How Cost-Effective, Healthy Meal Delivery Service Came to Be

After you hear this inspiring story, you will want to start eating healthy yourself. A few years ago, Marc Elkman, who was a certified personal trainer at a high-end country club in Boca Raton and a competitive weightlifter, used a meal delivery service so he could keep his diet on track. Unfortunately, the "healthy meals" tasted awful. Marc talked to his friend at the club - executive chef Patrick Delaney - about the problem with the meals, and Patrick developed ways to make the lackluster delivered meals taste better.

And so, a great idea was born. Marc and Patrick teamed up and founded Fresh Meal Plan, the healthy meal delivery service that I told you about earlier this week. What I was so impressed by the meals I ordered - the paleo diet in this case - was their freshness, amazing flavor, and unique recipes that always kept me excited about sticking with the plan. 

Many more people are shifting to a paleo diet - which also happens to be gluten-free - thanks to the crossfit phenomenon. "The paleo diet was initially adopted by the crossfit community, so the paleo program is growing as crossfit grows," Marc told Flavorful Excursions. 

To help paleo dieters feel like they are eating the same type of foods as traditional meals, Patrick and team developed paleo bread and dessert recipes that taste incredibly close the real thing. They utilize fruits and vegetables in sauces to mimic traditional, processed sauces such as caramel sauce on a dessert and sweet and sour sauce on chicken. 

However, Fresh Meal Plan does not stop there. Customers can choose from a variety of different plans - including "traditional" meals and regimes for vegetarians and high-performance athletes. Athletes can customize their meal plans to include a certain number of calories, carbs, and protein content. This concept is so successful, that Fresh Meal Plan provides all the pre-game meals for the Miami Dolphins, as well as customized plans for individual Dolphins' players.

But the program is also for "regular" people, who simply want to eat tasty, healthy meals and are too busy to prepare them. Fresh Meal Plan is so successful, that it has 2,500 subscribers and will be expanding to Tampa soon. Already, the delivery service is available in South Florida, the Keys, and Orlando. 

The cost is extremely reasonable as well - particularly when you consider that Fresh meal Plan is using high quality ingredients such as free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. The average cost is $25 a day for three meals, or $16 for two. That is less than I can prepare healthy meals at home for!

What are you waiting for? Visit www.freshmealplan today to sign up!

Eat Healthy at Home with Fresh Meal Plan

I was fortunate to be selected as one of the first VIPs to try fresh meal delivery service Fresh Meal Plan, which just expanded to Orlando. I am so excited to share my experience with this healthy meal delivery service, designed for those who want to simply eat better, as well as those who want to lose weight and improve their athletic performance.

First off, it was such a treat not to have to cook for three days. Having meals delivered to my home is so much easier. Instead of spending hours planning, shopping and cooking, I had time to work out and accomplish other things. Plus, knowing that I got to taste new paleo recipes left me feeling inspired and healthy.

On Fresh Meal Plan, you can choose meals that are vegetarian, paleo, or traditional, or those geared towards high-performance athletes. Since my husband and I have gone on the paleo diet in the past, we decided to try the paleo meals. Our breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts were all paleo (basically, whatever cave people could pick, hunt and gather). 

Chicken Madeira and Sherry Wine Turkey

I had no idea that paleo meals could be so diverse, and that I could have great-tasting desserts to top off my meals! Dishes like Sweet and Sour Chicken, sweetened with pineapple and other fruits and juices, and the Bison Kafta Salad were so unique and delicous. The Sweet & Sour Chicken had a good flavor - although it was not strong enough - and was very tender. We loved the accompaniment of sweet potatoes, pineapple and flaked coconut for something different. 

For breakfasts, we got to enjoy the Steak Egg & Bacon Wrap. The wrap fell apart when reheating and had a dry consistency, but were were amazed that we were able to have a delicious, different breakfast than we would have ever made. The Bananas Foster French Toast (made with almond flour instead of regular wheat bread) was absolutely a treat, as was the Waffle (albeit somewhat dry) and accompanying turkey bacon, turkey sausage and fresh fruit.

Some of our other favorite meals were the Steak with Guava and Passionfruit Glaze, which was tender - to our pleasant surprise - accompanied by firm and flavorful plantains. For lunch one day, we had the Bison Kafta Salad. The bison was very salty but flavorful, and the salad was fresh and crisp. The Chicken Madeira had a delicious flavor and a crispy exterior breading - made from almond flour! The texture of the Sherry Wine Turkey was somewhat rubbery, but the flavor was very good. The sauce - not really wine at all - was delicious and had a nice acid to it that we liked. The green beans were crispy and not mushy.

Pesto Bison Burger

The desserts - especially for being paleo and gluten-free- were very flavorful. Even though the Caramel Coconut Pie does not contain dairy, you really get that caramel flavor. The Macadamia Brownie Bites provide a nice chocolate flavor and the Carrot Cake Cookies, while a bit dry, had a wonderful flavor.

I almost forgot to mention: I was not hungry while on Fresh Meal Plan at all. The portions were great, and the snacks and desserts helped fill in when needed.

Tomorrow, I will tell you more about why I am such a fan of Fresh Meal Plan. You can also sign up at www.freshmealplan.com. Here's to healthy, delicious eating!

Lobster Spring Rolls, Vegetarian Options Featured on Seasons 52's Summer Menu

Summer Vegetarian Tasting

I am not sure which dish I want to try first: I love most of the dishes at Seasons 52, and the restaurant chain's new Summer Menu looks delicious. They even have something new for my vegetarian friends: a "Summer Vegetarian Tasting", which includes a soft taco stuffed with grilled peppers, avocado and cilantro, a stuffed chili relleno, and Cedar Roasted Tofu topped with Mango Chutney. 


I love seafood, so I am glad to see new seafood dishes on the menu, including: Grilled Jumbo Shrimp Cavatappi Pasta and Chilled Lobster & Shrimp Spring Rolls. The pasta is brightened with organic tomatoes, broccoli, and carmelized garlic. The Spring Rolls are very unique (I rarely see spring rolls with lobster!), and feature a cool salsa verde, aromatic lemongrass, and sweet-hot red chili. Seasons' new appetizer is Organic Tomatoes with Warm Crusted Mozzarella, served in micro greens with basil and pesto vinaigrette.

Lobster & Shrimp Spring Rolls

One of the things I most excited about is Seasons' featured wine this summer. The Jam Jar Moscato 2011 from Western Cape-South Africa has notes of peach, apricot, and orange blossom. I love sweet wines, and this moscato offers an unique flavor profile. As my blog readers know, dessert is probably my favorite part of every meal. Seasons' new Berry Cheesecake Mini Indulgence is something you definitely need to try. The dessert is topped with fresh blueberries, raspberry sauce, and graham cracker crumbs, and is every bit as good as the other mini-desserts on the menu. In fact, Seasons 52 provides a great atmosphere for a date night of dessert and drinks: there is usually a piano player in the evenings, and you can easily get a seat at the bar when the restaurant is full on the weekends. 


When you try out these new dishes and beverages, be sure to let me know how you liked them! Where: 463 E. Altamonte Dr., Altamonte Springs, Fla. There are also several locations in other Florida cities, as well as in Georgia, California, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania.