The Fresh Diet - Day 26

Souffleed Apple Pancake. Usually when I pick my meals there is a picture next to them. But sometimes there's no pic available which was the case when I picked this pancake. It definitely isn't what I pictured in my mind and I'm still not sure what to make of it. It tasted like undercooked batter with apples in it and it was really really thick and not much flavor. Sorry this one will get a thumbs down for me. I almost want to order it again because I just can't believe it was supposed to be like this. I warmed it up way longer then the suggested 30 seconds as well but nothing seemed to help. 

Fish Sticks with Ranch Sauce. These were more like fish nuggets then fish sticks but the taste was the same. I used tartar sauce instead of the ranch. I did give the ranch a shot but it was a terrible combo just as I thought it would be. Ranch goes with a lot of things but fish sticks is NOT one of them. Once I switched sauces I really enjoyed this snack. 

Thai Turkey Burger on Whole Wheat Ciabatta with Sauteed Bok-Choy & Peanut Sauce. This is a repeat that I really enjoy. 

Baked Chicken Florentine with Spinach & Parmesan Cheese with Roasted Kale and Steamed Broccoli. I got sick half way through the day. Not sure if it's allergies or a cold but I felt terrible. And the one upside to being sick is... loss of appetite, lol! I gave half of this meal to my mom and forced myself to eat the other half because I knew my body needed the nutrients. This meal was just okay for me. I think I went too hard with the greens. I mean kale, broccoli and stuffed with spinach? Not sure what I was thinking. The chicken finally had enough stuffing for me, unfortunately it was mostly spinach and not a lot of seasoning. The sides also didn't seem to have much seasoning. I don't like bland food and since I was under the weather I will also add my mom thought it was bland as well. 

Peach Cheesecake. Now this my mom loved. I gave her half and she was so surprised at how good it was. I liked it as well. 

The Fresh Diet - Day 25

Asparagus & Cheddar Cheese Quiche with Chicken Apple Sausage, Fresh Pineapple & Whole Wheat Toast. Yum yum and filling too. Wasn't sure I'd like the asparagus (running theme on this blog) but it was great. I added butter and jelly to my toast and I can't wait to have this again. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Love their cookies. When they're offered along with cheesecake I just have to make it a double dessert day. These was so good, soft and chewy. 

Chicken Caesar Salad with Grape Tomato, Romaine Lettuce & Whole Wheat Croutons with Caesar Dressing. This will come as a surprise but I loved this salad! I gave the tomatoes to my mom before I took a pic but it was about 8 of them. The croutons had gotten soggy from the lettuce (oh I put them in that container the night before hoping they would toughen back up) so I just sprinkled Panko crumbs on top instead. I need my crunch. There wasn't a ton of dressing but it was just enough to not irritate me, lol. The dressing was great and tangy, just how I like it. Added a lot of flavor. And this was really filling as well with all of the chicken. I cut it into smaller pieces and warned it up. 

Chia and Peppercorn Crusted Salmon with Minted Balsamic Glazewith Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta and Roasted Fennel with Parmesan and Cracked Pepper. Yesterday I said I sometimes eat a third of my meal early because I get hungry. Here is a pic of that. I just take a little of everything to take the edge off. I know if I eat the entire thing that early I'll be starving long before bedtime so this is my solution and it works great for me. 

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. I'll let you guess my review of this cheesecake. 

The Fresh Diet - Day 24

I'm happy to say I'm no longer starving on this diet. I still get hungry sometimes but nothing overwhelming. I sometimes eat a third of my dinner early (around 5p) and then the rest at my normal time (7p). It hasn't been as hard as I thought eating my last meal so early. I hadn't planned on doing that but I get hungry so early and I like to have my dessert right after my dinner instead of waiting a few hours. So it just worked out that way and although my son stays up ridiculously late for a one year old (like past midnight) I still manage to not get too hungry before bed. Although sometimes I do sneak some club crackers or some of his Gerber cookies if it gets too hard. I think the calorie increase was a good decision for me since I am still losing weight. Once I lose 20-25 lbs I may go back down to 1200-1400, however if I start working out a lot it may just make sense to stay where I'm at. The scale will let me know I'm sure! Ok on to my day. 

Fresh Fruit Salad with Pineapple, Strawberries, Orange, Blueberries, Watermelon, Cashews & Blueberry Cottage Cheese & Cashews. So there were no strawberries or watermelon but there was honeydew melon which I don't like. I'm still not a fan of fruit for breakfast (I'll get there) so I had this for lunch and vice versa. I just like to wake up to something really good! My son discovered fresh blueberries with this meal and he loved them. He ate all of mine! I gave my mom the melon and threw out the cottage cheese. I gave it a shot but the texture just turns me off. I will try it again though. I ate a few club crackers today so I figure they canceled each other out, lol. The fruit was fresh and good and the cashews helped me feel full. 

Chicken Sate with Thai Peanut Sauce. I think I had this before right? Anyway it was good and I still love the peanut sauce. I poured it over the little but of lettuce and ate it like a salad. 

Philly Cheese Steak Wrap with Caramelized Onion & Mozzarella Cheese. This was really really good. I read great reviews of this meal on some other blogs so I decided to give it a try. I'll be getting this a lot more now. 

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Roulade with Dried Cherries and Apricot with Crispy Roasted Corn and Flax Seed Polenta Cakes and Steamed Broccolini. Can you wrap everything in prosciutto please? And can I have this meal once a week at least? It was so good! I love having fruit in my savory meals because I love sweets. And I love polenta, the cakes were great, didn't taste any different then regular polenta. Just a little thicker. And of course the sauce was good. 

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake. Didn't take a pic before I devoured this cheesecake. It was delicious. 

The Fresh Diet - Day 23

Vanilla Bean and Cognac Cranberry Bread Pudding with Spiced Crumble and Fresh Oranges. This was a huge piece of bread pudding therefore it was very filling. It was more like bread then pudding but it was very good. It was nice to try something different for breakfast. 

Pineapple Cranberry and Carrot Cupcake with Lemon Tofu Cream Frosting. So happy I tried this, I will order everytime it's offered. The frosting was so good and the lemon sprinkled on top was so fragrant. As soon as you opened the container you smelled sugar and lemon. I added a pic of the inside of the cupcake to show the carrot cake style of it. Very good!

Whole Wheat Pizza Alfredo with Portabella Mushroom & Pepper-Jack Cheese. Wow I loved this and was stuffed afterwards! I never thought I would like mushrooms at all and especially on pizza but after trying the last pizza the bread was just so good I had to try another style. So happy I did. The mushrooms didn't really have a taste to me but gave a nice meaty feel while eating it. I can't wait to have it again. The size when spread out filled up my plate in case you're wondering. 

Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs with Red Onions, Green Chilies, Cranberries and Cucumber Yogurt Saucewith Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta and Sauteed Yellow Wax Beans. These meatballs were another hit. I like the other ones with the feta better because I'm a cheese addict but these were good as well. I didn't need the yogurt sauce but it was a nice addition. This was my first time trying wax beans and they were fine, didn't have too much of a taste to me and they were really crunchy which I like. The pasta was plain so I ate it with the meatballs and sauce to make my own pasta plate. 

Honey Almond Cheesecake. Another great one!

Week 3 recap

Week 3 was a good week. A lot better then last week, I lost 3 lbs! I'm really happy to report I've gone back down instead of going up like I did last week. So not only did I lose the 2 lbs I gained last week I lost an additional pound too. And that includes the increase in calorie intake. 

I think the calorie increase was a good idea because now I'm not starving all day. I still get hungry from time to time but it's bearable. I was hoping I wouldn't gain weight because I just didn't think I could follow this diet if I had to feel that hungry all the time especially since I will be adding exercise to my plan soon. It will be different for every person so you have to figure out what's right for you. Because I have 50 lbs to lose I can handle the larger amount of calories but if you only have 10-20 lbs to lose maybe this way won't work for you. 

As for the food I'm still loving it. I like that there are some things I've had before mixed with new items to try. I still don't feel like I'm eating diet food. I look forward to my dessert everyday. I still cheat a little. I add mayo to some meals, or eat some crackers or my sons cookies. I'll have a bite of my husbands meal. I haven't been perfect but I haven't gone crazy. I haven't eaten sweets which have always been my weakness. I haven't had any entire meals that weren't on the plan. I'm proud of myself for the discipline I've used while on this plan and I can't wait to keep moving forward. 

The Fresh Diet - Day 22

Apple Ricotta Cheese Crepes with Almonds & Fresh Strawberries. These crepes were delicious. I added maple syrup to them (I am always adding something right). 

Greek Spanakopita with Spinach & Feta Cheese in Phyllo Dough. I keep ordering these because they are so good!

Grilled Lamb Burger on Whole Wheat Bun with Yellow Tomato & Mint Aioli. Even my husband did a double take for this one. He's a meat and potatoes guy. The burger was so juicy and I even ate the tomato. I've never tried a yellow one before, it added to the flavor of the sandwich perfectly. 

Caramelized Fennel, Apple and Asiago Stuffed Chicken Breastwith Sweet Potato Hash and Asparagus with Lemon and Toasted Hazelnuts. This time the chicken had a perfect amount of filling. I liked the crunch the fennel added to the dish as well. And the hash was a nice change from plan steamed sweet potatoes. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Bar. I liked this bar, it reminded me of a soft granola bar. It made me think of something I would have for breakfast instead of dessert so next time I'll stick to my muffin or cheescake. 

The Fresh Diet - Day 21

I was telling my husband today how much I love this food. It's so good and I don't feel like I'm eating diet food. This is food that I would make for myself if I had the time. I can understand why some people stay on this plan for years! 

Chocolate Waffles with Toasted Almonds and Turkey Bacon, chocolate for breakfast? Ok if you insist. Fun and filling. 

Beef Slider with Caramelized Onions on Whole Wheat Bread with Barbecue Sauce. The BBQ sauce was so good I made sure to get some in each bite. The slider was and onions were a great combo. 

Chicken Caesar Wrap with Romaine Lettuce & Cucumber on a Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla Wrap. I had this before and it was just as good this time. I added the Panko crumbs again for crunch which makes this one of my favorites. 

Turkey Chili Con Carne with Wheatberry Pilaf (substituted with spaghetti squash) and Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Orange Zest. This was spicier then I imagined and not as flavorful so I would pass on this in the future. But I loved this Brussels Sprouts which is saying a lot for me! I'm pretty sure I didn't choose that side but I've been known to make a mistake or two so I'm letting it slide. 

Apricot Cheesecake. I took a pic on my normal plate to give an idea of the size. It's a really large portion for a diet and I loved every bite.