How have your eating habits changed since you’ve started working at Splendid Spoon ?

For the longest time I worked in the restaurant industry so my diet was at the mercy of that type of schedule and the particular food said restaurant I worked at served. I would eat a banana and a bagel before my shift (morning or evening), a questionable and unpredictable family meal or a few hasty bites of a meal I ordered (usually eaten standing up) somewhere in there, and then try to make it home at midnight to some broccoli and hummus before the smell of New York pizza overwhelmed me. I only got to cook myself wholesome meals on my days off, and usually one of those days I dined or ordered out- usually a burger, BBQ, or Chinese food. I ate a lot more meat and bad carbs then, versus now. Now I eat vegan most of the time and have eliminated most of those carbs that were filling me u,p but not filling me nutritionally. Eating a Splendid Spoon meal once a day is sooooo delicious and satisfying and I know it’s good for me! My new occupation, its hours, and incorporating Splendid Spoon meals into my life makes my soul feel good. I know that I’m doing the right thing for my health and the environment. I still love pizza, though, for life — a slice a week ain’t bad.

How did Splendid Spoon help you make a lifestyle change and change your eating habits?

Splendid Spoon has helped me realize that I thought I was a pretty healthy eater but that I could do way better. I never want to go back to my old eating habits. Eating a Splendid Spoon meal at least once a day has helped motivate me to make other healthy changes in my life, like getting back into shape. I am also a very environmentally conscious person, so knowing that I am reducing my carbon footprint and impact on the earth by incorporating SS’s plant-based, locally sourced meals into my every day also soothes my soul.

Did you struggle with making a lifestyle change?

I want to say that I didn’t struggle and still don’t. I continue to struggle with other lifestyle changes, but because of Splendid Spoon my diet isn’t one of them anymore.

Do you feel healthier and better overall?

How many times can I say “Hells yeah!” Just like with anything in life, you have to decide what is good and not good for you, and that lesson comes with a learning curve. Like when I finally learned that I was lactose intolerant and rued all the days I spent lying down, my stomach in cramps. Since then I have continued to be vigilant about what I eat and how it makes me feel. Splendid Spoon is now by my side, guiding me with my mission. Their meals fill me up. They taste amazing. The physical and mental influence on me is real. A cook that I used to work would say (and this has become my life mantra), “Make everything sexy.” Splendid Spoon does just that.

What are your favorite flavors?

Where do I begin? Pistou, Ikarian Stew, Green Gazpacho, Chickpea Harissa Tahini, Kabocha Porridge, Lentil Kale, Lentil Dal, Khichri, Oat Congee, Chipotle Chili, and the Red Beet Buddha Bowl, just to start. Oh, and not to forget the Cauliflower Coconut and Pumpkin Pear bottles.

Did you begin to incorporate exercise into your life or did you only change what you eat?

For me, making dietary changes has always been easier than making physical activity changes. I go through phases with my exercise routine, getting into great shape then slacking off and becoming squishy again. When I started noticing the changes that eating Splendid Spoon meals were making to me just by eating one a day (weight dropping, skin clearing up, energy way boosted), I wanted to hone that change and make it permanent. I incorporate one SS meal a day along with an hour of a mix of aerobic dance, pilates, and light weight lifting/stretch band resistance training 5 times a week. I’m making it sexy. I feel amazing.