Bulk It Up!

I really enjoy eggplant, and fortunately it's one of Nutrisystem's unlimited non starchy veggies. I've made lots of flex meals with eggplant before, since it's a great pasta substitute. If you haven't tried my Eggplant Rollatini, I definitely suggest giving it a try.

If you don't feel like putting that much work into a flex meal, though, I think you'll find that this stuffed eggplant recipe is very bulky for those hungry days, and also tastes delicious.

Lasagna Stuffed Eggplant (Dinner):

1 eggplant, thinly sliced into long pieces
1 Nutrisystem Lasagna with Meat Sauce or Vegetable Lasagna
1/3 cup no sodium tomato sauce (35 calories or less total)
diced mushrooms, onions, bell pepper (or your favourite veggies)
1/2 oz shredded cheese (optional)
2 tbsp. FF ricotta cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spread out the eggplant on a baking tray. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with basil and oregano. Bake for approximately 7 minutes or until eggplant is soft and edges are starting to brown.

While eggplant is cooking, chop up the lasagna into little pieces and pour it into a bowl. Add your chopped veggies, and if you are using the ricotta, add it now. Mix everything until it is blended uniformly.

When the eggplant is ready, place a large spoonful of the filling in the base of each slice of eggplant, and roll it closed. Place into a baking dish seam side down. When all the filling is inside the eggplant slices, top with your tomato sauce. Add the shredded cheese if desired, and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This makes an absolutely huge meal- if you are having a day when you want to eat everything in sight, I highly recommend this dinner! This baking dish is ONE serving!!!

Count this as one Nutrisystem dinner entrée, three servings of unlimited veggies, one extra (the tomato sauce), and if you used the ricotta and shredded cheese, count one Powerfuel.

You could try this with any of the other pasta dishes, minced up. Try it with the Penne Bolognese or the Rotini with Meatballs and let me know how you like it!

Creative Powerfuels

While food's primary purpose is for sustenance, it's no secret that many of us eat with our eyes and enjoy food as a pleasure and not just fuel. The more creative recipes you can come up with, the less likely you are to want to go off plan!

Are you getting bored with cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs for your morning Powerfuel? Try this creative idea- filling, delicious, simple, and it feels gourmet!


Hasselbeck Caprese Salad (Powerfuel):

2 fresh Roma tomatoes, whole
1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
6 fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Wash your tomatoes thoroughly, and slice the top end off where the stem was. Slice your mozzarella cheese into 6 thin slices. Tear each basil leaf in half.

Turn your tomato sideways, and make three cuts evenly spaced through the tomato but do not cut all the way through! Repeat with the second tomato. In each of the little "pockets", place a slice of cheese and a basil leaf. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar over each tomato, and enjoy!

This recipe counts as 1 Powerfuel, 1 vegetable, and 1 extra.

Try some variations! Do you prefer your tomatoes cooked? Bake it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and enjoy the cheese all gooey and melted. Are you a BLT fan? Take a combination of turkey bacon and cheddar cheese to equal 1 Powerfuel (80-120 calories combined and minimum 5g protein) and stuff your tomatoes with that! How about using ham & Swiss cheese to make a tomato melt?

What is your favourite variation?

New Menu Items!

It looks like Nutrisystem has started to release new menu items, which is great! They haven't made an announcement yet, so hopefully more items are still to roll out. Definitely check your auto delivery before it ships and have a look at what's been added. So far there's been an item or two every couple of days over the past week.

They also announced two more discontinued items, sadly, the Sesame Ginger Chicken and the Black Bean Polenta Enchilada. I was disappointed to hear this because that particular enchilada was one of my favourite frozen meals for just plain ol' heating and eating. I loved the zesty spicy flavour even if it looked absolutely nothing like on the box. The Sesame Ginger Chicken was a really great base for adding cauliflower rice and I'd save a SmartCarb to add orange segments and make a version of orange ginger chicken (kind of like what I used to do with the discontinued Nutrisystem Orange Chicken). I will definitely miss that.

But, onwards and upwards- I'm looking forward to trying these new items!

The new breakfast item is the Strawberry Baked Bar.

I haven't been all that impressed with the baked bars in general, this time around on Nutrisystem. When I did the program back in 2010-2011, I generally loved the bars. These ones, not so much. They honestly have tasted to me like cardboard with a very artificial flavouring. The Blueberry Lemon Baked Bar had my hopes up because I remembered the old Blueberry Lemon Bar, but no dice there. So I am not sure how much better this new breakfast bar will be. Granted, I do believe that the baked bars are more filling than the granola-type bars, but it's just not worth it to me when I can eat something that tastes much better. When I actually get my hands on one of these, I'll definitely write a review and let you know how I find it!

So far I haven't seen any new lunches. There is a frozen dinner which has reappeared (marked limited time only, so check it out if you're interested!)- the Pork Tenderloins.

I looked at the previous reviews, and several commenters say it is spicy, so I am looking forward to trying one of these.

It also looks like the Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast is back! I love the stuffed chicken breasts. They are low calorie, filling, and really makes it feel like I'm eating a "normal" dinner with my family.

So far, there are also two new snacks; the Chocolate Lovers' Cake Mug Mix and the Confetti Cake Mug Mix.

I'm really hoping that this one will be reminiscent of the old Microwave Chocolate Cake Mix. I loved making that one into Lava Cake with the Nutrichocolates! That made a deliciously decadent meal. I know that the mixes are a little more work than just heating and eating, but any time you get a mix item like this it opens up so many possibilities to customize a dessert to make it your own. I'm imagining this one as dessert puffs, maybe with a raspberry in the centre, or making a filling out of cream cheese. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with it!

This one looks like a lot of fun, too. I'm not quite sure what I want to do with it yet, but I'm sure I'll get some ideas. If nothing else, it looks like a great birthday treat- or an Unbirthday treat since it doesn't have to be a special occasion to eat cake!

Is there a discontinued item that you wish Nutrisystem would bring back? I really miss the Caramel Popcorn- omg that was delicious! And the Beef Taco was my all time favourite Nutrisystem dinner. I know tacos aren't difficult to flex well, but this made it easy and delicious to have one of my favourite meals. The Vegetable Fajita was not the most attractive looking meal, but it was so yummy and the most filling dinner. Nutrisystem really does tend to do the Mexican style entrees very well- I miss the Chicken Quesadilla, too! And what about the shelf stable dinner Macaroni & Cheese instant cups- OMG Kraft dinner or Hamburger Helper if you picked the one with beef! Don't forget some of the amazing snacks like the Nacho Crisps, Chocolate Crunch Bar, and the Chocolatey Rainbow Delights! There have been so many meals that I have really enjoyed and would happily keep buying!

What new items are you hoping that Nutrisystem will release or bring back?

Light Lunch

I have to be honest in that Nutrisystem generally has struck out on their Asian entrees. I have just generally found them to be lacking in flavour. They used to have a lot more, and as someone who adores Asian food, I was optimistic... and then disappointed. So, I came up with more of my own Asian flex recipes myself.

When I tried the Spicy Kung Pao Noodles for the first time, I wasn't a big fan. However, I saw that entrée definitely has potential to be worked into a variety of different dishes! I love lo mein noodles and there are so many ways to use them. One of my favourites, though, is in ramen soup. It's lovely on a cold day, and easy to make it your own with different veggies or protein additives. Definitely give it a try if you enjoy ramen soup!

Spicy Kung Pao Ramen Soup (Lunch):

1 pkg Nutrisystem Spicy Kung Pao Noodles
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups frozen Asian stir fry vegetables
1/4 cup PB2 (or 1 tbsp. peanut butter)

This one is so quick and easy. Bring your chicken broth to a boil on your stove, and add the frozen vegetables. When they are softened, add the Nutrisystem seasoning packet and the dry noodles (no need to prepare separately!). Let the soup boil for 2 min, then turn down to simmer. Mix up your PB2 and stir it into the soup until well blended. Serve immediately.

Make sure if you're using Asian veggies, you try not to get a bag with baby corn since that counts as an SC and not a vegetable! Or if you prefer to add your own veggies, try a mix with mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts, bell pepper, and snow peas- all unlimited veggies.

I happen to like the peanut butter as an additional protein in the soup, but it would be just fine without, or you could instead substitute your favourite Powerfuel. Try it with hard boiled egg slices, shrimp, chicken, or thinly sliced lean beef!

This counts as one Nutrisystem lunch entrée plus 2 servings of unlimited veggies, 1 free food (the chicken broth), and a Powerfuel if you added one. You could also count it as dinner plus 2 veggies and a free food if you don't want to save a Powerfuel.

What do you like in your ramen soup?

Another Freebie!

Nutrisystem has just released another free code that's available to anyone! Add the Sports Water Bottle (you'll find it under Lifestyle) to your auto delivery or a la carte order (remember that you will pay shipping unless you put it on auto delivery, have the Advantage membership, or already had shelf stable items in your a la carte order!).

Then enter the code NUMIGIFT and have it sent to you for free!

Dessert for Breakfast

If you aren't new to the program, you probably know that Nutrisystem dessert and breakfast entrees can be used interchangeably. So you really can have cookies for breakfast if that's something you want, and still add any additional portions that you get on your individual Nutrisystem program.

But sometimes, maybe you want something that is over the top decadent. Something that makes you feel like you've gone to a restaurant and had something fancy. And in this case, something fancy that you can whip up in less than five minutes.

This breakfast fits perfectly into the Nutrisystem guidelines, is loaded with protein and fiber, and tastes amazing. You're welcome!

Breakfast Banana Split (Flex Meals):

1 medium ripe banana, split in half lengthwise
1 serving of your favourite flavour of fat free Greek yogurt (80-120 calories, 5+g of protein)
2 tbsp chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds, or mixed- whatever you like!)
1/4 cup your favourite mixed berries for garnish (optional)

Place your banana halves into a long dish, and mound the Greek yogurt down the middle (for creativity points, use 1/3 serving each of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry Greek yogurt!). Sprinkle the chopped nuts evenly on top, and garnish with the berries if desired. It's that simple!

Once again, let your creativity guide you. The garnish is an extra, so if you feel like something a little different, go for it! How about 1 tbsp. mini dark chocolate chips, or 1 tbsp. unsweetened coconut? As long as you keep it under 35 calories, feel free to use whatever you would like for the extra. Or if you are happy with just the nuts, no need to use an extra at all.

This counts as a complete flex breakfast, or a breakfast entree plus a Powerfuel. The banana is your SmartCarb, the Greek yogurt is one Powerfuel, and the chopped nuts are a second Powerfuel. If you use a garnish, remember to count it as an extra.

What are your favourite banana split toppings?

Blank Canvas

Sometimes I think that people don't give the Nutrisystem shelf stable items enough credit. I do agree that the frozen foods are generally pretty good, but I find that when I choose them, I am mostly just heating and eating. I might add some vegetables or some seasoning, but that's about it.

The shelf stable items are so much easier to jazz up! It's easy to turn one meal into several different meals, depending on what you're in the mood for and how much work you want to put into it. So on the days where I am tired and don't feel like much, I tend to gravitate towards my frozen items. On the days where I am feeling creative, I go rummaging through my shelf stable pantry.

The Nutrisystem White Cheddar Mac & Cheese is probably my favourite entrée. I've always thought that NS does the shelf stable macaroni dishes particularly well, and I still very much miss the dinner shelf stable orange macaroni & cheese and macaroni & cheese with beef. They tasted just like KD, and were far superior to the current Mac & Cheese with Turkey Sausage, which I think sadly has gotten ruined in the last reformulation. Nutrisystem, bring back the dry cup dinner mac n cheese, please!

But I digress. The lunch cup is not only super tasty all on its own, but because the flavour is mild, it's so easy to treat it as a blank canvas for whatever you feel in the mood for that day. I need to remember to snap pics for the blog, because I must have made a dozen recipes with it this year and I haven't shared any yet!

If you're a seafood lover, you'll enjoy this version. You can swap out the crab for tuna, lobster, or whatever lean protein is appealing to you that day. Then bulk it up with some veggies, add your favourite spices, and this simple macaroni & cheese can be so many different things!

Crabby Mac & Cheese (Lunch/Dinner):

1 pkg Nutrisystem White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
3oz crab meat
mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, diced
Old Bay seasoning, garlic, black pepper to taste

Add a little water to a small deep saucepan and sautee your vegetables until they start to soften. Boil a kettle of water. Remove the cheddar sauce packet from the cup, and fill the mac n cheese to the fill line. Stir the cup to mix, then pour the water and uncooked noodles in with the veggies and turn heat to medium high. As the noodles start to absorb the water, stir in the cheese powder and spices. When your noodles are done, the dish is ready to serve.

I prepared the dish like this so that the sauce would spread evenly over the veggies too. If you use a lot of veggies, you may want to use one triangle of Laughing Cow white cheddar to make some extra cheese sauce.

The best part of this dish is its versatility. Since lunch is 1 Powerfuel + 1 SmartCarb, and dinner is 2 Powerfuels + 1 SmartCarb, you can eat this dish at dinnertime and just count it as your dinner entrée plus veggies (and an extra if you use the Laughing Cow). If you want it at lunch, count it as lunch entrée plus a Powerfuel plus veggies (and the optional extra).

What is your favourite way to eat the White Cheddar Mac & Cheese?

Italian Flavours

It's funny how my food cravings tend to run in cycles- am I the only one? I've been finding over the last few days that I am really craving Italian food. Fortunately, Nutrisystem makes it easy to satisfy this craving!

Normally when I am picking a pasta dinner, the Rotini & Meatballs is my go-to. The Penne Bolognese didn't exist in 2010 when I first started Nutrisystem, and so I just ordered what I remembered. Today, I finally gave the Penne a try and really enjoyed it! I think with the meat actually in the sauce instead of being in meatballs, it helps stretch the sauce further over the veggies that I added. Either way- dinner was quick, simple, totally on plan and so filling!

Penne Bolognese with Meat Sauce (Dinner):

1 pkg Nutrisystem Penne Bolognese with Meat Sauce
1/2 cup cottage cheese (optional)
1/2 cup no sodium tomato sauce (up to 35 calories) (optional)
your favourite pasta veggies, diced
Italian seasoning

I started by taking out my mandolin, and chopping up zucchini, cremini mushrooms, onion, and yellow bell pepper. I sautéed them in the tomato sauce until they were softening, and added the Italian seasoning. Then I added the NS Penne, and continued cooking over medium heat until it was warm throughout. Right before I was about to plate it, I added the cottage cheese to give the sauce that rich cheesy flavour.

This meal counts as a Nutrisystem dinner entrée plus veggies. If you choose to use the cottage cheese, it counts as a Powerfuel (and is well worth saving one!). The tomato sauce counts as an extra. If you don't want to use an extra for it, canned crushed tomatoes with no sodium would be free.

Definitely beats my pasta cravings and with a whopping 35g of protein, I know I won't be hungry for a while!