Freshology

Jillian Michaels Freshology Gold Plan

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As many of you remember, I got the opportunity to try Freshology food for two months. When they approached me to try out a week of the Jillian Michaels Gold Plan, I would’ve loved to, but since I’m pregnant I had to pass. Instead, Brian got to give Freshology a try for a week! So, for the first time, here’s a guest post by my husband to tell you about his experience.

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First, let me remind you that out of our family, I am quite the quiet one, so this may not be written like the usual copy you might read on this site… but I’ll try to keep the high caliber my wife has set forth!

When Christi proposed this idea to me, I was really curious to try it out. After seeing her experience with Freshology previously, I was kind of jealous of all the different meals she was having instead of our usual menu routine. Also, I am not a person that considers what I SHOULD eat vs what I do eat, so this part of the experience for me was rather new.

Having the freedom to not worry about what I was eating during the day was nice, as was quality of food supplied. I particularly enjoyed a few of the meals (which I will highlight below), and the quantity of food in each was surprising; not once did I feel tempted to snack on extra things outside the set meal plan. There was also one other side effect caused by this plan that I really loved:

I no longer have cravings to snack throughout the day, and my soda habit is gone. If you know me, you know I LOVE candy, and snack on it constantly through the day. At work, at home, late at night (especially), and to wash it all down, I always pick soda. But, since this experience with Freshology, I have had virtually no candy (except for a few rare instances), and soda is no longer on the table for me. Since then, its been unsweet tea, water, coffee, and lemonade!

So, after all that, here are a few highlights from my experience with the Jillian Michaels Freshology Gold Plan:

This was my favorite breakfast out of the bunch. Breakfast usually isn’t a part of my day, but after eating it for a week, I have started eating something most days now. I really enjoyed the eggs and bacon (turkey) in this meal. Having protein in the morning really kept me full and helped curb the need for snacking.

The clam chowder was not a meal I thought I would like, since it was more like a vegetable soup, but the large portion of clams in it really added to its appeal. I don’t usually like veg soup, but this was a good option.

This was my favorite meal of the whole experience. The basil-crusted salmon was great, not dry at all, and the quinoa paired well with it. I ate every bite of this meal, easily, and would love to have it again.

This brownie dessert with the orange glaze was one I was surprised to like so much as well. The icing went great with it, and I don’t usually like chocolate with citrus. There was a dark chocolate flavor to it that kept it from being too rich or sweet.

These snack bars were AWESOME. This was what kept me from snacking each day, and usually I had one in the morning and the other right before getting off work. The plan came with a variety of different ones to eat, and my favorite were these peanut butter and chocolate combo bars. AWESOME.

So, there’s my experience with Freshology. I know for me, I have never liked the idea of doing something that’s high maintenance, so counting calories to get in shape has never appealed to me. I like that Freshology takes all the work out of it and makes it so easy to eat like I should be.

Note: We received Freshology gold meals for one week to facilitate this review. We were not compensated monetarily. All opinions in this post are honest and are entirely Brian’s.

Freshology Final Thoughts

I can hardly believe two months have passed since I first started Freshology! It has truly been a learning experience and I’m SO excited with my overall weight loss -13 pounds in two months is AMAZING!

If you’ve found this post because you’re looking into Freshology, I can honestly tell you that the Gold plan from Freshology gets 5 stars from me. You’re just not going to find anything else like it – gourmet food that is fresh and really easy to stick with because it’s just that good. Yes, it’s a little pricey. But yes, the value in the cost is evident. The quality of ingredients, the creativity of the recipes, the efficiency of the packaging, the speed of delivery and the attentive customer service all add up to an impressive experience.

I liked the Silver plan, but after having eaten the Gold food for a month, I was spoiled and so frozen food just wasn’t as appealing. The recipes and flavoring were great, but there’s just a difference between fresh and frozen. It was a little harder for me to stick to the Silver plan, and when traveling it’s a lot easier to pop one of the fresh meals into a cooler than it is to keep food frozen. One feature I’m really impressed with is the ability to have meals delivered to a different location – obviously not an option for weekend trips, but if you’re going on vacation, for instance, you can have food delivered there instead of your house.

Another plus of Freshology is the variety of meals. When I was on the Gold plan, I never had the same meal twice. I tried foods I’d never had before and expanded my list of foods I like. With some diets, you get tied down to eating the same things over and over, which gets tiresome quickly and can sabotage your progress. Having different foods each day kept things interesting.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again – if you’re looking at Freshology and are thinking about trying it, spend the extra money to do the Gold plan. You’ll be so glad you did! Even if you just do Freshology for one month, it’s a great way to get started on eating the way you should – I’ve learned so much that I’ll take with me and use to improve my health way beyond two months.

I shot a video with some last thoughts about Freshology:

If you have any questions or want my feedback on any aspect of Freshology, leave a comment below or shoot me an email – I’m happy to help! If you want to read some of my other posts about Freshology, click here.

Thanks to everyone who has followed along these two months – I hope you’ll stick around for other great things to come!

Keeping Active

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I’ve mentioned before about walking twice a week with a friend from work. Well, Tuesday rolled around and she was sick, so we had to cancel. I meant to do some exercise to make up for it, but hadn’t gotten around to it until yesterday when I walked with another friend. Lesson learned? Make exercise a priority. It will never be more important than time with my family, of course, but I can find time for it if it is truly important enough to me.

So, my friend and I walked three miles yesterday and then this morning my regular walking partner and I did another 1.5 miles. And despite being tired from not enough sleep, I feel great. More than that, I know being active will have a long lasting impact on my overall health. Sure, relaxing on the couch is appealing, but getting in quality family time with a walk or bike ride around the park can be just as enjoyable.

I’ve just got a few meals left to chronicle for Freshology – this week has been insane with an office move and several freelance deadlines looming, so I’m combining two days’ worth of meals into this post. I’ve started getting some duplicates, so I feel a little redundant writing too much about ones I’ve already written about before, but you can at least see what I’ve had.

Breakfasts:

Banana Pecan Muffin With Vanilla Cream (370 calories)

YUM. That is all I need to say about this breakfast!
Blueberry Waffles With Roasted Apples (320 calories)

The waffles were really good – instead of microwaving them I just popped them in the toaster which gave them a nice crunchiness.

Lunches:

Asian Beef Bowl with Sweet Soy Glaze (320 calories)

This was really good! The flavors were nice and slightly sweet, and the texture of the beef was perfect. I would eat this on a regular basis, for sure. If I had it again I’d probably throw the whole thing in a skillet instead of microwaving it.

Black Eyed Pea & Brown Rice Bowl (350 calories)

This was so-so to me. The broccoli looked a little pale coming out of the package, and I’m not a huge black-eyed pea or edamame lover. Brian, on the other hand, said he thought it sounded like a great dish, so it’s definitely a matter of opinion.

Dinners:

Turkey Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce (390 calories)

I took a photo of the meatloaf close-up so you could get a better idea of its composition. I’m still not a huge fan of the actual meatloaf, but the sauce and the sides (green beans and mashed potatoes) were great.

Miso Glazed Tilapia with Shitake Stir Fry (370 calories)

Yup, another meal for Brian to enjoy. He said he’s been impressed with how good the texture has been for reheating all the seafood meals in the microwave.

I’m going to wait until my last post to share my overall opinions – I can’t believe my time with Freshology is almost over! I’ll admit there’s a part of me that’s ready to have control over my meals and pick what I want to eat, but then I’m also nervous that I’ll screw up! Be sure and check back the next few days for my last posts including a final video update!

The Final Stretch

This is my last week on Freshology – what a journey! I’ve lost a total of 12 pounds so far, and despite some slip-ups have learned a ton about what – and how much – I should be eating. I’ve also tried foods I never would’ve tried before, and have expanded my taste in vegetables. I’m so thankful for this experience!

I will say that this second month has been harder, and when I thought about why that might be I think it boils down to two factors: first, switching from fresh to frozen foods was a big adjustment. Secondly, we had several special occasions. I love cooking and love good food, so it just goes hand-in-hand with celebrations to me.

Let’s get to food for the day:

Breakfast: Baby Artichoke and Roasted Pepper Egg Stack with Turkey Maple Sausage (360 calories)

I’ve had this breakfast before, so I feel a little redundant telling you my thoughts on it. :) It was a good blend of flavors, but wasn’t my favorite of the egg combinations. The sausage was great – the balance of sweet and savory is really nice. I can say I have learned I’m not a big protein person when it comes to breakfast. I have generally liked the muffins, oatmeal and waffles most of all. I guess that goes back to the starch lover in me!

Lunch: Southwestern Shrimp Wrap with Tomatillo Salsa (360 calories)

Brian ate this one – he said it was really good. The texture of the shrimp was spot on and the flavors were rich and slightly spicy.

Dinner: Moroccan Style Lamb with Curry Couscous (410 calories)

This was a completely different texture from the lamb I had on the gold plan – this reminded me more of a pulled pork texture. Regardless of the difference, it was a tasty protein and I really enjoyed it. I picked at the veggies, and ate most of the couscous. I have really liked getting to experience all sorts of different grains instead of just variations of plain rice.

Dessert: Apple Cranberry Cobbler (120 calories)

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I’ll be back with updates on my last stretch of time with Freshology!

Trying to Stay Awake

I think I must have complained about being tired a million times today! J woke up scared in the middle of the night, convinced he’d seen something in the shadows. I let him come get in bed with us, because that = everyone back to sleep sooner. Just a couple of hours later C woke up scared because he couldn’t see J, so he came and joined us too. Four people in a queen bed is a little cramped, especially when the boys like to lay horizontally so as to jab both me and Brian at once.

Before I knew it 6:00 had arrived and it was time for me to head to the park to walk. Add last night to the fact that I’ve gotten about 5-6 hours of sleep each night this week, and you’ve got one tired ME! So, now I’m trying my hardest to stay awake and finish this post, because evenings are the best time for me to get blogging done.

Breakfast: Dark Chocolate Muffin with Cream Cheese (370 calories)

Chocolate + Muffin = YUM! I seriously would love for Freshology to have all of their muffins available to purchase for grab-and-go options. I’ve loved them all!

Lunch: Chicken & Wild Rice Soup with Grilled Focaccia Bread (380 calories)

This soup was really good, and was perfectly fitting since we had a cooler weather day! I liked it a lot but it wasn’t especially filling – that would be my only critique.

Dinner: Israeli Couscous and Vegetable Medley with Feta Cheese (570 calories)

I love feta cheese, so I was hopeful that I’d enjoy this, and I did for the most part. It was a unique flavor combination for me so might take me a little getting used to.

Dessert: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt (140 calories)

More chocolate – you won’t hear me complaining about that! A great cake that’s just the right level of sweetness.

Aaaaaaaaand, I’m out. Hopefully to fall asleep within a few minutes. :)

Celebrations

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m turning the big 3-0 on Friday! For my birthday, my friend Stephanie treated for me to take a cooking class with her tonight. It was SO much fun! It was a surf and turf night, so we did beef filet & lobster plus potatoes, shallots and asparagus.

We learned how to “hypnotize” lobsters to calm them down so they’re easier to work with:

Here’s me and Stephanie with the lobsters after they were cooked. It’s funny to me that I’m pretending to eat the lobster since I don’t like seafood at. all.

I definitely can’t wait to do another class! We learned a lot and the food ended up tasting great.

Oh yeah, food… so – I ate what we prepared, meaning I didn’t eat my Freshology dinner. I’ve realized that during times of celebration there are lots of opportunities for eating. Between going out with friends, or even getting to do a cooking class like I mentioned, it’s easy to get off track a little, but I’m going to keep trying to stick to the plan as best I can without beating myself for enjoying some treats.

Ok, on to meals:

Breakfast: Broccoli & Cheddar Omelet (280 calories)

The broccoli and cheese along with the eggs made for a mild flavor combination and then the peaches were a stronger flavor with a sweet/sour balance going on. I missed having turkey bacon or something to go along with it, though!

Lunch: Garlic & Basil Chicken Pizza (400 calories)

I’ve liked every pizza I’ve had from Freshology – this one was no exception. The garlic and basil worked really well together and it had a ton of onions and chicken on it too, which I really enjoyed. I did remove the olives, but other than that I’d give this 5 stars!

Whew, We’re Back!

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We had a whirlwind weekend, which was both amazing and exhausting!

First of all, we dropped Sally off to stay with friends while we were on our trip. She’s still a little uncertain of the car, but I could tell she liked having the windows rolled down. Ignore my squinty face. This is apparently the face I make while focusing on taking a picture!

Friday night Brian had plans to go to a concert with our friend Tim from college, so we met him for dinner in Dallas before the guys headed out. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Dallas, and the kids thought it was AWESOME – especially since we were on the ninth floor and had a small balcony! As a side note, I am totally in love with the Sheraton Preferred Guest program. We stayed at a Sheraton on our way back from Illinois this summer and earned 8,000 bonus points through a special promotion they were running. We used some for the hotel stay Friday night and just had to pay $30 for a suite. It was a small suite, granted. But $30 isn’t too shabby. I had promised the boys we’d do a movie and popcorn at the hotel without really thinking things through logistically. There were no kid-friendly things on TV, so we hooked up our portable DVD player… and the hotel shop didn’t have popcorn, but they were excited to get to pick out their own bags of chips to eat.

Saturday we got up and drove to Grapevine so I could spend the day with one of my best friends, Amber. She and I met at church camp back in high school but became really good friends during college. Brian and the boys hung out with her husband and kids while she and I went out for pedicures and shopping – I turn 30 this week, and Saturday was a great way to celebrate a little early. :) We also got feathers in our hair, which is something I don’t think I would’ve been brave enough to try without her, but I really like it (thanks, Amber)! Check out our cute feet and our hair – you can kind of see the feathers in this pic:

Sunday was a busy day – we got to visit with several different friends, one whom we hadn’t seen in over 10 years! When we go to the DFW area we’re typically visiting my parents, so there are a lot of friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was great to get the chance to see everyone (and we get to see my parents in a couple of weeks when they come out to visit us)!

We went and picked Sally up on our way in to town (Josie’s staying with someone else) – J was especially excited to be reunited with her, as you can tell:

She’s getting a little big for his lap, don’t you think? Anyway, although I know she had a great time at our friends’ house, she was glad to be home and crashed on the couch most of the evening – with her buddy right nearby.

So, all in all it was a great weekend… aside from a few meltdowns from the boys here and there. I swear, traveling throws their routines off SO much! They don’t nap at the normal times or sleep as much as they normally do, and I can always tell a difference in how they act.

I have to admit, though… I ate horribly! I ate a lot of Mexican food, which is a big weakness for me. With traveling, it would’ve been difficult to transport the Freshology meals with me to the hotel and then somehow store them frozen. I do know if you’re going to be somewhere on vacation for a week, for example, you can set up your meals to be delivered to a different location while you’re there. For me, though, I am just picking back up on Monday right where I left off.

Watch my video below to find out how my weight fared as a result of this weekend’s eating out!

Sticking With It

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This week has been busy, and I have a feeling it’s just the start. In addition to my regular job I’m teaching adjunct classes where I work, all of which are online classes and take up evening time. This was a choice (and honestly, an opportunity I’m really excited about) but it’ll take some time settling in to a routine. I’m a little late with this post, because I felt like I had to prioritize – family and work have to take precedence over blogging, as much as I love it! Anyway, I’m excited to get caught up on my Freshology posts.

I’m still walking twice a week with my friend from work – it’s not in my nature to wake up really early voluntarily, but I’m really glad we’re committing to this. It feels good getting exercise in at the start of my day, and I think it makes me more aware of calories I intake because I remember working to burn off calories earlier in the day!

Monday Breakfast: Spinach & Caramelized Shallot Omelet (350 calories)

This was my least favorite egg dish I’ve had, which surprised me because I like shallots and actually like spinach when it’s with other things. I think there was almost too much spinach in this one, but that was easily solved by setting some off to the side. I love the variety Freshology provides, but the egg breakfasts with different fillings in between do start to feel a little repetitive. Part of that is probably more noticeable to me because I don’t typically gravitate towards protein-heavy breakfasts.

Lunch: Roasted Vegetable Mosaic Bowl (390 calories)

I liked most of this dish way more than I thought I would! I avoided mushrooms and lima beans but the squash, zucchini, peppers and rice were really good. I would’ve liked a little salt added, but I know that part of the benefit of Freshology is that they make the effort to keep things low in sodium.

Dinner: Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce (430 calories)

I really liked the sweet potatoes with this dish, and I liked the chicken itself a lot. I have to admit I scraped the mushrooms off to the side – I loved the flavor they provided but I can’t get past the texture of cooked mushrooms. I like brussel sprouts more than I did before starting Freshology, but they’re still not going to ever be added to my favorites list. :)

Dessert: Sweet Potato Chip Cookies (120 calories)

Tuesday Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon French Toast with Turkey Bacon (350 calories)

This was a good breakfast! I liked folding the toast over some of the apples to make a little sandwich of sorts – I didn’t even use the syrup. The turkey bacon was good, but I do think I can tell a difference between cooking it from fresh and from frozen. The peaches were good – it reminded me almost of a cobbler filling.

Lunch: Beef & Barley Stew (270 calories)

The flavors of this stew were great! Totally reminded me of something I’d have on a cool fall day. The barley added some heartiness to the dish and was great with the beef. I did avoid the mushrooms and peas, being the picky person that I am.

Dinner: Vegetarian Meatloaf with Succotash & Sweet Potatoes (450 calories)

Hm. Combining meatloaf + vegetables didn’t bode so well for me. The sauce was awesome, sweet potatoes were good… but I picked at this one.

Dessert: Marshmallow Cloud (170 calories) – YUM!

Overall I feel like this week is off to a good start, and I’m figuring out how to juggle everything (and fit in some sleep). I’m really glad that despite a busy, stressful week I haven’t been resorting to comfort snacking like I might have in the past. Here’s hoping the rest of the week goes just as well!

Weekend Wrap-Up

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So, I crawled through a mud pit this weekend. Voluntarily.

Have you ever heard of the Warrior Dash? Well, our city had a family-friendly version – a three-mile walk/run complete with obstacles and a mud pit at the finish. My friend Chemese and I decided to give it a try, and we’re so glad we did! This was a lot more fun than the typical 5K with the extra challenges added.

Here we are before and after the event… just a slight difference.

I went straight from the run to meet the guys and some friends at Chick Fil A, because they were offering free breakfast and we couldn’t pass that up! In the rush to get out the door for the run I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I did order an 8-pack of nuggets (260 calories). I know I burned more than that on the run!

We’ve spent a large part of the weekend doing things around the house – I was suddenly struck with the need to get more organized (I’m sure Brian was so happy to be included in this whim of mine). We have some lockers we got for free a while back that need some work- the paint was scratched and rusting. I primed them and then started to spray a coat of paint on them, but the paint wasn’t spraying out evenly so I decided to wait until later to work more. Lesson learned: wear gloves while spraying paint… even after scrubbing my hands, I still look wounded:

Once the lockers are all finished I’ll show you before and after shots. We’re going to put them in the playroom to help organize toys, and I think it’ll be a really nice, fun solution. Let’s just hope I’m not covered in red paint too by the time I’m finished with them.

Let’s take a look at food for the weekend:

Saturday Breakfast: Pancakes with Turkey Bacon & Spiced Peaches (320 calories)

Great breakfast. I skipped the syrup and spread 2 teaspoons of peanut butter between the two pancakes, and it was so good! I liked this breakfast too because it’d be one that’s fairly easy to eat on the go (aside from the fruit). I ended up eating mine later in the day since I was out all morning with the run.

Lunch: Southwestern Chicken Soup with Grilled Focaccia (410 calories)

This was a good, spicy soup with plenty of chicken and veggies. The foccacia bread got tough in the microwave, but that actually was perfect for soaking up soup. I was a little surprised at how many calories were in this meal – maybe because of the bread?

Dinner: Braised Pork with Whole Grain Mustard Glaze & Butternut Squash (330 calories)

I’ll be honest – when I peeled back the film the pork did not look very appetizing! Once I tasted it, though, I was won over. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. I would have loved a little spicy BBQ sauce to go with it, but even just as it was I enjoyed it a lot. The squash was slightly sweet and balanced nicely against the saltiness of the pork. And the green beans were perfect! Just the right texture and amount of seasoning.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Caramel Cookies (130 calories)

Sunday Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal With Roasted Pineapple (370 calories)

I never thought I’d look forward to eating oatmeal so much but I actually really like it! Cinnamon has always been a favorite flavor for me too, so this was especially good. I haven’t typically loved the reheated fruit – I prefer it fresh – but the roasted pineapple was good. It almost seemed like a dessert, and I really enjoyed it.

Lunch: Cajun Shrimp & Wild Rice Bowl (350 calories)

Brian ate this one… like I’ve mentioned before I just don’t like seafood at all, especially shrimp! I was able to avoid seafood on the Gold plan but receive 2-3 meals each week on the Silver plan that have seafood in them. It’s not a huge issue for me since I just have Brian eat those and then I find a low-calorie alternative. I believe you’re typically able to avoid proteins while on the Silver plan, so there may just be an issue with my settings.

Dinner: Jerk Tofu with Mango Wild Rice (430 calories)

This is really a nicely composed dish, don’t you think? When I opened this one I thought immediately how visually striking it is. The sauce on the tofu added some good spicy flavor, but the texture of it still throws me off. If you’ve had tofu before you’d probably really enjoy this dish – I think it must be an acquired taste, though! The broccolini and red peppers were a great side dish.

Dessert: Peach Cobbler (110 calories)

Here’s my video, tacked on a little late because I shot it at lunch Monday (9/12). You can get a glimpse of my office and find out how much weight I lost this past week!

Friday Update

You’d think that after having Monday off for Labor Day that this week would fly by, but it’s been such a busy week that it felt longer than normal. Today I woke up feeling like I was fighting off getting sick, which wouldn’t be all that surprising since apparently strep is going around. Thankfully I felt better as the day wore on, although I’m still not at 100%. I’ll be heading to bed soon – I’m hoping for a productive day tomorrow!

In the morning my friend Chemese and I are braving a 3-mile walk/run – from the description, I get the feeling it’ll be a tamer version of the Warrior Dash. Regardless, it sounds like a fun way to get in some exercise. Wish us luck!

In the spirit of getting to bed early, let’s go ahead and talk about food for the day:

Breakfast: Soy Chorizo Egg Stack with Roasted Mango (330 calories)

Completely forgot to take a photo of this one, but I actually had it while on the Gold plan, so you can see a photo of it here if you’d like. It tasted just as good as I remembered it from last time – I seriously would never guess I wasn’t eating real chorizo with the eggs! It combines my love of breakfast with my love of Mexican food – can’t go wrong there!

Lunch: Roasted Provencal Vegetable Pizza (330 calories)

When it comes to pizza, I’m generally a cheese pizza kind of girl. I’ve ventured into different toppings, but would never have thought I’d like a veggie pizza. This was really good! I don’t know what all vegetables were included in the toppings, but I think that’s a good thing. The crust was crunch and a great texture against the soft veggies and stringy cheese. It was really filling, too!

Dinner: Braised Beef with Brussels Sprouts and Red Quinoa (360 calories)

The beef was SO good! It reminded me of a great home-cooked pot roast. The meat was tender and the gravy added a TON of flavor. I also liked adding some of the gravy to the quinoa to add a little flavor to that component. The brussels sprouts were a little too tender for my liking, but the peppers provided a nice hint of spice.

Dessert: Zucchini Bundt Cake (140 calories)

I’ll post tomorrow to let you know how the run goes!

Vegging Out

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This week has been harder, I’m noticing! Not as much of a challenge as when I first started Freshology, but I can tell that after having a few days “off” I’m having an adjustment period. Even though I tried to be careful while I was on my own, I think I still ate a larger quantity of food than I normally do, so now my stomach needs to shrink back down and get used to eating less food again.

Wednesday Breakfast: Signature Granola with Raspberry Yogurt (380 calories)

I really liked the granola and yogurt, and especially liked that the granola included pistachios (yum!) – but I wasn’t a huge fan of the fruit. I think that’s something I’ll have to get used to with the frozen meals, because I typically don’t eat fruit unless it’s fresh.
Lunch: Vegetarian Meatballs with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (400 calories)

I was nervous about this one because I have to admit that hearing “vegetarian” makes me assume it won’t be as good as the real deal – now do you get where the title of this post comes from? I was pleasantly surprised! I did break up the meatballs and mixed everything up in the sauce, but all in all this was a really good lunch.
Dinner: Turkey Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce (390 calories)

I have never been one to eat meatloaf. I was apparently one of the few American children who didn’t grow up with this as a staple meal item (thanks, mom!) so the first time I remember having it was in high school. I have mixed opinions on the Freshology version. The sauce was great – amazing, really. Full of flavor and something I’d eat on pasta any day. The meatloaf tasted good and even had a good texture to it, but it just looked weird to me, so I had to make myself not think about it (or look at it) while I ate. The green beans and mashed potatoes were good, although the potatoes tasted a little more like instant potatoes than homemade.

Dessert: Marble Cheesecake (160 calories)

Thursday Breakfast: Banana Pecan Muffin With Vanilla Cream (370 calories)

Notice that this is still in the package? Wellll I didn’t grab this out until this morning and only then realized that this was a meal to be defrosted overnight. I stuck it in my fridge and later got the muffin out to have, but the yogurt and fruit were still frozen. The muffin was GREAT, though – it tasted just like banana bread so it felt like a real treat.

Lunch: Thai Style Chicken Bowl with Buckwheat Soba Noodles (440 calories)

Great, flavorful lunch option. The noodle bowls from the Gold plan rate a little higher, but overall this was good. The breaded chicken was a nice touch because it makes it feel a little less “health-food.”

Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan Pasta (470 calories)

Another vegetarian meal! I’ve had eggplant parmesan before and didn’t love it, but this was actually really good. I also noticed, between this and the meatballs from lunch on Wednesday, that Freshology adds in spinach with their pasta sauce. What a great idea! I barely even noticed it, and just think of the added nutrition it provides. You could even puree the spinach before adding it to sauce to allow it to blend even more.

Dessert: Carrot Cake (120 calories)

Although the food on the Silver plan is really good, I do miss the freshness that the Gold plan provides. It also seems like the calorie totals for the day tend to range more around 1,400 calories versus the 1,200 calorie totals on the Gold plan. I will be incorporating more exercise to try and burn off the difference and keep losing weight at a good pace.

Do you have any good tips for incorporating exercise into your routine?

Silver Plan Start-Off

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I started back on Freshology yesterday, this time on the Silver plan which consists of frozen meals and refrigerated desserts. Instead of receiving two packages a week, I’ll now get one per week with seven days’ worth of food at once.

It’s good to be back on the plan – I realized how hard it is to find the time to plan out meals ahead of time. It’s so nice having it all taken care of for me, and I’m excited to lose more and get closer to my goal.

Monday Breakfast: Baby Artichoke and Roasted Pepper Egg Stack with Turkey Maple Sausage (360 calories)

This felt like a very familiar breakfast, since I’d had various egg stacks throughout the Gold plan along with the sausage. The combination of artichokes and peppers provided a nice texture and slightly spicy flavor. One thing I miss immediately from the Gold plan is fresh fruit. The spiced pineapple that came with this was pretty good, but felt almost more like a dessert since it was warm. Overall, a good breakfast to start with though.

Lunch: Shrimp & Corn Chowder with Grilled Focaccia Bread (340 calories)

When I was on the Gold plan I was able to specify no seafood, but somehow in the switch to Silver I ended up with a few seafood dishes for this week. I tasted the focaccia bread which surprisingly retained a great texture despite being frozen and reheated in the microwave, but Brian ate the soup. He said it was really good and had nice flavor to it. I can’t stand shrimp so even the smell of it was unappealing to me! Brian rarely gets seafood since I dislike it, so he was excited to have the soup.

Dinner: Chicken Paillard with Fire roasted Spanish Rice (460 calories)

I had never eaten Chicken Paillard before, but had heard of it on Top Chef, so I was intrigued to try it. I think this is probably the highest-calorie meal I’ve had while on Freshology but the calories were definitely worth it. This is one of my favorite meals I’ve had on Freshology. The sauce, which I assume was a tomatillo, provided a slight tang that complimented the spicier chicken and the rice mix. Such a great dish – definitely one I’d eat again and again!

Dessert: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (130 calories)

Tuesday Breakfast: Cinnamon Apricot Oatmeal with Turkey Bacon (420 calories)

I think I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Freshology has converted me to being an oatmeal lover. Having the apricot provided a nice pop of flavor to the oatmeal and complimented the cinnamon nicely. The turkey bacon was just as good even being heated from a frozen state – I was impressed with how it retained its texture.

Lunch: Philly Cheesesteak Panini (270 calories)

I really enjoyed this, although I did dodge the mushrooms in it. The steak was well-seasoned, and the peppers and cheese just added to the flavor. I didn’t really get a sense of a panini, but this was a good dish through and through and is something I’d eat again.

Dinner: Cilantro Crusted Tilapia with Salsa Verde (430 calories)

Another seafood dish, and another meal Brian got to enjoy. I thought this had a beautiful presentation, and Brian said the flavor of the cilantro really shone through. He did add a little salsa to it for added spice but said overall he’d give it two thumbs up.

Dessert: Smores (170 calories) – my favorite Freshology dessert!

I’m starting to feel back in the swing of things with food, and am also feeling good about being more active. Yesterday we spent quite a bit of time at the park since temps were actually pleasant, and I got in about 6 miles on my bike, pulling a trailer with at least one child in it at all times. It was fun getting out and being active, and just affirmed to me that I want to commit to an active lifestyle for me and for our family.

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