Recently, there was a blurb in US Weekly that polled celebrities, who had to gain weight for movie roles, about what they ate to pack on the pounds. Jared Leto said that he gained eighty pounds from buying pints of Haagen Daaz ice cream, allowing the frozen product to melt, and drinking the rich, creamy goodness up with a straw...Multiple times per day!

That article made me start thinking about my severe junk food habit, Haagen Daaz addiction, and the 15 pounds that I wanted to lose before my dreaded high school reunion in October. For my lifestyle, it's not logical that I completely cut out sweets or go on a "carbohydrate sabbatical" diet. So with a little help from living where I do, meaning having access to amazing markets and grocery stores, and the recent frozen yogurt craze that has taken America by storm (ahem, Pinkberry), I don't feel as restricted from my favorite unhealthy indulgences, leading me to binge on cupcakes and Haagen Daaz's Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to two of my favorite diet lifesavers that have helped satisfy my sweet tooth during this extremely rough time (Wait a minute, who am I kidding? I'm always dieting!):

1) Fage Total 2% Yogurt with Honey: There's just something creamier, richer and thicker about Greek yogurt, especially when paired with honey. You can't beat the flavor combination. Fage's conveniently packaged product comes in a single cup, yet divided in two parts, separating the honey from the yogurt. There's nothing I'd rather eat for breakfast!

2) Red Mango frozen yogurt: On those long, lonely nights when my hands start shaking and I begin going in to "junk food withdrawls," I grab my keys and slip on my flip flops and run out the door. Instead of turning left en route to the deli to grab a pint of Haagen Daaz, I head right and walk straight to my favorite new frozen yogurt spot, Red Mango. The yogurt itself is 100% all-natural, fat-free, gluten-free and certified Kosher. Plus, all of their toppings are semi guilt-free. Think along the lines of fresh fruit, nuts, granola (my personal favorite), mochi and dry cereal.

"The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate, with the allotted span, enough experience of eating to have anything worth setting down. Each day brings only two opportunities for fieldwork, and they are not to be wasted minimizing the intake of cholesterol." A.J.Leibling

Ever since I can remember, I've been passionate about food. Over time, this obsession has turned in to a hobby and quite a large portion of my life outside of my "day job."I find that writing about my dining experiences is therapeutic and exhilarating. I believe that I speak for all self-proclaimed "foodies" out there when I say that my obsession for anything food-related felt strange and slightly embarrassing...until (as cliché as this may sound) the Food Network was born, chefs became famous, and websites like chow.com were formed. I never knew that there was such a vast foodie universe composed of folks just like myself. Foodies don't eat to live...by God, we live to eat!Being one that lives to eat, I must say that the only negative aspect with having a culinary hobby is the weight gain that comes along with it. I've often wondered, ‘Does every hobby/passion in life have a negative aspect, or is it just mine (i.e. weight gain)?’ I suppose that if one's hobby is working-out/skiing/hiking/sports, a negative aspect would be the risk of injury (that, or I'm just trying to make myself feel better). This leads me to I ask myself, would I rather be fat and happy, or buff and in pain? The answer, my friends, would absolutely be…fat and happy. This highly-caloric obsession of mine has turned in to an amazing blog-writing adventure and a passionate career, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world...even the pounds gained from it all. Oh the woes, perils, and sheer joy of a highly-caloric hobby...

Yes everyone, it's true...I'm in love! For the first time in my life, I think I've found "the one." Never before have I had such a positive and sunny outlook on life. Magically, I feel like every obstacle put in front of me is now conquerable. Instead of thunder clouds and rain, I see rainbows and sunshine. Every annoying horn honking on the street has now become the sweet chirping of tropical birds. For those of you who've never been in love, this is what it's all about!

So I'm sure you're dying to know, "Who in the hell is The Lunch Belle so madly in love with?" It's been a long and windy road, folks, full of disappointments and enough tears to fill up a kiddie-pool. I'll start with the ugly, the bad, and then move on to...My love!

The ugly: Nutri System. Yes, I suppose I was that desperate. I figured, "If Tori Spelling can do this diet, why can't I?" I ordered $400 worth of food that arrived in one, yes one, gigantic cardboard box. "Was the food packed with dry ice and delivered frozen," you ask? No, every single "meal" was ready-to-eat; all that was necessary was the optional zap in the 'wave. Since I didn't have enough counter or cupboard space to store my meals, I stuck them all on the shelves of my empty bookcase. Luckily, Nutri System has a fantastic return policy where you can ship back all of your uneaten food for a refund. Thank God, because after one bite of whatever the hell I tried, there was no way I was keeping that crap in my apartment.

The bad: So it took me about 6 months to get over my experience with Nutri System, and I finally decided to start the dieting process over again. My adorable friend Tiffany had told me that she stays trim on Chef's Diet. She went on and on about how the food was edible and that there were various plan options at all price points. I got on my computer and ordered one-month's worth of frozen food from Chef's Diet (half to arrive in the beginning of the month, and the other half to arrive in 2 more weeks). About a week later, a huge box arrived with a "Caution! Dry Ice" warning label. I must have set my expectations too high for Chef's Diet, because everything I tried tasted like it had been overcooked in the 'wave for atleast 5 minutes (overcooked eggs are probably the nastiest thing I've EVER eaten). Another disappointment was the diet's not-so-Nutri-System-like return policy. Instead of trashing all of the meals, I divvied them up and gave them to some of the gals at work who luckily, enjoyed them much more than me.

And...My LOVE: Within the first week of Chef's Diet, I knew quickly that it wasn't for me. Luckily, another fabulous lady named Amy told me about the diet that she was currently on, called "Nu Kitchen." She said that the meals were very tasty and were delivered to her doorstep every morning, which Chef's Diet can do as well (but who cares). What sold me on her pitch was the fact that you are able to choose your meals on a weekly basis from an online menu! Also, if you give Nu Kitchen a 24-hour advance warning, you can cancel a delivery! The fact that meals are delivered daily and you can choose your foods from a menu was enough to make me sign up on-the-spot. I dashed to my computer and placed my first order. Instead of going with a set plan, I chose to order a la carte, so I have a bit more flexibility and am not bound to a contract.

I nearly tripped over my first delivery! A cooler was placed in front of my door carrying two meals. Visually, the food looked amazing and I was anxious about taking my first bite. I won't take too much more of your time, but I will say that Nu Kitchen's food is absolutely unbelievable! So far, I've had: sliced medium-rare beef, a fettuccine with mushrooms and asparagus and a breakfast granola dotted with almonds and cranberries and served with yogurt and fruit. The fettuccine and granola were definitely better than most I've eaten in restaurants! And here's the best part...All of the meals are 500 calories or less!

I just had to gush!!! I'm in love and have found my soul mate!

For us busy New Yorkers, even running the simplest of errands is sometimes overwhelming and daunting. Maybe it's just me being the lazy person that I am, but I literally have to talk myself in to getting off my bum and picking up my prescriptions, toiletries, laundry, etc.

When I first heard about Fresh Direct, I was elated that I could finally check one errand off of my list...that dreaded bi-monthly trip to the grocery store! I still have nightmares of me carrying twelve over-stuffed plastic grocery bags while making the trek back to my apartment. Reoccurring visions of the instance when my gallon-sized jug of Poland Spring bottled water ripped through its thin grocery sack and exploded on the street still gives me chills.

For those of you who aren't in-the-know, Fresh Direct is an online grocery store offering fantastically high quality products. Everything from locally farmed fruits and veggies, kosher and organic products, health and beauty items, groceries, heat-and-eat/ready-to-cook meals, all the way to a catering service and bulk purchasing is offered on this website. One-stop-shopping is quite a beautiful thing, my friends!
I've been a Fresh Direct user for about six months now and have been a consistently satisfied customer. Today, I want to give two-thumbs up for a "4-Minute-Meal" that I had for dinner last night. What is a "4-Minute-Meal," you ask? Fresh Direct will answer that for you: "Quick, portable, delicious... and only at FreshDirect! Enjoy portability, speed and convenience without giving up flavor or freshness. Choose from our lush new Presto Italiano meals or our 500-calorie Smart & Simple entrées. Try vibrant vegetable sides or meals created by Rosa Mexicano and top chef Terrance Brennan. All you need is four minutes and a microwave!" I've tried many of these meals in the past and was always impressed; however, the "Smart & Simple Garlic Chili Wild Alaskan Halibut W/ Coconut Rice" blew me away. I almost hesitated when ordering fish fearing a low quality filet, wilted vegetables and mushy rice...but I've never been so wrong about something so right (isn't that a phrase from some horrific 70's love song?).

I placed my pre-made entree in the 'wave for three-minutes, and let it cool for one while I simultaneously cut a fresh lemon wedge to kill what I thought was going to be a very fishy piece of halibut. I lightly squeezed the citrus juice over the fish and cut in to the one-inch thick flesh. The halibut was a generous rectangular portion of meat that had been lightly seared in a cilantro-sesame marinade. It was accompanied by crispy, bright green snow peas and delicate and sticky coconut jasmine rice with a light drizzle of ginger soy. Sound amazing? It most certainly was. The halibut was pristinely fresh, tasting like it had just been caught a couple of hours prior. The robust symphony of cilantro, sesame, ginger and soy mated beautifully with the modest fish, rice and snow peas.

Not only do I recommend Fresh Direct, but I highly recommend this phenomenal "4-Minute-Meal." For a mere $12.99, you're not only getting a restaurant-quality entree at a fraction of the price you'd pay when dining out, but every Fresh Direct Smart & Simple meal is "...portion-controlled and freshly made in our kitchen with lean proteins, lots of vegetables and no hydrogenated oils. Fewer than 500 calories per meal!" What is better than healthy food that tastes amazing? Now that is what I call one hell of a win-win situation!

It's a sad day in the life of The Lunch Belle, as this first morning of November has officially become "D" Day 2007. What in the world is "D" Day, you ask? Tragically, the letter "D" stands for...(Gasp)...diet!

For all of you dedicated readers out there, I know that I contradict myself in another post ('Rationale for being a foodie...') by proclaiming that "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world...even the pounds gained from it all." But I think that once five to ten pounds is gained, one seriously needs to go back to the drawing boards and apply the brakes a bit.

Since The Lunch Belle is leaving for a tropical vacation in less than two months, I decided to put the petal to the metal and get in shape. There are so many diets out there and I feel like I've tried them all. Instead of restricting my carb intake to just thirty grams per day or counting every calorie to a "t," I've decided that I'm just going to start eating healthier and increase my jogs.

Now that I had my diet plan figured out, my next step was to decipher how this would affect my website. I write about my dining experiences for God's sake! Would this mean having to go on sabbatical until January 2008? The conclusion I came to is: Instead of not going out to eat or drink for the next two months, I will just choose healthier menu options. Sounds easy, right?

The more I thought about having to order the steamed veggie plate instead of the steak frites plate, I got depressed. Then out of nowhere, my frown turned upside down when a light bulb went off in my head! Wouldn't the ultimate test of a restaurant's worth be in how good they could execute a healthy dish? Absolutely!
Stay tuned, folks! I think these next two months will be really enlightening and exciting!