This post was sponsored by The Fresh Diet. I was given a week of food in exchange for an honest assessment of their services. All opinions and confessions about my weird eating habits are my own.
One of the things that made my recent two week trip to Toronto awesome was that The Fresh Diet provided me with a week of free gourmet food delivery while I was in the city. I always find that my diet suffers the most when I am busy. My time in Toronto was jam packed with social engagements, meetings and packing up all of my worldly possessions. Not having to worry about food for a week while I was worrying about all kinds of other stuff (ie. “Omg, what if this bed-frame doesn’t fit in my tiny storage locker?!!” & “What the hell am I going to with all these shoes?!”) seriously felt like the ultimate luxury! There’s nothing like having all of your meals delivered to make you feel like a total celebrity.
The food came. I ate it. Now I’m ready to report back on my week with The Fresh Diet.
What I liked:
1. Service and convenience: All of the Fresh Diet staff I interacted with were super friendly and professional. Their service was prompt and all of my food was delivered outside my apartment door by 10pm the night before in one of these snazzy blue cooler bags:
{Each bag includes breakfast, lunch, an appetizer, a dessert and a menu for the day.}
2. IT’S DELICIOUS. Everything tasted amazing. With the exception of one or two items (a lamb and a beef dish – I’m not a huge red meat fan) I loved everything. The food was made with fresh, healthy ingredients and tasted like it had been prepared at a high quality restaurant (it was actually prepared at a state of the art kitchen not far from my house – almost the same thing!)
3. Variety: Although most of the meals took the same format – Omelette or Fruit Salad with Yogurt for Breakfast, Salad for lunch & meat or fish with veggies for dinner – there was a lot of variety in regards to flavors, proteins, fruits and vegetables.
4. Gluten Free: As per my request, they made all of my meals gluten free which was totally awesome! Not having to worry about whether something contained gluten meant that I could just sit back & enjoy my meals.
5. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies: The Fresh Diet is heavy on the fruits and veggies which I love. I especially enjoyed the variety of vegetables offered (everything from kale to butternut squash) and the plentiful fresh fruit salads.
Some of my other favorite meals:
• Asparagus Tarragon Souffle Omelet with Gruyere Cheese and Roasted Cherry Tomato (Breakfast)
• Lemon Pepper Grilled Shrimp Salad with Yellow Tomato, Cucumber, Alfalfa Sprouts & Citrus Dressing (Lunch)
• Grilled Portabella Topped with Yellow Tomato, Basil, Fresh Mozarella and Balsamic Vinaigrette (Hors D’Oeuvre)
• Fillet of Sole with Lemon Caper Sauce with Butternut Squash Puree & Steamed Cauliflower (Dinner)
• Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Creamy Vanilla Ricotta Cheese (Dessert)
• Maple Baked Pear filled with Mascarpone Cheese (Dessert)
{Day One: Fresh Fruit Salad with Yogurt, Grilled Portabella and Mozzarella Hors D’ Oeuvre, Cod Loin with Tarragon Dijon Sauce with White Bean Puree and Sauteed Kale, Grilled Chicken Breast with Baby Arrugula, Orange, Mango Strawberries and Citrus Ginger Dressing}
What I didn’t like:
SMALL PORTIONS.
Those of you who know me and have been present for “All you can eat Sushi Carnage 2008”, “Late Night Chinatown Incident 2011” or my recent trip to Chipotle where I ate 3 tacos, a full serving of chips & guacamole plus 1/2 of my roommate’s burrito, know that I have a disturbingly large appetite for someone my size. I’m also extremely active. When I’m in Toronto, I walk a minimum of 2 km a day (to and from the subway), walk all over the city and work out several times of week. Overall, I didn’t feel like the meals were substantial enough for me.
When my roommate saw the food for Day #1 sitting out on the counter, she said to me:
“This looks like what you would eat for ONE MEAL” (She’s right)
The portions of the entrees are similar to what you’d get in a Lean Cuisine package (but a bazillion times better tasting). All week I felt like I was eating extremely luxe airplane food prepared by a bunch of fancy Keebler Elves who had magically shrunk everything into tiny, adorable portions.
To satisfy my appetite, I topped up all of the fruit salads with extra Greek yogurt, my salads with heaps of extra greens, nuts and seeds and added extra veggies and quinoa to my dinners so that I would at least feel full. However, mid-week (as I got busier) things got a bit out of control. By the time the food arrived at 10 pm, I’d still be hungry from dinner so I’d usually eat the appetizer and the dessert intended for the next day (Bad Simone!). A couple of nights I just ate the lunch and dinner together OR two days worth of dinner. I also made a few late night trips to Chinatown for clandestine carb loading.
As far as taste, ingredients, freshness, quality and convenience, I think The Fresh Diet is amazing. It’s just not the right diet for me.
However, with this said it might be perfect for other people, especially if you have a lighter appetite or are looking to lose weight by eating delicious food.
To end things on a positive note: Although I wasn’t looking to lose weight, I did feel healthy by the end of the week. I ate tons of fruits & veggies and people have been telling me I have a nice “glow”. Even though it wasn’t the ideal diet for me, I’m still grateful for the experience. In fact, I enjoyed a lot of the meals so much that I’ve been inspired to make my own versions of them at home, just with “Simone sized” portions.
If you’re interested in trying The Fresh Diet yourself, Skinny Dip readers will receive 3 days free with the purchase of a 31 day plan at $29.99 per day when you use the promo code singlmar29.
Have any of you tried food delivery before?
