Day 4:

Breakfast:
Cranberry Granola Bar 40/40 ++++

The bar looks very similar to the chocolate chip except for chunks of cranberry. I took this out of the cupboard without hesitation. I know both the granola and the bars have been historically good.

Visual Appeal: 10/10- Just like the chocolate chip. the cranberry granola bar is golden and soft. There are complete chunks of cranberries in the bar not just specks. Very nice.

Smell: 10/10- Smelled like sweet granola.

Taste: 10/10- This bar tasted a bit more like honey was a part of holding the bar together. I liked it. The cranberries were sweet but not overpowering and the granola was nutty.

Texture: 10/10- This bar pulled apart with my fingers. There was a gooey texture that made it a pleasure to eat. No complaints about the texture!

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Lunch:
Black Bean Tortilla Soup 39/40 ++++

I'm back to a cup of lunch. This is not a good thing historically for me, but this is soup and it does't have noodles. Looks like this is a fairly thick soup, from the picture. Whole beans and some spices are visually present. I'm worried about the black beans... beans may be difficult to rehydrate in ten minutes.

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

To me this really looks good, but I am a fan of black bean soup. I've always found it odd that black bean soup is almost purple in color. There are whole beans swimming in a very thick sauce. Once you stir the soup the second time it seems a bit thicker. It looks good and very much like a good home cooked black bean soup recipe.

Smell: 10/10- Black bean soup has a very hardy, rich smell. I can't smell any strange chemical smells and overall it makes me hungry.

Taste: 10/10- Wow. I love the flavor of this soup! Yay a cup of meal makes it as a 10! It tastes like the other black bean soups I have had in the past. Love it! love it! love it!

Texture: 9/10-Alas I was right about the beans. They were a bit undercooked, but overlookable given the taste of the soup. I wasn't going to stop eating it because of the slightly resistant beans. For people who think of a soup as somewhat wattery this soup is more like a stew. It's thick almost gravy like as it is supposed to be.

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Dinner: Vegetarian Lasagna with Basil 34/40 +++

Looking at the box it looks to me like this might be a pretty good meal. I do have some reservations. First the idea of a vegetable lasagna- on the box I can see a pea and some corn in the filling, that's odd for me. I tend to shy away from Vegetarian meals- but looking at the back of the box, this is in no way Vegan. They have cream and cheeses listed several times.

Visual Appeal: 9/10- Pulling back the plastic the Lasagna looked as good as any frozen lasagna's that I've had. The sauce looks incredibly spicy. There's also a considerable amount of sauce which is really nice. It also held together well when I transferred it to the plate.

Smell: 10/10- Smells good. I can smell the tomato sauce and the spices over the cheeses but it is a lovely smell.

Taste: 7/10- Ok... peas and corn in lasagna I don't think I will ever make something like this on my own, but it wasn't bad. Unfortunately I'd have to say it is a far cry from restaurant quality let alone my family's, but it wasn't bad to eat. I swear somewhere in the meal I tasted sausage though.

Texture: 8/10- Same problem... noodles were mushy. Other than that it was actually pretty good. The sauce wasn't overly chunky and the cheese, though a little grainy( I expected that) added to the meal.

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Dessert: Double Chocolate Almond Cookie 39/40 ++++

Today dessert really sounds good. I'm in the mood for something sweet. Looking at the package I'm expecting a chocolate chocolate chip cookie. Looks like there are nuts.

Visual Appeal: 10/10- Out of the package it looks like an oddly smooth cookie. It's about three inches in diameter and there are indeed nuts. I can't see any chocolate chunks. Overall the cookie looks inviting.

Smell: 9/10- Smells like chocolate. There is that faint chemical smell that I smelled on the brownie.

Taste: 10/10- Tastes good. I was expecting a bit more of a flour taste but it is more chocolate than anything. full points- The flavor is quite a bit like the brownie.

Texture: ?10/10 Very moist. I don't know why I was expecting it to be dry, but it's not. It has an excellent texture.

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Todays Water: 7- 8oz glasses
Exercise: 30 Minutes bicycling