My week of The Fresh Diet Feb 21st to Feb 25th

I know I had promised to do better .... really I did mean to get this up every day but somehow the best laid plans....

As you know I try very hard to take pictures (on real plates) of every meal so that you see exactly what it is that I am eating and how I feel about each one.  Well using my cell phone for pictures is very difficult.  Sometimes although the picture looks fine on the camera ... getting it loaded into my computer and then on the blog leaves a picture that does NOT do the meal justice or it can't be loaded at all (I'm not sure why on that one).  So I decided to do a collage type post with all my meals again, so you at least get an idea what wonderful things I am eating and maybe tempt you into trying The Fresh Diet for yourself.  It really is a fabulous way to eat!

Breakfasts have been fantastic.  One morning we had pancakes with kiwi and mandarin orange cottage cheese.  I don't think I have had pancakes before, and I have to admit I was a little concerned that it would not be enough.  Oh and I did spray them with some ICBINB spray, cause pancakes just scream butter - but I was being good (ok better) and used the I Can't Believe its not Butter spray because we always have some in the house.  We actually like it, well Jenn and I do anyway, and what the hubby don't know ......

Mandarin Orange Whole Wheat Muffin with Fresh Banana & Passion Fruit Yogurt.  This was a perfect flavor combination.  I absolutely LOVED the orange flavor and little pieces of orange in the muffin.  It was almost like a surprise in every bite.  The yogurt was a little tart but I really think it was the passion fruit that didn't allow for any "sweetness" to soften the tartness of the yogurt.

Peanut Butter Chip Muffin with Fresh Papaya and Banana Cottage Cheese.  I really enjoy these muffins.  I don't think there has ever been one that I haven't liked.  And they are really VERY filling so that's a bonus.  I wasn't as excited about the cottage cheese but even the sound of banana cottage cheese isn't very "thrilling".  But the muffin and the papaya made up for it.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast with Honeydew and Cinnamon Apple Yogurt  This was an ok option.  I think it was just a little "flat" tasting.  I expected more of a fruity flavor or something.  But I have had some of the stuffed French Toasts before and liked it so I will just put this as a "off day" and try it again when it is offered.

Sauteed Zucchini and Parmesan Cheese Egg Bake with Fresh Pineapple.  I'm loving all the egg bake combinations, although I am a little surprised that I went a whole week with only 1 egg dish. 

 Lunches were a little more interesting in that they were a little more difficult with everyone in the kitchen at work.  They were either all "crouched" around the table so things were very tight or watching to see what I pull out of my bag.  I could see some of them "drooling" some days.  I am hoping that a few will decide by the time tax season is finished (if not before) that they too want to be part of The Fresh Diet family.

The California Wrap with Avocado, Lettuce, Roasted Turkey, Monterrey Jack Cheese was so good.  I was a little leary, to be honest, because I was afraid it would be dry.  But everyone was going "ooh" and "aah" and I was just doing the "mmmm" with every bite.  I did follow direction and left it "cold" but I bet if you warmed it up just a little bit it would have been pretty good too.

I do have to say that I just LOVE the pizza options from The Fresh Diet.  It's almost like those crusts you can get in the supermarket (only actually on the healthier side) in the density of the crust.  It is a thicker crust (when we get pizza we usually get the thin crust) but it works.  I really like these ....... and yes I had to watch that it wasn't "appropriated" by someone in the office.

Here is one of the Philly Cheesesteak options, this one with the bell peppers.  It really is very nice but I think I like this entree better when its been heated in the toaster oven and not just the microwave.  The crust is a little more crispy almost like a "roll" and a little less soggy.  Now I don't know if it was the microwave at work or what - but I had to use a knife and fork to eat this, which is not my norm.  But it did still taste great.

This was a new option for me and trust me it will NOT be the last time I have this one!  Roasted Artichoke Hearts & Four Cheese Panini on Whole Wheat Ciabatta was out of this world.  As I'm sure you already know, I love the breads and would make a special room for the bread baker if he or she wanted to come live in my house (not sure how hubby would feel but well .... you get the idea)  Everyone that saw this entree thought it was really good looking, and I saw a few people trying to figure out how to make this for themselves.



Dinners was usually on the "later" side so sometimes my snacks and desserts were almost combined to make a "meal" at around 4 in the afternoon.  And then there were some days that I didn't even get to take a picture I was just grabbing because I was starving! 

Roasted Garlic & Herbs with Parmesan Whole Wheat Crostini was really good.  My only "complaint" the crostini was a little "overly" crisp and I needed a few more to use up all the great garlic and herb spread.  There was more spread than you could use .... unless you used a spoon to eat it separately (like I did - but at least I didn't just lick my fingers).  Yes it was that good.
 

Lemon Zest Tea Cookie was so very good.  If you like lemon this is very good, but if you love the strong zing of lemon (which you get from the zest) this is DEFINITELY for you ...... very lemony when you get some of the topping like frosting.  The cookie itself does have a nice lemony flavor but the top adds a huge addition of flavor.  I will definitely be adding this to my list of must have.

 Peach Cheesecake was a nice creamy cake with a nice piece of peach smack dab in the center of the slice.  It was a nice "surprise" without being a surprise.  I believe when I have had this before, there were more smaller pieces of peach throughout the slice, but this was still very nice.

 This is one of my favorite snacks.  Greek Spanakopita that I heated in the toaster oven so it browned up really nicely instead of how it can sometimes be a little "soggy" if it is overly warmed in the microwave.  I think I will always do the toaster oven if I have that option for this snack.  LOVE IT,.

 Everyone in the office liked the look of this one.  Sweet Potato stuffed with Spinach and Gouda Cheese.  I really like the flavors as they meld together after heating this one in the microwave.  I never knew how much I enjoyed sweet potatoes before I had these (yes I have had them before and LOVE them now).  I will be buying some sweet potatoes for home now. 

This was suppose to be Coconut Chocolate Pudding, but I don't remember there being anything about sliced almonds.  This pudding was definitely chocolate, but I didn't see or taste anything coconut about it.  Still good but not what I thought I was ordering or eating.

Strawberry Vanilla Pudding is one of my new favorites.  It was really a vanilla pudding with some tiny bit of strawberry so it wasn't overpowering.  I enjoyed this nice creamy pudding









Now on to dinners.  As I said, some days they were really later than I would have liked, but you do what you have to do this time of year.

 Grilled Chicken with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and Orange Glazed Baked Yams and Honey Glazed Beets.  I am really surprised at the combination of beets and yams in this meal, with a little of the chipotle sauce added, that really make these veggies pop.  Now I love the beets, but add a little of the sauce over them or dipped into and WOW it was heaven.

Grilled Chicken with Peppercorn Brandy with Sweet Potato Hash and roasted Artichoke Hearts.  I'm not really thrilled with the Sweet Potato Hash this time - it was rather bland.  The Artichoke Hearts were an interesting addition.  I've had them cold all the time, but never roasted.  I'm still a little unsure about the heat, but I will try them again.  The Peppercorn Brandy Sauce is VERY spicy.  I am very glad that it comes in a little cup so you can add as much or as little as you want to your meal.  This time it was just "a little" for me.

I know it looks like I had a lot of chicken, but since they all have different "sauces" it really does make the meal taste totally different.  This was Grilled Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto with Lemon Zest Lima Bean Puree and Steamed Sugar Snaps.  I really do like this pesto.  It just have a nice flavor of the tomato but it doesn't overtake everything.  If you like Lima Beans, then you will like this puree.  If you hate Limas, and I know a lot of people who do, this would not be an option for you.  Normally I like the sugar snaps, but this time I found too many "strings" still on them while I was eating them.  

 
Basil Pesto Sole Roulade with White Bean Puree and Roasted Shallots was rather interesting.  Everything seems just a little "wet".  I'm not sure if it was because of the shallots, which I'd not had before, or the puree or even the fish.  I think I will pass on this combination next time, but I will try the "pieces" with other options.

Fillet of Tilapia with Provencal Sauce and Chinese Black Rice and Roasted Green Asparagus.  This was actually pretty good and extremely filling.  I find that fish for the most part is not all the filling for me.  But this was a big piece of fish so perhaps that was what helped.  The Chinese Black Rice was a nice addition and the Asparagus was very good.  I really did enjoy this meal, even not being a "fish" person I would do this meal again.



 Check out The Fresh Diet Facebook Page to see what things are going on there.  There are always little contests going on that could allow you to try The Fresh Diet for free (that was how I started) for a week or three days.  And you get to connect with some great people.

Also, check back later today for a great giveaway that I am going to be posting.  It could be something to turn March into the "new you" month, or maybe your teen is looking for a little "something" to make her feel better about how she looks ..... come on back.