Turbo Takeoff Day 4

So, I'm tired and grumpy- my body is definitely NOT impressed with Turbo Takeoff. I would love to do some more reading behind why they think eating such a low number of calories for the first week is a good idea. I am no dietician so I can't offer a professional opinion, but I don't see why we need to be shocked quite this hard. A person with less than 100lbs to lose would be averaging under 1000 calories daily. I get a few more since I'm quite obese, but not too many. I am finding myself to be constantly feeling mentally slow, yawning all the time, and irritable- these are not good things to deal with! I can't wait for this week to be over so I can go on the "normal" Nutrisystem plan, although I still have to do some reading on how different it is now from what I remember before.

So, these are the Nutrisystem TurboShakes. The box suggests adding a tiny bit of mint extract to make a chocolate mint shake, so I tried that. Personally, I am never really a fan of drinking my calories unless they're alcoholic, so I'd much rather be getting my usual Nutrisystem desserts than these shakes. 

Honestly, though, they're not terrible... they're just not good. I would never buy them, and I'd never choose to drink them, but I can get them down okay. The powder blends pretty well with water and it's not chunky or lumpy, which helps a lot. It's best when it's really cold.

The NutriCurb bars are okay, but I'm not as much of a fan. I like some of their other peanut butter products better. I don't find these to be any more satiating than their other bar products, despite the additional grams of protein. I have no issues eating them, but they likely wouldn't be a thing I would order since if I want a protein bar there are lots of good choices at the grocery store for not much money, and way more flavour selection.

I don't mean to be so negative this week... but I'm really, really hungry. I knew that this was going to be bad, but again, I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. I'm also using the an app to track my calories, and I'm way below where it recommends I should be. While I am more sedentary even than its most sedentary setting due to my health, this is still a significant caloric deficit over and above what it says will cause me to lose 2lbs/week. I am really looking forward to next week when the calories go back up to "normal" for Nutrisystem. Hopefully then I won't feel so deprived.

I still have no pictures, and I'll admit that it's again because as soon as I open food, I wind up cramming it in my mouth, so it's not very photogenic. I am starting to come to the end of the Turbo Takeoff, so there is less choice.

Surprisingly, many of the entrees are still at least similar to their 2011 incarnations, although there are several that I miss. Yesterday I tried the chili with beans. I did add a little bit of sour cream as my extra, but I missed being able to throw a baked potato or some sweet potato fries underneath it. It's still pretty tasty though, and I wished for more. 

Today started with the blueberry lemon baked bar. Since I used to love the dessert version, I had high hopes for this which were unfortunately dashed as soon as the fake lemon hit my tongue. It was just not right. The texture was somehow dry and chewy at the same time, and it was much like eating flavoured cardboard. This one needs to go back for a reformulation, in my opinion. What would be so terrible about using a little lemon zest?

For lunch, I had the chocolate peanut butter lunch bar, which I think might be exactly the same as it used to be. It's still delicious. My only objection to it being in this box is that it's a little annoying to have that for lunch followed by the peanut butter NutriCurb bar for afternoon snack. Two bars already was irking me, and to have them both be peanut butter flavoured (and the second one less tasty to boot) felt like insult to injury.

Dinner was the chicken pasta parmesan, which seemed similar to the one they used to make although now it comes in a little pouch instead of a plastic tray. I am not sure why, when the other pasta dishes have come in the trays. Either way, I was so hungry by dinnertime and I felt so disappointed when I poured it into a bowl and saw how small the portion was. It was gone within minutes and I was sitting glumly looking at an empty plate. The flavour was fine, and while this wouldn't be one of my favourites, it was serviceable, though. I really miss the old Sloppy Joe Mix though. I never ate it as a sloppy joe but I put it over pasta so this entrée reminded me of it. 

Only three more days to go... since they pick the food in the Turbo Takeoff week, my choices are starting to dwindle. I never had a shortage of selection when I was on the program in the past, since I liked having several months' worth of food on hand so that I could have what I wanted when I felt like it and not feel like I had to eat something because it was the only thing left in the box. I'm looking forward to getting into the other items I selected, and hopefully I will like them!

Great Southwest Favourites!

I've always thought that Nutrisystem did a great job with their Southwest style entrees, which is why I was so disappointed when I heard that they were discontinuing their Southwest Style Wrap as well.

Fortunately, with the help of Garlic Gold's new Southwest Style nuggets, I can still recreate one of my favourite dinners.


Mexican Pizza (Take Two) (Dinner):



1 pkg Nutrisystem Grilled Chicken breast (or 4oz boneless skinless chicken)
1 whole wheat pita or tortilla
1 tbsp Roasted Red Pepper hummus
1 tbsp taco sauce
1 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp Garlic Gold oil
diced onions, green peppers, tomatoes
2 tsp Garlic Gold Southwest Style nuggets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice up your chicken and fry it in the Garlic Gold oil until fully cooked. Add vegetables and taco sauce and cook until soft. Spread the hummus on your "crust" and add the chicken/veggie mix. Top with cheese and bake in the oven until crust is crispy and cheese is melted. Sprinkle Garlic Gold Southwest Style nuggets on top and enjoy while it's hot!

The nuggets give this a great zesty flavour and I really enjoyed my dinner. This counts as a dinner entree plus dairy/protein, fat, veggies (depends how much you use), and a free food.


I was chatting with a friend about the food served in a particular restaurant, and she told me how amazing their nachos are. That gave me such a craving so I decided to try and make my own.

Beefy Nachos (Dinner):



1 pkg Nutrisystem Beef Taco or Chili with Beans or Vegetarian Chili
1 pita or tortilla, cut into "chips"
Garlic Gold Sea Salt nuggets
PAM spray (or Garlic Gold oil in a mister)
sour cream, diced green onion (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the chips with PAM olive oil spray or else mist them with Garlic Gold oil. Sprinkle the Sea Salt nuggets on top. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until crispy and golden.

These are delicious and taste exactly like tortilla chips! They have that slight salty flavour, a great crisp, and a nice garlicky touch. Top the chips with your dinner entree of choice and use salsa or sour cream for dipping if desired.

The reason I like to use the (discontinued) Beef Taco for this is that I can simply throw away the taco shells and use this as my carb serving; for the other entrees you do need to add a carb to enjoy this. However, it's easy to eat a lunch like the tuna or chicken salad with a salad and skip the included carb to look forward to a decadent dinner like this one!

I really enjoy cooking with Garlic Gold. When I received an email asking me if I wanted to review their two newest seasoning nuggets (watch for a recipe soon using their new Herbs de Provence nuggets!) I said yes definitely, and asked if they could please send me some more oil as we've gone through the whole bottle already! My husband loves it- one of his favourite quick fixes is to add 1 tsp to his tomato soup and he says it tastes fantastic like that. I find their products add so much flavour.

Disclosure: I received this product mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. (And I really, really love Garlic Gold and plan to continue writing about their products!)

My Answer to Wendy's

So on the weekend, I had a friend come over. He was nice enough to bring me a sub for lunch but stopped for himself at Wendy's. And I gotta tell you, those fries smelled SO good. I haven't had "real" fries in almost a year. And honestly, I don't really miss them. A lot of stuff that I thought I enjoyed just doesn't taste good enough to be worth what it does to your body. I seem to recall feeling kind of dull and gross after eating fast food anyway most of the time.

But this time... the smell really had me. He also had a cup of chili with him which made me remember how I used to love making chili fries at Wendy's. So of course, I had to come up with a way to enjoy them again!


Chili with Beans (Dinner):



Chili Fries:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Chili with Beans (or Vegetarian Chili)
1 serving Cajun Fries
diced onion, tomatoes, green peppers
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice
chopped green onions for garnish
sour cream (optional)
chili paste (optional)

I started off with a serving of my Cajun Fries, except I didn't add the chili powder and instead I did add a little bit of sea salt. While they were baking, I sprayed a pan with PAM olive oil spray and cooked the vegetables until they started to soften. I dumped the chili on top and let the dish simmer until bubbling. Add the chili paste if desired and stir well.

When everything's ready, put the fries in a bowl and pour the chili on top. Add your sour cream and green onions and dig in!

This was SO good and definitely took care of that craving. Who needs fatty fried potatoes when I can have yummy vegetables that taste like this?

Count it as a dinner entree, 3 vegetable servings, and a free food if you use the sour cream. You may also choose to count it as 1 vegetable serving and 1 carb serving if you prefer- butternut squash is a starchy vegetable so it is either 2 veggie servings or 1 carb, according to Dietary Services, as long as you limit your quantity.


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.

Tomato Lovers!

We used to eat pasta and things with tomato sauce at least twice a week, which helped contribute to me looking the way I do! It's so easy to overeat on pasta because it's shockingly high in calories, even when you choose whole wheat. The box says a "serving" is over 300 calories, and that's before you add meat, cheese, and whatever else you like! I am looking forward to getting my hands on some Fiber Gourmet pasta, which is lower in calories and carbs than regular pasta. That way I can have a little more flexibility with my pasta meals.

The modifications I made in today's recipes are very simple but they tasted so much better than simply eating the entree alone!

Chili with Beans (Dinner):


OK, who doesn't love a good chili dog? I just heated up the chili like normal in the microwave, and then cooked a veggie dog and placed it in a whole wheat roll. Top with the chili and 1/2 serving of cheese, maybe some onions and whatever else you like on a chili dog, and enjoy! You'll still have chili left over to eat from the bowl as well.


Cheese Tortellini (Lunch):


I saw this modification on the Nutrisystem boards and decided to give it a try because I'm finding that I don't enjoy the Cheese Tortellini nearly as much as I used to. On the limited Canadian menu, it was great. Now I have lots of things to choose from that I enjoy so this has dropped way down my list.

Cheesy Pepperoni Bake
1 pkg NS Cheese Tortellini
1/2 cup no salt added diced tomatoes
1/2 serving turkey pepperoni
1/2 serving shredded cheese
chopped onions and whatever other veggies you like
basil, oregano, garlic, and black pepper to taste

Pour the tomatoes into a glass baking dish and add the tortellini and stir to blend. Add the spices and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove dish from oven, add chopped pepperoni and stir, top with shredded cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes.

This was infinitely better than just eating the tortellini out of the can. It's still not my favourite lunch but now I can find it more palatable.

Lasagna with Meat Sauce (Dinner):


My husband requested I make him lasagna for dinner, and after looking at the pan I made for him the "old way", dripping with meat and cheese and sauce, I decided to try and perk up my sad little tray of lasagna a little bit.

I took a glass baking dish and added 1/4 cup of no salt added tomato sauce (counts as a veggie serving without the sodium), and chopped up onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. I topped the veggies with 1 tbsp low fat ricotta cheese (free food). I opened the lasagna and chopped it up, and put half on top. I then added 1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese (1/2 protein) and spread it around. I added the remaining lasagna pieces and sauce from the tray and topped with 1/2 oz shredded mozzerella cheese (1/2 protein).

It was SO filling and while it didn't have that heavy pasta taste that I do still miss, I really enjoyed it and I'm so stuffed that I couldn't eat another bite. It was definitely an improvement on just heating the little tray!

Flex Meals

I've been trying to avoid making flex meals because I was nervous about my ability to make food compliant with the program until I've lost more weight and gotten more confidence. Tonight, however, my inlaws were visiting, and I wanted to be able to make a tasty dinner that I'd be able to eat, too.

Here are the guidelines for making a flex dinner:

Dinner
2 Fat Serving
3 Lean Protein Serving
1 Vegetable Serving or Fruit Serving 2 Tbsp. Fat Free Dressing (if desired)
1 Low Glycemic Carbohydrate Serving
2 Vegetable Serving

I decided to make one of my favourite meals- Chicken Cordon Bleu. The name conjures up a fatty chicken breast dripping with cheese and ham, breaded and fried until it's greasy, maybe with a cream sauce on top. This substitute is delicious and has a fraction of the calories. It's also very high in protein (make sure to save one serving from earlier in the day!).



4 3oz chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 oz shaved fat free ham
2 oz fat free Swiss cheese
0.5 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (Italian spiced if you can get them)
0.5 cup eggbeaters
4 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take the thin chicken breasts and place 1/2 oz each of the ham and cheese in the middle and fold into a roll; secure with toothpicks. Dip the rolls in the eggbeaters and then into the breadcrumbs. Take a glass baking dish and pour the oil into it. Place the chicken rolls into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Makes four servings.

For my side dishes, I made wild rice (1/3 cup is a low GI carb serving), steamed asparagus with a little lemon juice and garlic margarine for flavour (2nd fat serving), and a big salad with spinach, romaine, red green and yellow bell pepper, baby bella mushrooms, shallots, and tomatoes with fat free dressing. The eggbeaters and breadcrumbs are such a small serving that they could probably be counted as free foods.

It was fabulous- everyone enjoyed it, even the people who aren't watching their weight. It has a fraction of the fat and calories but all the flavour.


I've also tried to jazz up a few of the other Nutrisystem meals as well. I find the chili pretty boring, and it's disappointing that it is not one of the meals where you get to add a carb. Who doesn't love chili with rice or crackers? However, if you're one of the lucky fortunates who does get a carb with dinner, you might like this modification.

Chili with Beans (Dinner):


I chopped up onions, tomatoes, and green peppers and sauteed them in olive oil for my fat serving, and then poured the chili over top and let it simmer until the sauce had thickened. In the meantime, I took some Garden Fresh Gourmet Pita Chips and arranged them on the outside of a plate. Seven chips is a carb serving and they're very filling. I split mine in half so that it would look like more, and then poured the chili in the middle, topping with cheddar cheese (saved snack protein) and fat free sour cream. It was delicious- like eating nachos with chili sauce. Suddenly those little cups of chili have become more appetizing!

Florentine Sauce with Chicken Fettuccine (Dinner):


I know this is a discontinued item but apparently they are still available at Big Lots stores in the United States with long expiry dates- I just bought 23 from another Nutrisystem client and they're good until July 2011. If you can't get them, the modifications can be used on any of the NS pasta dishes, lunch or dinner. I just love this meal!

I chopped up onions, bella mushrooms, tomatoes, and green peppers and sauteed them in olive oil, and then dumped the pasta entree in the pan. I added 2oz of chicken (saved protein serving) and 1/2 tbsp bacon bits for a little extra flavour, and cooked it until everything was well mixed. It was a huge bowl and absolutely delicious. You have to eat your veggies anyway, and salad gets boring after a while!


Grilled Chicken Breast (Dinner):


I had a lot of fun with this entree. I've been missing my Subway Chicken Pizziola sub, so I decided to try and duplicate it at home. The above picture is the chicken breast cut into strips and seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano. Then I took a whole wheat roll (to be added with the chicken) and split it in half, and placed the chicken on top. I topped it with half a serving of turkey pepperoni, pizza sauce (free food) and 1/2 oz mozzarella cheese (saved protein). I baked it for ten minutes and it was fabulous. I didn't take a picture of it because it's really hard to see much beyond a bun and the cheese but it definitely satiated my Italian sandwich craving.

I served it with an Italian style side dish- roasted tomatoes and onions. I chopped up the tomatoes and onions, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with basil and oregano. Yum!


Cinnamon Bun Bar (Breakfast):


As soon as I took this out of the package, it was reminiscent of the Apple Strudel Bar. I bit into it and again it was sickeningly sweet. I love sweet things but I couldn't handle this. The frosting did taste like that used on a cinnamon bun though and there was a nice cinnamon flavour, but the heavy sweetness just overwhelmed it for me. I like the regular Cinnamon Bun better- it's dense, cinnamony, but not as sweet.

Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar (Dessert):


Yum! This tastes just like a Nestle Crunch Bar but with mint flavouring! This is going to be increased on my next auto delivery for sure. It definitely kicked my chocolate craving.


I'm feeling more positive again. I know I can do this... I just have to want to. My biggest obstacle is myself.

It's Here!

My Nutrisystem box arrived today! It was kind of exciting to get that huge brown box delivered and open it up to see all kinds of goodies. Everything is colour coded so you know which meal it's for.





I must confess that I was a little skeptical of the portion sizes at first. The meals are pretty small, but I guess that's the point of a weight loss program- portion control. With all the food you add though, it's still a good sized meal and so far I am not feeling hungry. In fact, I am struggling to fit in everything that I need to eat!

When I told friends and family that I was doing Nutrisystem, I heard a lot of negative remarks. No one thought the food would be edible and at least one person told me she'd rather eat cardboard. Honestly, I am wondering if we're eating the same food? I know Nutrisystem had a menu makeover, but it must have been awfully good!

So far, I have tried three items from my box and they've all been good. For breakfast, I had the Apple Strudel Scone, for lunch I had the Chocolatey Peanut Butter Bar, for dinner I had the Chili, and for dessert I had the Nacho Crisps. I was really impressed that this was diet food, to be honest! The chili was full of beans and "meat", and the sauce was delicious. It was not spicy at all however so spice lovers should add some red pepper to give it some kick.



I think this is really something that can be sustainable, since the food is definitely edible. Hopefully all the meals will be this good, but I'll keep you posted!