Super shout-out to Fresh Direct's 4-Minute Meals: "Smart & Simple" Garlic Chili Wild Alaskan Halibut W/ Coconut Rice

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 "Wild Pacific Halibut with Snow Peas, Coconut Rice & Chili-Garlic Sauce" 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!