What's a Portlandia locavore gourmet to do when it comes to dieting? Eating fresh, seasonal foods is tough enough in winter, and tracking calories adds another layer of complexity. But Farm to Fit solves this conundrum with a seasonal, locally-sourced diet meal service.
I signed up for it as soon as I discovered it. My best weight loss success in the past was in re-educating my portion control with packaged meals -- Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig or relying on Lean Cuisine. But all of those fail to provide fresh, local food. What I wanted was a local chef to prepare my meals.
Along comes chef Kevin Sandri, who formerly operated the Garden State food cart. In the previous year, I'd had his sandwiches several times and enjoyed them thoroughly. Now he cooks for Farm to Fit. This made my choice less of a taste risk. He sources his food from local farms, including Sauvie Island
Organics, Zenger Farm, and Gathering Together Farm.
Farm to Fit offers 3 calorie levels and each for either a 5-days-a-week plan or a 7-days-a-week plan. The 1200 calorie diet suitable for women is $115 per week for a 5-day food plan, and $160 a week for a 7-day food plan. The 1600-calorie mens weight loss plan is $135/$180. And a 2000-calorie weight maintenance (or general lazy locavore) plan is $155/$200.
Everything is included in the meals. You don't have to add any items other than drinks.
The meals arrive at your door on Tuesdays and Fridays after 2 pm, in a cooler bag. However, I live in Vancouver, which is outside of their delivery area. They suggested I could pick up my meals at their kitchen in north Portland, so I went that route.
The cooler bag is quite attractive and a very convenient way to get the food. You should refrigerate the food within four hours of delivery. Many items come with instructions on how to freeze them if you deviate from your diet and want to save them for a later date.
But the attraction is that about half of the lunches and dinners include fresh vegetables and fruits. This is a big relief from Lean Cuisine. They are also seasonal. For example, the vegetarian lasagna for lunch was based on kale, squash and homemade ricotta. It was an interesting and tasty winter lasagna.
As a food lover, it was great to have a lunch of crab cakes with mesculin, and a dinner of Jamaican jerk chicken. My love of food and food variety was satisfied. What about my hunger? With the 1200-calorie menu, the breakfasts and lunches are about 250-350 calories each. The protein content is high enough in each meal that I didn't get the carb crash I can experience from low protein/high carb meals. Dinners are about 450-580 calories.
Each item has a nutritional label, so you can log your calories and nutrients if you are keeping a food log.
Each meal can have a variety of elements - meat with two side dishes, for example. They satisfy in taking more than a minute to eat.
There are some sweet elements to dishes, such as sweet potatoes with the jerk chicken, but those who are addicted to sweet desserts will find that wanting. I love savory items instead, so I don't miss those. I found most meat entrees could use an extra sprinkle of salt, which Farm to Fit says is part of their plan, to meet the needs of their low sodium customers.
Some items, such as the albacore tuna salad nicoise, can be eaten cold. Everything else is microwave-ready (with instructions for those who prefer oven or stovetop for reheating). The containers can be recycled, reused or composted.
Clients can set up a recurring billing, and easily change or suspend it for vacations, etc.
After a week on the plan, I am very happy with it and losing weight. I am pleased to be eating delicious cuisine that is locally sourced and affordable.
Visit: Farm to Fit
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