Sauce

I remember one of the first things I "learned" when I started trying to lose weight back in 2005 was that you couldn't eat sauce on your food, because it was nearly always the not-so-hidden source of extra calories, fat, salt, and sugar. Yes, you can make food taste good with spices and other preparation methods, but when your palate is used to sauce, suddenly going to things like plain chicken breast can be one heck of a shock!

I was delighted when I read about this marinade recipe in Men's Health- with only a few tweaks, it is Nutrisystem friendly and only counts as a free food. Definitely give it a try when you want a delicious dish reminiscent of Asian cooking.

Flex Meals (Dinner or Lunch):



Orange Maple Salmon:

1 raw salmon fillet (3oz for lunch, 4oz for dinner)
1/4 cup orange juice (I used Tropicana 50 to lower the sugar)
1 tbsp SF maple syrup
1 tsp soy sauce
garlic, to taste

Soak the salmon in the marinade for a minimum of half an hour, then bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour a little leftover marinade on top of the fish before baking it if desired (make sure you put down tinfoil in the pan in that case as this sauce will stick to the dish!).

This is great no matter what you pair it with. I liked it on a tortilla with cabbage and rice wine vinegar, but it would also be great with rice and veggies. When using this as a flex meal, count the salmon as your protein servings plus a free food and make sure you add everything else you're supposed to have.

I'm guessing this would also be great on the BBQ!