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Diet to Go Review

Sometimes my busy schedule doesn’t allow for me or Bo to cook a full meal each night. We do our best to cook at least 3 times per week but the rest of the nights, what we have for dinner is anyone’s guess. Tonight, for example, I chose to push my legs through 4 fast miles next to Bo on the treadmill instead of cooking dinner. Instead of takeout or ordering in, we opted for filling smoothies.

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Since I’d just finished a pretty tough 4 mile run at higher than normal paces, I added some much needed protein via almonds to this smoothie. Having a smoothie for dinner is something I crave but it has to pack in significant calories in order to help my body recover after the workout.

The rest of the time, the ad-hoc dinners aren’t always the easiest. Therefore, when Diet to Go, a new to me meal delivery service, offered to send me some of their meals to review I jumped at the offer. Breakfast, lunch and dinner delivered to my door step just in time for a busy week before traveling to Geneva? It sounded like a dream come true! After studying their website, I got even more excited.

  • They have multiple types of meal plans including traditional, low fat, low carb and vegetarian.
  • They were just voted #1 in a national taste test by Epicurious
  • The meals can be frozen for up to a month or  they also last 5-6 days in the refrigerator.
  • Their site allows you to customize and make substitutions to your deliver meal plan based on needs

But, the real test would come when I was able to finally taste the meals. I’ve never been a huge fan of frozen meals due primarily to the high sodium, lack of flavor, small portions, and lack of protein or nutrients. I was a bit hesitant to give these meals a try as I figured I’d look like a bloated balloon due to the sodium.

But, I figured that I’d give it a try and enjoy the leisure of not having to think about breakfast, lunch or dinner during a busy week.

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 Here’s a glance of the meals I had the opportunity to try:

Breakfast

  • Cranapple muffin, cran-orange cream cheese, orange
  • Whole wheat monte cristo, raspberry maple syrup, citrus yogurt salad
  • Fajita omelet

Lunch

  • Waldorf chicken salad, V-8, snack mix
  • Pretzel and broccoli cheddar soup
  • Fish sandwich, apple

Dinner

  • Chicken stir-fry
  • Old fashioned meatloaf
  • Quesadilla

So, what’d I think when all was said and done? The meals definitely delivered on protein and flavor but I questioned the amount of sugar and sodium. Some of the breakfasts included syrups, cream cheese, and jams that I just felt unnecessary. In addition, a few of the sides such as an apple, V-8, or carrots would be difficult to freeze and enjoy later even though they advertise that the meals can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator. I don’t think I’d choose to use Diet to Go for all my meals but I can certainly see the benefit to having a few frozen dinners in the fridge for nights like tonight.

How about you? Have you ever relied on frozen meals as easy options or do you make your own frozen meals?

Interested in trying it out for yourself? They’re also offering 20% off through 1/31 and giving away 1,000 meals on Facebook.

 

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this campaign. All opinions are my own.

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ashleyd /

A Sunday Return to the Real World

I can’t believe the trip is already over. It was such a great business trip with 48 hours of personal added on the side!

We landed last night around 7pm and by 9pm when I walked through the door after an hour long customs line, I fell asleep mid sentence as Bo and I caught up.

Based on the picture that Erika captured of me on the plane, I was more than a bit exhausted.

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I slept for 11 hours before waking up around 9:15 for a Barry’s Bootcamp and brunch date! Before I left for Geneva we organized a date with our friends Mike and Liz. Bo and I aren’t the biggest brunch fans but after hearing about Bubby’s epic brunches for the past few months from both Sara and Liz, we finally gave in. The full body class at Barry’s Tribecca was a great way to kick it back into full gear after a week of more relaxed workouts, including long walks, dance parties, and a few short runs.

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My triceps are still quivering from the class and my legs finally pushed through the 10.0 mph setting for 45 seconds during today’s class! I think it’s safe to say that both Bo and I have sipped the Barry’s Bootcamp Kool-Aid and are loving it!

Bubby’s was the perfect brunch spot since it is located just around the block from Barry’s Bootcamp and has a menu offering almost anything you could want.

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While I was tempted to go with the homemade granola and fresh fruit, my body was craving protein. The Bubby’s Brunch was perfect as I was able to have eggs anyway, chicken sausage, fresh fruit, and cheese grits.

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The cheese grits were not my cup of tea but everything else was phenomenal! Check out the fruit cup as well. I’ve never loved a winter fruit cup more than this one, filled to the brim with pears, pomegranates, clementine, and berries!

The rest of the day was spent getting a much needed manicure with Meg and lounging around the house. Around 5pm the jet-lag hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me exhausted and absolutely worn out. Luckily the 3 of us shared dinner duties, whipping up a healthy, flavorful dish including fish, the main course I requested as I’ve had enough chicken and cheese to hold me over for at least a month!

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Pan roasted snapper over lemon and garlic Brussels sprouts topped with a homemade tomato sauce.

I wish that tomorrow didn’t include a half day of work but at least a relaxing Sunday has helped transition back into regular life which includes laundry, workouts, healthy food, vegetables, and sleep.

These next few weeks are going to be filled with lots of travel including another trip to Geneva the first week of February followed by a beach weekend to celebrate a certain second 29th birthday. I’m just thankful that I have this week in one city to focus on work and my half marathon training!

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Geneva Adventures Part 1: Who Needs Sleep?

It’s pretty clear that the last few days of my trip were a whirlwind since I haven’t posted in two days. My traveling buddy and co-worker, Erika, has a goal to make the 2013 the year of more. I think it’s safe to say that her passion for life has worn off on me this week.

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Even though each day in Geneva included over 10 hours of meetings with multi-functional partners, I decided to make the evenings an equal priority.

Each night, around 8pm, Erika and I went into Geneva to enjoy dinner either on our own or with co-workers. There were a few adventures, which is to be expected when you’re in a town that speaks 3 languages (German, French, and Italian) none of which we speak.

My favorite meal of the week was dinner with my co-workers at a local fondue restaurant, which is a traditional Swiss delicacy. I learned a lot that night including the tidbit that white wine is the key to enjoying fondue and feeling good in the morning since it helps cut through the cheese. While fondue isn’t something I crave nor have frequently, it was a fun, interactive dinner that allowed us to bond while scraping the bottom of the fondue pot and enjoying raclette, which may be my new favorite form of cheese.

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The next night included dinner at an Italian restaurant, Luigia. Well known in the city for being one of the best Italian spots that fills the tables nightly, this was our most challenging dining experience as no one spoke English. We laughed constantly as I had to order my entrée 3 different times and our wine came out far different than we expected. Oh well, we still had fun and the food, when it arrived, was delicious!

Thursday and Friday nights were late nights enjoying the nightlife side of Geneva. Thursday night was a work New Year’s Eve party which included over 250 co-workers and five hours of dancing! Europeans know how to have a great time on the dance floor. The DJ they had that night was perfect- playing every dance favorite while also adding in a few European mixes since over 70% of the attendees were from countries other than the United States.

Friday night, our final night in Geneva and the start of a long weekend called for cocktails and dinner with a few of my local Geneva co-workers. We dined at Di Paolo, a local rustic Italian restaurant where I enjoyed a delicious vegetarian pizza and red wine. The service, like many places in Europe, wasn’t necessarily fast but sometimes it’s refreshing just to slow down and enjoy the company. In true “make 2013 the year of more” form I chose to stay out until the wee hours of the morning dancing at a cool discothèque in Geneva’s Modern Art Museum, MAMCO. Who knew that 70’s music from America is still very popular in Geneva clubs! Dancing to songs like YMCA, Funky Town, and Brick House made for an entertaining evening. It’s amazing how sore my legs are after 2 nights of dancing!

Am I exhausted? Did I only workout 3 mornings this week? Sure, but you know what? This is the year of doing more and living life to the fullest in every sense of the word so sometimes that means breaking a sweat on the dance floor instead of the gym.

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