Quick update & my personal faves

I'm still on The Fresh Diet delivery program. I renewed it for an additional 21 day cycle (so yes, that means it was good ;). I've taken photos of the new and interesting menu items I've been getting but have gotten a little backed up and haven't felt like mounting the task of arranging them all. I'll get to it eventually! It seems that the menu may be on a ~30 day revolving cycle, since I've started seeing duplicates of the daily menus. Not a bad thing; I'm giving some other options a try. So far, 30ish meals in, I can honestly say I haven't received a gnarly meal. They've all been good, if not really really good. I've only had one forgotten menu item one day (a key lime cheesecake) and they credited my account for that.

Here's a list of some of my favorite menu items:

Snacks

Any of the cheesecakes!! (especially peanut butter chip)

Sugar free banana bar w/Cream Cheese Frosting (tasted like banana bread and icing)

Chicken Apple Sausage (great, convenient snack)

Breakfast

Whole wheat blueberry waffles (they teaches you to appreciate the taste of the waffle, not the syrup and butter)

Blueberry cream cheese crepes w/Wild Berry Sauce (the sauce is what takes these to the next level)

Honey Roasted Granola w/Fresh Berries (if you love granola, this one is delicious and filling)

Lunch

Crab salad w/Yellow & Red Tomato, Celery, Lettuce & Blue Cheese Dressing (<3>

Antipasto Salad w/Prosciutto Ham, Baby Arugula, Roasted Bell Pepper, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato & Balsamic Vinaigrette (it's like a caprese salad)

Grilled Chicken Breast on Whole Wheat Ciabatta w/Celery Sticks & Pistachio Pesto (tasted like a gourmet sandwich a la Panera; love their ciabatta bread)

Dinner

Turkey Chili Con Carne (very flavorful, plus I love chili)

Grilled London Broil w/Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (this was one of my two favorite dinners. The sauce is to die for and the steak was awesome. I would suggest this over the fillet of wild grouper option, which was kind of overly-fishy-tasting and not very good in my book)

Filet of Chilean Sea Bass w/Citrus Chipotle Sauce (I've had this twice and the first time was perfect. The sauce is awesome and the fish was cooked perfectly. The second time around, the fish was a little too chewy for my taste)

Sides: sweet potatoes (any side choice involving sweet potatoes has been good), creamy herbed quinoa, smoky maple baked beans, tri-color couscous

The Fresh Diet Day 15

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (10am): Honey Roasted Granola w/Assorted Fresh Berries & Coconut Yogurt

This breakfast was awesome! The granola was so sweet and mixed with the perfectly ripe fresh berries...YUMMY!! It was also quite filling, as it seemed like a hefty serving of wonderful-tasting granola. I guess I had been avoiding ordering the granola breakfast (since it seemed like a cheaper item when compared to an omelette or a waffle), but I'd definitely order it again. I think the only breakfast that can top this was the blueberry waffles w/cottage cheese. This would probably be my second favorite breakfast so far. The coconut yogurt was to die for as well. I should keep my eye out in the grocery store to see if I can get that flavor. I don't think I've seen it around. 

Lunch (12:40pm): Crab Salad w/Yellow & Red Tomato, Celery, Mesclun Lettuce & Blue Cheese Dressing

This salad was awesome! Well, it helps that I like crab meat a lot. It had a very sweet flavor to it, and I'm surprised they were serving Bleu Cheese Dressing, as I was under the impression that BCD wasn't so hot for dieting. The tomatoes were ripe and juicy-sweet, and even the lettuce was the perfect kind to go along with this salad mixture. Mmm, even hours later, I can recall the taste of this salad in my mouth. On the downside, I didn't find it to be very filling. For example, the grilled tuna salad: you had this HUGE portion of meat that kept me eating for 30 minutes. This one was gone in about 15 mins. I mean, the salad container was the same size and both were full containers. Nevertheless, I'd order this one again in a heartbeat.

Snack 1 (3:10pm): Roasted Baby Tomato Stuffed w/Gorgonzola Cheese

This took me about three bites to get through, so it was on the smaller side of snacks, but it was GOOD! It was way better than any of the stuffed mushrooms they have offered. The tomato was surprisingly firm enough to act as a really good "cup" for the mountain of cheese. I think they're trying to tell me cheese is a good snack. It comes as an accoutremont to a LOT of TFD's snack options. 

Dinner (6:20pm): Fillet of Wild Mahi Mahi w/Thai Ginger Chili Sauce w/Chipotle Spiced Whipped Sweet Potato & Cajun Rubbed Roasted Yellow Squash Spears

Well, lets start with the opinion that I found the two side dishes to be most pleasing. The cajun rub on the squash made it a lot more exciting that just plain-ole roasted squash, and the chipotle in the sweet potatoes was really poppin'! Very awesome; definitely liked the sides more than the fish. This is probably my least favorite fish dish so far. It was very flakey, but also very dry. I'm not a mahi mahi expert, maybe it's supposed to be dry or something, but it tasted fine. The sauce was good, but it wasn't outstanding like some of the others have been. It was actually quite hot, but I love hot 'n' spicy foods so I was cool with that. If this came up on a menu again, I'd shoot for the chicken offering instead of the Mahi. 

Snack 2 (9:30pm): Mango Cheesecake

This was good, but as I'm not the biggest fan of mango (I know I picked it, but I was less excited about the other options), so I'd have to rate it as my least favorite cheesecake so far. It definitely had a mango-ey flavor, but not overpoweringly so. I can say that in addition to enjoying the taste of TFD's cheesecakes, I also have been picking them frequently because I find them to be more food than the other options which are usually cookies, a muffin or some grilled fruit dessert. For instance, the grilled pineapple w/coconut I had the other day was very yummy, but it was gone in a flash and not very filling at all. I think it's important to savor your snacks and make them last as long as possible. I suppose the same holds true for all meals, so when the serving is so minute as to be gone in 20 seconds, you're feeling hungry in less than an hour. 

The Fresh Diet Day 14

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (9:45am): Strawberry Stuffed Whole Wheat French Toast w/Honeydew & Cinnamon Apple Yogurt

We already know I love TFD stuffed French Toast. I was really excited for this one because I love strawberries, and I was thinking the toast would be stuffed with strawberry halves, perhaps with some sweet strawberry juice/syrup inside. Well, the toast was good, but the strawberries didn't live up to my dreams. They were small, cubed pieces of strawberries filling the toast and weren't very sweet at all; more bitter, not necessarily totally ripe. They were okay, but if I were to do this dish myself, I'd give myself sweeter, larger strawberry halves. The yogurt was very good and the honeydew was good, maybe could have used two or three days more ripening for added sweetness. 

Lunch (12:25pm): Fresh Salmon & Mozzarella Cheese Melt on Spinach Tortilla w/Kalamata Olives

The flavor in this wrap was great, but the bad part was the salmon (at least I think it was the salmon, maybe it was olive juice) had caused the wrap to become VERY soggy on the bottom and the wrap tore on my first bite. It was very gooey bottom-side, so I flipped it upside down so that the whole thing didn't fall apart. It was a really good blend of ingredients, and the olives were very present in the mix, adding a whole lot of salty, olive-y flavor! The salmon inside was plentiful and very moist. I'd order it again on the condition of it not being so damn soggy. 

Snack 1 (3:25pm): Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna w/Snow Peas & Creamy Wasabi Sauce

This may be one of my favorite afternoon snacks, mainly because I love wasabi and all its hotness! Unlike the horseradish dips (which taste watered down to the point where you can hardly taste horseradish) this wasabi sauce was powerful! It was a pleasant light-green color, and it made this snack awesome! The tuna was grilled well and tasty, and the snow peas tasted great when paired with the sauce. It was a good serving size of tuna. The sauce got so intense at some points (I globbed it on there pretty well) that I had to stop and catch my breath and drink some water. If you don't like wasabi, this snack wouldn't be your best option unless you chose not to use the sauce, but I really feel you'd be missing out because it's really an awesome dipping experience  :) 

Dinner (6:30pm): Beef Kebab w/Peppercorn Brandy Sauce w/Sweet Potato Hash & Roasted Artichoke Hearts

This meal is probably going into my top 3 meals from TFD so far. The beef was perfectly pink in the middle and very juicy. The brandy sauce sort of acted as an au jous for the meat and was perfectly portioned (and didn't leak into my side dishes, which some of the more watery sauces tend to do). The meat was YUM-o, loved it! The sweet potato hash and artichoke hearts (both of which I've had as sides before) were yet again delicious. The sides were a 100% improvement from yesterday's side dishes, and MUCH more filling. It took me about 30 minutes to eat everything on my plate. Take THAT portion size!! 

Snack 2 (9pm): Coconut Cheesecake

Really good! What else can I say about it? You already know how much I love TFD's cheesecake  ;)

The Fresh Diet Day 13

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (10:40am): Fresh Fruit Salad w/Cantaloupe, Raspberry, Papaya, Banana, Pineapple & Banana Cottage Cheese

Everything was good, except for the raspberries being a little on the soft/turning brown side. The pineapple was my favorite, and I wasn't the biggest fan of banana-flavored cottage cheese. I much preferred the blueberry flavoring. 

Lunch (1:20pm): Roasted Artichoke Hearts & Four Cheese Panini on Whole Wheat Ciabatta

Really good! The melted cheeses (whatever kind they were) melted along with the artichoke and made this sandwich a winner. Lovin' that ciabatta bread! It makes every sandwich that much more filling. 

Snack 1 (3:50pm): Crab Cake w/Horseradish Dressing

Crab cake was yummy. The horseradish dressing could have used a bit more punch. I preferred to eat the crab cake w/out the dressing, just because the dressing wasn't adding anything to the flavor. It was good on its own. 

Dinner (6:30pm): Fillet of Wild Snapper w/Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto w/Roasted Baby Squash & Steamed Sugar Snaps

Fish was super-juicy and yum! The sun-dried tomato pesto was good, but not jaw-dropping good like some of their other sauces. TFD set their bar so high, I'm getting more picky/critical as the days move along  ;)  Roasted baby squash was good and the sugar snaps were okay. Nothing wrong with their preparation, I just wasn't a fan of the taste and didn't find the combination of the two sides to be very filling. I should have picked a rice or mashed something-or-other. 

Snack 2 (9pm): Coconut Chocolate Pudding

This didn't look like anything special at first glance, but my it was delicious! I liked it more than the cappuccino pudding, probably because it tasted more like a chocolate coconut pie rather than just straight-up large container of monotonous pudding. I LOVE coconut and the flavor of coconut was very present in this mix. The chocolate pudding on its own was good, but the toasted coconut made this snack taste 10xs better! 

The Fresh Diet Day 12

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (9am): Breakfast Burrito w/Scrambled Eggs, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pepper-Jack Cheese on Whole Wheat Tortilla

My favorite egg-inclusive breakfast dish so far! I'm a sucker for pepper jack cheese, and it helped this burrito out a lot. You know how sometimes it feels like you've just got too much egg in your mouth at one time? Maybe that's just a "me" thing, but the pepper jack cheese toned down the quantity of eggs a lot and made this wrap super yummy! The mushrooms were fine, but there didn't seem to be many in there, and they didn't add a lot to the flavor. I will say that this was a lot of food compared to the crepe breakfast. The wrap was sizeable. 

Lunch (12pm): Salad Nicoise w/Grilled Tuna, Tomato, Hard-Boiled Egg, Haricot-Vert, & Tomatillo Salsa

I've never had a "nicoise" salad before, but it was really good! The dressing/salsa had quite a spicy bite to it; a new experience to be eating a spicy salad. It wasn't overly spicy though, just interestingly enough so. The tuna was very good, but unfortunately it wasn't cut up into pieces (which I think would make sense), so I ended up just eating the whole big chunk of it. And by big chunk, I mean BIG CHUNK. It was a LOT of tuna, even a bigger portion of meat than my dinner! Overall, it was a very tasty salad and definitely a new taste for me, AND I was super-full afterwards!

Snack 1 (3:30pm): Prosciutto ham Wrapped Asparagus Tips

Very flavorful and crunchy! These were on the filling side when compared to other TFD snacks. I like my snacks to be more than two or three bites and these fit the bill. The Prosciutto ham added a good flavor kick. 

Dinner (6pm): Fillet of Lake Victoria Perch w/Puttanesca Sauce w/Tri-Color Couscous & Sweet Baby Peas

Oh my delicious fishy fishy! The fish was so tender, flakey and juicy! I don't understand how they make these meals survive the microwave so well. Usually when I reheat leftover fish, it is much drier than when I first received it at the restaurant. The sauce was very salsa-like, and although it was good, it wasn't as amazing as some of the other TFD dinner sauces I've tried. The perch was yummy enough to stand on it's own. The peas were sweet and fresh-tasting. The couscous was better than the sun-dried tomato couscous I had a week or so ago. It had a good flavor to it that I can't put my finger on, but it was enjoyable. 

Snack 2 (6:30pm): Sauteed Pineapple w/Key Lime Yogurt Topped w/Toasted Coconut Flakes

I ended up eating this right after dinner since we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us and I didn't want it to get all warm and mushy in the car. It definitely was delicious, however not quite as filling as a slice of cheesecake. The key lime yogurt was so good I totally could have gone for a little bit more. It was probably the smallest "snack 2" I've gotten thus far; a tiny slice of pineapple. 

The Fresh Diet Day 11

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (9:50am): Fresh Fruit Salad w/Cantaloupe, Raspberry, Papaya, Banana, Pineapple & Banana Ricotta Cheese

More ricotta cheese, LOL!! Well, the raspberries were blackberries, there was no papaya in the mix, but the fruit was very fresh and sweet. There were maybe two pieces of cantaloupe that were kind of hard (cut from closer to the hard exterior), but nothing a little ricotta cheese dip can't fix! I used up all my cheese this time. I think the more I keep eating the stuff, the more I realize that they're using it as a cottage cheese substitution and I'm getting used to the taste and texture of eating it solo. Still like the cottage cheese better. Anyhow, they must have gotten a great batch of pineapple b/c my pineapple yesterday and today was among the best, sweetest and juiciest I've ever eaten. 

Lunch (12:30pm): Roasted Leg of Lamb on Seven Grain Bread w/Watercress & Minted Yogurt Dressing

The minted yogurt dressing is great! The lamb is tasty, albeit a bit chewy, but this is lamb we're talking about here. Maybe I'm living in the dark ages, but I've never eaten a juicy, succulent, dripping-with-au jous lamb meal. It's always been kind of dry to me. Seeing as the lamb is a rascal to take a bite out of, I would suggest they cut their bread slices a little thicker so the bread isn't falling apart when taking bites. Overall, the flavor is great even though I don't order lamb on a regular basis. It's good to mix things up a bit! 

Snack 1 (3:10pm): Mushroom Crown Stuffed w/Creamy Broccoli

Very refreshing snack on a very hot day after a very intense, sweaty cardio workout!  The mushroom was a little soggy, but not bad. Probably a good sign that they're actually washing their mushrooms  ;) It didn't taste like it had any spices on it. It just tasted like a mushroom with pureed broccoli on top. Seems like a fairly straightforward dish to make. It was served on a bed of shredded lettuce. 

Dinner (5:30pm): Turkey Breast Roast w/Ginger Jerk Sauce w/Creamy Herbed Quinoa & Lemon Roasted Green Asparagus

Turkey was astonishingly juicy! The ginger jerk sauce was awesome; super hot! Definitely made my eyes water and my nose run! I appreciated that the sauce didn't run all over the plate tonight. It was a thicker sauce than last night's pomegranate. My love, the creamy herbed quinoa made a return tonight and it was just as good as the last time I had it! Wish it were on the menu more often. My side faves so far are the quinoa and servings involving sweet potatoes. The asparagus was the best it's ever been tonight, probably because it was roasted with some kind of flavor (what I've been sayin' all along!). So yeah, the turkey was juicy, definitely not dry, and was very yum yum. 

Snack 2 (9:30pm): Maple Cheese Cake

Yes I know, I've ordered cheesecake three days in a row now, but I'm lovin' it! No worries, tomorrow is something distinctly NOT cheesecake  ;)  What can I say? It was reeeeeeally good, yet again. This one tasted more like classic cheesecake. I can't say I tasted a maple flavor at all, but that's okay because I LOVE CHEESEcake! 

The Fresh Diet Day 10

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom middle: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (7:40am): Cherry Vanilla Ricotta Cheese Crepes w/Fresh Pineapple

I would have to say I much preferred my first order of crepes as compared to these. I think it was the wild berry sauce on the other ones that made them awesome. Again, as with yesterday's breakfast, I felt like I was just eating too much ricotta cheese, except this time the ricotta was overpowering within the crepe wrapper. These weren't bad, but I wouldn't order them again. It was like the ricotta cheese texture plus overly-sweet flavor was just too much for me. The fresh pineapple was awesome, though! So breakfast wasn't a total loss   ;)

Lunch (11:10am): Antipasto Salad w/Prosciutto Ham, Baby Arugula, Roasted Bell Pepper, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato & Balsamic Vinaigrette

This salad had a lot going on in it! The roasted bell peppers were surprisingly sweet and really very good. As you know already, I LOVE fresh mozzarella, so there's no going wrong there. The prosciutto ham was a new taste for me, but it was also very, very good. The arugula was a little too bitter for my taste, but such is arugula. I don't think it's supposed to be sweet. I may have preferred some baby spinach in the mix. Oh, and the balsamic vinaigrette needed a good shake-up before applying to the salad. It was good! Love that stuff. 

Snack 1 (1:40pm): Teriyaki Salmon & Caper Salad w/Whole Wheat Crostini

This was good, but I felt like compared to other snacks, this one was a little not-so-filling. The flavor was interesting. I can't really put my finger on the taste of the caper salad, but it was creamy and satisfying. I found the salmon a bit dry, which leads us to dinner...

Dinner (4:30pm): Fillet of Salmon w/Spiced Pomegranate Sauce w/Cider Baked Sweet Potato w/Red Currants & Exotic Mushroom Ragout

Lets start positively and mention that I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet potato w/red currants! I liken the currants to very sweet, tiny little cranberries. The mushrooms were good. Not amazing, but good; kind of plain. Now, the salmon flavor was fine, but just like my snack today I found the salmon to be very dry. The mouth-wateringness of the pomegranate sauce added some moistness to it, but on it's own it, I would have been drinking a lot of water to go along with it. The pomegranate sauce was good, but not my favorite flavor. It was very watery and so saturated most of my potatoes and mushrooms. The fish needed a lot of it for dipping! I normally like salmon, but after this dry salmon day, I may steer clear of TFD salmon dishes for a while. 

Snack 2 (7pm): Raspberry Chesecake

Okay guys, I'm running out of new, creative ways to say that their cheesecake is great, and this one was no exception. I savor every tiny bite I take, wishing there was more of it to eat b/c it's so good!! I don't think I'll ever get around to ordering a TFD muffin snack just b/c I can't miss my daily option of cheesecake! I can't imagine a muffin beating this out in the taste department. <3>

The Fresh Diet Day 9

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Middle bottom: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (12pm): Mango Stuffed Honey Wheat French Toast w/Raspberries & Banana Ricotta Cheese

The honey wheat toast bread was excellent!! It was so deliciously sweet and perfectly toasted; to die for. The mangoes on the inside were so-so. I would have preferred to have just the toast, but perhaps I'm just not the biggest fan of mangoes. They tasted a little bitter to me. The raspberries were fresh and delicious. I dipped some of them in the ricotta cheese. Now here's the question: it was such a large serving of ricotta cheese, am I supposed to eat the whole thing if I don't use it all up as a dipping agent? I didn't think I should, since I've never just outright eaten a cup of ricotta cheese before. I mean, it was good and everything, but straight up ricotta got a little monotonous in my mouth. I wouldn't sit down and eat a hunk of cream cheese. So I'd say I consumed about 1/2 - 3/4 of the container and then decided to give it a rest. Well, do YOU eat plain ricotta cheese? 

Lunch (2:30pm): Sloppy Joe Sub on Whole Wheat Bun w/Crunchy Asparagus & Fresh Marinara Sauce

Very good! I could be wrong, but it tasted like it was made from the ground turkey used in my turkey chili last night. I think the marinara sauce was mixed into the meat because there was no sauce visible topping the sandwich nor was there a little container of it. It was really good! The crunchy asparagus was interesting, but it would have been good even without it. 

Dinner (6:30pm): Greek Style Meatballs w/Feta Cheese, Mint, Parsley & Roasted Bell Pepper w/Roasted Sweet Potato & Green Beans w/Toasted Almonds

These were definitely the best meatballs I've ever eaten. Now, don't get too excited because I'm not a meatball connoisseur or anything, but the little hunks of feta cheese and bell pepper popping up in some bites were just grand. The sweet potatoes were delish. I would bet they were cubed and roasted in the oven perhaps with some EVOO. The green beans were very good and crisp. The almonds were fine, although there weren't very many of them in the mix. On the plate, it didn't look like a lot of food, but it definitely took me over 20 minutes to eat it all and I'm still totally full as I write this. 

Snack 1 (9:15pm): Cherry Vanilla Cheesecake

Very yummy! I'm really appreciating the variety and taste of all the different kinds of cheesecake. Haven't had a bad one yet! This one tasted distinctly more cherry than vanilla.

Snack 2 (11:45pm): Chicken Apple Sausage w/Horseradish Dip & Cucumber Spears

I know, I'm eating late at night, but I woke up really late today. Because I got around to eating it so late, the cucumber strips were a little soggy. They'd have been fine if I'd eaten them eight or so hours ago for snack number one. The sausages were delicious and sweet. If I ever find chicken apple sausage in the store, I'll definitely be buying some to grill. The horseradish dip was also quite yummy. I do love horseradish dips. There's this one AMAZING cheesy horseradish dip up at a restaurant I love in northern WI called The Golden Pines. I could have even gone for more "kick" in the horsey dip, but it was good; very spreadable if it were to be paired with crackers. I did think that the sausage was so good on its own it didn't need a dip, but I enjoyed a few pieces of it with and some without the dip. The dip also worked well on the cucumber spears. 

Day 8 on The Fresh Diet

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Bottom left: Snack 1. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (10am): Multi-Grain Pancakes w/Fresh Strawberries & Mango Yogurt

The pancakes tasted delicious, but they were tiny! Compared to the waffles, I felt like I had gotten a lot less food here. There was no fresh fruit mixed into the batter like the waffles had had. Luckily the pancakes were good enough on their own to not feel like I needed to dress them up with syrup or anything. The mango yogurt was probably my favorite yogurt yet, and the fresh strawberries were good. 

Lunch (1pm): Asian Flank Steak on Whole Wheat Roll w/Szechwan Style Slaw & Peanut Sauce

I really enjoyed this sandwich. I would have to say my most noticeably favorite part was the spicy peanut sauce! I haven't had a lot of experience with peanut sauces (minus that one Lean Cuisine dish), but I really liked this one. Luckily I got to experience it again with my snack  ;)  The whole wheat roll was thick, firm and also very good; nice break from their ciabatta bread buns (which are also good, I just enjoyed mixing it up a bit). The asian flank steak was probably good on its own, but with that flavorful peanut sauce and a huge bun, I didn't taste very much of the meaty flavor. Oh, and the slaw was crunchy, however I didn't notice what was "szechwan" about it (flavor overpowered by peanut sauce). Nice crunch, though!

Snack 1 (4pm): Mini Veggie Egg Rolls w/Peanut Sauce

These were very good, but I wouldn't say they tasted any better than any restaurant egg rolls I've experienced. They were definitely uber cute, though, and tasted fine. They were a bit greasy on the fingers. And of course, the peanut sauce was awesome. I bet you could put that sauce on some dirt and it'd make it taste good  :p Long live peanut sauce!

Dinner (7pm): Turkey Chili Con Carne w/Roasted Butternut Squash & Steamed Asparagus

Chili was really good! The flavor was great. I personally like some more "chunkiness" to my chili (pieces of tomato, beans), but after having turkey chili I don't think I could tell the difference between it and a serving of beef chili. Seasoning works wonders. The butternut squash was yummy and the steamed asparagus tasted fresh. Again, as with my other steamed asparagus, I think it could be even better if it was seasoned with something; maybe a steak seasoning or something. 

Snack 2: Key Lime Cheesecake

Sadly I was really looking forward to this cheesecake (since I LOVE Key Lime Pie), but they forgot to put it in my bag!!!!!! I emailed my CS rep and he said that I would be credited for the missing food and that the kitchen that put my order together would be informed of the mistake. I hope this never happens again, as I'm trying to figure out for myself now what I should eat for my last meal of the day  :(  I miss you, cheesecake!

Day 7 on The Fresh Diet

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Middle bottom: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (9am): Fresh Fruit Salad w/Honeydew, Peach, Papaya, Grapefruit, Mandarin Orange & Raspberry Yogurt

There was a LOT of fruit! I expected a smaller portion, but this was a mammoth serving of fruit. This is good because I find myself the MOST hungry in the morning. If I had to cook my own meals, I would make a big breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner. Anyhow, the yogurt was good and tart. I would say I enjoyed the Honeydew, Grapefruit and the Peaches. The Orange was a little sour for my taste and the Papaya was kind of hard. Overall, a good mix of fruit, just wish some of the fruit was a little more ripe. 

Lunch (11:40am): Grilled Mahi Mahi on a Bed of Baby Arugula & Watercress w/Steamed Sweet Potato, Sauteed Wax Beans & Basil Vinaigrette

The Mahi Mahi was REALLY good. Unfortunately they didn't cut it into pieces at all, so it was just this huge flank of fish sitting on the salad. Not a biggie. I just ate the fish first and moved on to the salad. It seemed like my dressing container was a little sparse; could have used a bit more dressing like with my previous salads. The sweet potatoes were good, but I found the rest of the salad mix to be a little too bitter for my taste. I bet a teaspoon (or full container) of dressing would have addressed this issue. 

Snack 1 (3pm): Grilled Mahi Mahi & Cherry Tomato Skewer

Another serving of the Mahi! It was the same stuff that came in my salad. I really liked this snack because in addition to the fish being tasty, the portion seemed larger than most midday snacks. Of course, the tomato was fresh 'n' juicy (hard to review one lil tomato, lol). 

Dinner (5:30pm): Grilled London Broil w/Raspberry Chipotle Sauce w/Cilantro Roasted Yellow Tomato & Roasted Green Asparagus

Wow, I LOVE that raspberry chipotle suace! Recipe anyone?? This was my first steak/beef dinner from TFD and it was totally awesome. The meat itself looked to be done to about medium/medium rare and heating it up in the microwave didn't cause it to overcook. I think london broil is made from flank steak usually, so the meat was slightly chewy, but the flavor was very good. Paired with the sauce, it was OMG good!! The tomatoes were delicious, but only if you like cilantro (as they were very much coated in cilantro). The asparagus tasted like plain asparagus. Maybe could have used some italian seasoning on them, but they were good nonetheless. 

Snack 2 (8pm): Ginger Poached Apple w/Mascarpone Cheese

I took a bite out of it and then remembered I needed to take my picture  :p Overall it was pretty good. I was unsure whether to heat it up or not, so I just ate it cold. I expected the apple to be less firm than it was. The apple was slightly tart but went very well with the mascarpone cheese. 

The Fresh Diet Day 6

Top left: breakfast. Top right: lunch. Bottom left: snack 1. Bottom middle: snack 2. Bottom right: dinner. 

Breakfast (8am): Whole Wheat Blueberry Waffles w/Blackberries & Cinnamon Pear Cottage Cheese

Awesomely delicious, no need for syrup or butter. I enjoyed finding pieces of blueberry inside the waffles. The fresh blackberries were again sweet, fresh and delicious. The cinnamon pear cottage cheese flavor was a little strange to me; can't say that I loved it. But the greatness of the waffles made up for the oddly-flavored cottage cheese. Serving size was appropriate and I felt pretty full after this meal. 

Lunch (12pm): Madiera Glazed Portabella Mushrooms & Swiss Cheese on Seven Grain Bread w/Baby Lettuce

The bread slices were a little soggy, probably due to the glaze. The swiss cheese added a nice bitter flavor to this sandwich. The mushrooms were good and the lettuce on the sandwich wasn't wilted. I would say the taste of the cheese overpowered the mushroom flavor. 

Snack 1 (2:30pm): Crispy Chicken Tenders w/Ranch Dip

Really good! Ranch dip tasted like ranch dip should, even though I'm guessing it was probably "Lite" or "Low Fat." The chicken was juicy. It was like beer & wings night, except without the beer (and minus about 8 other boneless wing servings). 

Dinner (5pm): Grilled Fillet of Ahi Tuna w/Ginger Miso w/Whole Wheat conchiglie Pasta & Roasted Artichoke Hearts

I just love TFD's fish dinners more and more each time! I'm a bigger fan of flakey white fish (like the bass), but this tuna was no slacker, and it was such a large, weighty portion of meat. How could you be hungry after eating this? The Ginger Miso sauce was SO good. The fairly plain wheat pasta got 100 times better when I mixed some of the sauce into it; it was a pleasantly sweet flavor. The roasted artichoke hearts were amazing. I've never eaten just a pile of them on their own. Usually they turn up in salads and sandwiches sparingly, so I really enjoyed their full tangy flavor eating a pile of them on their own. I really look forward to dinners now, they've yet to disappoint especially with their out-of-this-world fish entrees!

Snack 2 (9pm): Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Tasted very similar to the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but I think I liked these better. The soft texture of the cookie lent itself well to the chewiness of the raisins inside. Tasted more cake-y than cookie-y, but still very good. I had my brother and boyfriend try a bite. The BF liked it, my brother didn't. He didn't think the cookie was sweet enough and found it bland. To each their own, I guess.

Day 5 on the Fresh Diet

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Middle bottom: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (10:15am): Blueberry Cream Cheese Crepes w/Fresh Pineapple & Wild Berry Sauce

Delicious! The wild berry sauce made these crepes taste amazing! They were already pretty tasty on their own, but my dear, that sauce was greeeeeat! My only complaint: I was hungry very soon after this meal. Oh, and the pineapple was fresh and sweet. I can't compare this to a crepe you'd get at Denny's or IHOP since I haven't ordered nor eaten a crepe prior to this morning in many years. I wonder what kind of batter they use to make these. I would love to be able to eat pancakes, waffles and crepes using some secret formula healthy batter rather than regular carb/sugar pancake mix stuff. 

Lunch (1:10pm): Fresh Mozzarella Wrap w/Baby Spinach, Roasted Bell Pepper & Basil Pesto on Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla

Superb! I mistakenly heated it in the microwave for 20 seconds, but I put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and it was as good as new. TFD's basil pesto is really good; adds a good flavor pop. It came with their chicken sandwich on Thursday of last week. I just loooooove fresh mozzarella! The bell peppers inside were surprisingly and deliciously sweet. The wrap didn't have a very tomato-ey flavor to it, so if you don't like tomatoes, don't be put off by this choice. If you like Caprese salads and sandwiches, this dish is for you! 

Snack 1 (4:15pm): Mushroom Crowns Stuffed w/Sauteed Garlic Beef w/Tomato Sauce

I think the tomato sauce must have been mixed in with the beef or something, because there wasn't anything to dip it in. It was...okay. Another snack served on a bed of alfalfa sprouts, which I ate, but I guess I should keep some balsamic vinegar around to flavor them with. The mushroom was a little too water-logged, probably due to the alfalfa sprout juice or liquid in the bottom of the container. The beef was okay. Probably my least favorite dish so far. 

Dinner (6:42pm): Chicken Cordon Blue w/Ham & Swiss Cheese w/Nine Grain Pilaf & Sweet Potato & Leeks Mash

The chicken was delish, the sweet potato mash was awesome, and the nine grain pilaf was not to my liking. It wasn't bad, I just didn't have a taste for all those crunchy grains in my rice. Kind of a bland flavor to the pilaf, as well. I usually order the chicken cordon blue from Arby's as a sandwich and I found this piece of chicken on it's own to be more filling and less greasy. There could have been a bit more ham stuffed inside the chicken breast, but...yes yes, portion control, I know, I know. Oh, and the leeks mixed up in the sweet potatoes weren't omnipresent in the flavor. I was a little worried for that at first, but the sweet potatoes were sweet (lol) and the leeks just added some occasional crunchiness. 

Snack 2 (9:40pm): Peanut Butter Chip Cheesecake

Awesome awesome awesome! This one really tasted a lot like peanut butter (less like your basic, original cheesecake), total yummage. I kind of want to say it tasted like I was eating the inside of a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg, except way creamier cheesecake-style. I adored the peanut butter chips on top! What a sweet treat! I'm going to have to go through my menu choices and make sure I've picked out lots of cheesecake for the coming weeks. To my knowledge, some form of flavored cheesecake is on the menu every day. I steered away from the kiwi cheesecake flavor, because I'm not a fan of kiwis, plus I'd like to try their variety of desserts to get a more well-rounded view of TFD's menu options. 

Day 4 on The Fresh Diet

Top left: Breakfast. Top right: Lunch. Middle left: Snack 1. Bottom left: Snack 2. Bottom right: Dinner.

Breakfast (9:30am): Whole Wheat Breakfast Bruschetta w/Scrambled Eggs, Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato & Fresh Basil

The basil added a lot to this dish. The bruschetta was not served on the bread, and it would have been kind of difficult to scoop the eggs into my mouth on a slice of wheat bread, so I ate both items separately. These eggs didn't have that weird texture like my omelette last week did. They were very good. However, the basil, cheese and tomatoes added a really great punch to the overall flavor. I'd give it an 8/10 on the taste scale. 

Lunch (12:30pm): Grilled Chicken Breast w/Baby Arugula, Orange Segments, Mango, Strawberry & Citrus Ginger Dressing

I didn't have any menu choices that stood out to me as "ooooooh, ahhhh" for this meal, but nevertheless, this salad delivered mouth-watering goodness. The mangos were an awesome pairing with the dressing, and the arugula added a nice bitter flavor into this otherwise sweet tasting salad mix. The orange segments were a little dried out and meh, but otherwise this salad was great. 

Snack 1 (3:40pm): Whole Wheat Beef Ravioli w/Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

The meat inside tasted a lot like taco meat to me, which may be normal for meat ravioli, I'm not sure. I want to say it was somewhere between good and just okay. It tasted fine, but it wasn't out-of-this-world gourmet food. 

Dinner (6:30pm): Home Style Crab Cake w/Southwestern Corn Saute & Sauteed Button Mushrooms

I didn't have high expectations of this meal judging from the size of the crab cakes. Everything tasted delicious, though. The corn was unexpectedly spicy, the mushrooms tasted like fresh sauteed mushrooms should, and the crab cakes were actually really very good. Definitely not crazy good like the sea bass from last night, but very palatable. I'd eat 'em again for sure. 

Snack 2 (9:30pm): Mixed Fresh Berries w/Creamy Ricotta Cheese Dip

Yes yes, I know they're just berries but OMG were they GOOD! Everything was very sweet and fresh (none of that sour strawberry going on), and the blackberries were heavenly. Great pairing with the ricotta cheese dip. 

So after day four, I find myself looking forward to eating and watching the clock a lot. Eating every 2.5-3 hours is quite frequent and it's weird for me counting down the minutes till I need to eat again. Before, I would just eat when I was hungry. I didn't really overeat, but I had no set list of what I was going to eat and when. It was mostly just leftovers and a bag of popcorn, maybe some cereal thrown in the mix. I like knowing I'm getting a well-rounded variety of good-for-me foods on time five times a day! I hope I'm on my way to accomplishing my inches-lost goals. I definitely notice less stomach bloating in the morning, however I still bloat out during the day after meals  :-/

Day 3 on The Fresh Diet

Top Left: Breakfast. Top Right: Lunch. Bottom Left: Snack 1. Bottom Middle: Snack 2. Bottom Right: Dinner. 

Breakfast (9:30am): Hawaiian Pineapple Stuffed Whole Wheat French Toast w/Strawberries & Blueberry Cottage Cheese

My favorite breakfast so far! I looooooove french toast, and eating it knowing that it wasn't going to give me a full-on heart attack from being smothered in powdered sugar and whipped cream (word up, IHOP) made it even more enjoyable. The strawberries off to the side were fresh and tartly sweet. The blueberry cottage cheese was scary looking at first (never eaten flavored cottage cheese before) but proved to be very delicious! I'll be picking french toast out on my menu if it pops up again. Wish I would have gotten a better pic of how the pineapple was "stuffed" into the toast; will try to do this next time it comes up. 

Lunch (12:40pm): Mushroom Souffle & Gruyere Cheese Panini on Whole Wheat Ciabatta Bread

This sandwich was served on the same bread as Thursday's grilled chicken breast sandwich, which again was very good. The sandwich with the 'shrooms and cheese left a little bit to be desired. The whole thing was kind of bland. I don't know what I was expecting a sandwich with only mushrooms and cheese to taste like. I picked it because the other menu options for lunch that day didn't appeal to me at all. Overall, the bread made the sandwich taste good, but the mushrooms and cheese could have used a little flavor punch. 

Snack 1 (4pm): Chicken Skewer w/Tequila Lime Glaze

Very tasty; would have liked a third piece of chicken, but I guess this is a diet, right? Reminded me of some tequila lime chicken entree that I order at either Applebee's or Chili's. You know, that makes me think that including a tiny wedge of lime could have made this snack even tastier. Yum anyhow! 

Dinner (7pm): Fillet of Chilean Sea Bass w/Citrus Chipotle Sauce w/Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous & Haricot Vert

The best dinner so far! OMG the bass + sauce was amazingly, outstandingly good! I can't even begin to explain the flavor, but the fish was SO juicy and fresh and tender...the couscous was very good, although some of the chipotle sauce mixed in with it making certain bites a little mouth-puckeringly tart. The green beans (c'mon, I had to Google wtf Haricot Vert was to find out they're just a French version/word for green beans) were crisp, fresh, and yummy. I just can't get over hot GREAT the fish was. Gonna try to pick more fish entrees in the coming weeks. Both fish meals I've had so far have been winners. 

Snack 2 (9:30pm): Apricot Cheesecake

VERY good! Tasted like regular cheesecake (<3>) although I think the apricot flavor was supposed to come from the crust, it wasn't overpowering and I tasted it most when eating the crust. Perfect portion size :)  Will be ordering more cheesecake in the future. 

Day 2 Fresh Diet Food

In an effort to keep my hitting the "Return" key to a minimum this time, I've combined all my meals into one photo compilation. Top left is breakfast. Top right is lunch. Bottom left is snack 1 and bottom right is dinner. I forgot to take a pic of the Cappuccino pudding, but I will still post my review of it. 

1. Breakfast (8:04am): Asparagus Tarragon Souffle Omelet w/Gruyere Cheese & Roasted Cherry Tomato

Cherry tomatoes are very good. Omelette is average, could use maybe something to spice it up (maybe salt and pepper), but a good omelette overall. The gruyere cheese is good. I've never had it before. Oo, asparagus in omelette is a pleasant surprise; crunchy and flavorful. I think what's getting me here is the reheated texture of the egg. It's a little "stiffer" than if you were to go to a restaurant and have one brought to your table immediately off the skillet. Maybe also b/c it's a "souffle" omelet, perhaps that changes the texture of the omelet's shell. And the grain/wheat bread is very good. 

2. Lunch (11:40am)

Maple Glazed Ham Salad w/Diced Pears, Toasted Walnuts, Dried Cherries, Baby Lettuce & Raspberry Vinaigrette: Lots of delicious ham! There seems to be more ham than anything in this salad, which is cool b/c ham=protein! Pears are a nice touch. The dried cherries are huge and really good. The vinaigrette is also very good and tart. I feel full after eating this salad. 

3. Snack (2:45pm): Cucumber Cup filled w/Herbed Cheese topped w/Capers

Yet again, another tasty snack!! It was served on alfalfa sprouts like yesterday's snack, but this time, no balsamic vinegar :( The cup itself was delicious, but I guess I could have done without the sprouts. I ate 'em anyways b/c I know they're good for me. 

4. Dinner (5:45pm): Grilled Chicken Breast w/Fresh Chimichurri Sauce w/Maize Orzo & Sauteed Shitake Mushrooms

Overall, it was a good meal. However it was definitely not as delicious as last night's meal. The Chimichurri sauce was sort of smokey in flavor, but I think personally I was not a big fan of it. The Maize Orzo: this was the first time I've ever eaten this food, and it basically tasted like tiny little unseasoned fat rice sized noodles. Looks pretty, but personally I found it bland. The mushrooms were also a little bland. I guess I'm used to them being cooked in maybe a wine or something, perhaps these were and it just didn't come across. I'm not a chef so I can't tell ya for sure. They were good mushrooms overall, just lacking in the flavor department. 

5. Snack 2: Cappuccino Pudding (8:45pm)

Very delicious! Now I know this Zone Diet thing is portion/calorie/40:30:30 controlled and all that, and the pudding was quite good, but it was such a huge portion of pudding I started to tire of it after about half the container. It came in a container the size of one of the regular snack containers and it was almost full to the brim. LOTS of pudding, tasted good, but too much!

First Day's Food - Pix & Reviews!

This is the bag your food comes in. Day's menu located in the pocket. 

Cherry Vanilla Whole Wheat Muffin w/Fresh Apple and Wild Berry Yogurt (7:52 am)

Yogurt is tasty, albeit a little warm from sitting on my porch for a period of time. 1/2 apple was good (tasted like an apple, lol). Muffin was small but very filling and tasty. Loved the little dried cherries inside! It was tasty, albeit a little sweet. 

Grilled Chicken Breast on Whole Wheat Cibatta w/Celery Sticks & Pistachio Pesto (11:35 am)

Chicken sandwich is really delicious! Tastes like something I would get from Panera Bread. I like how they separated the Pistachio Pesto so it wouldn't make the sandwich soggy while sitting in the cooler. There is a very substantial amount of chicken on this sandwich! Pure awesomeness! 

Fillet of Corvina Fish w/Sweet & Sour Sauce w/Creamy Herbed Quinoa & Oven Roasted Roma Tomato (6:30 pm)

My first time eating quinoa and it was excellent. I love the way when you chew it, it makes sort of a popping sound in your mouth  :) The Corvina fish was good and the oven roasted Roma tomatoes tasted fresh. To be honest, my favorite part of this meal was my unknown: the qunioa! See? It pays to experiment with new foods! Yumm-o!

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant w/Fresh Mozzarella & Basil (3:15 pm) 

Delicious again! I was a little worried that fresh mozzarella wouldn't transport well after sitting in the cooler, but I was wrong. It was yet another mighty tasty meal/snack! The balsamic vinegar had kind of separated a little bit, but a quick shake of the container fixed that minor glitch. Even alfalfa sprouts taste good with balsamic vinegar on them! 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (9:30 pm)

The cookies were tasty. They weren't like oven-baked Nestle Tollhouse cookies; they tasted like oven-baked healthy cookies. But for a healthy cookie, they were top-notch. 

*note: I've been feeling full since lunch. I only had the snack @ 3:15pm because I'm trying to eat every 2.5-3 hours. So there's definitely no hungry feelings on this meal delivery program. 

And a final note to say that after taking SO many pictures today, I'll only be taking pix of the prepared meals from now on. No more pix with the food in their boxes before/after style. It wouldn't be a big deal, but Blogger isn't the best at photo layout. I hope somebody out there finds all this helpful. If nothing else, it can act as my personal, very detailed food diary  =D  I noticed I had a lot of energy today, but that could be attributed to the fact that I've been excited to eat all throughout the day on this new program. I can't wait for tomorrow so I can eat more delicious food!

PS--Once again, I apologize for the silly layout and extra spacing in these posts. I worked on a yearbook staff as well as a newspaper staff as a layout editor for years and for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to properly lay out individual photos with captions on Blogger  >.<