In case it isn't totally obvious, I love being creative and playing with food. One of the factors that I believe will make you successful on the program is finding ways to have your favourite foods in a healthier way. It's not that we have to decide that some foods are going to be forever forbidden to us; weight loss isn't just a diet phase and then it's over- we then have the harder task of maintaining that loss. It's not realistic to assume you'll never eat French fries or cheesecake again, and if we go back to eating the way we used to, we're going to go back to the size we used to be.
So while it's nice to have the real thing for a treat sometimes, I think that learning to find a way to satisfy the same craving with fewer calories will really help during the maintenance phase- not to mention keeping us happy and satisfied during the weight loss phase!
I love wandering around at local fairs and festivals, but I always feel a little bit of anxiety when I do because every other booth is selling something that smells wonderful. And of course there's nothing wrong with having a treat once in a while, but in my neck of the woods there is a fair nearly every weekend and indulging that often just won't work out for me.
So how can we solve this problem? Why, by finding ways to make a festival treat fit right into our Nutrisystem plan. I saw this delicious breakfast at one of our local fairs and put some time into making a version that tasted just as delicious without the four figure calories. You can either eat it before you go so that you know you've had your treat and you are full, or you can wrap it up and eat it there when you get that craving. It will be a little less crisp, but I don't think the flavour will disappoint at all!
Food Truck Breakfast Waffle (Flex Meals):
1 package Nutrisystem Buttermilk Waffles (or substitute 2 waffles that each meet SmartCarb standards of 80-120 calories and 1 or more grams of fiber)
1 large egg
2 slices of cooked Canadian bacon (or substitute with 1/2 Powerfuel of your preference of ham or turkey bacon)
2 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese (approximately 14 grams)
2 large slices tomato
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp fat free mayonnaise
3/4 tsp sugar free maple syrup
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (coarse grain is best)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking tray with cooking spray. Lay the waffles out on the baking tray. Whisk together the egg and pepper, and pour evenly over the waffles, filling each cavity.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until egg is set.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and maple syrup and stir until blended. Set aside.
Top each waffle with a slice of tomato and bacon, and half the cheese. Return to the oven for about 1 minute or until the cheese melts. Drizzle with the maple-mustard mayo and enjoy!
Please note that this recipe makes two servings of one waffle each.
So the breakdown for this is a little more complicated, but stay with me :) Nutrisystem Dietary Services has said it's fine to use 1 Buttermilk Waffle as a SmartCarb serving, and at 80 calories and 1.5g of fiber, you'll see they fit perfectly into that range. So we have the waffle as our SmartCarb, and then our Powerfuel is the combination of 1/2 egg, 1 slice Canadian bacon, and 1 tbsp. cheddar cheese for a total of 108 calories). The tomato is a free veggie, and the maple mustard mayo comes in at 9 calories so it is a free food.
If that seems like too much work to calculate, you can evaluate it as a flex meal and see that it has 196 calories, 8g fat, 14g of carbs, 1.5g fiber, and 14g of protein. It's a perfect flex breakfast entrée, and that means you can still add whatever is required on your Nutrisystem program to complete your meal. On the Women's regular program, that means you still get an extra Powerfuel in addition!
And they call this a diet?
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