Cold Weather Favourites

I find when there's snow on the ground, I crave hot soups and stews. They're hearty and take some of the chill out of you. I've always enjoyed good Asian soups, which are generally filling enough to be a full meal.

Nutrisystem does have some Asian style entrees but I've found them not to be to my taste. They're generally a little on the bland side, which I suppose is necessary not to offend some palates, but Asian food is supposed to be flavourful and tangy. I find that when I'm having a craving for a nice hot noodle soup, making a flex dinner is the way to go.

This soup is a little time consuming to make, but despite being low calorie, it's rich in taste. I got the recipe from The Biggest Loser Cookbook, which has a lot of great recipes. Not all of them fit into the Nutrisystem program but so far I like all the ones I've tried that do!

Flex Meals (Dinner):

Asian Meatball Soup:



Soup:
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
8 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
5 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
4 oz dry pasta
1/3 cup bamboo shoots
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp chili paste (or to taste)
1/2 cup bean sprouts
chopped fresh mint leaves, to taste (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro, to taste (optional)

Meatballs:
12oz extra lean ground pork
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced water chestnuts
2 tbsp minced shredded carrot
1 green onion, chopped
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil

In a medium pot, pour the broth, ginger, green onions, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine the pork, water chestnuts, carrot, onion, green onion, sesame oil, and egg white. Shape the mixture into small meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I made 36 meatballs out of this amount. Boil the pasta according to instructions and set aside. Remove the ginger from the soup and discard. Turn the heat back to high and add the bamboo shoots, lime juice, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, chili paste, and meatballs. Divide the pasta into 4 soup bowls and ladle 1/4 of the soup into each bowl; top with the bean sprouts and chopped herbs if desired.

I used dark soy sauce so my broth looks very dark- if you use regular soy sauce it will have a more photogenic appeal!

This counts as a dinner entree, vegetable, and a fat serving. Each serving (may vary depending on your ingredients) contains 303 calories, 34g protein, 21g carbs, and 9g fat. It will definitely warm you up on a cold day (especially if you add a little more chili paste!).

Mmm... Chocolate...

One thing I love about Nutrisystem is the availability of chocolate. I can have chocolate for 3 meals a day, if I want to (now, if only they'll produce a chocolate bar for dinner!), and it's pretty darn good chocolate in my opinion.

I also really like the flexibility, because if NS doesn't make something that I want, odds are pretty good that I can come up with a reasonable facsimile myself using one of their entrees as a base.

One of my favourite desserts is Chocolate Lava Cake. That might be a little hard to make in a shelf stable format, but fortunately it's pretty easy to make it on your own!


Nutrichocolates (Dessert):



1/2 pkg Nutrisystem Microwave Chocolate Cake Mix
1/2 pkg Nutrisystem Nutrichocolates
fruit & whipped topping for garnish, if desired

Pour half the cake mix into a bowl and add water. I find that the cake tastes better and I like the texture when I use slightly more than the suggested amount of water and just cook it a little longer. When the batter is well mixed, pour it into a small dish sprayed with PAM. Place 1/2 pkg of Nutrichocolates in the centre of the cake and cover with a little batter. Microwave for about 1:30 or until done. Turn the cake over onto a plate and add garnish. Serve warm.

This isn't quite as gooey and melty as traditional lava cake, but it definitely got rid of the craving for me! It has a rich, chocolatey taste that feels decadent.

Now, I'm aware that the Nutrisystem Microwave Chocolate Cake is discontinued so it may be a little hard for you to find, unless you get lucky on eBay or Craigslist. However, there is a great substitute made by Wonderslim that is definitely worth trying. You prepare it the same way so it should be a good substitute.

Since you're combining two desserts, you only get to use half of each item so that it still counts as one dessert entree. I highly recommend not making two at once unless you've got a friend to eat the other one, because this is so good it's pretty hard to stop at just one!

Disclosure: This post was written by me and was not edited by anyone. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any way. Nutrisystem Canada is providing their food and program to me free of charge for my weekly updates. I was not compensated for writing this post.

New Year's Resolutions

Well, another year is coming to an end. Where did 2010 go? It feels like just a few short weeks ago that I had a little baby who couldn't even roll over, and now I have a toddler who chatters away!

I was also still wearing maternity clothes then. Just for the heck of it, I put on some of them the other day. It was a real confidence booster to see them just hanging off me. I know the number on the scale has changed, but when I don't think of myself differently (I still see myself as fat and my body doesn't look that changed to me, even if it does to everyone else), it's nice to have a reminder.

So as usual at this time of year, a frequent topic of conversation is New Year's resolutions. I'll be the odd one out I suppose by saying that I don't really believe in them. Honestly, I've never kept one for longer than a few weeks and I don't know anyone else who has, either. It feels to me like New Year's Resolutions are an excuse to pretend that you want to change something you aren't really ready to change. If you were really ready to change it, you wouldn't need to wait for an arbitrary day- you'd just DO it.

What were you thinking of resolving this year? Is it something you really want to do, or is it just a gesture you're not ready to make a commitment for yet? Why not start today? If you really want to do it, you will. You can do anything you put your mind to, so go ahead and get started!

Mental Breakthrough

I'm trying to look at this as a positive event but I'm still having a hard time dealing with it, I guess. Way back in April, I wrote a post that was inspired by the Biggest Loser, because Jillian insisted that there is something psychological behind everyone who is as overweight as I was.

At the time, I did a lot of thinking and I just couldn't come up with a reason for myself. I figured that I was probably just lazy and accustomed to convenience food, and that I had little willpower and if I liked something I continued to eat long past the point where I should stop. Those things were true, but they aren't the whole reason. I guess I figured that I was just plain fat, with nothing screwing up my head. I was wrong.

I know it's not just the convenience food issue now, because nothing is more convenient than Nutrisystem. If I'm hungry, all I have to do is open a package and I've got a meal. Maybe it's not quite as good as it could be if I fixed it up, but most of them by far are still pretty darn good for packaged food.

Then today, I finally got it. I don't even really like writing it so I don't know how people can bring themselves to deal with their issues on TV. Writing this post has been difficult but I wanted to share it with you in case it helps someone else.

I've read about people who comfort themselves with food- they're unhappy, so they self medicate with things they like. I had considered this but eventually dismissed it because it used to be that when I was upset, I just wouldn't eat at all until my blood sugar dropped and I started to feel very sick and then I'd just end up grabbing whatever was handy. That seemed pretty far from grabbing a bag of cookies to cheer myself up.

I'd been feeling a little down lately- maybe it's holiday blues or whatnot. I've just been stressed and a little overwhelmed trying to handle everything on my own, and not being able to get out because of the weather hasn't helped. So today my thoughts again turned to ordering in some junk food. After I put my son to bed, I sat down to really think about why. It's certainly less convenient than Nutrisystem, definitely more expensive, and I always feel horrible afterwards. Then I thought about the occasions I've written about here where I had difficulty staying on track, and it just hit me- I'm not medicating myself, I'm punishing myself. Part of me wants me to fail, and to feel bad about myself.

I guess most of us have that little devil on our shoulder, but I am not going to let him win. I don't deserve to feel bad, and I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I've said it before- the only person stopping me from becoming the person I want to be is myself, and I'm in control of that.

Knowledge is power. I have a feeling that it's going to be a lot easier to resist those urges next time they appear!

Woohoo!

Well, Christmas has come and gone for another year- I hope you all had a lovely holiday. My family has all left and my husband's out of town so it's just me and my son for the next few days.

My holiday week got a lot nicer when I got on the scale this morning- I officially lost 6.4lbs this week! I know that once this water weight drops I'll be back to my usual 1.5lbs or so per week, but for now, I'm going to enjoy it. All I did was get right back on the program once I got home- no extra effort or heroics and the weight I gained on the cruise is just melting off.

This week's weigh in is really helping get me motivated again- I know that I can do this and I can't wait to get my next Nutribear!

Disclosure: This post was written by me and was not edited by anyone. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any way. Nutrisystem Canada is providing their food and program to me free of charge for my weekly updates. I was not compensated for writing this post.

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to wish all of you a very happy holiday season, whatever you celebrate at this time of year. Best wishes to you and your families.

I had a lovely Christmas. My mother and her husband came last night and stayed over for a visit. Traditionally, we celebrate Christmas early morning on the 25th and then have a big breakfast of blueberry pancakes, hot Italian sausages, and orange juice. I had made a promise to myself to be on track for today, but I wasn't going to miss my traditional breakfast! Of course, I didn't have to. I made myself a pouch of Nutrisystem Blueberry Pancake Mix and added 1/2 serving of blueberries to them and had some sugarfree maple syrup with them. I also cooked a dairy/protein serving of turkey sausage and had a glass of orange juice. I find most juices are too sweet for my taste but if you add a little water, not only does it taste better but it stretches farther for the same calories.

Then I had a normal NS lunch- I put the Chicken Salad on a Flatout wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions, and saved my extra protein serving for dinner. We had a traditional Christmas dinner with all the fixings- turkey breast, mashed potatoes (made with fat free milk and margarine), mashed plain sweet potatoes, garlicky green beans, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. We tend not to add much to our side dishes except for seasoning, so it's OK to indulge in my green beans! I kept myself to a small portion of mashed potatoes and stuffing, and for dessert I made my cheesecake recipe. I thought about making apple crisp but I just love cheesecake!

So it's been a good day and I feel like despite enjoying a holiday meal, I stayed pretty close to where I wanted to be foodwise. And I still got to enjoy time with my family and a yummy meal without feeling bloated!

Again- happy holidays and I hope Santa brought you something special this year! Even if he didn't- YOU brought yourself something special. Confidence, determination, and the willingness to make a change. Those are gifts worth treasuring.

Holiday Temptations

So far, it's been pretty easy to avoid holiday temptations this year since we missed most of Christmas party season while we were on the cruise, and I'm the one cooking and I don't plan on doing any baking or anything like that! Besides- I made a commitment to get back on track and nothing is going to keep me from it, Christmas or no Christmas. Whatever decision you make for yourself personally over the holidays, just remember that tomorrow is a new day and it can be whatever you want it to be.

I've been weighing myself daily since I got back from the cruise just to keep an eye on how my loss has progressing. I am happy to see that a lot of what I gained was just sodium retention, so it's coming off pretty quickly. That makes me no longer regret enjoying my trip! It was definitely worth it because I do want this to be a lifestyle change and not a diet, and that means that I have to be reasonable.

Of course, now that I'm not on the ship, I have to make my own fabulous desserts! I just wish I could pick up the phone and call room service instead! I did make a delicious dessert a few days ago but I forgot to put the memory card in my camera when I took the photo, so I'll have to make it again to share with you. It was delicious!

I also have some interesting news to share with you all. I've been asked to become a part of Nutrisystem's Blogger Program- in fact, I'm the first member of Nutrisystem Canada's program. My agreement with Nutrisystem requires me to continue writing feedback about my experiences with the program, and they have agreed to provide me with 5 months' of meals at no cost.

Over the past ten months while I was independent, you all saw me write honestly about my thoughts on the program, whether they were good or bad. I will continue to do so while I am a Nutrisystem Blogger because I want this blog to be a resource for people thinking about trying the program so that they can see what they actually get, as well as a support system for those of you who are already following the program. Not to mention a support system for me- hearing from all of you really helps keep me going when I struggle with my motivation or when I'm just having a bad day.

I promise to keep going- even when times are tough, if we keep putting one foot in front of the other, we'll get where we want to be. And I'll keep writing from along the way.

I'm Home!

We had a wonderful trip, although it was a little shocking to the system to leave sunny Caribbean beaches for snow! It was definitely a great way to relax and skip the pre-Christmas insanity, though.

OK, I'm just trying to delay things a bit. The food on the cruise was wonderful- very rich French cuisine, and I had an all inclusive drinks package, which I definitely made the most of. I ate less than I would have a year ago (but probably drank more, honestly) but still enjoyed every bite. At the time, I would have told you that it was absolutely worth it.

I gained 11.6lbs. Now that I'm home, it feels frustrating that the pounds could return that quickly. Do I wish that I didn't have to re-lose the same pounds? 100%. And I'll regret every minute of that time that is wasted when I could be closer to my goal. I wonder now if I could have enjoyed myself as much on the trip without going quite so hog wild, but I don't really know the answer.

But as I've said elsewhere in my blog, you can't change the past, only the future. I had a great time on my trip so I'm just going to accept the consequences and move on. I promise you all that I'll be right back on track and I will lose the weight that I want to. I know that I can do it, and I will. So stay tuned for updates!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Well, I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Florida. My son and I are both still under the weather so I hope the flight isn't too painful for him, poor little guy. He's never flown before so I'm not sure how he's going to handle it. I guess we'll see and hopefully he'll sleep.

At least I can go away proud that I had another good weighin- I lost another 1.6lbs this week! I've been very busy getting ready for the trip and taking care of my son so I haven't had much time to exercise beyond walking with him, so when I get home I want to be right back on track. In my one month challenge with my friend, I lost 7.6lbs- nothing special but certainly a respectable total for this stage of my weight loss. Now my goal is not to gain all that back while I'm on my trip! Like I said before, my plan is to start the day with a healthy breakfast and then we'll see how it goes. I don't plan to deny myself things because this IS a lifestyle change and not a diet, but on the other hand, I want to make sure that if I indulge, that it's worth it to me. I don't want to eat something just because it's there and then regret it next time I step on the scale!

But no matter what happens on the cruise, when I get home I'll be right back on program. I'm finally starting to like what I see when I look in the mirror, and feel like I have more energy. Nothing I could ever eat or drink is worth going back to the way I was at my starting weight.

Hope you all enjoy your pre holiday season, and I'll be back in a few weeks!

New Ideas

What new items would you like to see Nutrisystem offer? There have been comments online that we will have some new items soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what gets released! Choices are always good (although I will miss some of the items that have been discontinued along the way). I've asked for the Beef Tacos to be brought back, and I'd love to see some new lunches especially since I find the selection the weakest there (well, after 44 weeks anyway; it didn't start to bother me until recently and I just choose to flex lunch more often to stay content and on track). I am hoping for a cream of mushroom soup as well- a yummy quick meal but also great for cooking with if you're so inclined.

Please share your ideas with Nutrisystem on this thread. If you don't have an account at Nutrisystem.com, you can sign up for one free. The Nutrisystem website is a great resource- you can track your weight and your calories (if you wish- it's not necessary on this program if you don't want to), read tips on weight loss and motivation every day on the Daily Dose, and chat with other Nutrisystem clients on the message boards. You can also make neat things like a weight graph or tickers to watch your progress. I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't done so already!

My son and I are both feeling under the weather, so I'm trying to stick to quick meals that aren't hard on my stomach. Things like the Chicken Noodle Soup and Homestyle Beef with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy have been a big help with staying on program when I'm too tired to do anything but heat and eat!

One More Week...

I've been a little nervous lately about my weight loss. With all the holiday stuff there's been a lot of eating out and I feel most comfortable when I'm sticking directly to the NS program. I still try to stick to my healthiest options but even with asking how the meal is prepared etc, I hate the loss of control because you never really know what you're eating and restaurants seem to have a way of sneaking butter and oil into everything! Note to self: Just because the menu says steamed veggies doesn't mean they are plain!

I have been making the best decisions I can though and I was delighted to see that I still lost 1.6lbs this week! I really want to buckle down and make this next week great since in 7 days I will be in sunny Florida awaiting my cruise ship! I am really looking forward to this trip- we're having a family vacation to celebrate my mom's marriage. I am definitely looking forward to it but I do expect my weight loss to be derailed during the trip. Celebrity ships are known for their cuisine and I have always enjoyed the fabulous meals onboard. We don't vacation very often so I've decided to allow myself to enjoy the trip foodwise. This has to be a lifestyle change, not just a diet, and I don't see myself maintaining a lifestyle where I really can't cut loose and have a few frozen drinks or maybe lobster in champagne sauce (Best.Meal.Ever!).

Hopefully the damage won't be too bad when I get back home and on the scale, and honestly, thinking about all the time it's going to take me to re-lose the weight I'll likely gain is going to make me think twice about whether I really do want something- is it worth it to spend another month or so where I could have been making progress just to get back to where I am now? When I think of it that way, it becomes a lot less appetizing (yes, bad pun intended!). So hopefully that will have me thinking if I really do want whatever it is that is tantalizing me! I also plan on having a healthy NS flex breakfast every morning. Breakfast is by far the easiest meal to eat healthy at, and it will give me a good foundation for the rest of the day at least.

I'm looking forward to getting out of the snow... 7 days and counting! And for the next week, I'll be treating every day like it's Day One.

Beef It Up!

I've never really been a big beef fan, with the exception of stuff like ground beef. Yeah, I know- the cheap crappy stuff. Don't serve me a steak because it's wasted on me, seriously.

So I guess it's not a surprise that many of the beefy entrees have been left for the end, but I did want to keep my promise to review everything, so here are my thoughts.

Beef & Noodles in Teriyaki Sauce (Dinner):



I think this was the reformulated version of the Canadian entree called Rice, Beef, and Vegetables in Teriyaki Sauce. I was expecting something similar albeit with noodles instead of rice, but I found this meal to be a little better. The sauce actually did have hints of sweetness unlike the rice entree, so I found it more enjoyable although honestly it's pretty far off from what I expect in a teriyaki sauce. I'd rather go to Koya Japan or one of those Japanese style fast food stands and order a half serving of brown rice and extra veggies with my teriyaki chicken meal. Their food is very healthy and as long as you watch the portions, it can be a great fast food meal. The NS entree wasn't bad, but there are other things I'd prefer to order.


Tender Beef with Vegetables (Dinner):



Sorry, this was so hot when I took the photo that it caught the steam rising! Unfortunately this entree has been discontinued because it's pretty yummy. It doesn't taste Asian although the name vaguely sounds like it will be, but the sauce is rich and hearty- rather like a stew (well, stew without potatoes). If you come across these, they're definitely worth trying!


Oriental Steak with Green Peppers and Noodles (Dinner):



I'm not really sure what made this meal "Oriental" but it was an acceptable entree. Again, it wasn't bad- just mediocre. There are shreds of beef and vegetables in a thin sauce. It looked very similar to the teriyaki meal but it did not have that sweet taste to the sauce. This entree would definitely be improved if it was poured over top of crisp Asian stir fry veggies.

I know I'm tough on Nutrisystem's Asian style entrees but good Asian food is one thing that I am used to (I've spent time in China and Thailand) and I just find them lacking. With a little doctoring up (lots of stir fry veggies and maybe some soy sauce) they're acceptable but I'd prefer to stick to the things that NS does really well, like the pizzas, the burger, and the pasta dishes.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 28th birthday. I'm not really doing much to celebrate since my husband is out of town, but my mother and her husband are here for a visit. We went out to lunch at a restaurant where you make your own stirfry using fresh veggies and meat or seafood. It's really yummy and as long as you don't overload on the oils and sauces (or the rice and condiments) then it can be a very healthy way to enjoy a meal out.

I was going to make myself a special dessert but I'm a little tired so I decided just to have a Skinny Cow vanilla cone with caramel, which is a perfect imitation of a Nestle Drumstick but it's not bad for you. The Nutrisystem dieticians say that Skinny Cow products can occasionally be substituted for an NS dessert, which is great. They are a little low in protein so try to make high protein choices throughout the day if you do choose to make the substitute.

Here are some dessert reviews- I still have two left to post for you but I'll try to get to them soon.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (Dessert):



I am not sure how this never got reviewed because I've been eating it all along and it's a dessert I really enjoy. It's chewy and full of flavour. My only regret is that there's only one in the package. Definitely give it a try if you like soft cookies.


Chocolate Fudge Bar (Dessert):



This dessert was so yummy that I couldn't resist taking a bite before I took the picture because it smelled great. Try throwing it in the freezer before you eat it for a decadent treat.


BBQ Soy Chips (Dessert):



These are the sole remaining soy chips on the Nutrisystem menu, which makes me a little sad because I really liked the other two kinds and I am not a BBQ chip fan, personally. I gave these to my husband and he inhaled them. He said they were pretty good and since he's not a big fan of diet food, I guess that means they are OK. If you enjoy BBQ, try them for yourself. And Nutrisystem, if you're reading this, please bring back some other flavours of soy chips!

Breakfast Time!

There are only a few more breakfast items for me to review so I thought I'd try to get them all at once. If you notice I am missing any breakfast entrees that aren't from the Select plan, please let me know!

Sweetened O's Cereal (Breakfast):



I was expecting this to be bad, but the first bite was definitely acceptable. I like the sweet taste. The aftertaste isn't as great but I think this cereal would also make an OK trail mix type snack with some dried fruit and nuts (use your fat serving and breakfast fruit). Just remember to add an additional 1/2 dairy serving to your day if you do choose to eat these dry. These are much better than the Whole Grain O's Cereal.


Scrambled Eggs with Peppers and Mushrooms (Breakfast):



Unfortunately I think this discontinued entree went bad. I knew it was expired but I figured powdered eggs must be like Twinkies and live forever, right? I was a little antsy when I saw the egg powder was more of an orangey brown but I figured I'd try to make it and see what happens. Well, it never came together like eggs are supposed to- it stayed like a powdery mush. I figured better safe than sorry and I threw it away. I was a little disappointed since I know the eggs were such a popular entree with many NS'ers but I guess they weren't popular enough to stay on the menu.


Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar Cheese (Breakfast):



When I saw the other egg entree was bad, I figured I'd give this one a try since I was in the mood for eggs. I was hoping it was still good and when I opened the container it looked normal so I made it. These were surprisingly good with a little black pepper. Sorry, I forgot to take the photo before I added my dairy/protein serving (fat free ham and a fat free Kraft single). If there were more of these around, I'd definitely eat them, but this is a fairly simple meal to flex. Also, if you're flexing breakfast you get a low GI carb serving (again, I'm not sure how these qualified as an entree with such a low carb count) so what I like to do is get a small whole wheat tortilla and cook up an egg or Egg Beaters and top with the ham and cheese to make a breakfast burrito. You could also use turkey sausage instead of ham if it fits the dairy/protein stats of 100 calories or less, 3g of fat or less, and 7g of protein or more (don't forget to count your cheese in that too!). I also sometimes add tomatoes or onions or whatever I'm in the mood for to make an omelette wrap.

I really think that breakfast is the easiest meal to eat healthfully at. You can make just about anything you enjoy and it will fit on the NS plan. Sometimes you have to work at it a little bit to find reasonable substitutes for really fatty ingredients but you can usually make it work.

I made my Pumpkin Cheesecake again tonight... I think this is going to become one of my favourite flex desserts. Last time I only took a photo of the top so today I wanted to show you what it looks like with the layers. I only make a single serving but you could definitely increase the recipe and do this in a traditional round cheesecake and serve it to company- it's high protein, low calorie, and absolutely delicious. No one has to know that it's nutritious!

New Reviews

I'm working my way down the list and hope to have all the current entrees reviewed by the time I leave for my vacation at the beginning of December. And hopefully no more entrees that I enjoy will be discontinued! Sadly, the White Cheddar Soy Chips and Turkey Tetrazzini are gone (and I don't have any more! *sigh*). Hopefully the new items will come out soon! I am especially hoping for some new lunches as I'd love to see a little more variety there- it tends to be the meal where I feel the most repetitive menu-wise.

Cheese Ravioli with Basil Tomato Sauce (Dinner):



The Cheese & Spinach Ravioli with Meat Sauce was one of the first entrees I had on the Nutrisystem plan, way back in February. I had a similar reaction to this one. It's delicious (although, like with the lasagna, I prefer the meaty version) and tasty, but I can't get past the psychological issues of eating only two raviolis for dinner. I would have felt much more satisfied with the same amount of food, but as mini raviolis (perhaps similar to the Cheese Tortellini). I only ordered this one to do this review and I'd rather stick to one of the other pasta dishes that I enjoy more. If you like a good pasta dish, you'll enjoy this one, as long as the portion size doesn't bother you.


Hearty Beef Stew (Dinner):



I must say, I kind of wonder why this is labelled a dinner instead of a lunch. It's only 150 calories which is considerably less than many lunches, and again, it feels like such a small portion! Why not serve it in a slightly larger bowl like the Chicken Tortilla Soup to bring up the calorie count a little? It's very tasty and looks just the way stew should look, but again, it just feels a little small and this is a dish that I think would be more difficult to bulk up unless you add broth which will water it down (and I really don't like soupy stew, personally). There are other entrees I enjoy much more, notably the Homestyle Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy which also has a stew-like flavour except that the potatoes are mashed instead of chunked.


Almond Biscotti (Dessert):



All I can say about this one is... OH MY LORD why did I wait so long to try it??? Seriously. I kept reading comments where people said they were too hard to enjoy unless you dipped them in coffee, and since I prefer chewy cookies I left this one to the end of my list. I loved it! It smelled so good when I opened the package and it looks like it belongs on a plate from a fancy coffee shop. I immediately went and changed my auto delivery to get more of these!

Again- this explains why I say try everything for yourself- don't take my word or anyone else's as the definitive answer on Nutrisystem. We all have our own tastes and you might be surprised by some of the things you like and some you don't, so make sure you give everything a fair chance!

Another Week Down

I remember when I was pregnant, I felt like I was measuring my life in weeks. Time seemed to go by a lot more quickly that way! Now that I weigh in weekly, it still feels like the days are going by faster. Slow down, time! I am eager to reach my goal weight but I don't want to miss stopping to smell the roses along the way!

My mother got married on Saturday- congratulations, Mom! You deserve to be happy and I love you. My mother lost 23lbs with Nutrisystem- isn't she a beautiful bride?



I love my new dress. I got so many compliments on how much weight I've lost and how great I look. For the first time in a very long time, I felt good about myself and my appearance. I know I still have quite a bit of weight to lose, but I'm finally starting to look like a normal person again and not just a giant blob. And it's definitely nice to be shopping in normal stores again!

I had only a small loss this week, 0.8lbs, but I'm OK with that. I feel like I'm retaining water this week and I saw a lower number on the scale a few days ago, so I think that this is just normal fluctuation and it'll sort itself out. A loss is still a loss! I was afraid that I'd have gained a bit since the food at the wedding reception wasn't exactly Nutrisystem friendly. I did make sure to load up on salad first and skipped the dessert table- I had an NS Fudge Brownie when I got home.

I've got some new reviews to share, so check back soon!

More Thanksgiving Treats

I got an email from Hungry Girl with some great pumpkin recipes, so I thought I'd give them a try and review them here for you. If you haven't visited the Hungry Girl website I definitely recommend it- just keep an eye on the nutritional information, because while all the items are low calorie, they may not all fit into the Nutrisystem program.

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Caramel Pudding Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
5 tsp Egg Beaters
1 tsp sugarfree maple syrup
1 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cube of caramel
1/4 tsp fat free milk

In a bowl, mix together everything but the caramel and milk. Pour into the muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. In the microwave, melt the caramel and milk for 30 seconds and stir vigorously to blend. Drizzle the caramel over the muffins and enjoy.

Well, the picture didn't come out very well. I should have clued in from the name of pudding cupcakes that these would be soft and gooey, and using a fancy silicone baking mold wasn't going to work. I was trying to make roses but unfortunately the batter got stuck and they came out crushed. They tasted really great, though! I also made a few modifications to the Hungry Girl recipe. Since these were far too low in protein to count as a dessert and not really suitable for anything else, I substituted NS pancake mix for the yellow cake mix. I don't think it hurt the flavour any. Here's the original Hungry Girl recipe if you're interested. This makes one large serving and it counts as a breakfast or dessert entree plus a free food, with 190 calories, 42g carbs, 2g fat, and 11g of protein.

Flex Meals (Dessert):



Hungry Girl Too Good To Deny Pumpkin Pie:

2 graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
2 tbsp Splenda
1 tbsp sugarfree maple syrup
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Spray a baking dish with PAM and pour the graham crumbs inside, spread evenly. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour batter into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving with a little whipped cream on top.

The original Hungry Girl recipe is here. Again, I made a few modifications to compensate for the low protein and my tastes. Also, since I'm the only one eating it, I didn't want a whole pie so I tried to boil the recipe down to a single serving. I counted this as a breakfast or dessert plus a fruit (and a free food if you use the whipped cream). It has 209 calories, 35g of carbs, 2g of fat, and 12g of protein. I substituted graham crackers for the Fibre One cereal because I'm just not a big fan of the taste of Fibre One. Use that if you prefer it though. This was pretty good! I like my pumpkin pie sweet and tangy so I increased the proportionate amount of Splenda and pumpkin pie spice- feel free to decrease a little if you prefer a milder flavour.

Definitely give these recipes a try if you're looking for a pumpkin-y treat!

Yum!

I made this tonight for dessert and couldn't wait to share it with you because it was so darn good! I highly recommend you make this as a dessert for your family- they won't know that it's good for you, too!

Flex Meals (Dessert):



Pumpkin Cheesecake:

1 large graham cracker, crushed into crumbs
2 oz fat free cream cheese
3 tbsp light ricotta cheese
1 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 1/2 tbsp Splenda
1 1/2 tbsp Egg Beaters
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Crush the graham cracker into crumbs and put them in a sprayed baking dish (I like to use a silicone loaf pan). Mix all the ingredients in the first category together and pour half of the batter into the baking dish. Add the pumpkin and spice to the remaining batter and mix well. Pour the pumpkin batter on top of the vanilla. Place baking dish in a water bath and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave it for a further ten minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving with a puff of whipped cream.

This recipe is definitely a keeper- it not only looks really pretty but it tastes awesome, too!

Pumpkin Week!

I'm still a little pressed for time so I haven't really had much time to cook, but it felt a little silly to do Pumpkin Week in January so I'm doing the best I can. It might be a little shorter than usual, though.

Pumpkin is a very versatile food on the Nutrisystem program. 1/2 cup counts as a veggie serving and 1 cup counts as a fruit, per the dieticians. This makes it easy to incorporate it into the plan.

You've already seen my Crustless Pumpkin Pie, which can be used as a dairy/protein serving, and here are two more recipes that I've tried.

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):

Pumpkin Roll:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/3 cup Splenda
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Icing:

2 tbsp Philadelphia Ultra Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 tsp margarine
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all the roll ingredients together and spread the batter thinly on a sheet of wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with a sheet of wax paper and roll up the cake and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Mix icing until smooth, and spread it on top of the cake and reroll (minus that second sheet of wax paper!). Chill for an hour. **Makes 2 servings**

Sorry, no photo because my camera messed up. Honestly, it wasn't all that photogenic anyway because it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I thought the batter would spread itself out in the oven, but it didn't, so I got more of a pumpkin cake than anything else. It wouldn't roll. I just cut it in half and put the icing in between like a sandwich to try and get the roll effect. Unfortunately, I found that I didn't like the icing at all, so I wound up scraping it off and just eating the cake. The cake was really delicious though! This counts as a dessert entree (or breakfast)- as prepared with icing, it has 130 calories, 23g of carbs, 3g of fat, and 10g of protein. Next time, I'd just frost it with plain cream cheese though and not mix anything into it. If you want to eat just the cake, eat the whole thing and count it as a breakfast or dessert entree + 1/2 veggie or free food.


Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Pancakes:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (or plain mix plus 1tsp chocolate chips)
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 oz macadamia nuts, crushed
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all the ingredients together and cook either as pancakes or pancake puffs (my preference!). Enjoy with sugar free maple syrup, if desired.

I got this recipe from Kompukat on the Nutrisystem boards and it is delicious! Even the name makes it sound decadent. Definitely try this one when you need a pumpkin fix. It counts as your entree, fat serving, and either 1/2 veggie or a free food. I made ten puffs (this batch got a little deformed, sorry!).

The Importance of Protein

I've now been on Nutrisystem for 41 weeks. So far I still haven't really hit the dreaded plateau, but I'm sure it'll be coming at some point. Nutrisystem defines a plateau as 2 or more weeks with no weight loss while being 100% on program. My loss has been slowing, but I was happy to post a 1.6lb loss this week! It only makes sense that it will slow down- the calorie reduction is no longer a shock to my system, I don't have the water weight to lose, and since I am physically smaller my body needs fewer calories to maintain my weight so there is a smaller deficit at the end of the week even if I am eating exactly the same as I was a few months ago.

One thing that I've found that helps me a lot at this stage is protein. The average protein intake on the Women's Basic program is 77g/day according to the Nutrisystem Dieticians. I read in the October edition of Women's Health that some nutritionists believe that we need more protein than was previously thought. Protein is responsible for keeping us full and for repairing body tissues as well as other functions. I've been trying to keep my protein at closer to 100g a day, and since then I've been finding that I have more energy and fewer cravings, and I'm not hungry most of the time.

When you look at your meal planner, remember that the serving for a dairy/protein can be up to 100 calories, less than 3g of fat, and 7g of protein or more. If you choose a lean protein instead of a dairy, you can frequently have more than the amounts listed in the book under protein- for example, instead of 1oz of ham, I can have 3oz and still meet the serving requirements, and I also get way more protein than if I chose something like a low fat cheese stick. Some of my favourite protein sources are Greek yogurt, fish, and Egg Beaters.

I've spoken before about how awesome it is to eat dessert every day while on a diet. You might have thought about substituting other desserts for Nutrisystem ones (like the Hungry Girl recipes, which are often pretty awesome!) Just keep in mind that the Nutrisystem desserts aren't an extra- they're a mini meal full of nutrients, including protein. Most low calorie dessert items have very little protein, which can leave you feeling hungry soon afterwards and more likely to choose an off plan snack. When you're flexing dessert, keep an eye on the protein counts and you'll feel more satisfied afterwards.

Thanksgiving Giveaway Winner

Sorry for the delay in new recipes... things have been a little crazy here so I may or may not get the pumpkin recipes up before Thanksgiving. If not I promise they'll be posted as soon as I have time to make them all! I've also got some more entree reviews I'll be sharing soon.

And without further ado- the winner of the Thanksgiving giveaway is...

sakinac said...

I absolutely want one of the puff pans! I see your recipes for them and they look so good!! I would LOVE one of those!!
October 29, 2010 3:02 PM

I used Random.org to select the winner. Please contact me within 48 hours so I can send you your prize!

Taking Control

After 40 weeks on Nutrisystem, I have lost 77lbs. Saying it out loud kind of brings a tone of unreality- like how was this possible? How could I have lost so much weight without getting frustrated and wanting to quit? And how the heck was I so overweight in the first place that I could lose 77lbs and still have more to go (although that number is getting smaller and smaller!).

That brings me to something I've been thinking about lately. My life and my health were completely out of control and I felt helpless to change the situation. I hated my body and how I looked but I still could not make a change on my own. I had reached the point where I felt that I was so overweight that it didn't even matter anymore- I couldn't possibly lose so much weight so why even bother trying? I had given up on myself.

Then a friend of mine invited me to do a 6 week weight loss challenge with her. I said OK, figuring maybe this would give me the motivation to change things. After the first week, not only had I not lost a single pound, but nothing had changed. I wasn't exercising, my eating habits weren't improving, and I felt even more helpless to change things. With a three month old baby around, I was still having trouble finding time to sleep and go to the bathroom, let alone prepare healthy meals!

I was sitting on my couch watching TV and just thinking about how I let myself get into this situation. Then an ad for Nutrisystem came on and I thought that this might be my solution- it certainly couldn't make things any worse than they were! Having healthy meals prepackaged and ready to eat would eliminate my time crunch problem and spending the money would motivate me actually to follow the program. Their money back guarantee also felt like a fail-safe in case the food really was as bad as some online reviews say it is!

So I worked up my courage and told my husband that I didn't think I could do it alone this time and I needed some help. He was so supportive right from the beginning and told me not to worry about the money and that we were investing in my health. So I did it- I ordered my first box of food and started this journey that has changed my life (and I won the challenge, by the way, even with that one week zero loss!).

When I posted on the Nutrisystem Facebook board that Nutrisystem saved my life, it was only partially true. Nutrisystem gave me the tools that I needed to lose the weight, but I was the one who took them and used them. I have regained control over my life- I'm no longer the helpless bystander who just allows things to happen to her. I make the decisions about things that affect me, and I'm damn proud that I made this one.

We all have it in us to be strong and capable- the person that we want to be. Sometimes we just need a little help to realize it!

Temptations, Part II

Maybe it was all the restraint I exercised last week, or who knows, but my cravings came back with a vengeance this weekend. First I wanted my husband's French fries that he had for lunch on the way to our weekend getaway (I had a ham sandwich on whole wheat bread instead), and then when we went to the dinner buffet, I was dying to have one of the sweets- they looked SO good! I felt so frustrated and grouchy when I was eating my shrimp salad.

I was hoping I had kicked these urges to the curb, but apparently not. I considered having a taste of things- one French fry, a bite of dessert, maybe something fried at dinner, but then reminded myself how unsatisfied it would probably leave me since every single time I've done that lately I've regretted my decision. I decided to use my tried and true techniques of getting past cravings- eating my food slowly and drinking a lot of water so that I'd be full and not even want whatever it was I was eyeing. I also decided to let myself have an item that felt like a treat even though it really wasn't. I had them make me a custom pasta dish at the stirfry stand with a half order of pasta, shrimp, and lots of veggies in tomato sauce. Pasta always feels like cheating to me but the portion size was right on with only half the noodles and I felt satisfied afterwards and didn't even feel too much of a pang at skipping the desserts.

Like I've said before, it's just a matter of will- you have to want to lose the weight more than you want to eat the things that made you overweight. If you do, you'll find ways to succeed instead of ways to sabotage yourself. Just remind yourself of how well you're doing next time a temptation gets in your way! Don't give up your progress!

And don't forget to enter the Thanksgiving Giveaway if you haven't yet! There are several ways to earn extra ballots into the draw.

Temptations

Now that my son is one, my maternity leave is over. I'm still not sure if I plan to be a stay at home mom or if I want to work, so in the meantime I am compromising by working on a casual basis- I get called in if someone is sick or can't work. Today I went in to work and it was temptations all around! One of the children was celebrating her third birthday, so her father brought in huge chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with icing, sprinkles, and candy. The cook that day also baked a vanilla cake from scratch and frosted it and placed it in the staff room. And if that wasn't enough, there were THREE boxes of cookies plus a box of leftover Hallowe'en candy sitting around.

For someone with a sweet tooth like mine, it presented a challenge! So, how much of it did I eat?

Nothing.

Yes, nothing! I'm really proud of myself. I had packed myself a healthy lunch and snacks and ate a good breakfast before I left. I went and got a glass of water during snack time when everyone ate their cupcakes and I just ignored the goodies in the staff room. I'm finding that it is getting easier to say no, and my desire for things like that has lessened. I already know that it won't be as good as I imagine it to be, I'll feel like crap emotionally after I eat it, and besides, if I really want cake, I can have some. If I wait till I get home I can have a piece of Nutrisystem chocolate or vanilla cake (and make cream cheese frosting if I'm feeling like it) that will actually satisfy my craving rather than leave me feeling lousy and wanting more.

Denying yourself something will only make you want it more. One of the reasons I love Nutrisystem is that I feel like I deny myself nothing. If there's something I want, either Nutrisystem offers a substitute or I can figure out how to make an NS friendly item that is similar. So not only is the weight melting off, but I'm feeling satisfied about it!

A Hallowe'en Milestone!

I knew I was close but I wasn't sure if I was going to make it this week. I was so delighted to see as I stepped on the scale today that I have now lost more than 100lbs since I had my son. I am really, really excited and proud of myself. I feel very positive about my progress. I still have a ways to go but I'm getting there!

I also bought myself a brand new dress for my mother's wedding in a few weeks. I love it- it is my favourite colour, on sale, and it looks like it was made for me. I can't wait to wear it and I will definitely post a picture here when I do!

I didn't realize until a couple of days ago that I haven't written anything about Hallowe'en. I hope you all are surviving this crazy holiday! I used to be one of the people who raided the November 1 sales and bought tons of candy at half price or less, and my husband and I would keep a big bowl in the house and constantly snack on it. Not exactly a great habit to get into!

This year, I can honestly say that Hallowe'en hasn't bothered me at all. I bought the candy for us to hand out but kept it sealed until tonight when I threw it into a bowl, and I'm giving out the "good" stuff first. But really, I don't feel deprived of chocolate and candy so I don't really feel an urge to eat it. I get chocolate every day if I want it (for up to three meals!) so why do I need to pig out now? If you're really finding that you want an extra treat, the Nutrisystem dieticians say you can occasionally substitute your afternoon snack of a dairy/protein + fruit with an additional dessert, so if you really need that chocolatey treat, have it, but stay on program!

Don't forget to stop by the Thanksgiving Giveaway post if you haven't yet entered! You can earn up to 5 entries and right now your odds of winning are pretty good!

Thanksgiving Giveaway!

Here's your chance to win something cool just in time for Thanksgiving. I am very excited to be doing my first giveaway here at Stomach Rumblings!

CSN Stores has offered to give one of my readers a $35 gift certificate which can be used at any of their more than 200 online stores which sell everything from modern bar furniture to stylish accessories to cookware and great gadgets!

I was browsing through one of their sites, Cookware.com, and they have lots of neat items that would be great for cooking in a healthy lifestyle. If you don't have a puff pan yet, here's your chance to get one absolutely free!



This morning I used mine to make Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffs. I made the Nutrisystem Pancake Mix as directed (substitute 1/3 cup of whole grain pancake mix if you don't have any) by adding 1/3 cup of fat free milk, and then filled the wells on the puff pan 1/2 full. I added a dab of cream cheese in the centre of the puff batter, and then a piece of strawberry before I covered them with more batter. These were so yummy and filling with sugarfree syrup! Plus you still get a dairy serving and the rest of the strawberries. This recipe made 12 large puffs.



If you already have a puff pan, they also have some neat gadgets like this potato slicer, which is perfect for your faux fries recipes! Or you can pick something like this onion chopper, which comes in handy if you have trouble slicing them. I have one myself and except for it being a trifle hard to clean, I love it since it chops all kinds of veggies very quickly.

So the winner of this giveaway will receive a $35 gift certificate to be used at any one of their sites- you don't have to get cookware if you don't want to (although I highly recommend the puff pan if you don't have one!)

How do you enter? You'll receive one ballot into the draw by commenting here with your email address and telling me what you would choose from CSN Stores. Followers of my blog will receive one additional entry. If you write about my giveaway in your own blog or on Facebook and you post a link here, you'll receive three additional entries for each place you post it.

I'll draw the winner on November 12th at 10:00pm EST, using Random.org to select the winning post. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or I will draw another winner. The contest is open to US and Canadian residents.

Good luck!

Working Down the List...

I've still got several items left to review, but I'm getting there! Hopefully I'll be finished before the NEW items come out. Yes, you heard me- there are new Nutrisystem menu items on the way! We haven't been told when they will arrive but I will do my best to get them and review them ASAP once they are available. What I have been told is that we are getting Southern Style Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast, some kind of chocolate wafer cookies for dessert, and popcorn for another dessert. I am not sure if there will be more items, nor do I have any other details- sorry! Hopefully they will be released soon so we can all give them a try!

In the meantime, here are some more entrees!


Chicken Noodle Soup (Lunch):



As you can see from the French writing on this label, this can has been around since the time I was on the Nutrisystem Canada program back in February. Yes, there's a reason for that! I just can't think of chicken noodle soup as a meal. As a side with a nice grilled cheese sandwich, maybe. Also, I find that although I don't like salty things and never add salt to anything, I feel that chicken noodle soup should be salty, and this doesn't taste salty. When I'm sick and don't feel like eating, I choose this entree. Other than that... it'll be one of those meals sitting in the back of my cupboard behind the stuff I really like.


Peanut Butter Cookie (Dessert):



I always loved the taste of rich peanut butter cookies, warm out of the oven. I know peanut butter is really high in fat so obviously the amount used in the recipe would have to be limited, but I found this somewhat lacking. The texture of the cookie was right but the flavour just wasn't there. I find it is much improved if you microwave it for a few seconds to mimic the just-out-of-the-oven feel and spread your 1 tsp of peanut butter on the top (save your fat serving for this- PB2 just didn't cut it for me this time). Would I eat it again? Yes, but there are so many other desserts that I much prefer that this is way down the list.


Tuna Salad (Lunch):



I hate tuna. I hate the smell and the texture. I knew I wasn't going to like this one, so doing the review would be pointless because even if it was the finest tuna in the world prepared by a 5 star chef, I wouldn't eat it. I passed this one off to my mother, who thinks tuna is a daily staple. Her verdict? It's a little more mayonnaise-y than she likes, but she adds a dairy/protein serving worth of canned tuna to it and puts it over a salad. She saves the carb serving for later. She orders about eight of these a month, so it's definitely one of her favourites. I still won't eat it, though! So keep in mind that all these reviews are based on my palate; some things I love you might hate and vice versa. It's always best to try everything for yourself (twice!) to find out what you like.

So Close...

I'm getting so close to another major milestone... can't wait! Hopefully next week but we'll see. I was excited to see that I now have less than 50lbs to lose!

I lost 2lbs this week and I feel great. I'm trying to finish reviewing the current Nutrisystem menu ASAP so I can get on my next project, which will be Pumpkin Week! Stay tuned... I'll try to have recipes posted in time for American Thanksgiving!

How Did I Get Fat?

It's such a hurtful word- even now, at 27 years old and down over 70lbs, I still flinch when I hear it or think it. But it's true- I was fat. I still am fat. But at least I'm on the road to getting healthy!

Today though, I really started to wonder how I got this way. To go a little off topic, I love Starbucks' frappuccinos. I don't drink coffee, so I always got the blended creme ones which are sky high in calories and sugar. I had not had a single one since I started Nutrisystem on February 1st.

However, I love pumpkin- one of my vices during my pregnancy was Dairy Queen's pumpkin pie Blizzards. When I saw Starbucks' advertising a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, I instantly started craving one. Finally, today, I gave into that craving- I figured I'd have one and be done with it, and get right back on the wagon tomorrow.

So you must be wondering, if I loved stuff like frappuccinos, why am I wondering how I got fat? Well, the answer is that I took one sip of it and didn't really like it. I felt stupid for spending $5 on it. I had a few more sips and realized that I wasn't enjoying it, and I wasn't getting my money back whether I drank it or not, so why bother. I threw it away.

That makes two times that I've gone off program- this drink, and the pizza I wrote about before. Both times, I've found that it didn't taste as good as I remembered, and I was really disappointed that I made a poor decision and didn't get anything for it. Taste is acquired, and I no longer have one for fatty, salty, sugary food. I'd much rather have something that is healthy and weight loss friendly.

Eating healthier has really changed my taste buds and the way that I enjoy food. The things I used to like, that I psychologically think I like, I don't actually seem to anymore. They just aren't worth it to me. And that's the biggest reason why I know I will be successful at losing the weight this time and how I'll keep it off; I just don't want those things anymore and wonder how I could have eaten so much of them that I got this far overweight.

Keep it in mind next time you have a craving- it probably doesn't taste as good as you remember!

Scary Stats!

In honour of Hallowe'en, I have a few things that might be a little scarier to see than ghosts and witches on your doorstep!

Even when you're doing your best to stay on plan when you eat out, you might think that a food you are choosing is a good choice, without realizing how bad it really is for you. This is why I highly recommend researching restaurant menus and nutritional information before you go out, so you can find out what the truth really is. We've all ordered salads before only to find that they somehow managed to pack 1000+ calories in it!

I remember when I was trying to lose weight a few years ago, I went to the movies with my mom. We both wanted a treat and we were trying to decide between ordering a frozen yogurt or sharing a small bag of popcorn. We decided the popcorn would be more satisfying since it would take longer to eat, and since we'd skip the butter, it couldn't be that bad, right? Microwave popcorn is about 260 calories for 14 cups and that's a LOT of popcorn, so we thought this would be OK.

Imagine my surprise when I found myself up half a pound on my weigh in day that week. I was hoping it was just sodium retention, but it wasn't. Then I found this Nutrition Action article about movie snacks recently, and I wanted to share this information with you in case you make the same mistake.

It was really scary to read that depending on how they prepare their popcorn, even a small could have as much as 34g of saturated fat! Not total fat- just the bad kind! And the study found that movie theatres habitually serve a larger portion than they claim to, so who knows how many calories and fat grams you are actually ingesting?

My suggestion if you're going to a movie? Make your own yummy snack and bring it with you! If you have a carb serving, you can start with 3 cups of air popped popcorn (if not, you can still have 1 cup as a free food), then add Chocolate Rainbow Delights, your favourite dried fruit serving (I like blueberries), and your favourite nuts for a fat serving. If you want to bulk it up even more, add some soy nuts for a dairy/protein serving and make trail mix!

But the bottom line is, be educated about your decision. Sometimes you'll be happily surprised, like when that salmon salad has more calories than a personal vegetarian pizza!

Pencil Shavings

I always thought that line from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was hilarious- where Willy Wonka, being asked about breakfast cereal, says something like "Breakfast cereal? Who would want to eat that? Breakfast cereal is like those curly little shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!".

I've always kind of stuck to that, too. I don't drink milk so eating cereal has never really been part of my lifestyle. I did like Multigrain Cheerios dry as a snack, but never really as a breakfast item. It's not surprising that the Nutrisystem cereals are among the last of the items on my list to be reviewed. I'm plugging away, though!


Whole Grain O's Cereal (Breakfast):



These look like pretty deformed Cheerios, and have about as much flavour as those pencil shavings Mr Wonka was talking about. I could deal with eating them dry as a snack but I find them pretty lacking as a breakfast. They just don't feel as filling as some of the other options.


Nutricinnamon Squares Cereal (Breakfast):



I was expecting something more along the lines of a diet version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but saw this mixture instead. Now this, I think, would make a nice trail mix snack- add some raisins for your fruit, nuts for your fat, and maybe soy nuts for a dairy/protein serving. There was a nice cinnamon taste to the squares and the other bits had a satisfying crunch. Again though, I wouldn't want to eat it as cereal but may order it to have as a dessert replacement during the day.


Nutrifrosted Crunch Cereal (Breakfast):



This wasn't bad but it didn't have any qualities that stood out to me. I did eat it, but it didn't strike me as something I'd order again. It was pretty bland and boring.

Some More New Entrees

I made a list of how many of Nutrisystem's current offerings I still hadn't sampled, and was a little taken aback at how many there were! That doesn't even include the discontinued items that I have in my cupboard. So I am now on a mission to try them as quickly as possible.

I had some good surprises, and some not so good ones. But now at least I know!


Vegetarian Chili (Dinner):



This was surprisingly good- it has the same flavour as the Chili with Beans and I didn't even notice the missing meat. I probably wouldn't order it instead of the one with meat, simply because I like meat, but if you're looking for a vegetarian meal you won't go far wrong with this one.


Southwest Style Chicken (Dinner):



I figure that this discontinued meal was the precursor for the Southwest Style wrap. There do seem to be darn good reasons why it was discontinued, though! I used a fork in the dish so you could see there was indeed a large piece of chicken in there, but it was floating in so much liquid that it may as well have been a soup. There wasn't anything really wrong with the flavour of the sauce but there was just so much of it. Also, the texture of the chicken reminded me of bad '90s airplane food- rubbery and cardboard all at the same time. I am not sure if this is because the meal was past its date or if it really tasted that way back when it was on the menu, but I wouldn't have given it a second glance.


Homestyle Beef with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy (Dinner):



Now this was a pleasant surprise! I'm much more of a pasta person than a meat & potatoes person, as you can probably tell from the order in which I've been reviewing entrees! This meal doesn't look very photogenic but that is an enormous pile of mashed potatoes sitting in the middle of the sauce. It tasted a lot more like beef stew than gravy and I loved it. This one will definitely be on my auto delivery in the future.


Thai Style Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Tofu (Dinner):



Yeah... another entree that was discontinued for a reason! It did deliver a mild peanut taste and it was edible, but that's about it. It was bland and uninspired- those of you who enjoy Asian cooking know that it tends to have a great deal of flavour- this did not. I was disappointed since there are currently no Thai offerings on the NS menu, and in fact most of the Asian style meals are lacking.

Stall Broken!

There's a reason why Nutrisystem weight loss counselors tell you to weigh yourself only once a week! Since the day I cheated on my program, I've gotten into the very bad habit of daily weighing, and it is incredibly frustrating and demoralizing. There are natural fluctuations in your body weight during a week that may have nothing to do with what you ate or drank and you wouldn't even know about them if you just weighed yourself once a week like you're supposed to.

I've been gaining and losing the same three pounds it feels like every day for two weeks. On my weigh in days I was down, but during the week it would shoot back up again higher than what I weighed in at. I felt so frustrated and like I wasn't making any progress, though if you look at my ticker over the last 3 weeks you'll see I lost 3.8lbs, so there was definitely movement even if it's slowing down. And that included Matthew's birthday party and Thanksgiving!

I am definitely going back to once a week weighins because it's not worth the stress. I don't want to be brought down when I know I am doing well and succeeding! That's what matters... not the daily fluctuation on the scale.

New Ideas

I haven't tried any more new entrees yet but I do have some neat takes on meals I've already had that I wanted to share!


Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza (Dinner):



One of the things I used to love about Italian meals was having garlic breadsticks. I wasn't a big Olive Garden fan but I loved their breadsticks! Then I got a great idea- I made myself "pasta" with a spaghetti squash and topped it with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and saved a dairy for 1oz of cheese. Then I took an Italian Herb Flatbread pizza and brushed it with 1 tsp olive oil and fresh crushed garlic before warming it up. It was SO good and really kicked that craving! Maybe next time I will make dipping sauce with the oil and balsamic vinegar, or perhaps pesto. It's nice to have something a little different.

Keep in mind that the dieticians told me that the sauce and cheese are about 45 calories each. If you do track calories and choose to skip them, note that the entree will be 90 calories short. You could also use the cheese on the breadsticks if you wanted to, or on top of the pasta.


BBQ Sauce with Pork Wrap (Dinner):



This was just a quick fix- I used to make slow cooker BBQ pork with an Asian twist using hoisin sauce and ginger, among other items. I added a little diced ginger to the pork sauce while I was cooking it with peppers and onions, and then I put it on the wrap with a handful of broccoli slaw sprinkled with Asian Rice Wine Vinegar. It gave it a really great flavour and I loved the crunch- definitely more filling.


Grilled Chicken Breast (Dinner):



I'd written before about my Chicken Pizziola sandwich, and now I finally have a somewhat squished (since I toasted it in my Redi Set Go) photo to share with you. It is really good and definitely hits that craving.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I really love my puff pan! On a suggestion from a commenter here, I tried my Cheesy Egg and Bacon biscuits with sausage instead of bacon, and I decided to make them puffs instead. As usual, the recipe made twice as many as are pictured but I get hungry so I usually eat the first batch! I really enjoyed this and it gave me an idea for another breakfast that I'm going to have to try soon. Just be careful not to overfill the wells since you still need to put the Egg Beaters on top and they'll spill out when the puffs rise if the puff well is too full- you can see mine were overfull.


Cinnamon Bun (Breakfast):



This looks really messy- I am probably not going to bother taking photos when I use Greek yogurt as a base because it's just not appealing looking.

I got this idea off the Nutrisystem boards. I cut up the Cinnamon Bun into little pieces and mixed them into a dairy serving of vanilla Greek yogurt and added a fruit serving of raisins, cinnamon, and Splenda Brown Sugar. It was really filling and I enjoyed it.


Chocolate Chip Scone (Breakfast):

No photo since it lacked visual appeal, but it was good enough to share! I cut the scone into little cubes and mixed it into vanilla Greek yogurt with a fruit serving of strawberries. There was so much breakfast and I loved the way it was creamy with chocolate and strawberry- a winning combination. And it seemed like so much!