The Biggest Losers

by The Meal Makeover Moms on November 13th, 2009

Last Saturday, the “Biggest Losers” was definitely the overarching theme of our day.

For starters, we had the pleasure of meeting our friend, Cheryl Forberg, for lunch in Napa, CA. Cheryl is the official dietitian for NBCs The Biggest Loser and the author of the newly released book, The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps. We’ll tell you more about our lunch with Cheryl in a bit.

Later that day, the “loser” theme popped up again at the first annual Foodbuzz Dinner & Award Ceremony in San Francisco, which we attended. Here’s the back story: Last month, we were nominated by Foodbuzz for Best Family Blog. We were humbled and honored to say the least. Coincidentally, we were scheduled to speak in Napa at the Manic Mommies Escape the same weekend as the Foodbuzz Festival, so we were thrilled that we’d be able to stop by the dinner to collect our award (LOL).

Okay, okay. We lost. But we were up against some pretty stiff competition: La Fuji Mama, Pioneer Woman, Savor the Thyme and A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa. The Pioneer Woman — horseback riding food and lifestyle blogger living in Oklahoma who takes the prettiest darn pictures you’ve ever seen — took home the Golden Fork, and we salute her (and thank everyone who voted)! Hey, there’s always next year.

Phew! Now that we’ve spilled our guts about losing, we thought you might like to hear a bit about the food blogger dinner. But before we share the details, in the spirit of full disclosure, on the drive back to Napa, The Meal Makeover Moms were pulled over while driving across the Bay Bridge.

police-car

It seems Liz was driving too SLOW in the right lane! That’s right. You can actually get pulled over for that (in her defense, it was a dark and stormy night, the Bay Bridge had just reopened after repairs, and it was kind of scary). The police officer was mighty handsome and quickly realized that the women driving the rented Toyota Corolla were just two sweet, innocent , and yes, loser dietitians with no bad intent. So off into the night we went without so much as a warning (but then again, what could he say?).

So, the dinner. The event was held at the GreenLeaf Produce Market in San Francisco (did we mention we arrived 45 minutes late because our GPS got us lost?!) and prepared by Outstanding in the Field which brings together local farmers, food artisans, chefs and winemakers to explore the connection between the earth and the food on your plate. There were a couple hundred food bloggers in the room (did we mention it was as cold as a walk-in refrigerator?) including Biggie from the blog Lunch in a Box, Elise from Simply Recipes, and Diana from Dianasaur Dishes who sat across from us at the end of the long, meandering table (did we mention we were in the overflow section?).

There was no shortage of delicious food at the feast including Mushroom Risotto with Koshihikari Rice and Crispy Maitake Mushrooms, Soy Braised Beef Cheeks and Oxtails, Baby Carrots and Fingerling Potatoes, OB Beer and Denjang Demi, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Ponzu Fried Garlic, Guanciale, and Bonito Flakes (our favorite). Despite the various trials and tribulations we encountered on our journey to the dinner and back, the night was a huge success.

Now, for our other Biggest Loser story: Earlier that day, we had lunch with dietitian pal, Cheryl Forberg. Now in her 8th season as nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, we think she has one of the coolest jobs on the planet. Cheryl suggested we meet at Ubuntu, a vegetarian restaurant and yoga studio in downtown Napa.

We wanted to eat a light lunch so we shared three lunch entrees and one tiny dessert.

Liz chose the Salt-Roasted Hudson Ranch Beets, Crushed Avocado, Red Quinoa, ‘Ruju’ Persimmon, Hazelnut “Soil.” The dish reminded us that we really need to come up with a recipe using quinoa (and no, we have no idea what “hazelnut soil” is).

From there, we dug into Cheryl’s pick: a steamy bowl of Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Bean Stew with Rosemary, Torn Bread, Chili, and Braised Black Kale.

And finally, Janice chose the Organic Grits with a Soft Farm Egg, Goat’s Milk Whey, Green Tomato Marmalade, and Trumpet Bacon.

The Mini Vegan Carrot Cucapes with ‘Cream Cheese’ Frosting and Tiny Purple Haze Carrots on top was a sweet ending to a fabulous meal.

We’d go back to Ubuntu in a heartbeat. The ambiance, decor, service, and food were all top notch, and it was great to hear some of Cheryl’s behind-the-scene stories from the show.

On a final note, stay tuned for our Cooking with the Moms podcast next week when we share all of our adventures — including the Manic Mommies Escape — out in California.

PS: For more photos from the Foodbuzz dinner and the Ubuntu lunch, visit our Flickr page.

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11 Comments | Filed Under Awards 

11 Responses to “The Biggest Losers”

  1. anne on November 13th, 2009

    Love those Napa details! Meal Makeover Moms will always be my Golden Spoon gals!

  2. DianasaurDishes on November 13th, 2009

    You’re winners in my book!! Had so much fun with you ladies at the dinner and look forward to following your blog.

  3. EatingRD on November 14th, 2009

    Wow, what a wonderful experience! I’m so sad I didn’t get to go to Foodbuzz Fest, that looked like such fun. So cool you got to meet up with Cheryl!! I love going to Napa, my aunt lives there and I’ve been so fortunate to visit a couple times. We’ve never gone to Ubuntu, but it sure looks amazing. I always use quinoa as a stuffing mixture in bell peppers and winter squash :)
    Thanks for offering your advice on culinary school, I will be e-mailing :)

  4. Biggie on November 14th, 2009

    So nice to meet and chat with both of you over dinner, even if it was in the chilly overflow section!

  5. The Meal Makeover Moms on November 20th, 2009

    We got an email from a podcast listener this week asking if Liz got a ticket on the Bay Bridge … for going too slow!! The answer, thankfully, is NO. The police office quickly sent us on our way (albeit our slow way) once he realized we were harmless!

  6. Adena on November 23rd, 2009

    I’m listening to your show and cracking up! You gals are SO FUNNY! BTW love your outfits for the special event!

  7. Meal Makeover Mom Janice on November 24th, 2009

    Hi Adena, glad you liked the show and thanks for the kudos on our outfits. Mine was definitely a little out of character – I typically dress a bit more conservatively. When my sister Diane saw the photo, this was her response:

    “Ok, so I just read a blog entry and LOL about the losers and bay bridge. You gals are funny.
    Speaking of loser, what’s w your outfit? I told you to clean out your closets, not wear that 70s stuff!”

    I’ll be sure to let my sister know that not everyone agrees with her assessment of my outfit!

  8. Adena on November 28th, 2009

    I think your outfits are great! Doesn’t she know that the ’70s are back????

  9. Sandy Hausman on November 30th, 2009

    Love chocolate mousse cake!

  10. Sadie on November 30th, 2009

    Haha! i love your outfit too!

  11. Sarah on December 2nd, 2009

    First MMM’s podcast where I laughed out loud MULTIPLE times! I really enjoyed hearing about the trip and the meals you had.

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