On Vacation

Are there some foods or drinks that just make you feel like you're on vacation? For me, I always used to say to my husband that my vacation begins when I have a cold pina colada in hand. Pineapple is such a tropical fruit that it just makes me feel more relaxed, if that makes any sense.

I was delighted that my farmer's market had fresh whole pineapples for $2 on the weekend, so I bought a few to do some experimenting with (along with eating them fresh! I love fresh pineapple). These two recipes will make you swear you are cheating- your dessert will be better than whatever your friends have!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Pina Colada Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp rum extract (optional)
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1 tsp sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp Splenda

Icing:
1.5 tbsp Philadelphia Ultra Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp Splenda
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp sweetened coconut

Spray a baking dish with PAM and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all the cake ingredients and pour the batter into the dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top has browned. In a little dish, blend together the cream cheese, butter, Splenda, and extract, ensuring there are no unmixed lumps (which would make your icing taste gross). Refrigerate icing until the cake is cool and ready to be frosted. Spread icing on top of cake and sprinkle with 1 tsp coconut and enjoy.

This was amazing. I couldn't believe it wasn't cheating because it was SO sweet and rich. It uses a breakfast entree but I highly suggest having this for a dessert because it is just so sweet- I couldn't handle that much sweetness in the morning, personally. Breakfast and dessert entrees are interchangeable so there is no problem doing that. The coconut (oddly enough, sweetened coconut has better stats than unsweetened!) counts as a free food- 2 tsps is 24 calories. The butter is your dinner fat serving, and count the cream cheese as part of a dairy/protein serving (you can count it as another free food if you want but Nutrisystem suggests not having more than one at the same time).


Pineapple Upside Down Cake:



1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup pineapple, diced
1 maraschino cherry
2 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp Splenda
1/3 cup pineapple juice

Spray a baking dish with PAM and place the cherry in the center. Dust the bottom of the dish with the Splenda Brown Sugar and place the pineapple bits all around the cherry. Mix remaining ingredients together- you may need to add a little water if the batter is too thick- I added 1 tbsp more. Pour batter on top of pineapple and bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes or until the cake is browned. Allow it to cool, then carefully invert it onto a plate and enjoy.

Since I was using fresh pineapple, I had no pineapple juice on hand. I substituted V8 Fusion Peach Mango juice, which I thought was tropical enough. It turned out great! Note that this recipe has no dairy in it, so you'll need to add a half dairy serving to your day to compensate for the missing milk. Count the maraschino cherry as a free food at 12 calories.

These recipes made me feel like I was getting ready for vacation already!

How Do I Stay Motivated?

Now that I am halfway to my goal, I have been getting this question a lot. How do I stay motivated?

Well, that's a question that is both very simple and very complicated. I'm watching this week's episode of the Biggest Loser, and the same scene with Dr H made me cry again. Seeing how high the contestants' risk of diseases, heart attacks, and death is terrifying. When I started my weight loss journey in February, I had as much weight to lose as some of last season's contestants. I didn't have a fancy program to tell me how much I was shortening my life.

Just like a lot of you, I had my head in the sand about how much my habits were affecting my health. Exercise? I did a little walking but nothing serious. I ate what tasted good- there was always "tomorrow" to start eating healthier. The consequences of what you do aren't immediate, so it's easy to slip them to the back of your mind. But by the time the effects of what you are doing catch up to you, it may be too late to fix them.

If someone came to you and asked you how much you would pay for ten years of life, what would your answer be? I know I would sell everything I had.

So the simple answer to that question is that I want to live. I have a beautiful son, and I don't want to miss a minute of life with him. I want to be the healthy mom who can do activities with him. I don't want him to watch me and to grow up with unhealthy habits and to fight the same battle I'm fighting now. And that is worth more to me than anything I could possibly eat or drink.

Variety

You know what else I love about Nutrisystem? It's been nearly 8 months on program and I still haven't even come close to trying all the recipes I want to share here. In fact, there are many entrees that I still haven't even tried! I am going to make a point of it to go through my inventory and eat those meals. Who knows- my new favourite entree might be in there!

I feel kind of sorry for the people who quit Nutrisystem because they get bored of the food. Well, if you just heat and eat right out of the package, I guess you might feel a little constricted in your choices after a while. When you start making the program work for YOU though, you can have almost anything you want. Not to mention that we have to be able to make our own food someday so learning to cook within the parameters of Nutrisystem sets a great foundation for maintaining your weight loss when you get to that point.

I have so many more fruit recipes to share that Fruit Week is being extended a few more days, until I run out of ideas :) I don't think I'll be eating plain fruit for quite some time again- I'm really enjoying this theme!

A New Look at Shish Kebabs

I love shish kebabs. It's a great way to combine multiple flavours while still keeping each piece's unique taste. And they usually look pretty good to boot! Not to mention being one of the healthiest choices you can make at a BBQ, for example.

I got the idea to make these delicious dessert shish kebabs from Life Made Delicious.

Fudge Brownie (Dessert):



Brownie & Fruit Kebabs:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Fudge Brownie, cut into sixths
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
4 strawberries, cut in half

This is so easy- just slide everything on skewers and enjoy! If desired, drizzle with Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup or dip in Cool Whip.

Fruity Indulgence

I just finished licking the plate of my latest Fruit Week Creation- this is a perfect substitute for a NS dessert at only 159 calories and 8g of protein. Enjoy with some extra fruit slices on the side!

Flex Meals (Dessert):



Strawberry Kiwi Pie:

2 tbsp 97% FF Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Splenda
2 squares of graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
1 tsp margarine

Melt the margarine in the microwave and mix in the crumbs. Bake it in a small dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Leave pan aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together until smooth. When the crust is cooled, spoon the filling on top. Allow to chill for at least one hour. Top with thin slices of kiwi and strawberry and enjoy!

Regrets

Nope, it's not what you think! I've been completely on track this week even with being away last weekend, and I dropped another 2 pounds this week. I still have a chance at making 70lbs by my son's birthday next week but we'll see what happens. Whether I make it or not, I'll have been on this program for 8 months and all I have to do is look at my ticker to see what I've accomplished. Every week, that number on the right gets lower and lower, and I know that I will get to where I want to be in time.

My regret is that I didn't take measurements of my body before I started Nutrisystem. I jokingly said that I really didn't want to know how far I'd let myself go, and I suppose that I didn't. But now, I'd like to see how far I've come! Oh well- the bottom line is that I'm getting healthy and that's what matters, but another way to "keep score" would be nice!

Oh, and remember those new jeans I bought myself not that long ago? They're starting to get loose :)

More Puffing

Today was another fruit week success- two more great recipes to try. Enjoy!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I really do love my puff pan. It's so satisfying to have lots and lots of bite sized treats!This recipe actually made 12 puffs but I was too hungry to wait for the second batch to cook before I took the picture and ate them!

Caramel Apple Puffs:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp Torani SF Caramel Syrup
1/2 apple, diced (save other half to eat on the side)

Mix all ingredients together and bake them in the puff pan, turning at the halfway point if your pan doesn't have a lid. Serve them warm with sugarfree maple syrup if desired. You still need to add a dairy serving to make a complete breakfast but these are very tasty and filling as is, so you can save it for later if you want to. These also might have been good with 1/2 serving of raisins instead of eating the other half of the apple.


Nutrichocolates (Dessert):



Chocolate, bananas, and peanut butter- what else is there to say? :)


Banana Drops:



1 pkg Nutrisystem Nutrichocolates
1/2 medium banana, sliced into circles
1 tsp peanut butter or 1 tbsp PB2
unsalted peanuts (optional, fat serving)

Divide the peanut butter or PB2 evenly on the banana circles and freeze for at least 1 hour. Melt the Nutrichocolates in the microwave and dip the banana pieces (peanut butter side down) into the chocolate and put them on a foil covered plate. Top with a piece of peanut, if desired. Chill until chocolate hardens and serve while still cold (the banana gets mushy if you let it thaw).

These are SO good! If you use the PB2, this is only a dessert, fruit, and free food! I am definitely going to have to get some more Nutrichocolates in my next box!

Yum!

So far, this week has been a lot of fun and I'm really enjoying my fruit! Here's a fun recipe that you might want to make with kids if you have it (just use regular chocolate for them) because it's simple, messy and fun!

Chocolate Crunch Bar (Dessert):



I never realized I hadn't reviewed this item before- it's one of my favourite desserts. I love Nestle Crunch bars and this tastes almost exactly like one. Crunchy, gooey, and satisfying.


Chocolate Crunch Banana:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Chocolate Crunch Bar
1 small banana (or 1/2 medium banana)
1 skewer or popsicle stick

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (mine took nearly a minute in 20 second chunks) and stir it up a little bit with the skewer. Slide the skewer into the banana and roll it around in the chocolate until it's covered. If desired, place in the fridge until chocolate hardens or go ahead and eat it while it's dripping the little crispy things! And don't forget to lick the rest of the chocolate out of the bowl when you're finished!

We have a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at the mall, and every time I go by they have yummy things dipped in chocolate and I always want one, so I figured I'd make my own. I was going to use the Nutrichocolates and crushed peanuts (fat serving) but I only have one pack left and I need them for a different recipe so I thought I'd try the Crunch bar since it has the crispy things for some texture. It worked really well and made a great dessert.

Keeps with the theme

Well, I started my day with a shortcake, so when I was looking at the list of recipes I am planning to make this week for Focus on Fruit, I thought it was a perfect time to end my day with a shortcake as well! This recipe is simple and so delicious!


Golden Pound Cake (Dessert):



Strawberry Shortcake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Golden Pound Cake
3 tbsp light whipped cream (meeting free food requirements)
diced strawberries
1 tbsp cream cheese/ricotta cheese, if desired (even Greek yogurt could work)

Slice the strawberries thinly and leave one chunk for the top of the cake. Carefully slice the pound cake into two pieces lengthwise. Stack strawberries between the cake layers until overflowing. Top with either 1 tbsp whipped cream, or else use FF cream cheese or sweetened ricotta. Use remaining whipped cream on top, and add the strawberry chunk. Enjoy- this is a quick fix that is very light and delicious!

Fruit Week!

Before I started Nutrisystem, I didn't really eat a lot of fruit. I liked the occasional bowl of strawberries with ice cream or watermelon in the summer, but that was about it. When I started Nutrisystem with more than 100 pounds to lose, I was expected to eat three servings a day, which seemed so crazy!

I will admit that I still do miss the occasional fruit serving but I try to keep V8 Fusion in the house so that if I realize I didn't have any, then I can have a glass of their Peach-Mango blend which is really yummy cold! I dilute juice with water so that it seems like more and I can't taste the difference anyway since most juice is so sweet.

So this week on Stomach Rumblings is devoted to interesting ways to incorporate fruit into your diet, beyond just peeling and eating. I've created a new tag called Fruit Ideas that you can click if you need some inspiration!


Cranberry Orange Pastry (Breakfast):



This is one of my favourite breakfasts even just plain, but it was delicious prepared this way!

Cranberry Orange Shortcake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Cranberry Orange Pastry
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
5 slices of water packed mandarin orange
Splenda, to taste (optional)
orange extract, to taste (optional)

Mix the yogurt and Splenda until well blended, and add the orange extract. Slice the pastry carefully in two lengthwise, and spoon half of the yogurt mixture on the bottom piece of pastry. Place 4 orange slices on top of yogurt, and top with the remaining pastry half. "Ice" the top of the pastry with the remaining yogurt and decorate with the last orange slice. Enjoy!

Why do I like Nutrisystem?

Why Nutrisystem over all the weight loss programs out there? It's not like there is a shortage of programs to choose from!

Well, for one thing, the advertising is pretty heavy! I saw more about Nutrisystem on TV and online than any other weight loss program, and that's saying something! For another, it's the price. Nutrisystem is cheaper than any other packaged weight loss program out there, and the longer you stay on it the cheaper it gets. I have a girlfriend who is doing Jenny Craig because she thought the idea of shelf stable food was gross, and she tells me she spends at least 30% more a month than I do- and she got a special lifetime membership discount of some sort!

And lastly- I like the foods BECAUSE they are shelf stable and require (limited) preparation because if I want to, I can use them as a base to turn the meal into something completely different. But if I am tired and don't feel like cooking and I just want something now, I'm never more than 2 minutes away from a hot meal!

I think programs like Weight Watchers where you use all your own food are great if it works for you- that's the ideal, to be able to get to that position where you can do it all on your own. I will admit that I don't like the humiliating meetings and weigh ins though, and I don't find their online support really worked well for me. A program like Nutrisystem really brings home the idea of proper portion sizes (remember how small they looked the first time?) but still offers a wide range of food to appeal to most palates. I do like flexing meals occasionally, but I think that even when I reach goal I will continue to order a box from Nutrisystem once in a while. There are quite a few meals that I'd have absolutely no idea how to recreate on my own, and I like them!

I am so glad that I decided to sign up for Nutrisystem. I have lost more than half the weight I want to, and I feel motivated enough to keep going for my goal. I look better, I feel better, and I took control of my life.

At the risk of sounding like one of those cheesy Mastercard commercials:

Nutrisystem Meals: $300
Fruit and Veggies: $80
New Clothes: $100
Health & Self Esteem: Priceless

Tips for Eating at a Buffet, Part II

I had a great time this weekend and although I'm sure I took in more sodium than usual, I think I did really well and we'll see how this next week looks on the scale. I'm feeling pretty good though either way- the rest rejuvenated me and I'm looking forward to seeing my baby tomorrow!

I also had a non scale victory this weekend that made me SO excited. A couple years ago I bought a beautiful Anne Klein wool coat on clearance at Macy's. It was slightly too small but I bought it with the intention of losing weight. Of course, I actually started gaining so it's been sitting in my closet since I bought it and I've never been able to wear it. Well, I was wearing dressy clothes to the casino so I didn't want to wear my usual fleece jacket so I decided to try on the wool coat. Well, wouldn't you know- it fit perfectly. I'm ecstatic. Hopefully I'll get to wear it this fall and next spring before it gets so big that I'll have to make someone else happy with a nearly new beautiful coat!

I have a few more tips to add to my last post about eating at a buffet so check that out first if you haven't read it yet.

I meant to follow my own advice and bring a pouch of fat free dressing with me, but in the rush of packing up the baby I completely forgot. When I found myself at the buffet, I was at first going to just use a squeeze of lemon juice when I had a great idea- since I was having shrimp on my salad, why not use cocktail sauce? It's low calorie and very flavourful- it gave the salad a great kick. If you don't have fat free dressing this is a great alternative!

While not all buffets are quite this service oriented, it never hurts to ask for what you want. I was in the line and asked one of the employees how the squash was prepared. She told me it was steamed and then butter and sugar were added. I looked disappointed and said I couldn't eat butter but thanks. She offered to fix me a plate of plain steamed veggies! They tasted great and I was really happy that I didn't have to go off program even a little at lunch time. I wasn't expecting a buffet to be that accommodating but it never hurts to ask!

On Track!

I am weighing in a day early this week since I am leaving for Niagara Falls for the weekend with my husband. I'm really looking forward to a whole weekend alone with him- Grandma will be babysitting our son.

I was delighted to see that being on track is paying off again- I lost 2.2lbs even weighing in early! Maybe I'll make 70lbs lost by my son's birthday yet- 4.2lbs away!

Ode to Spaghetti Squash

I have to admit, Nutrisystem has opened me up to trying vegetables that I would never have considered eating before. Not only were they weird looking but I had no idea how to prepare them.

I bought a spaghetti squash at the farmer's market last weekend because I read how it can be a great pasta substitute but I was still a little intimidated as to how to make it. The instructions I saw were to cut it in half and place it on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes or so at 375 degrees. Then scoop out the seeds and pulp and use a fork to "comb" out the noodley strands.

It really was weird seeing the "noodles" scoop out so easily! It wasn't a solid mass like I half expected- just a bunch of fibrous strands. And much to my surprise, it was good! I dumped the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce entree over the top and added 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to compensate for the extra "pasta" and it made an absolutely enormous serving that I had a hard time finishing and it was really good! I am looking forward to eating the other half of the squash tonight. Definitely give this a try to bulk up your pasta entrees, or even as a flex meal (make some meat sauce and have a slice of garlic bread for your carb and fat servings!).


Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (Dinner):



I know this doesn't look very appetizing in the dish but pasta isn't exactly the most attractive meal anyway. I am not sure why I let this sit in my cupboard so long since I enjoy all of NS's other pasta dishes (with the exception of the ravioli because psychologically it just seems like not enough food), but I read that a lot of people didn't like the spaghetti so I was nervous to try it. I was very happy to find that it was yummy, and with the spaghetti squash mixed in it made a really great dinner. I'll be ordering more of these next auto delivery.

Next week I am going to try to do a series of posts on ideas for eating fruit (beyond just peeling and eating), so check back if you're interested!

In Honour of Today's Daily Dose....

If you don't read the Daily Dose, I highly recommend that you do! Not only is it a great support/motivational article to help keep you on track, but on the right side of the page there is a box called 50 Clicks Rewards. It's very simple- click that page once a day for 50 days, and Nutrisystem emails you a $10 coupon valid on your next order! It's not much, but ten bucks is ten bucks!

In honour of today's Daily Dose, to my readers- thank you. I appreciated your supportive comments so much when I fell off the wagon- they really helped me get back and STAY back on track. I always enjoy hearing from you so please feel free to comment anytime!

No matter how long it's been since you've started your journey, don't forget to celebrate the milestones along the way. Sometimes I look back at my ticker and I kind of wonder if it's real- have I really lost that much weight? I don't feel that different. Maybe I overestimated my weight when I started? But I know that isn't true. One of the things that brought me to NS was getting on that scale every day and not seeing it budge even a little bit. When I started NS, it was so easy that I think I began to second guess myself! But I really have lost nearly sixty four pounds. That's nearly three of my son, and I can't imagine carrying one year old triplets around!

No matter how overweight you were when you started, you are less now, and that is worth celebrating!

New recipes and reviews!

I'm finally getting around to trying those NS entrees that are sitting in the back of my cupboard because I'm afraid I won't enjoy them. I guess I've been hoping I'll taste them via osmosis? I'll try to post at least one new item a week if I can get myself to eat them! I've been enjoying the other entrees I have so much that I haven't really needed to mix it up. But who knows- maybe like the trail mix bar, one of these mystery meals will become my new favourite!

Southwest Style Chicken Wrap (Dinner):



Well, it's not going to be this one. It's not that I found the meal bad, per se- it just wasn't really to my taste. It also felt like a smaller portion than the BBQ Pork Wrap or the Buffalo Chicken Wrap, for some reason. Either way- I really like those but didn't really care for this so I won't be ordering it again. It's heavy on beans and corn and didn't really feel like there was much chicken in it.


I got this recipe off the NS boards, and I was dubious at first but pleasantly surprised!

Cinnamon Bun (Breakfast):



Cobblestone Cake:

1 pkg NS Cinnamon Bun, cut into tiny pieces (try to save icing pieces for on top!)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
cinnamon, Splenda to taste

Spray a small dish with PAM spray and place the pieces of bun inside it. Mix the cinnamon, Splenda, and Egg Beaters together. Pour the Egg Beater mixture over top of the bun pieces, ensuring that all pieces are covered. Put a piece of Saran Wrap over the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight to allow liquid to soak into the bun. In the morning, bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and enjoy!

When I took that bowl out of the fridge and saw the bun fragments were still swimming in a soup of egg, I figured this was going to be nasty. I mean, I was picturing cooked egg fragments adhering to the bun pieces, which doesn't really sound appealing. Much to my surprise, the entree did "stick together" and had morphed into a yummy smelling and tasting cake by the time it was done! I am going to try this again in the future for sure.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Apple Cinnamon Cake:

1 pkg NS Pancake Mix
1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
2 tbsp milk
1 small apple, cored and cut into very small pieces (save one whole ring to decorate top of cake)
1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, Splenda to taste
crushed walnuts (optional, fat serving)

Spray a cooking dish with PAM and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix everything together in a bowl and pour into dish. Top with the apple ring and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon if desired. When cool, drizzle with Da Vinci Caramel Syrup if desired, but it's wonderful plain!

I've been experimenting with substituting Greek yogurt for milk in these pancake recipes because it has SO much more protein than milk and I find them much more filling. It does change the taste slightly but I like the flavour- some of you may not. But definitely give it a try to see if you like it. I wasn't able to eliminate the milk entirely because then the batter is too thick, but this was a much denser, richer cake made this way. Altogether, the milk, Egg Beaters, and yogurt only counted 80 calories and you're allowed up to 150 for your breakfast dairy (since you get 1/2 dairy extra with pancakes) so you can still have something else if you want to- I bet you'll be too full to need it though!

Sometimes it sucks to live in Canada!

I must rave about a new product I got from my Netrition order- Flatout Wraps. Of course, the damn things aren't available in Canada so I won't be able to get them until the New Year again, sigh! Netrition ships to Canada but the shipping/Customs charges are ridiculous. But anyway- these things are amazing! They are perfectly shaped to make a delicious wrap, high in protein and fibre, and they only have 90 calories each and are twice as large as my Dempster's Bodywise at 80 calories each! If you haven't tried these, I definitely recommend using them for a flex lunch or a carb serving (try making a wrap with veggies and your dairy/protein for lunch to go along with one of the NS soups!).

So, I did it- I lost 2.2lbs this week! I did reach that milestone and go right past it. I'm pretty happy! I mean, it sucked looking at my fridge tracker and seeing that over the last 4 weeks I've only averaged 1.1lbs a week, but on the other hand that's still 4.4lbs lighter than I was 4 weeks ago, and now that I'm back on track hopefully things will pick right up again like they did this week.

Thirty two weeks and counting... watch out world, here I come!

Having fun again!

And isn't that what it's all about? If you're not enjoying what you're doing, you're less likely to stick to it. Food should be fun! That's another reason I love my Redi Set Go.

I have a new review and a couple of recipes- enjoy!


Chocolate Macadamia Nut Biscotti (Dessert):



This has a rich chocolate flavour and was nutty and delicious. Too bad it's discontinued! I have seen them fairly frequently on eBay though so you might be able to get hold of them if you want them. I'm usually not a biscotti fan because I like my cookies soft instead of rock hard, but dipping it in tea made it quite palatable.


Chicken Salad (Lunch):



This is another entree that I view as a base for making whatever you want. Is it kinda gross to squeeze it out of the little foil packet? Yeah, but don't have it by itself and it's great! What do you like in your chicken salad? You can add chopped apples or nuts (count them as a fat if you use them), celery, more chicken... whatever you'd normally put in chicken salad. Just treat the entree as the mayonnaise-y base and you're all set. I usually add more chopped chicken and green onions to mine. Lately I've been making it a melt which is SO yummy... split your dairy serving between chicken and cheese, and put the salad mixture over a slice of bread, top with cheese, and toast in the oven until it's hot and gooey. Delicious and filling!


Macaroni and Cheese (Dinner):



I saw a recipe to make chili mac, and took a crack at making it NS friendly. I know that some people mix together the Chili with Beans and the Macaroni and Cheese and then just eat half, but I'm not a big fan of having to stop halfway! I'd rather have just one serving of something if I can do it. So I tried it on my own and it was yummy!

Chili Mac:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Macaroni and Cheese
2oz ground turkey
1/3 cup kidney beans (borrow a carb serving from elsewhere if you don't get one)
chopped onions and tomatoes
garlic, black pepper, chili powder

Spray a pan with PAM spray and sautee the onions and tomatoes with the garlic until they soften. Add the turkey and cook until it's no longer pink. In the meantime, boil water for the macaroni but don't add it to the cup until just before you're going to use it. You want to soften the noodles and mix it up but you don't want all the liquid absorbed so that the cheesy flavour goes through the whole dish. Stir in the kidney beans and spices and simmer for a few minutes. Add the softened macaroni and stir well, then cover the pan until the liquid is all gone. Top with a little more cheese if you have a free food left and maybe some chili peppers and enjoy!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


I love using the pancake mix but I wasn't wild about this recipe, despite it being a big hit on the Nutrisystem boards. It wasn't bad- just not to my taste.

Apple Bundt Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter extract
1 tbsp Splenda

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then pour into a sprayed dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

Because of the higher percentage of liquidy ingredients, this cake is very soft and spongey, and I just prefer a denser cake so this isn't one of my favourites. It's also a little lower in protein- make sure you still have a full dairy/protein serving with it since the Egg Beaters replace the milk. I actually used Blueberry Pancake Mix and apple/blueberry puree and I liked the flavour, just not the texture. It's not as filling as some of the other breakfasts either.

You can customize it with differents fruits and spices to make it to your liking. Many Nutrisystem members use baby food to get a variety of pureed fruits, which is much easier than making your own. My son didn't seem to mind that I borrowed a jar of his. It was a little weird using baby food until I remembered that the reason I buy organic food for him is so that he just eats plain fruit, so why shouldn't I eat it too? I may try this again with different ingredients- he has an apple/mango blend that might be fun to make! I might also try adding some nuts (fat serving) or some fruit chunks just to give it a little more texture.

I love my puffer!

I'm feeling very much more like myself again now. I've been 100% since my little mishap, and I sneaked on the scale today and it made me very happy. I won't share yet since it's not official until Sunday, but it looks like I may cross that milestone this week after all! We'll have to wait and see!

I FINALLY got my Xpress Redi-Set-Go and I love it! It's so useful. I especially love the puff pan that comes with it!

I've found that one of the biggest psychological hurdles to successful weight loss is that when you try to practice portion control, a "normal" portion looks SO SMALL. Those of you who are already on Nutrisystem, do you remember when you opened your first package and saw the size of the entree? It looked pathetically small- how could it possibly be intended as a meal? When you bulk up an entree with veggies or use other tricks to make the meal look larger (cutting the pizza crusts in half to make two thin ones, anyone?), it is psychologically more fulfilling.

The pancake puff pan lets you make LOTS of little tiny pancakes that you can stuff with almost anything you can imagine. Instead of having two medium size pancakes, you can have nine or ten little ones that fill your entire plate! Much more satisfying, in my opinion. I am sure this pan is going to be getting a lot of use to stay tuned for lots of recipes using the NS pancake mix!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Sorry, there were more of them but I started eating them before I thought to cut one open so you could see what was inside! The recipe made eight large stuffed puffs.

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Puffs:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
1/4 cup water (plus a little extra)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pepper to taste
1 oz fat free ham
1 low fat marble string cheese

Spray and preheat your puff pan. Cut the ham and cheese into 8 pieces and wrap the ham around the cheese. In a small bowl, mix together the other ingredients, adding water slowly until the batter is the right consistency (not too runny but you definitely don't want thick). Spoon a small amount of batter into each puff well and place a ham/cheese wrap inside each one. Top with more batter to cover. If you're using the Redi Set Go, you really don't have to flip them if you don't want to (although one side is a little deformed), they can just bake until they are done (about ten minutes). If you are using a stovetop puff pan, you'll need to flip them over with a stick or small spoon when the bottom is set and the top is still gooey. This can take some practice! Enjoy them hot right out of the pan while the cheese is hot and melty (it had already started to cool in the photo).

This was a delicious and filling breakfast! Note that you still need to add a half dairy serving to compensate for not putting the milk in the pancake mix.


Flex Meals (Lunch):



These puffs were a delicious treat! I made some for my husband afterwards (although with a "real" hot dog.

Corn Dog Puffs:

2 tbsp yellow corn meal (not muffin mix or anything like that)
4 tbsp whole wheat flour (if you have soy flour use 2 tbsp of that plus 2 tbsp flour)
1/2 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 fat free veggie hot dogs (up to 100 calories)
butter extract
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup water

Cut up the hot dogs into 9 small pieces- if you have extra, eat the rest while you're making them. Preheat and spray your puff pan. Mix together all the other ingredients, adding the water slowly. Fill the puff pan, putting one piece of hot dog in each well and topping with more batter. Serve hot with your favourite hot dog toppings- I like ketchup and relish, my husband had his with mustard.

Just Desserts

OK, so it's supposed to be just deserts but this is a food blog, right? :)

Really though, I don't know if I got what I deserved this week because I'm not really sure what I did deserve. I made a mistake, but since then I have stuck to program 100%. I have recommitted to Nutrisystem and to my goal, and I have analyzed why I erred this week. In addition to the reasons I wrote in my confession post, I am nearing a significant personal milestone (I was expecting to hit it this week) and I think part of me got scared. I've been here before, and each time I vowed I never would be again. Every time, I've failed at keeping that vow. I suppose part of me was afraid of failure again.

But if I give up now, I've already failed. At least if I keep putting one foot in front of the other, there's only the possibility of failure, which while still scary is much better than a certainty!

I've never had this kind of issue when approaching a milestone before. I think part of me knows this is really it; that I'm not going to be back here again, and that I'm afraid of that since so much of my identity is being the fat girl. Well, I'm going to have to learn to cope with it though because this time, it's for real. I'm not going to make excuses and quit halfway like I've done in the past. I am going to become the person that I want to be- strong, determined, and sexy :)

See, I really think that when you experience a major change, you will change as well. Before I had my son, I used to look in the mirror and think that I would be somebody's mother and wonder what that would be like since I still saw the same old me looking back. I am still me, but I see it as the new and improved version! I'm more patient, more loving, and a myriad of little gifts that my son has given to me. I expect that losing weight will be the same; I'll be a better, happier me. If for no other reason, that is worth achieving!

I actually lost 0.2lbs this week. For a second I considered what I would have lost if I hadn't screwed up (I was FIVE pounds heavier the day after the pizza!), but I try to live my life by the philosophy that you can't change the past, only the future. Cheating on my program didn't make me happier- I felt gross physically and emotionally. I feel really good eating Nutrisystem, especially when I come up with a great, healthier version of an old favourite recipe.

So here I am again- ready to lose the other half of this ugly fat! Thanks for all your support on my last post. I really needed to hear it and it helped keep me going.

Confession

Well, they say confession is good for the soul, right? Well, in this case, it's pretty embarrassing, too, so I hope something good comes of it.

I know that I've been backsliding lately. I haven't been as careful with what I'm eating and it hasn't bothered me as much. That may have contributed to my lower than usual losses lately or it may just be starting to slow down. I wasn't being ridiculous, just having slightly larger servings of things.

I've also been having ridiculous cravings for junk food. Earlier this week, it was Chinese. I managed to get over that one and made myself Chicken Lo Mein but with shrimp. To kill that sweet and sour craving I breaded a few shrimp with breadcrumbs and baked them and dipped them in a little sweet and sour sauce. I was really proud of myself for the way I handled that one.

Today was a really bad day. I'm sick and exhausted (my husband is out of town), my son is teething, and it's that time of the month. I could not stop thinking about PIZZA. Not the little NS pizzas- big, thick crust pizza dripping with cheese and garlic. I considered trying to fix an NS pizza that way and realized I'd be way over anyway if I did that since my favourite pizza has 4 cheeses on it. Finally, by the time I put my son to bed, I just gave in and ordered a pizza. And I ate it.

You know what? It didn't taste really good. The first bite was good but after that all I tasted was grease. And I still don't know why, but I ate it anyway, and now I feel really sick.

It was a really stupid thing to do. Not only for the obvious reason, but it was twenty dollars! You read about people complaining about the cost of NS food and a dinner is what, four bucks? I can't believe I wasted all that money!

But really- I have come too far to quit now. I need to recommit myself to NS because I know that it works. I mean, look at me! I've lost nearly 62lbs so far this year! And like I said in my previous posts, I don't want to abandon this blog and become another statistic.

So here is my confession, and my promise. I will NOT quit. My son needs his mother to be healthy and fit. And that pizza definitely wasn't worth it. I really feel like I need to throw up! Maybe I can treat this as aversion therapy?

I really considered not writing this post and pretending that it never happened. But it did, and I can either learn from the experience or be doomed to repeat it. I also (under all the shame and embarrassment) wanted to share it with you. I'm not perfect, and I make mistakes just like everyone else. If you have a moment like this in your weight loss journey, don't let it ruin everything for you. Tomorrow is a new day, and we just have to dust ourselves off and get back up with a smile.

Tomorrow is a new day. Back to basics. I can do this!