Flex Meals

I've been trying to avoid making flex meals because I was nervous about my ability to make food compliant with the program until I've lost more weight and gotten more confidence. Tonight, however, my inlaws were visiting, and I wanted to be able to make a tasty dinner that I'd be able to eat, too.

Here are the guidelines for making a flex dinner:

Dinner
2 Fat Serving
3 Lean Protein Serving
1 Vegetable Serving or Fruit Serving 2 Tbsp. Fat Free Dressing (if desired)
1 Low Glycemic Carbohydrate Serving
2 Vegetable Serving

I decided to make one of my favourite meals- Chicken Cordon Bleu. The name conjures up a fatty chicken breast dripping with cheese and ham, breaded and fried until it's greasy, maybe with a cream sauce on top. This substitute is delicious and has a fraction of the calories. It's also very high in protein (make sure to save one serving from earlier in the day!).



4 3oz chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 oz shaved fat free ham
2 oz fat free Swiss cheese
0.5 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (Italian spiced if you can get them)
0.5 cup eggbeaters
4 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the thin chicken breasts and place 1/2 oz each of the ham and cheese in the middle and fold into a roll; secure with toothpicks. Dip the rolls in the eggbeaters and then into the breadcrumbs. Take a glass baking dish and pour the oil into it. Place the chicken rolls into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Makes four servings.

For my side dishes, I made wild rice (1/3 cup is a low GI carb serving), steamed asparagus with a little lemon juice and garlic margarine for flavour (2nd fat serving), and a big salad with spinach, romaine, red green and yellow bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms, shallots, and tomatoes with fat free dressing. The eggbeaters and breadcrumbs are such a small serving that they could probably be counted as free foods.

It was fabulous- everyone enjoyed it, even the people who aren't watching their weight. It has a fraction of the fat and calories but all the flavour.


I've also tried to jazz up a few of the other Nutrisystem meals as well. I find the chili pretty boring, and it's disappointing that it is not one of the meals where you get to add a carb. Who doesn't love chili with rice or crackers? However, if you're one of the lucky fortunates who does get a carb with dinner, you might like this modification.

Chili with Beans (Dinner):


I chopped up onions, tomatoes, and green peppers and sauteed them in olive oil for my fat serving, and then poured the chili over top and let it simmer until the sauce had thickened. In the meantime, I took some Garden Fresh Gourmet Pita Chips and arranged them on the outside of a plate. Seven chips is a carb serving and they're very filling. I split mine in half so that it would look like more, and then poured the chili in the middle, topping with cheddar cheese (saved snack protein) and fat free sour cream. It was delicious- like eating nachos with chili sauce. Suddenly those little cups of chili have become more appetizing!

Florentine Sauce with Chicken Fettuccine (Dinner):


I know this is a discontinued item but apparently they are still available at Big Lots stores in the United States with long expiry dates- I just bought 23 from another Nutrisystem client and they're good until July 2011. If you can't get them, the modifications can be used on any of the NS pasta dishes, lunch or dinner. I just love this meal!

I chopped up onions, bella mushrooms, tomatoes, and green peppers and sauteed them in olive oil, and then dumped the pasta entree in the pan. I added 2oz of chicken (saved protein serving) and 1/2 tbsp bacon bits for a little extra flavour, and cooked it until everything was well mixed. It was a huge bowl and absolutely delicious. You have to eat your veggies anyway, and salad gets boring after a while!


Grilled Chicken Breast (Dinner):


I had a lot of fun with this entree. I've been missing my Subway Chicken Pizziola sub, so I decided to try and duplicate it at home. The above picture is the chicken breast cut into strips and seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano. Then I took a whole wheat roll (to be added with the chicken) and split it in half, and placed the chicken on top. I topped it with half a serving of turkey pepperoni, pizza sauce (free food) and 1/2 oz mozzarella cheese (saved protein). I baked it for ten minutes and it was fabulous. I didn't take a picture of it because it's really hard to see much beyond a bun and the cheese but it definitely satiated my Italian sandwich craving.

I served it with an Italian style side dish- roasted tomatoes and onions. I chopped up the tomatoes and onions, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with basil and oregano. Yum!


Cinnamon Bun Bar (Breakfast):


As soon as I took this out of the package, it was reminiscent of the Apple Strudel Bar. I bit into it and again it was sickeningly sweet. I love sweet things but I couldn't handle this. The frosting did taste like that used on a cinnamon bun though and there was a nice cinnamon flavour, but the heavy sweetness just overwhelmed it for me. I like the regular Cinnamon Bun better- it's dense, cinnamony, but not as sweet.

Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar (Dessert):


Yum! This tastes just like a Nestle Crunch Bar but with mint flavouring! This is going to be increased on my next auto delivery for sure. It definitely kicked my chocolate craving.


I'm feeling more positive again. I know I can do this... I just have to want to. My biggest obstacle is myself.