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.