I’m in my second weekend of Mel’s Meals. Once again, it seems it be a little harder to stick to a meal plan over the weekend. I want to sit by the pool and then go out for a margarita. But I will work out and stick to it. No margarita!

Going to the grocery store is a different animal when you don’t have to buy any of your own food. We still need to shop for Mr. Betty, but the list and the shopping are much simpler. I still get myself a couple treats. Infused water, individual bottles of Perrier, and some new Brita filters.

Today’s menu:

Veggie Frittata

Chicken Salad and Ak Mak

Mango Ginger Salmon

English Muffin Pizzas

Banana Pancakes

The snacks were so fun today! I haven’t had English muffin pizzas since I was a Girl Scout. And the banana pancakes were light and cinnamon delicious. They didn’t come with syrup and they didn’t need it. I ate them with my hands, tearing off pieces and savoring every bite. I would never have thought to snack on a couple tiny pancakes, but they were really the perfect post-workout treat.

So much is happening! Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting a divorce!

Are we surprised? Um, not really. But kind of. It was a sham marriage, for sure, but there were no public speculations of trouble. So the news seemed to come out of nowhere. But Tom Cruise controls Hollywood the media the universe everything, so we only get to know things with his permission. They just passed their five-year anniversary, which means Katie probably reached a milestone in their prenup. Time to cash out and find a guy who won’t jump up and down on your leather couches, Katie. And Tom should settle down with a nice Scientologist.

Also somewhat surprised that Adele is preggo. Maybe not the best timing, as her career is peaking right now. But she’s talented enough to keep it going. I think it would be nice if she named her baby after Amy Winehouse or Adam Yauch.

Lauryn Hill messed with Jersey and now she might go to jail. You have to pay your taxes, lady. The judge did her a huge favor mandating she go through mental health counseling. Maybe if they get a grip on what’s wrong with her she can put out some music again. Remember how good she was?

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis split up and he’s rumored to be dating Amber Heard. This is only really newsworthy in that Amber was lesbian. Ole’ Captain Jack Sparrow has the power to make a lady lover change teams.

In TV news, The Office is losing a few players. What will the Christmas parties be like without Kelly, Ryan, Toby and Dwight? Word is, they will staff up again with some new blood. Maybe this is the revitalization the show needs. It’s been successful at reinventing itself several times and I’d love to see it happen again. I will definitely be watching Rainn Wilson’s spin-off and Mindy Kaling’s new show.

And that’s the latest dirt.

Wow, I’m getting some great questions about Mel’s Meals! I’ll use today’s post to give you some answers.

How much does it cost?

You can buy individual meals for different prices, and there are also three meal plans you can do. I’m doing the Get Lean plan, which is $175 for seven days.

How do you get your meals? 

Easy! I pick them up twice a week. Pickup days are Mondays and Thursdays. I just walk in, tell them my name, and my meals are bagged up and waiting for me. Payments are automatically made once a week, so I don’t even need to pull out my wallet. It’s the fastest errand I run all week.

Is it enough food?

Yes. The meals are balanced and satisfying. I find that the protein I’m eating in the morning really keeps me going. I’m just not that hungry.

Do you have to cook the meals or do anything to prepare them? 

If it needs to be heated, there’s a label on each meal telling you how long to microwave it. My microwave is terrible, so I add an extra minute. Other than that, there’s no preparation involved.

How does it taste? 

Taste is subjective, so what one person likes another might not. But I’ve found most of the meals to be really tasty.

Do you miss any “regular food?” 

Yes. I would love some sushi.

Please feel free to keep sending me your questions. Here’s the scoop on my most recent eats:

Turkey Egg Scramble and Blueberry Almond Muffin

Turkey Taco Salad

Chicken Stuffed Pepper

Greek Salad

Trail Mix

I cannot express how much I love those blueberry almond muffins. And I don’t even like blueberries! But the almond flavor is so good, it would compliment anything. This muffin is my new favorite way to ingest 90 calories.

Two salads in one day might have been overkill, but I ended up not eating the Greek salad because the cucumbers were just too soft. I guess that’s the downside of pre-made meals.

I can’t believe I’m halfway through this 21-day challenge. It is flying by!

*Full disclosure, Mel’s Meals is picking up 60% of the cost of my meals in exchange for my honest blogging about my experience.

Work got you down? Summer temperatures making you feel anxious? Stressed?

How about a nice 80-minute massage? That’s right, I’m giving away a nice, long massage from Mecca. You are so lucky, readers!

All you have to do to enter:

1. Like Mad Betty on Facebook. Click here

2. Follow Mad Betty on Twitter. Click here

3. Leave a comment and tell me why you want a massage.

Must do all three to enter. Retweets earn you multiple entries. Winner will be randomly chosen July 13th. Good luck!

Day nine put me to the test. I had a networking happy hour at Contigo. I’ve been wanting to check out the food there and get some great photos. Contigo is near the top of my blog bucket list. The location is lovely and they have a fabulous menu. I debated on tasting a couple things and doing a little write-up, but ultimately decided not to indulge. I will eventually get there again and do a full blog post. But yesterday I was a good girl who worked out extra hard so I could drink a couple Moscow Mules. Frankly, the company of other Austin writers was so good, there was no need to eat.

So what did I eat?

Southwest Chicken Frittata

Black Bean Vegan Burger

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

Apple and Peanut Butter

Hummus and Veggies

This was the first time I had something I really didn’t like. Despite the fact that it came with a fluffy whole wheat bun and delicious vegan chipotle mayo, the black bean burger was just not for me. I love veggie burgers of all types, however this one was just too bean-y for my tastes. What’s cool with these meal plans is that you can trade three things out, if you like. Now that I’ve tasted a whole bunch of different things, I’ve developed some favorites. So if the black bean burger comes up again, I’ll switch it out for something I love.

That chicken and broccoli was money. The creaminess came from yogurt and lite coconut milk and the blend of spices gave it an exotic flavor. I happily ate it with chopsticks. So good!

With one week behind me, I can officially post some results. In my first seven days on the Mel’s Meals Get Lean Plan I lost three pounds. Not bad! I also lost one inch, which doesn’t seem like much, but I’ll take it. I’ve been working out every day in addition to doing the plan, which I’m sure helped quite a bit.

As I mentioned yesterday, I need to be drinking more water. So that’s going to be my focus this week, in addition to continuing the healthy meals and workouts. Here’s what I ate today:

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Blackened Fish Tacos

Poblano Pork

String Cheese and Ak-Mak Crackers

Yogurt and Fruit

I had never heard of Ak-Mak before. The crackers are made from organically grown whole wheat and are seriously delicious. The sesame seeds and the satisfying crunch make it a nice counterpart for the cheese. I will definitely be buying boxes of these in the future. They are only 22 calories per cracker!

This is one of Mr. Betty’s favorite soups that I make. Adapted from one of Giada’s recipes, this is an easy one. Healthy and delicious, it makes a huge amount. We use them for a week’s worth of lunches and snacks.

• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 TB chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes with their juices
• 6 oz tomato juice
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 1 can cannelloni beans, rinsed
• 1/3 cup dried lentils
• 1 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch thick half moons
• 1 yellow squash, chopped into 1/2 inch thick half moons
• Parmesan cheese and basil, for garnish

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute about ten minutes until soft.

Add the spices and cook for two minutes before stirring in tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice and salt.

Next add the broth, beans, zucchini and squash. Bring to a boil, then lower and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh basil.

Seven days! They say it takes 21 days of doing something to make it a habit, but I think I’m already getting there. I’m used to checking out my Mel’s menu in the morning and planning out my meals and snack times for the day.

One thing that really needs improvement is my water intake. I just need to be drinking more, especially considering my daily workouts and the hellish weather. (108°?!) I love drinking water, so I’m not sure what my problem is. Please leave any creative tips you have for me in the comments.

What did I eat today?

Yogurt Parfait

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Chicken Enchiladas

Trail Mix

Cottage Cheese, Banana and Syrup

Once again, everything was really tasty. I had never tried cottage cheese this way. It was like a dessert! Plus I got to eat pizza and enchiladas. What?! This is hardly diet food to suffer through. I guess that’s the key to sticking within a calorie range. Who needs to cheat when you get to eat pizza?

Today was my pick-up day for my next batch of meals. Looks like I have some new things to try in my second week in addition to some replays. Meal plans get picked up twice a week, and so far all the staff I’ve met, in addition to Mel, are so warm and friendly. In my brief pickup today I got a couple great hummus recipes that I will have to try out soon.

It’s been several weeks since I visited Hugo’s for happy hour. I’ve been putting off blogging about it because it was not a great experience. At all. But I’m hoping a little constructive criticism helps them make improvements, because it wasn’t all bad and I’d like to see them succeed.

We went to Hugo’s Restaurant y Tequila Bar on a Friday after work for happy hour. It was beautiful out, so we opted to sit outside on the patio. Our waiter grumbled when we said we wanted to sit outside, so that should have been our first sign of things to come. There were only about ten other customers, all seated outside, and two waiters.

It was only a few minutes after 5:00, but our waiter was disappointed that we weren’t there for a full dinner. When I asked about happy hour I got an eye roll and something about a margarita special for a “few more minutes” and “some of the appetizers.” Um, okay? Nothing more specific. So we ordered a couple margaritas and appetizers, hoping they might be included in the happy hour specials.

The margaritas were quite good. I drank two. Mr Betty had one and then ordered a beer off their menu, which they didn’t have. A couple more trial and errors, and he was able to get a beer. (About 20 minutes after my drink was gone.) They seemed to be out of a lot of things, the most crucial being glasses. They didn’t have enough for the few people who were there, which makes me wonder what they do when they are packed full. Plastic cups, maybe? While we were there, they hovered over the tables snatching glasses before final sips were taken.

The chips and salsa were great, just like the food we ordered. We had the ceviche and Mexican street corn wraps. They were not included in the happy hour specials; the waiter never did find out that answer for us. But they were delicious.

We heard the other waiter chastise two women for sitting at a table and not going inside first. He huffed and said, “Now I have to go inside and get your menus!” Not that he ever did. Twenty minutes later we gave them our own menus, which had never been taken away after we ordered. We angered our waiter one last time by having them remove the beers that they didn’t have from our bill. That took another 20 minutes. Again, I have to wonder what the service would have been like if they had actually been busy.

It’s too bad. The setting is nice, location is good, and the food was great. But the service was so rotten. Scattered and busy is one thing, but unfriendly and rude is another. Sometime in the future if I hear they are able to turn it around with the service, I’ll give them another chance.

This might have been my best food day yet! Every meal was a pleasure. I’m getting all kinds of ideas from these meals and taking notes. When I take the reigns back after three weeks, I’m going to try to cook some new things. I’m also going to try to make lunch my most substantial meal of the day, rather than dinner. This has done wonders for my energy level and my workouts. Europeans know what they’re doing.

Here’s what I ate:

Veggie Omelette

Sirloin with Roasted Vegetables

Kung Pao Chicken

Hard Boiled Egg

Apple Walnut Salad

Eating steak and roasted veggies for lunch was such a treat. It was less than 350 calories, but it felt indulgent. The Kung Pao chicken was also indulgent! It was great to pull out my chopsticks and settle in with a bowl full of delicious Chinese food on a Sunday night. It was like I had takeout, but without out any of the greasiness or fat.

The biggest surprise was the Apple Walnut Salad. Unbelievable. So crunchy and fresh, this is my new favorite snack. Mel told me that sales really skyrocketed when they changed the name from Fresh Vegan Salad (or something similar.) Same exact ingredients, totally different perception. It goes to show that people are nuts for nuts.