Dream Come True!

When I found out that Janet and Greta Podleski were coming to our local Costco to sign copies of my bible, The Looneyspoons Collection, I think I peed a little.

Holy. Moly. Macaroni.

I would get to meet the two ladies who showed me how much fun healthy eating and cooking could be? The ladies whose show I watched regularly (even the repeats!) and whose cookbook I used constantly? The ones who changed my attitude towards healthy eating? Who took the word "diet" out of my vocabulary? Who changed my life?

Want a little back story here?

About eight months ago, I was on a diet. I was about twenty pounds down and borrrrrrred of all the 100-calorie snack packs, Lean Cuisines, baked chicken and salads I was eating. That boredom contributed to LOTS of binge eating of the unhealthy kind.

One night after the kids were tucked into bed and I was tucked onto the couch with a small bowl bag of cheezies tucked into my paws, I fell upon a show on the food network called Eat, Shrink and Be Merry!

Drop everything and go watch the show, NOW! You won't regret it! :)

Little did I know, that show would change my life.

The two sisters with beautiful smiles punned their ways through the half-hour show that featured a competition: them vs. a popular, fatty recipe. Their goal was to transform that yummy fattening recipe into a nutritious and healthy meal, then battle against the original recipe in a taste test. Nine times out of ten, their recipe came out on top!

The competition and taste test were fun to watch, but the part that got me hooked was the grocery shopping / recipe developing part. The sisters were hilarious while buying their groceries and offered so many incredibly fascinating nutrition facts about the foods they were picking out. Their passion and positive attitude when putting together the recipe was so contagious. How inspiring.

They showed me that eating while losing weight didn't have to be blah. It didn't only have to be processed foods and salads. I could eat the foods I loved and craved - and I could make them nutritious and just as tasty!

I was hooked on the show and for my birthday that year, I bought myself their most recent cook book, the one you always hear me recommend, The Looneyspoons Collection.

Best purchase I've ever made.

Cindy and I patiently waiting to have our books signed!

Not only are the recipes to die for, but the book is filled with tons of nutrition facts about foods and dietary options. I often find myself flipping through the recipe pages just to read all the articles! This sparked something else within me - a passion for nutrition! To the point where I now want to become a nutritionist. I will be starting school this coming March :)

My husband and I are now hooked on transforming old "cheat" meals into new healthy favorites (as you all know from reading my blog!) and learning about the nutrients that fuel our body. We now make 95% of our meals at home and massively minimize the amount of processed foods we bring into our home. I started my blog shortly after changing my ways and have not been on a diet since.

My weight loss is now at the 55lbs mark and going strong!! My lifestyle has changed 100% for the better and I can't thank those wonderful Podleski sisters enough for opening my eyes. Their positive disposition and passion for healthy eating changed my life.

So getting to meet them, my idols, this past Saturday? Pretty frickin' cool. They are such beautiful women, both inside and out, and are SO friendly and funny!

I was too shy to tell them my whole story (and paranoid about sounding like a gushing fan girl!) but I was able to thank them for helping me see the positive sides of healthy eating. They both gave me a big hug when they heard of how much weight I lost! Tears of joy!! :)

My prized possession.

Biggest smiles!! :)

To Janet and Greta: I love you both so much and can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me! If ever I can repay the favor ..! ;)

So .. That was my Saturday. How was yours?!

Ps. I went home later that day and baked their pumpkin spice muffins. Another incredible recipe!