The Diet Diaries: #1

While I've never been a fan of the word "diet," I think I've spent a good deal of my life attempting one or another.  Part of it is genetics, part food love, part sheer laziness.  In the past I've done a reasonable job of getting the process of getting fit going well, but somehow I always end up off track and right back where I started.  I've said it before, but it can't hurt to say again that I'm determined to see it through to the finish this time.  I'm not going to turn this blog into a whiny fitness journal where I lament my cravings for fried chicken, but along the way I want to share a few insights and experiences.  Today, it's Lean Cuisine.

In the past, I've found their food to be a bit bland, found their portions small, and found myself hungry again an hour later.  However, after being bombarded with all of their ads about new recipes and "spa menus" and satisfaction, I thought I would give it another try.  Today's attempt was the tortilla crusted fish, served with rice, poblano peppers, and corn in a sour cream sauce.  After plating my entree (I make it a point to never eat directly from the microwave tray, and apparently the people at Stouffer's agree), I was pleasantly surprised to find that my meal fairly closely resembled the photo on the box.

The fish was not as crunchy as I would have hoped, and had a slightly mealy texture from the composition of the breading.  However, it was crispy along the edges, so I suspect that my confusion over the heating instruction may be to blame for that.  There was only one film sheet on the top of the tray, so I'm not exactly sure how you're supposed to completely remove the film from the fish only.  In any case, aside from the texture it was actually quite a tasty lunch.  The fish was flavorful, the rice still had some bite to it (meaning it wasn't mushy), and the peppers and corn were crisp and surprisingly fresh.

I ate it with a spinach salad topped with cucumber, feta, chickpeas and a homemade dressing.  If you still buy your dressing from the store, you're really missing out.  It's so simple and delicious and fresh (yes, I use that word a lot) to make dressing at home and you should definitely give it a try.  Today, I had a lovely mustard dressing, made by whisking together the following:

1 Tb grainy mustard
2 Tb white wine vinegar
1 Tb honey
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
(makes about 6 servings, depending on how much you like to dress your salad)

It's been about two hours since I ate lunch, and so far there are no hunger pangs.  All in all, I would call this a comeback for Lean Cuisine.