Think Outside the Box (Or Cup!)

Welcome to all the 2020 newbies! I know there is always an influx of new members in January as we make our New Year's resolutions. How have your first few weeks been going? Don't forget to check out my Tips for Newbies page to get some suggestions on how best to make the program work for you.

Here's a good tip to remember, whether you're brand new or a Nutrisystem veteran- creativity keeps it interesting. If you eat the same old same old, it's so easy to get bored and start making up excuses not to eat something. Or maybe an entrée just doesn't look good to you- find a way to make it different!

I remember the first time I saw the Cheddar Broccoli Rice, and I remember thinking that rice is a side dish, not a lunch! Similarly with entrees like the Loaded Potato, where they really just don't feel emotionally satisfying, even if the food tastes good.

So I thought about that concept- what would I be eating if I had rice on the side? Well, I love fish, but you could also have just about any lean protein that you like. So when I have this lunch entrée, I make it the side dish to go along with my favourite Powerfuel serving, and now instead of feeling frustrated, it suddenly seems like a filling "normal" lunch.

Now, some of you may be thinking, well, I don't get a Powerfuel with lunch? Some plans do, and that solves that problem. For the ones who don't, it is okay to occasionally save a Powerfuel from elsewhere in your day to do this. Maybe you missed your morning snack, or you didn't eat your breakfast Powerfuel. Or if you want, you can add a Powerfuel to lunch simply by "switching" your lunch and dinner. A lunch entrée is 1 Powerfuel + 1 SmartCarb, and a dinner entrée is 2 Powerfuels + 1 SmartCarb, so eating your lunch entrée and adding a Powerful counts as dinner. Just be sure to even that out by either flexing your dinner with only 1 Powerfuel instead of 2, or else eating another lunch entrée at dinnertime.

Remember that 1 Powerfuel is 80-120 calories and at least 5g of protein, so ensure that your protein choice fits into that range. I chose to have 4oz of cod as my Powerfuel with lunch. Seafood is a great option because it's very low fat and loaded with protein. My cod has 119 calories and a whopping 27 grams of protein, so that's a lunch that will keep me full and satisfied!

So don't forget to be creative with your meals- while it's very convenient to have everything premade for us, that doesn't mean that you can't customize the food to your liking and make it easier to succeed with your weight loss goals!

Cheddar Broccoli Rice (Lunch):

Don't forget to check out the Tags on the right side of my blog, where you can click on any Nutrisystem entrée and read all the different ways I have used it in the past. There are lots of creative ideas in there to keep your meals interesting!