Hungry Days and Not-So-Hungry Days

For those of you just starting out on the program, you might look at my title and wonder how it's possible to have not-so-hungry days when you eyeball the portion sizes on Nutrisystem. I remember my first look at the Blueberry Muffin and sadly resigned myself to being hungry since I would normally have had one or two of them as a snack!

You will find that you adjust to the new serving sizes because your body really doesn't need anywhere near the amount of food that we tend to consume. But, of course, there will be some days you are hungrier than others. I tend to find that a hungry day means that my metabolism is speeding up and that I'm likelier to see a big drop on the scale that week. That helps keep me motivated to stick to my program and not go off plan just because I'm hungry. I use a free food like sugarfree Jello, or indulge in some unlimited veggies like cucumber slices or celery sticks and that really helps.

One of the big reasons that I think Nutrisystem is a superior program to Jenny Craig (besides the cost!) is that I can adjust my meals much more easily to suit myself on hungry days and not-so-hungry days. It's my choice what add-ins to use each meal, so I can choose something bulky if I'm hungry or something light if I don't really feel like eating.

For example, today I woke up hungry! For breakfast, I enjoyed this:



Blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries baked in, a drizzle of sugarfree maple syrup, and a huge omelette made with Egg Beaters, diced ham, and green onions. It was a lot of food and incredibly filling! (Yes, my pancakes got a little overcooked while I was chopping the ham, but they still tasted great!) I also had a little extra bowl of blueberries to snack on since they didn't all fit in my pancake batter. Now, if I hadn't been hungry, I could have had a smaller breakfast that also fits perfectly into plan, like the Cinnamon Bun Bar with a glass of milk and 3 dried prunes. That would fulfill the same breakfast requirements but with a lot less bulk for the days I really don't feel like eating. I really love the flexibility in the program so that I can listen to my body's needs.

Playing with the add-ins is also where we can really get creative. I love that the lunch Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes can be everything from Cream of Potato Soup to Clam Chowder to Crab Cakes to Potato Salad. Even with only one entree, it can still be fun to decide what's for lunch! I don't see myself getting bored of the shelf stable food for a long time- and it's already been more than a year!

It's great to have choice- one of the things I love best about this program is not feeling like I have to eat grilled chicken and salad every day to lose weight. Instead, I can still eat food I love and "cook" as much or as little as I want. Win win (or as I see it- win lose)!

Disclosure: This post was written by me and was not edited by anyone. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any way. Nutrisystem Canada is providing their food and program to me free of charge for my weekly updates. I was not compensated for writing this post.

New Ideas

I haven't tried any more new entrees yet but I do have some neat takes on meals I've already had that I wanted to share!


Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza (Dinner):



One of the things I used to love about Italian meals was having garlic breadsticks. I wasn't a big Olive Garden fan but I loved their breadsticks! Then I got a great idea- I made myself "pasta" with a spaghetti squash and topped it with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and saved a dairy for 1oz of cheese. Then I took an Italian Herb Flatbread pizza and brushed it with 1 tsp olive oil and fresh crushed garlic before warming it up. It was SO good and really kicked that craving! Maybe next time I will make dipping sauce with the oil and balsamic vinegar, or perhaps pesto. It's nice to have something a little different.

Keep in mind that the dieticians told me that the sauce and cheese are about 45 calories each. If you do track calories and choose to skip them, note that the entree will be 90 calories short. You could also use the cheese on the breadsticks if you wanted to, or on top of the pasta.


BBQ Sauce with Pork Wrap (Dinner):



This was just a quick fix- I used to make slow cooker BBQ pork with an Asian twist using hoisin sauce and ginger, among other items. I added a little diced ginger to the pork sauce while I was cooking it with peppers and onions, and then I put it on the wrap with a handful of broccoli slaw sprinkled with Asian Rice Wine Vinegar. It gave it a really great flavour and I loved the crunch- definitely more filling.


Grilled Chicken Breast (Dinner):



I'd written before about my Chicken Pizziola sandwich, and now I finally have a somewhat squished (since I toasted it in my Redi Set Go) photo to share with you. It is really good and definitely hits that craving.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I really love my puff pan! On a suggestion from a commenter here, I tried my Cheesy Egg and Bacon biscuits with sausage instead of bacon, and I decided to make them puffs instead. As usual, the recipe made twice as many as are pictured but I get hungry so I usually eat the first batch! I really enjoyed this and it gave me an idea for another breakfast that I'm going to have to try soon. Just be careful not to overfill the wells since you still need to put the Egg Beaters on top and they'll spill out when the puffs rise if the puff well is too full- you can see mine were overfull.


Cinnamon Bun (Breakfast):



This looks really messy- I am probably not going to bother taking photos when I use Greek yogurt as a base because it's just not appealing looking.

I got this idea off the Nutrisystem boards. I cut up the Cinnamon Bun into little pieces and mixed them into a dairy serving of vanilla Greek yogurt and added a fruit serving of raisins, cinnamon, and Splenda Brown Sugar. It was really filling and I enjoyed it.


Chocolate Chip Scone (Breakfast):

No photo since it lacked visual appeal, but it was good enough to share! I cut the scone into little cubes and mixed it into vanilla Greek yogurt with a fruit serving of strawberries. There was so much breakfast and I loved the way it was creamy with chocolate and strawberry- a winning combination. And it seemed like so much!

Couldn't wait to share!

My bears are here! Just the first two, of course- I won't get my 30lb bear until my next auto delivery which is scheduled for May 28. I delayed it because I bought so much stuff from other people that I don't really have room for more food. I like having more than 4 weeks' worth at a time though so I never run out of my favourites!

I wasn't going to post today but I have a recipe to share that is absolutely phenomenal- please immediately rush out and make it, and tell me it isn't the most delicious thing you've ever had. I am so sad that I have only one Blueberry Pancake Mix left until the end of the month- anyone have any they don't want???

Before I get to the recipe (tantalizing you with anticipation!), here is a review.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (Lunch):




There are two photos here because this item has been reformulated. Fortunately, the one that sucks is no longer being made. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell what you're going to get. Nutrisystem is continuing to send out the old ones until they run out of them.

The yummy ones are the bars coated entirely in chocolate. They are delicious and only a whopping 10 calories more than the plain bars. They are rich, peanut-y, and very filling. One of my favourite lunches. When I opened a plain one yesterday, I was surprised- what was this? I double checked the package and then called NS, where I found out I was holding a pre-reformulation bar. It was just okay- nothing special. If they hadn't reformulated it, this would not stay on my auto delivery, I'd just get the fudge graham bar instead. If you love peanut butter, definitely try this (and hope you get the new one!).

Blueberry Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


I got this recipe off the Nutrisystem boards and it is amazing. I was dubious about the ricotta cheese but it worked perfectly and tasted better. You could also make this with the plain Pancake Mix and sub in dried fruit of whatever jam you put on top.

1 NS Blueberry Pancake Mix
2 tsp Splenda
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp dried blueberries
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/3 c buttermilk

Filling:
2 tbsp light ricotta cheese
2 tsp Splenda
1 tsp pancake mix(dry, reserved from mix above)
1 tbsp SF blueberry jam

Combine all the batter ingredients and mix well- it's pretty runny. Pour into a greased single serving casserole dish. Mix the ricotta, Splenda, and pancake mix together and drop it into the centre of the batter. Top with the spoonful of jam and bake at 350. My danish took 20 minutes to cook because I used a smaller deep dish, so baking time will vary depending on the size and shape of the pan you use.

Let it cool, and try not to devour it in 10 seconds once you take the first bite!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

I was so excited to dig into my American box! So far, I have tried three new foods and liked them all!

Chocolate Chip Scone (Breakfast):


This was a sweet chocolatey treat- it felt too decadent for breakfast! I have heard they are wonderful warmed in the microwave, or even cut in half and used as "bread" to make French toast with an egg as your protein/dairy serving, but I haven't tried it yet. I really like the density of the scones.

Blueberry Flavoured Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


These were really good. How can this be diet food? The pancakes do come out a little thinner than what I'm used to, but that could probably be fixed by adding less milk than they suggest. I also plan to add real blueberries next time to supplement the dried ones in the mix. I topped this with a little sugarfree maple syrup, and they were delicious!

The third item I tried was eaten one handed while I fed the baby, so I didn't get a chance to take a picture. It was really good, though! I had the Thin Mint Crisp Bar. This will definitely be on my reorder list.

The last item, I let Dan do the taste testing because it really wasn't my type of snack. In my free week, I was sent Buffalo Wing Pretzel Sticks.

Buffalo Wing Pretzel Sticks (Dessert):


He started eating them before I got the picture, so that's only about a third of the actual serving size. They got a little smushed in the package, too. Basically, they are breadsticks with a little salt and buffalo seasoning on them. Dan's verdict is that they could use a little more of the seasoning and needed a bit more kick. If you are looking to kick a salt craving, he says these are certainly edible, but they just didn't quite do it for him. They tasted like salty sawdust to me, but then again I never liked this type of snack even when it was the "real thing".

Sometimes I just look in amazement at the food I'm eating- pancakes, pasta, pizza, cake, and brownies, and I can't believe I'm losing weight! This is the easiest way to lose weight ever. It's quick and convenient, the food is mostly good, and I don't feel deprived of anything! Of course, there has been the odd item that I can't stand, but you can't like everything I guess.