight that I assumed would change my life . I’d get on the scale ( cause back then health and weight was ONLY about the scale.  and would hold my breath as I watched the needle move, calculating in my mind how many pounds away I was from happiness.

I don’t know what I expected to happen at that magic number. If I had been less delusional I might have acknowledged that the few times I did manage to reach my goal ( through very unhealthy restriction, fad

diets and disordered eating habits ) I instantly adjusted it a few pounds lower, and the flicker of joy was suppressed by the sudden realization that I needed to get it down even more.  It took years to change that dieting mentality.

Dieting doesn’t work. But , I also realized in the last 10 years that body acceptance and anti dieting has swung the other way, causing so many healthy issues.  That made me focus on I  a way to successfully coached women who are done with dieting neurosis but still want to lose weight for health reasons?  If that sometimes its things like hormones and blood sugar that need to be looked at too. If that sounds like you…your in the right place and I would love to listen, learn and find our common thread together.  After working with so many, I have become passionate about the mediterranean principles and eating styles.

I am passion about alot of things actually: cooking, nutrition, words, my husband, our five children, the theatre, non-fiction books, holistic music, taking way too many photos and the quote by Marie Forleo, “Everything is figure-outable.”

It took me years to strike the right balance between all of my passions and well … borderline obsessions. But here I am, with a B.A. in Science, a Masters in Holistic Nutrition, a private nutritionist practice, a spirited, beautiful family and the creator of this site, Enjoying the Art of Living and a new concept/site for a 2021 launch…Affamata . ( means hungry in Italian)

I created this site to help you find your balance, get off the diet cycle, and share easy mediterranean recipes, meal plans and eating principles that celebrate 21 countries from South Europe, North Africa to the Eastern Levant . In the blog you will find a lot about things to make your life alittle easier.

So glad you are here!

Marianne.

A few more facts, just for fun …

  • If I ever came to your home, I’d want to see your photo album. And your record collection. And if we got to cook, drink and talk and sing, you might have a hard time getting rid of me!
  • My husband teaches me the art of finding solutions, which has made me a better person. Cooking the night before an anticipated holiday or birthday is always time I cherish. We have been together over 20 years. Marriage is an ongoing, wild, vivid  ilustrustration of what it cost to love an imperfect person unconditionally, as Christ has loved us . We see each other as that imperfectly perfect couple
  • Cleaning never quite makes it to the top of my agenda.
  • My husband and I have five children. These 6 humans are the ones I adore around the table. They all have gifts, talents, beliefs, philosophies, abilities, and ideas. When all these amazing ingredients combine, things can get loud, and served up with a side of dysfunction … but for me its wonderful. When I hear the pulse of my family is beating loud and strong, I am complete. As children, they were my favorite people. As young adults, they are becoming my closest friends. We are all far from perfect and I could not do what I do without their support, help, or hunger.  My deepest joy is being all together, in ordinary moments, especially around the table and realizing half way through the meal how much I enjoy them, their existence, and how blessed I am to call them my family.