Nourish with Elise

09/18/2026

I want to share something beautiful that happened inside my Nourish program. One of my health coaching clients successfully completed her Nourish program today. While listening to her recent experience while traveling, I was reminded how powerful one woman’s courage can be.

This client travels often for work. In the past, this made it hard for her to stay aligned with her health goals, but over the last few months, she’s built the confidence to advocate for herself and she's done it with grace, kindness, and clarity.

She began emailing organizers before events, kindly asking for simple dietary accommodations that support her health. She made phone calls and asked questions. She expressed her needs.

And here’s the amazing part: Not only did they happily accommodate her… one organizer told her it was such a great idea that they should start asking everyone if they have dietary needs. Her courage didn’t just support her — it helped others.

That’s the ripple effect.

She and her husband also took a recent trip and chose to stay in an Airbnb so they could cook and enjoy nourishing meals together. They felt grounded, supported, and completely in control of their wellbeing. This was a small shift with a huge impact and this is what happens when we learn to listen to our bodies, honor our needs, and ask for support.

It’s not just personal growth — it’s leadership, advocacy, and empowerment. And it also inspires others to do the same. I’m so proud of her. And I’m so grateful to witness these moments — where one person’s courage becomes a ripple effect that touches everyone around her.

This is a reminder to keep asking for what you need. Keep honoring your body. Keep creating ripples. You never know who you’re helping along the way.

09/17/2026

Hello beautiful mamas and mamas‑to‑be!

I’m so excited to share that my next three Prenatal Nourish Classes are officially open for registration. These sessions are designed to support you with evidence‑based nutrition, grounding practices, and practical tools to help you feel seen, supported, confident, calm, and deeply nourished throughout pregnancy...
and beyond!

If you’ve been wanting guidance, community, and a space to truly care for yourself and your growing baby, I would love to have you join us.

You can view all upcoming dates and reserve your spot here:
👉 www.nourishwithelise.com/events

Come LEARN, CONNECT, and NOURISH your mind, body, spirit, and baby. I can’t wait to see you in class at Haven Women's Health and Birth Center!

Not in the Cary, NC area? No problem! DM me to learn more about my LIVE ONLINE GROUP OPTIONS!











With love,
Elise a.k.a. "Vovo"

09/06/2026

Celebrating my Dad’s 81st Birthday and the Lessons Learned Around the Table

In my cookbook, You Never Cook Alone, I shared many sacred stories about cooking with the people I love. This resonated with many of you and I know that you are still making memories with your families around your tables.

Today, on my dad’s 81st birthday, I’m celebrating one of my favorite dishes he makes — his tender, love‑filled Beef Tips — and the way food has always been the love language of our family.

In our home, the kitchen and our dining room were never just rooms. They are a classroom, a gathering place, and a storytelling circle. It is where little hands learn big lessons, where patience is simmered right alongside the Sunday pot, and where the aroma of a meal means we are together.

My Mom and Dad taught me that the best recipes aren’t written on paper — they’re passed from hand to hand, heart to heart. They’re built with time, attention, and love. And now, watching my own children and grandchildren cook beside me and with one another, I still see the same magic unfolding. The table becomes a bridge between generations, and every meal becomes a memory.

If you’d like to make one of Dad’s classics, here’s the recipe I treasure:
👉 https://cookingwithelise.com/beef-tips/

Here’s to Dad, for his 81 years of wisdom, humor, and the meals that helped shaped us. And here’s to the beautiful truth that the very best lessons in life are learned around the table.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Dad! Please join me in wishing my sweet Dad a very Happy Birthday! Thank you! 😊

We enjoyed Beef Tips yesterday for our Sunday dinner. The key to making Beef Tips is time, patience, and of course love. When properly attended to, Beef Tips are a simple and delicious choice for dinner. I particularly enjoy making Beef Tips on the weekends because they are so easy, but they do need...

08/09/2026

This morning I was reminded of something I once heard Charles Stanley say:

“Your mind is the control tower of your life.”

Your mind directs the course of your life.
Your decisions, your direction, your habits — they all begin with what you allow to take root in your thoughts. Who you are today is the result of years of thinking.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

Let’s read that again with intention.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are called to:

“Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”

This is the secret to living with clarity, peace, and purpose.

May your Sunday be filled with thoughts that nourish your heart and your mind.

08/05/2026

During a recent prenatal nutrition class at Haven Women's Health and Birth Center, one of the sweet mamas shared something that wrapped around my heart like a soft blanket. She said, “When a mother enjoys her motherhood, children enjoy their childhood.” We love talking about all aspects of nourishment and last night we talked a lot about nutrition, but also about how a mother’s presence is never just background noise in a home — it’s the quiet music everything else moves to. The way she breathes through a moment, the way she responds to a spill or a sibling squabble, the way she carries her own hopes and weariness… all of it becomes the emotional weather her family grows beneath.

Motherhood sets the tone not because she is responsible for everyone’s happiness, but because her heart naturally becomes the first rhythm her children learn. When she delights in her motherhood — even imperfectly, even in small pockets — her children feel permission to delight in their childhood. Her joy doesn’t have to be loud; it can be the soft kind that shows up in warm eyes, gentle hands, and the willingness to pause long enough to notice the goodness tucked inside ordinary days.

A mother’s attitude becomes a kind of compass. Her steadiness teaches her children what safety feels like. Her laughter teaches them what freedom feels like. Her patience teaches them what love feels like. And even her honest moments — the ones where she’s tired, or stretched thin, or choosing calm one breath at a time — teach them resilience and grace.

Homes don’t need perfection; they need a mother whose heart is anchored. When she tends to her own spirit, she tends to the whole family. Her peace becomes the soft landing place. Her warmth becomes the welcome. Her hope becomes the light that keeps everyone moving forward.

Motherhood is not about carrying the whole house on her shoulders — it’s about carrying the tone in her heart. And when that tone is love, the whole family feels it.

What’s one small way you’ve noticed your own heart setting the tone in your home lately?

07/28/2026

If you’re looking for a cozy treat that actually supports your health, this banana bread is one of my favorites. It’s comfort food with a purpose — packed with ingredients that nourish your gut, steady your blood sugar, and support whole‑body wellness.

Here’s why this loaf is secretly a nutritional powerhouse:
✨ Almond flour gives you healthy fats, vitamin E, magnesium, and protein to keep blood sugar steady and energy stable.
✨ Chickpea flour adds prebiotic fiber and plant protein that feed your gut microbes and support digestion.
✨ Bananas offer natural sweetness plus resistant starch — a beautiful prebiotic that helps your microbiome thrive.
✨ Eggs bring complete protein and choline for brain health and mood support.
✨ Honey or maple syrup add gentle sweetness with antioxidants and minerals.
✨ Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic impact and contains inulin, a prebiotic fiber.
✨ Olive/avocado oil provides anti‑inflammatory fats that support hormones and heart health.
✨ Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar.
✨ Dark chocolate chips add polyphenols and magnesium — yes, chocolate can be functional nutrition.

This banana bread is:

💛 Gluten‑free
💛 Fiber‑rich and Protein rich
💛 Gut‑friendly
💛 Blood‑sugar supportive
💛 Nutrient‑dense
💛 Comforting and Delicious

It’s the kind of recipe that feels indulgent but nourishes your body from the inside out — especially your gut, which plays a huge role in mood, immunity, digestion, and overall wellness.

If you make it, let me know how it turns out. Your kitchen is about to smell amazing and your hearts will be so happy.

05/21/2026

So true!

05/08/2026

My heart is incredibly full reading this sweet review from one of our Haven mamas. What a gift to witness women step into pregnancy feeling informed, supported, and empowered!

I’m truly and endlessly grateful for HHaven Women's Health and Birth Center— a birth center rooted in heart, community, and genuine care. Being part of this team and loving on their patients is one of the greatest honors of my work.

Every mama deserves to feel loved, held and confident in her nourishment, and I’m humbled to play a small part in that journey. Thank you to this lovely family for their beautiful review! It means more than you will ever know.

04/20/2026

Pregnancy comes with so much advice — and most of it feels overwhelming. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to be perfect. You just need a little clarity and a lot of compassion.
That’s why I created the Nourish Pregnancy Class — a gentle, uplifting space where we talk about the simple things that truly support your baby’s future health… without pressure, guilt, or information overload.

If you’re expecting, I’d love to welcome you.
You don’t have to be a Haven patient — all mamas are invited.
Come breathe, learn, and feel supported.
Your nine months matter, and you don’t have to walk them alone.
Haven Women's Health and Birth Center

If you’re pregnant right now, or hoping to be, you’re probably hearing advice from every direction — what to eat, what to avoid, what to buy, what to read, what to prepare. It can feel like the world expects you to become an expert overnight. But here’s the truth I want to share with you:You...