Fresh is Best!

In spite of the fickle pre-Summer weather this month, my work and social life (which are both calendar-driven as opposed to season-driven) appear to be getting busier and busier.

 

 

At the same time this girl (with her history of colon cancer) absolutely needs to find the time to eat healthy in order to stay healthy.

 

 

While I do enjoy eating the healthy dishes that I prepare in the crock pot, or buying, heating and eating Amy’s organic canned goods, or even micro-waving and eating clean frozen meals, it’s beginning to get monotonous…

In a perfect world, I would have my own personal chef…ready, willing and able to whip me up a variety of fresh and healthy dishes that taste as good as they look (smile).

Lucky for me I found the next best thing through my early morning conversations with Margot, my gym friend.

Margot suggested I look into the Fresh Meal Plan.  It’s offered at all of the Edge Fitness Centers in Connecticut.   And it’s ‘the nation’s largest farm-to-table meal plan service with free delivery to your doorstep.‘   What ultimately sold me on it though (outside of the obvious benefits) was that all Edge Fitness members receive 10 percent off the weekly rate of $109 for the first 6 weeks and, THIS IS HUGE,  we could cancel at any time!

Here’s how it works:

You register by logging onto FMP’s website

Once online you can read all about the program including  the history of its Founders, FAQs and testimonials.   They even have a phone number to call and  talk to a live person who explains how everything works.   Once I was satisfied with all the answers to my own questions I was ready to begin.

The first thing I did was decide on one of four meal plans:  Traditional, Paleo, Signature or Vegetarian.  Each of the meal plans come with a featured image  and each plan is detailed in full so that you truly understand what you are signing up for.   This also helps you to decide which meal plan is right for your lifestyle.  However, no matter which meal plan you initially choose, FMP gives you the option to pick and choose meals from any one of the 4 meal plans!

I chose the Paleo meal plan because, for the most part, me hungry but me still needs to eat clean-healthy (smile).

 

 

Selecting your weekly meals:

This must be done on a desktop or laptop computer, not a mobile device.  Simply log onto the FMP website and select your healthy meals for the following week.

Here’s what I chose for my first week of 10 prepared, ready to heat-and-eat meals  (1 lunch; 1 dinner per day):

Korean BBQ Pork Chop

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry (pictured)

Roasted Mediterranean Mahi

Miami Cuban Turkey Burger

Truffle Steak Frite

Panca and Chive Turkey Meatloaf

Chicken Caprese Salad

Blackened Mango Mahi Tacos

Spartan Bison Burger

Kung Pao Chicken

 

Free Delivery right to your doorstep!

On Mondays by 7am a local courier delivers the first 6 meals and on Thursdays by 7am the remaining 4 meals are delivered.

All of these meals come neatly packed with 2 disposable ice packs inside an insulated cooler bag.

They are all stored in bake-friendly disposable containers.

For the best in fresh, you should refrigerate them immediately.

The now empty insulated cooler bag is left outside on your doorstep the day before your next delivery.   The containers and ice packs are yours to keep or dispose of as you wish.  Easy breezy 🙂

Again, I pre-paid $98.10 for the week or $9.81 per meal for my first week of 10 meals which is not too shabby considering the fact that I did not have to grocery shop, do prep work or spend precious quality time in the kitchen (smile).

And the taste — Yummy!  The size however was small – honestly I felt like I could eat 2 meals at a time…

 

 

So far I’ve had the Truffle Steak Frite with Sweet Potatoes and Green Salad and the Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry with Broccoli.  All of the Paleo meals are high protein, low-fat and low calories (less than 400 calories!)

My only caution is that the food is soooooo good that it may be difficult to go back to your normal, regular diet.  Outside of that I have just two words:

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

What it means to be a woman of a certain age…

I turned 55 years old a couple of months ago and it suddenly dawned on me that I am officially a middle-aged woman.   Yikes!  By right the standard definition of a middle-aged woman is somewhere between ages 45 and 65.   It is during this time that she may, among other things, physically and emotionally experience hair loss or thinning, vision problems, mood swings, graying hair, night flashes, hot sweats, hearing loss,  wrinkles, age spots, fatigue,  joint issues, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, bloating, weight gain, depression and more.   However, I still maintain that you truly are as young as you feel which is why I vow to continue working out at The Edge Fitness Center 5 mornings a week, getting at least 6 to 7 hours of beauty sleep each night, eating mostly healthy foods and drinking lots of fluids.  But even with this regime I can still feel the signs and effects of aging setting in.   Consequently, here are 10 reasons why I am closer to being described as “old” rather than “young”:

I will drive somewhere and forget where I was originally going

 

 

I cannot tell you the names of any of today’s top 5 music artists on any single chart

 

 

I have no trouble beginning a story with “30 years ago…”

 

 

I have misplaced my car or house keys more times than I care to admit

 

 

If I go out on the town just one night during the week it takes me the next 2 days to “recover”

 

 

I have trouble remembering passwords

 

 

I can no longer quickly shed 3 to 5 pounds overnight

 

 

The television is watching me after a certain time of the night…

 

 

It takes me longer and longer to recover from the flu or a common cold

 

 

 

And finally, my definition of “Old” keeps changing.   For instance, when I was 16 years old I thought 30 was old (smile).

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

Travel Bug

I love love love to travel by air, train, car or bus and try to do it as often as possible.   But that’s not always easy for a working girl in a crazy fast-paced world (smile).   However this girl can dream so it is my hope to someday have the opportunity to do the following touristy things in places that I have heard about, watched on TV or read about.

Here they are and not in any particular order:

  • Napa Valley, CA  – Vineyards, sweet Vineyards…Napa Valley Wine tours by trolley and picnic lunches on a scenic terrain come to mind…

 

 

  • Chicago, IL – I could pinch myself for not visiting Chicago during Oprah’s reign!   I still want to visit if for nothing else then…to window shop along The Magnificent Mile, take a stroll through Grant Park or roller skate along the lakefront…

 

  • Austin, TX  Here is where I would jump into Barton Springs Pool with its 70-degree year round water temps, watch the fireworks over Lady Bird Lake from a small boat or speed walk the full loop of the Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail.

 

  • Seattle, WA – I would visit the Central Public library, head on over to Pike Place Market to check out the original Starbucks.  And then take a ride on the Space Needle to see panoramic views of Puget Sound.

 

  • Denver, CO – Love to visit the Downtown Aquarium, the Denver Zoo and Confluence Park.

 

  • San Francisco, CA – I would take a drive across the famous Golden Gate bridge, or catch a Cable car, or walk up those steep streets to view beautiful Victorians, what’s not to love!

 

  • New Orleans, LA – Always wanted to visit the “Big Easy.”   I’d check out The French Quarter, the House of Blues, and of course, experience Mardi Gras.

 

  • Myrtle Beach, SC – I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Hilton Head, S.C. which was beautiful but pricey.   I hear that Myrtle Beach is much more affordable with good, clean fun so I hope to make it there soon.  Especially for those South Carolina beaches and the boardwalk…

 

 

  • Honolulu, Hawaii – Who in my age group (we grew up watching Hawaii 5-0!) has not wanted to visit Hawaii?!?   Diamond Head Wet  ‘n’ Wild Hawaii, Halona Blowhole, Kuhio Beach Park, the list is endless…

 

 

  • The Outerbanks, NC – I just know I would enjoy the Stand Up Paddle at Cape Hatteras, touring the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and swimming in the Outerbanks.

 

I promise that If/when I do visit these places, I will be sure to blog about it (smile).

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

My top 10 fave blog posts!

Over the past 2 years I have published almost 50 blog posts on The View from Lajeune so I think this is a good time to highlight my top 10 faves.  So here they are:

 

The View (from Lajeune)  Check out this blog post: The View (from Lajeune)    I chose this blog post because the  entire day was truly magical from beginning to end!

 

 

A Place of Desert  Check out this blog postL  A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free  This blog post will always hold a special place in my heart as I truly learned what it is like to survive colon cancer…

 

 

My Very First Bug  Check out this blog post:   My Very First Bug…  This post took me back to a time when I was asserting my independence but too hard-headed to see that the route I chose actually costs me in more ways than one (smile).

 

 

Clams on the half shell… Check out this blog post:   Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!   This blog post speaks to me as it happens during the 70’s, one of my most favorite decades!

 

 

Like Moths to the Flame  Check out this blog post:   Like moths to the flame…   This blog post is special to me because it brought me back 31 years to when I first started my career in broadcast media…

 

 

CT “Summatime” Eats  Check out this blog post:   Connecticut “Summatime” Eats!    This blog posts was real popular with TVFL readers who, like me, love Connecticut in the Summertime and the delicious variety of food choices!

 

Divas in the Desert  Check out this blog post:  Divas in the desert!  My good friend and former co-worker Tony Marinaro, who is a faithful TVFL reader, chose the title to this blog post and I will forever be grateful to him for it 🙂

 

 

My Clean Living Life (Parts I, II and III)  Check out all 3 of these blog posts:   My clean living life…   My Clean Living Life – Part II;   My Clean Living Life, Part III    I imagine that these blog posts are popular with my TVFL readers because they know the struggle to live “clean” is real…

 

 

Cave Girl:   Check out this blog post:Cave Girl    I thoroughly enjoyed doing the research on this blog post and tremendously benefited from my ‘R & R’ day.  I was not allowed to take pictures of us inside the actual cave so what I showed will have to suffice.

 

 

Taking Fun Seriously  Check out my blog post:  Taking fun seriously…my very first golf lesson   I had fun writing and doing the research for this blog post and still hope to one day have that golf date with my Dad…

 

 

Thank you for reading my blog posts from The View from Lajeune.  I have plenty more stories to share…

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Movie Buff

From as far back as I can remember, I have always loved going to the cinema to see a movie.  Coming from a large family of 9 (two parents and 7 kids) my mother Jean, who was the original Hollis movie buff,  would, on a rainy day, load all 7 of us Hollis kids in our two-toned station wagon and drop us off to the movie house to see the Saturday matinée.  And we were never without our snacks.   My mother was the ultimate planner so on one of her many trips to the supermarket, she would buy large bags of candy and miniature chocolate bars and then proceed to put them in smaller Glad bags with twists so she could save $$ at the movie concession stand.  To this day I cannot watch a movie at the theater  or at home without having something to snack on (smile).

 

I saw 3 really good movies last week while during my Staycation in Connecticut. All 3 of these movies had just opened at the theaters in 2016.   However, these movies were all from Red Box so we watched them right from the comfort of our living room.  Things are real different today then they were back in the day…Brand new movies don’t stay in the theaters long so you don’t have to wait before plunking down a mere $1.59 to rent them from Red Box.   Or another option is to pay $4.99 or more and watch them On Demand from your local Cable TV service.   Unless it is truly something that has to be viewed on a super large screen for the visual and audio effects, I am okay with watching it on our own big HD TV screen at home with the volume turned up real high (smile).

 

Incidentally  the 3 movies we rented from Red Box couldn’t have been more different from each other in genre and/or story line.

 

The first one  was a comedy called  Central Intelligence starring The Rock and Kevin Hart.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it, but I was really surprised at the serious undertone it took with the whole Bullying aspect that is so prevalent in today’s society.

 

The second was a drama called Legend of Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson.  I have to admit that the idea of seeing another Tarzan movie made me queasy (my childhood memories of Tarzan movies were not pleasant to say the least)  but my S.O. James assured me that this one was done well…he was right and I was pleasantly surprised…Enough said (smile).

 

And the third was a foreign flick and drama (my personal fave) called The Lobster which my S.O. James handpicked for me.  It stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz.  Can’t say enough about this movie except you should absolutely see it as it will open your eyes WIDE to a whole ‘nother world…and make you feel grateful for your own (smile).

 

 

Those are my movie picks ~  Apprecier le films!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL