A fun food tag...

Kim at "Teta" Means "Booby" in Spanish tagged me in this great food post. Some things might surprise you because I don't eat clean (or anywhere near clean) and generally have a love for food, but I'm SUPER picky. :)

1. If you could eat anything without any health repercussions or guilt, what would your meal be? Well... I love me some cheese. Fried cheese, cold cheese, string cheese, processed Velveeta cheese, cheese puffs, cottage cheese - you name it, I'll eat it like a fat kid eats cake. And although I said that I'm picky about food, cheese is just about the only exception (although I don't like swiss.. it smells funny). You can put cheese on just about anything and I will eat it. Especially pasta. I could eat cheese and pasta every day, every meal. And not whole wheat pasta... I'm talking the real enriched white stuff. So I would eat a big bowl of that, with a diet coke and for dessert, a fudgy brownie with peanut butter smeared on top and vanilla ice cream (sounds like I've done that before doesn't it???) MAYBE...
2. If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why? I'm with Kim on this one and would love to meet my blogger friends. You guys have been so supportive and I'd love to thank you all in person. I would also like to meet two others who aren't with us anymore... Tom's Paw-Paw who he talks about all the time, and his old dog Sammy. Both of them were a big part of Tom's life before I met him and I know that he has great memories of them. Someday I'll meet them... I'm confident in that.
3. Why did you start blogging and what did you expect when you started? I started blogging because I wanted to have a place to be accountable for losing weight. I've struggled for years with my self image. After I graduated college, I was about 35 pounds heavier than I am now. My dad came up to me one day and said that I was getting a little pudgy - I love him to pieces, but that's all I needed. I joined weight watchers and dropped about 25 pounds before meeting Tom. Once I met him, I started working out, but I always struggled to maintain my weight. Either I had to count points or I'd gain and I felt like I was trapped. I fell into that whole "wife weight gain" mode - the one where you gain because you eat as much as your hubby who is 50 pounds heavier than you and 4 inches taller.. I didn't gain a lot... maybe 5 pounds, but I couldn't kick it. I started this blog about my weight loss journey and eventually it grew into my training log, my ramblings, my Ironman journey, etc. I still (every once in a while) talk about my weight issues, but I've since lost those last 10 pounds. Of course I still struggle with my self image, but I try to keep that to a minimum in public! :)
4. What is the one book you could read over and over again? Hum... I'm so not a reader. I'll admit it. And when I do, I like chick-lit books. You know, the ones about girls meeting the men of their dreams (who happens to be their boss's son, their neighbor, their waiter, etc.), stalking them and falling madly in love with them (without telling them), the man leaves and dates something else, the girl finds the guy again, have an amazing chemistry and get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Every chick-lit book is the same, but I can't get enough. That and trashy celeb autobiographies/books. Loved Tori Spellings books, loved Chelsea Handlers books and currently have Kendra Wilkinson's book on reserve at the library!
5. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? I have two places that I was to take Tom. I want to go back to Europe - take him to Maastricht where I studies abroad, but visit the places that I loved in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, England, France, and Spain. But I also want to go with him to the French Polynesia. I sailed there for 17 days with my mother-in-law about 3 years ago and it was amazing. There are no words to describe the islands.
6. If you could have a TV show on the Food Network, what would it be? I love to do a show where I take really fattening foods and make them healthy. I've learned a lot of tricks along the way to make things healthier (like a box of cake mix and a diet coke makes a fabulous cake!)
7. What was the best meal you ever had? I'm kind of with Kim on this one too - nothing tops the box of REAL Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that my mom so graciously made for me after both of my Florida Ironman races. That florescent orange yumminess made my night!
8. Who has been the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook? Well I get my mom's pickiness in terms of food, but she's a fabulous cook and many of the meals that I make are her recipes or recipes that her mom handed down to her.

And now I have to tag 5 people. I think any one's answers to these would be interesting, but I'm very interested to see what these people say...

Christi @ Pedestrian Runner

Aimee @ I Tri To Be Me

BDD @ Big Daddy Diesel

Emz @ If I Can't Convince You, I'll at Least Confuse You

Tressa @ Training With A Track Coach and His Adorable Wife