Presentation!

Ever notice how fast food restaurants just kinda glop food together and don't really care about how it looks (except in ads where it's perfect!) and fancy restaurants serve you less but make it look really beautiful? Well, it's because we value and appreciate presentation and will pay more and be more satisfied by it. The fast food restaurants are catering to a different desire and don't need to worry about that.

Not all the Nutrisystem food is visually appealing, but if you want to put a little work in, you can make beautiful food for yourself that will definitely make you feel like you are having a treat! I found these recipes on Tasty today, and with a few small modifications they can easily fit into Nutrisystem guidelines!

Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce (Flex Snack or Powerfuel):

6 Thai rice paper wraps (~20 calories each)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced

Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Dip a rice paper wrapper into the water and submerge completely. Remove and lay flat on a clean surface like a plate or cutting board. Add your desired combination of sliced veggies to the wrap, but don't overfill or it will be difficult to roll. Then fold over the bottom edge of the wrap to secure the veggies. Roll until the vegetables are all wrapped up and the top layer of the wrapper is adhering to the rest of the roll (see video if that helps!). Set the spring roll aside under a damp paper towel to keep it fresh while you finish rolling the rest of your spring rolls. Then chill them in the fridge while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce:

1/4 cup PB2
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp sugar free maple syrup
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Whisk until combined, and serve the chilled spring rolls with the sauce.

Honestly, the amount of oil that is called for in the Tasty recipe is way too much and just isn't necessary with all the other rich flavours in the ingredients. The sauce is delicious as listed here. The PB2 counts as your Powerfuel, the sesame oil is an extra, and the other ingredients in the sauce are free foods. The rice paper wraps are your SmartCarb. So count the entire recipe as veggies plus a PF, SC, and one extra. Talk about a super filling afternoon snack!

If you aren't a fan of the rice paper wraps, leave them out and just enjoy this delicious sauce as your PF along with the veggies, and save a SmartCarb for later. The sauce can be made in advance as the longer you let it sit, the more the flavours will blend.

Tasty also made a recipe for fruit spring rolls, but since fruit already is a SmartCarb, we have to be a little more creative with this one. So either you leave the spring roll wrappers out and just enjoy the dip with your fruit, or else use 3 wrappers and count it as 2 extras.

Strawberry Lemonade Fruit Dip (Flex Snack or Powerfuel):

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 sliced strawberry
1 sprig fresh mint leaves
1 tsp honey
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, divided

Blend the dip ingredients together, reserving 1/2 tsp lemon zest for garnish. Blend until smooth and chill. Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest on top.

If you're choosing to use spring roll wrappers, fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Dip a rice paper wrapper into the water and submerge completely. Remove and lay flat on a clean surface like a plate or cutting board. Add your desired combination of sliced fruit to the wrap, but don't overfill or it will be difficult to roll. Then fold over the bottom edge of the wrap to secure the fruit. Roll until the fruit is all wrapped up and the top layer of the wrapper is adhering to the rest of the roll (see video if that helps!). Set the spring roll aside under a damp paper towel to keep it fresh while you finish rolling the rest of your spring rolls. 

Use any combination of fruits that you like to make up a SmartCarb serving. It might help to use two servings' worth so you have have different fruits, and save the rest for the next day. The video recommends strawberries, mango, raspberries, and green apple.

Count the dip as your Powerfuel plus one extra for the honey. If you use three wrappers, that's two more extras which is a bit high so I wouldn't do that often- it maxes you out for the day. If you happen to have two SmartCarb servings, then why not- use 6 wrappers like in the veggie recipe above and count it as two SmartCarbs plus a Powerfuel plus one extra for the honey.

If you just want to dip your fruit, then make yourself one SmartCarb serving of various fruits and enjoy this as your Powerfuel and Smartcarb plus one extra, so it's a great and delicious afternoon snack even without the wrappers.

Lots of different choices to make this interesting addition fit into your plan! I love seeing creative food and definitely wanted to share these recipes.