Two Thumbs Up: Personal Gourmet by Rose Reisman

If you caught my post from a couple of weeks ago entitled I LOVE It: Personal Gourmet by Rose Reisman, you’ll know that I had the opportunity to test drive her Person Gourmet Frozen meal plan for two weeks.

(Delicious, healthy and convenient meals for two whole weeks? Twist my arm!)

Now that the program is over, I decided to take a moment to put some thoughts together on how to make the most of the service, and decided the best way to do that was to formulate some sort of list. Technically, the following points are just a collection of conversations I’ve had with family and friends, describing (and raving about) the program. So here we go… if you live in the Greater Toronto Area and are looking for healthy meal solutions, may I offer…

Lena’s Top 5 Tips for Enjoying Personal Gourmet by Rose Reisman

1.  Read my previous post. Again, if you so desire. It describes an overview of the meal delivery service and reasons why it totally rocks.

2. When ordering from the Frozen Supermarket, try something you wouldn’t normally cook for yourself, or a new type of cuisine. This is your chance to expand your palette – with meals created by executive chefs! Hence, if there was ever a time to skip the lasagna and go for the quinoa with goat cheese and dried cranberries, this is definitely your opportunity.

3.  Memorize portion sizes. Since you’ll likely only be on the program for a fixed amount of time, don’t lose the lessons! The meals are perfectly proportioned based on your daily caloric intake, so learn how much you should really be eating at each sitting. Similarly, you can get to know the ingredients, cooking techniques and cuts of meat to help you make healthier choices for you and your family.

4. Plan ahead. Meals taste best when thawed in the refrigerator overnight, so resist the urge to nuke a frozen meal on high power and decide what to eat ahead of time. Most of the dishes – including sandwiches on untoasted bread – thaw beautifully and taste exceptionally fresh when reheated. Almost like homemade – and sometimes better!

5. Although I would recommend most of the meals I tried, I’d have to give a failing grade to the ones with pre-toasted bread or English muffins. Unfortunately, toasting + freezing + thawing + microwaving = cardboard.

I know a few readers were concerned about the cost of the service (starting at $20 per day), so I wanted to stress that Personal Gourmet by Rose Reisman is a lifestyle choice. The program is excellent for:

– Single men/women who spend a lot of money on takeout or eating in restaurants
– Those looking for healthy, convenient meals that are made with no preservatives
– Dieters who need assistance with meal planning and/or portion control
– Vacationing families who want the convenience of healthy meals that can be stored in a cooler for up to 3 days (perfect for weekends at the cottage!)

All in all, I am duly impressed with Personal Gourmet’s winning trio of taste, nutrition and convenience. To reiterate what I said in my last post: Frozen food? How about Fabulous, Flavourful and Filling Food that just happens to be frozen.

Click here to visit Personal Gourmet by Rose Reisman.