Chicago

As many of you read prior to this during my introduction, I am moving to Chicago in either August or October. In this past week and this coming week, that's exactly where I've been. Hello to you from Illinois! First off, I must say it is a death trap trying to get down here. One time during the experience there were more than 16 lanes going all different directions! It was crazy and I hated it. Good thing I'll be taking the L and the Metra, right?

Anywho - back to the Lean Cuisine. I don't think I can tell you how absolutely horrible it is to have to eat these stupid meals when I'm practically in Little Italy, so close to chowing down and some excellent deep dish pizza. My grandmother, who accompanied me on the trip, gets to bring all this yummy food back to the hotel room, as I sit and watch the cheesy goodness rip off of that soft mouth watering dough.

What am I eating while she's eating this amazing concoction of goodness? I'm eating this weird apple chicken meal (that's surprisingly good!) and it's not even close taste wise to how good that pizza looks. My grandma then said something that I was appalled by, "It's just a class, why not eat one meal, I mean you are in Chicago."

I was very appalled by this because my grandma is completely biased on the whole getting A's thing. So when she suggested that I eat whatever I want, I was appalled because: 1.) my grandma would never encourage cheating and, 2.) I was offended that she would think I would just do that like it was no big deal. I mean, c'mon, do you know how many times I had to sit and watch my roommate eat my favorite meal from Burger King and I couldn't even have one fry?!

That's when I realized that this has become more than just an assignment to me. It became a way of life, and I honestly don't understand how Morgan Spurlock succesfully went back to his old ways. I'm kind of nervous as to how my body will react once I get off this whole Lean Cusine fiasco.

Well, until next time, this is Alicia McMahon with Lean Cuisine Quest, back to you...

MICROWAVE.

i moved my microwave into my room (i share an odd apartment studio thing) and i love having it closer to me. my other roommates and i don't get along (besides the one that shares a room with me) and it's better to have it in here so i don't have to be around them and have it be all awkward.

lean cuisines will now be closer than ever! yay!

i know, small update, but i just wanted to share the good news with everyone.

the asian side

alright, so this week i decided to eat only the asian (or as Lean Cuisine calls it, 'Spa Cuisine') dishes to get some variety and stop with the spaghetti and meatballs. so yesterday and today i've ate the following meals: chicken fried rice, teryaki rice, and lemon pepper fish with rice.

the chicken fried rice was okay. the meat was really good. i didn't really enjoy the blandness of the rice though. also - it told me to cook the meal for 4 minutes total, i had to cook it for 6 (and i have a new microwave). the teryaki rice was very strong, but it was still pretty decent, better than i thought it would be when i bought it. the lemon pepper fish with rice was good, but like usually with the lemon, it was way overpowering.

i decided i'm going to call the company and ask why those meals are a full dollar more expensive versus the 'one dish meals'. i think that is just ridiculous, especially because it's either the same amount of food, or LESS. i shouldn't be paying more for less. i will update you more about this tomorrow!

the whole weight issue.

okay, well apparently, my roommate thinks that i've been losing weight. she says she can 'see it'. i can't. i feel bigger and my clothes aren't fitting any easier so i feel like i'm seeing no results. now, this may just be the women in me (yes, men it's true, we're usually never completely satisfied with anything), but i honestly don't think it is. it's frustrating too because the meals that i'm starting to like are the ones that cost a full dollar more per piece. i feel like buying the ones that don't taste good, just because that cuts my grocery cost down by half.

well, i've been eating the usuals: spaghetti, encrusted fish, etc. i'm thinking about trying some of the asian style lean cuisine, but i don't like chinese food, so i feel like i'd just be wasting my money. maybe i'll buy one just for kicks when my roommate and i go to walmart. i wonder if they're any cheaper at target? could it be? the ONLY thing that's cheaper at target vs. walmart? we shall see.

lean cuisine

how many times have you ate something and thought, oh, i'll just add this to it, and it will taste better? well, try not being able to do that. that's me right now. i can not add a single thing to these dishes and it's killing me. i had this great tortilla crusted fish and it would've been delicious if i could've added some ketchup (yes ketchup, it's not 'catsup'. i'm not asking a cat how they're doing). BUT can i add the kethcup? nope. because i said all i'd eat were those meals, and i can't alter it.

it's the weirdest thing ever too because i'm GAINING weight instead of losing or remaining normal. now you'd think that with it being lean cuisine, and their promise for being healthier and fewer calories and yadayadayada that i'd be losing weight, but apparently they've proved us both wrong. i have not changed anything about the way i'm living my life besides this food. so how am i gaining weight?

i feel like regina george (a la Mean Girls) eating those kalteen bars.

Interview

How many times have you gone to a supermarket and been tempted with the fried chicken and mashed potatoes dinners versus the rice and baked chicken? I would guess that it would be more than we’re willing to admit. Companies have started to understand this too, and then a frozen food company called ‘Stouffers’ started to realize they could find a new way to appeal to the masses. They came out with the fried chicken and mashed potato dinners that they claimed were healthy. Stouffers named the line ‘Lean Cuisine’ and soon enough people were buying them in their local grocery stores.

When people think of these meals, they think that it will help them lose weight. I started wondering if anyone had ever tested these claims. I then decided that I was going to put this to the test, but before hand, there are people I need to talk to about the health aspects. I decided to interview Brandi Clark, R.N. On my phone call I asked her questions that ultimately related back to how my body would react to the diet.

i'm stuck in this.

i'm starting to really despise this choice. i thought that i'd get healthy and i was really excited to be on this whole diet having the 'backing' of my classmates, but i hate it. i absolutely can not stand it. if i eat one more lemon infused vegetable i might just scream. i know they probably offer a variety of these meals, but that doesn't mean that they taste good. i find myself eating half of a meal and throwing it away because it's just not good.

for example, i ate the chicken enchilada with rice and it was possibly the most disgusting meal i've ever ate in my life; and mexican food is one of my favorite types. not only was it horrid in taste, but it also made my entire apartment smell like someone had drowned it in 'taco bell' grease. i definitely do not reccommend this meal to ANYONE.

again, i ate the 'lemon garlic shrimp' and didn't like it. i don't like shrimp, but i bought it as variety because i've been eating the spaghetti and meatballs like crazy. also, i know that lemon is a really healthy way to add taste and i probably sound like a crazy fast food addicted person (i'm not thought) saying this, but...

WHERE IS THE SALT?! i don't even add salt to my food, i think it's completely unnescessary. with these meals though...i'm being proven wrong.

i ate other meals too, but it was a repeat of the meals with meatballs. so i don't feel the need to go into greater detail.

three days in the making.

I've ate the following meals the past three days: Spaghetti and Meatballs (again), Linguine Carbonara, Swedish Meatballs, Five Cheese Lasagna, and Angel Hair Parmesan.

I'm sure we've all come to realize how much I love the Spaghetti and Meatballs, so I don't think I need to yet again go on and on about it.

The Linguine Carbonara is Linguine is in a Parmesan sauce with pieces of bacon and peas. For me, it's too strong, the bacon flavor is too strong in it, and i'm not a huge fan of bacon so I didn't really enjoy this dish. It's better than it not having any taste, but I didn't like it.

The Swedish Meatballs were pretty good. The flavoring was perfect, not over powering, and I will definitely be buying that again.

The Lasagnas ended up giving me stomach aches, but the five cheese one tasted good. The meat sauce one tasted like it was a frozen dish, and I don't like that.

first two days

I can not believe that I just ate the best meatballs I've ever ate in my life. Why? I'll answer that question:

1. They were frozen and not homemade.


2. They were from a LEAN CUISINE DINNER.

I was so surprised that they have flavor because I had just ate the four cheese pizza meal for lunch, which had almost not taste at all. You should know something about me before you judge my tongue tasting skills. I do not put extra salt on anything. I just don't really see the need for it. But this pizza...eew. It was so completely bland. I can't even describe it. It was almost like saltine cracker pizza minus the salt and any flavors the cheese should've gave it.

But back to the amazing meatballs! If you hate spaghetti - I don't care. You must now run to your grocery store and buy this simply for the meatballs. You actually get a pretty big portion of meatballs as well. If you do like spaghetti, this meal is the BETTER than the kind that your grandma from Italy used to make.

The next day I ate a Breakfast Panini of theirs for lunch. I am all for breakfast for lunch or dinner, but this meal seriously failed. I had the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese scramble. What I didn't know when I bought it was that this scramble was mixed in with country gravy. I love country gravy so I thought 'Hey! This will be even better!'. The whole meal was on two pieces of toast. It was the most bland tasting eggs and cheese I've ever had in my life. I'm starting to notice a trend with the meals that contain cheese...

I also ate a lemon pepper fish from their 'seafood selections' line. It was about a dollar more expensive then the other ones, and it tasted pretty good. I think the rice and brocolli accompanied with it could have a sauce of some sort to it, overall it wasn't bad. I wouldn't have a problem with buying it again.

The spaghetti is still my favorite, and it was cheapest.

Lean Cuisine Quest.

If I wasn’t overweight would my medical conditions go away? I am really tired of getting sick on a daily basis, and I’m starting to wonder if they would go away. My doctors have told me that, “Of course losing weight won’t hurt anything”; so, I’m putting this to the test! I am going to be eating ‘Lean Cuisine’ meals for lunch and dinner every day and see if I actually lose weight, or if my money goes down the drain. I will be eating toast or a fruit of some kind for breakfast. I will not be snacking because Lean Cuisine does not offer a line of snacks. Hopefully, either way, you’ll learn if you’re wasting your money or not.