Side Dishes

Well, it's still BBQ season, and I'm always on the lookout for yummy side dishes to enjoy with my Nutrisystem hamburger patty. If you read back in my posts about it, you'll see that my first reaction was, what is this gross thing? Then I tasted it and it actually wasn't bad. Now it makes up a big percentage of my auto delivery along with pizza!

But again, while I enjoy salad, I prefer to have something that tastes a little more, well, not diet when I'm having something like a hamburger. Here are two recipes that might become your new favourite side dishes- they are mine!


Vegetable Ideas:


Macaroni Salad:

2 carb servings of pasta (each ~80 calories, 15g of carbs)
1 cup dry broccoli slaw
3 egg whites, hard boiled, diced
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
2 tbsp chopped onion
3 tbsp fat free mayonnaise
2 tbsp spicy Dijon mustard
2 tsp white vinegar
black pepper to taste

Prepare the pasta according to directions and set aside until cooled. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and pepper until blended and set aside. Add the macaroni to the vegetables and stir in the egg whites and relish. Pour in dressing and toss to coat. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 2 large servings (you could get away with using 1/2 carb if you made 4 servings).

Yes, this is worth giving up a carb serving for! You might like it on the side with a piece of grilled chicken (since it's weird eating a burger without the bun) but otherwise you can choose a lunch item and skip the carb, or flex a meal (enjoy something like my Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms) and save the carb for later. It does not taste diet and I plan on bringing it to BBQs in the future.


Cajun Fries:


1 large butternut squash
2 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder to taste

Peel the squash and either use a French fry slicer gadget (saves a lot of time!) or cut the squash into fry-like sticks. Pour them into a bowl and toss with olive oil and the spices. I like them quite spicy so I use a lot (well, easy on the salt). You can also use cayenne pepper instead of chili powder if you like. Bake them at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, depending how thick you cut your fries. Broil them for the last 5 minutes until they are crisp. If you don't have a French fry pan, you'll need to turn them at the halfway point. Serve them with whatever you like on your fries. Tonight I used Ranch dip- fat free sour cream with a little Hidden Valley ranch powder mixed in- yummy!

The squash is so mild tasting that with the spices, it really can pass for French fries. I still enjoy my zucchini fries recipe but squash is much closer to the "real thing". This recipe is a winner!

So enjoy the rest of your BBQs this summer and don't miss out on your favourite side dishes- they don't have to be off limits anymore!

Flex away!

I weighed in this morning and I was down another 2lbs! I didn't make it to 60lbs this week but I knew it was a very ambitious goal so I would likely fall short. I'm always happy when I lose two pounds a week! Hopefully I'll be earning my new Nutribear next week.

I've been doing a lot of flexing lately- not only is it good "practice" for when I finish the program and go into maintenance, but it's cheaper since your food lasts longer! Yes, I pay for my Nutrisystem food just like any customer does- unlike other bloggers, I am sharing my journey because I want to, not because I am being paid to do so.

It also really helps me to be accountable to all my readers- the last thing I want to do is pig out and have to come here and confess it to you all! So thank you for reading and your comments- you help me and hopefully I am helping you. One day I do hope to be selected to be one of the weight loss models for Nutrisystem and tell my story. I would love to be able to help inspire people to lose weight and get healthy.

Here are some flex meals I've tried lately and really enjoyed!


Flex Meals:


Chicken Quesadilla:


1 or 2 whole wheat tortillas
3oz grilled chicken breast (or 1 pkg Nutrisystem Grilled Chicken Breast)
1/4 cup red enchilada sauce
1 oz shredded tex mex cheese
diced tomatoes, onions, green pepper
sour cream & salsa to garnish

Cook the chicken in a frying pan sprayed with PAM until done, then cut into strips. Add the vegetables and enchilada sauce and cook until sauce has reduced and veggies are tender. In a clean sprayed pan, place tortilla shell and fill with chicken and veggies, top with cheese. If using one shell, fold over- if using two, place second tortilla on top. Cook until bottom shell is crunchy and carefully flip over. Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.

Yum! I was trying to figure out how to give this a zesty Mexican kick and then I found the leftover enchilada sauce from my last Mexican lasagna. I'm glad I tried it- it was delicious.

I said one or two tortillas because it depends how many calories they have and if you have an extra carb serving available. I have seen tortillas as low as 50 calories- in that case, you can use 2 to count as one carb serving. The ones I get are 90 calories so I'm only entitled to one for a flex dinner, so I eat a lunch like the chicken salad and save the carb for later so I can have two. You can definitely enjoy it with just one, you'll just have gooey filling leaking out which isn't all that bad!


Apple Pork Chops:


I made these for my husband- he had no idea they were NS friendly (well, if he ate less rice anyway)! This would be a great meal when you have to cook for company.

4 3oz pork loin chops
4 tsp butter or olive oil
4 tsp flour
1 tbsp Splenda brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
4 large apple rings
cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a hot pan, then add pork chops and cook both sides until chops are lightly brown and juicy. Set aside in a baking dish. Add flour and brown sugar to the pan with the pork juices and stir to mix. Slowly pour in the apple juice and simmer to create a thick sauce. Place one apple ring on each pork chop and spoon the sauce over top. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Bake chops for 45 minutes and enjoy with a low GI carb serving and veggies.


Orange Beef:


This recipe is pretty labour intensive but I thought it was worth it- colourful, low calorie, and flavourful.

6oz inside round steak, fat trimmed and cut into cubes
1 1/2 large oranges
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
diced red and green bell peppers (I also added purple, yellow, and orange for colour)
diced Spanish onion
diced green onions
shredded bok choy
4 tsp olive oil

Place the beef cubes in a bowl with the soy sauce and allow to marinade- set aside. Somehow, hopefully without swearing or throwing your meal at the wall, manage to grate 1 tsp of orange zest and set it into a small dish. Take the half orange and squeeze it to make at least 2 tbsp of fresh juice. Add it to the bowl with the zest and add the chopped ginger. Remove all the white bits of peel from the remaining orange and cut the sections into little half moons and set them aside. Try to prevent other people in the house from eating them until you need them! Heat a pan and warm the olive oil. Spoon the chunks of beef (pour the soy sauce into the orange juice mixture) into the pan and cook until they are browning. Add the soy/orange sauce to the pan and cook until the liquid is reduced. Add the bell peppers and Spanish onion to the pan and cover until the veggies are tender. Add the bok choy, green onions, and orange segments and cover for just a minute or two until the new additions are tender but not soggy. Serve with a low GI carb and enjoy!

New recipes and reviews!

OK, back to the interesting stuff for a while! I've got quite a few new recipes and reviews to share since they didn't really fit in with the Salad Free Week theme. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Granola Bar (Breakfast):



Yeah, I kind of knew when I opened the package that I wasn't really going to enjoy this. It looked just like the Apple Granola Bar that I threw out. It also had no real peanut buttery taste at all- just more of a heavy taste. I did eat it because it wasn't bad- it just wasn't good, either. In hindsight, I should have smeared my fat serving of 1 tsp peanut butter on top of it and I bet it would have tasted a lot better but I didn't think of it at the time. I think this could definitely have been improved if Nutrisystem put chopped peanuts in it instead of just "flavour"!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I got this recipe off the NS forums and it sounded so good but I just didn't find that the taste was what I expected. I'm willing to give it a second try though because it sounds so good! I am thinking that the eggs and cheese might be better on the side.

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Bowl:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/2 dairy/protein serving sausage (I use Lilydale Turkey Sausage)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup McCormick's Sausage Gravy

Prepare your sausage as directed and cut into chunks, set aside. Mix the pancake mix and milk and pour into a sprayed casserole dish. Pour half the gravy on top, then add the sausage, egg, and cheese. Top with remaining gravy and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.


I've got one more pancake mix recipe that's so good, the whole family enjoyed it!

Sweet Potato Bran Bread:


1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp wheat bran
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 small jar pureed sweet potatoes

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased loaf pan at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done- very simple!

When I saw this recipe idea, I thought of how my ten month old son loves sweet potatoes so I decided to modify the recipe to make it for him. I used organic whole grain pancake mix instead of the NS mix and real sugar instead of Splenda, as well as butter to grease the pan instead of spray. He loved it! I did bake it in a casserole dish but I think next time I will use a loaf pan. This might be good with shredded zucchini as well.


Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes:


I decided to make a recipe similar to my Crab Cakes but baking them in the oven to get more of a twice baked potato feel.

Baked Crab Florets

1 pkg NS Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes
4oz crabmeat, drained (100 calories or less)
diced green onion
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
Old Bay seafood seasoning

Prepared the potatoes as directed, with slightly less water to keep them thick. Stir in the other ingredients and put them in a fun shaped silicone baking dish (I used roses). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown, and serve with seafood sauce.

Yum! I think I'd let these crisp up a little more next time but I really enjoyed them.

The Wisdom of Children

I was downstairs on the elliptical machine tonight thinking that I really didn't want to be there, and I couldn't possibly exercise for another minute. A lot of the time when I'm exercising I distract myself with a book or the TV so that I don't think about what I'm doing, but tonight it was just me and sweat. I started making excuses to myself so that I could justify quitting, and then I found myself cheering myself on, telling myself that I could do anything for just one more minute, couldn't I? Then praising myself for accomplishing that and coaxing for just one more minute.

My field is Early Childhood Education. I have spent most of my time with preschoolers, although I've worked with babies right up to school age. A common characteristic of young children is called private speech, or self talk, where they talk to themselves out loud while they are figuring something out. They sort of coach themselves through the situation. Generally by the time we're adults, we've stopped the private speech, at least out loud! However, it's often still in our minds. In everyone's heart of hearts, we're all afraid of failure. That little voice in your head telling you not to try because you can't do it is WRONG. The problem is, we've allowed the negativity to overwhelm our self talk. Next time you're doing something challenging, cheer for yourself. Talk yourself through it in a positive way- it really does work! I survived those extra few minutes on the elliptical and I was proud of myself for doing it and not giving in to my negative thoughts.

A few months ago when I readjusted my ticker to my new target, I still didn't dare imagine that I could actually accomplish it. I was afraid that I was setting myself up for failure again with an unrealistic goal. But now, I really do believe that I will reach and maintain the weight that I want to attain. Maybe it'll take a long time to get there, but I will get there. I know that I can do it. I have faith in myself.

Out of the mouths of babes; the children knew what I had forgotten- you are your own biggest fan, and you're the best person to help yourself through a challenge. So next time that mean little voice rears its ugly head, you can tune it out and remind yourself that the only person who can stop you, is you.

What keeps you motivated?

We all know it's not easy to lose weight. There's temptation everywhere you look. And if you happen to be in a situation where your partner is not doing a weight loss plan and likes to eat everything in sight, it can be difficult at times (especially if you're expected to cook for him/her!). So what kinds of things work for you to keep yourself on track?

For me, one of my biggest motivators is my Fridge Tracker.


Maybe it's silly, but I'm on my third card right now (some other NS'ers were kind enough to give me theirs since they weren't using them) and just watching the weight come off week by week is so motivating for me. I can really see the progress! Plus, it's on the fridge. Every time I walk through the kitchen I see it, and it's enough to combat whatever craving I have. Why would I want to throw away my progress for a snack? It's just not worth it.

What also helps me is maintaining a larger "inventory" of Nutrisystem foods so that I always have lots of whatever I like. The first month I tried Nutrisystem, by the last week I was down to a few odds and ends that I'd been avoiding and didn't really want to eat. When you're faced with food that you don't want to eat, you're more likely to make excuses not to eat it and to go off program. I bought some extra food off of Kijijji, Craigslist, and eBay (always check expiry dates if you do this! People will swear it's fresh when it's years expired!) and now I know I'll always have whatever NS meal I'm craving available.

And of course, reminding myself why I'm doing this really helps. Yes, I want to look good in a swimsuit, but I also want to get healthy so that I'll be here for my son. I don't want to be the fat mom and make him feel ashamed of me, and I certainly don't want him to develop the bad habits that got me where I was seven months ago.

We are all doing this journey for different reasons, but the bottom line is that we're all becoming healthier, stronger people day by day. Every time you turn down something you're craving, you're a winner. Every time you make the decision to exercise and do it, you're a winner. And the prize is something money can't buy.

Mmm... Lasagna...

When I was a kid, I used to joke that I wanted to be Garfield because I loved lasagna so much. Before NS, I used to make delicious lasagnas- of course they were full of meat and dripping with cheese, so obviously not all that healthy! And to be perfectly honest, while Nutrisystem's lasagna is OK, it just doesn't satisfy the way that mine used to.

When I thought about it, the big kicker was the pasta. One serving of lasagna noodles has over 300 calories and 80 grams of carbs, but if you use less, it's not really a lasagna anymore. I needed something flat and noodle-y as a substitute.

Well, after my success with the Eggplant Rollatini, I thought that strips of eggplant might be a suitable substitute. I gave it a try and it was delicious! The best part is, it does not have a low GI carb or fat serving so you can have a slice of garlic bread to go with it!

Flex Meals (Dinner):



Eggplant Lasagna:

6 thin slices of eggplant, peeled
8oz extra lean ground beef
10 tbsp ricotta cheese (or 1 cup cottage cheese)
2 oz shredded cheese (I like the Kraft Italiano blend for this)
diced veggies (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, green pepper, whatever you like)
1.5 cups low sodium tomato sauce

Spray the eggplant slices with PAM and bake them in the oven for ten minutes. Allow to cool. In the meantime, fry the ground beef and drain as much fat as possible from the pan. Add the veggies and saute until softened. Pour in the sauce and simmer until bubbling. Lay two eggplant "noodles" in the bottom of your pan (I used a square cake foil tray) and top with 1/3 of the sauce mixture. Add half the ricotta cheese and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Add another "noodle" layer, crosshatching them with the original slices. Spoon half of the remaining sauce, then add the rest of the ricotta and half the cheese. Top with the final layer of "noodles" and cheese, and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves four as dinner entree + veggies as long as you add a low GI carb and fat serving here or elsewhere in your day.

I bet you won't even notice that something was missing- this was really good and a great way to get in those veggie servings!

Weigh In Day

I was worried about this week's weigh in. I started doing a lot more exercise than I used to which I know causes your body to retain water, plus I'm already bloated. I thought I might actually gain.

I was very happy to see that I lost nearly a pound this week! I'm glad I stayed on track with my eating and I definitely had a lot of fun being creative with my veggies. I still have a few more ideas to share for Salad Free week and I'll try to post a few tonight.

I have some hopes of getting to 60lbs lost next week if I work hard- let's see if I can do it!

Some of you have asked me to post before and after photos. Well, I don't really have good ones to share, but I'll try.

Here is me 3 weeks after my son was born:


And here is me yesterday, out to lunch with Matthew:


I am honestly grossed out looking at the pictures of me with my son while he was little. How could I have let myself get that overweight? It's so embarrassing. I never want to feel this way about my body again. I still have a lot of weight to lose, but at least I don't look like the blimp that ate Toronto anymore!