Dessert for Breakfast?

I've always had a major sweet tooth, which explains one of the reasons why I got to the weight I was. This delicious breakfast recipe will make you feel like you're breaking all the rules but it's still filling and right on plan!

Vanilla Almond Fruit Flan (Breakfast):



1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp Splenda
2 almonds, minced (optional free food)
1/4 cup blueberries
1/3 cup strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup raspberries


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a shallow, wide single serving dish with PAM spray. In a bowl, mix together the pancake mix, milk, egg, and 1 tbsp Splenda. In a separate bowl, soak the fruit in the extracts and remaining Splenda. Pour the batter into the baking dish and top with the fruit (and minced almonds, if using them) and bake for 35 minutes or until cake is golden brown.

The egg gives this a really nice consistency and the extracts make this taste so decadent! Count it as a complete breakfast, with a free food if you use the 2 almonds. You can also try different fruit combinations, just as long as they all add up to one fruit serving.

Thank You

Thank you all for the kind comments and emails- they really helped. I'm still struggling but I've been doing much better than I was before. I need to get that motivation back!

I have been trying to make some new things in the hopes that the variety will inspire me. So far, breakfast has been pretty awesome! Here's a new recipe that I created and it was so good that I had it for breakfast 2 days in a row!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Strawberry Ricotta Layer Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup LF ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the Pancake Mix, milk, vanilla, and 1 tbsp of the Splenda. Spray a casserole dish with Pam Butter spray and put the strawberries in the bowl. Mix the ricotta cheese with the remaining Splenda and spoon it on top of the strawberries. Pour the pancake batter on top. Top with one hulled strawberry and bake for ~25 minutes or until cake is brown on top.

I liked mine hot out of the oven since I like my strawberries hot and syrupy, but I bet this would be good cool as well. In fact, I liked it so much that I decided to try it with Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix, too!



The chocolate was SO good with the ricotta and strawberries- I'd make it again tomorrow but I am out of ricotta cheese! If you don't have any of the Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (it's discontinued), simply add 20 calories' worth of mini chocolate chips and count it as a free food. Count this as a complete breakfast; just make sure that the stats on your ricotta cheese fit as a dairy/protein serving of 100 calories or less, 3g fat or less, and 7g protein or more. I've seen a lot of variation in different brands of ricotta and some fit while others don't.

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.

Sorry!

I've been having some trouble with my internet lately and it's taking forever to get things sorted out. I hate it when technicians give you an 8 hour window in which they plan to arrive, so you stay home, and then they don't show up! Talk about wasted time.

So I'm posting from a friend's house but I just wanted to let you know that it might be a few days before I'm able to get online again. I do have an awesome recipe to share with you, though!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Banana Bread:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp Splenda
2 1/2 tsp milk
2 1/2 tsp sour cream
1 tsp Egg Beaters
1/2 overripe banana
1/4 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small loaf pan with PAM butter spray. Mix all the ingredients together until it is a very thick batter. I didn't think it would come together at first with that small an amount of liquid, but it did! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

You're adding exactly 6 calories for the milk, sour cream, and egg beaters, so I don't bother counting them at all- I just include it in the entree. Feel free to count it as part of your dairy/protein if you like. If you add the walnuts, count a fat, but otherwise- this is just an entree + fruit so you can still have your dairy serving on the side. This is really yummy right out of the oven!

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.

Weekend Decadence

We stopped by McDonalds during Free Coffee Week and looking at all the breakfast items on the menu, it made me remember one of my favourites- the McDonalds breakfast burritos. One burrito is 300 calories, 16g of fat (7g saturated), and 24g of carbs, and most people eat two plus a potato item like hashbrowns!

Since I've been playing around with crepes lately, I got the idea of using the Pancake Mix to make a wrapper for the burrito. The result was an incredibly decadent breakfast that will have you convinced that this breakfast couldn't possibly be Nutrisystem-friendly; but it is!

Pancake Mix:



McDonalds Breakfast Burrito:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 slice fat free cheese
1 turkey breakfast sausage
chopped onions, green peppers (optional)
black pepper and hot sauce to taste
salsa or ketchup to taste

In a bowl, whisk the pancake mix, milk, and water until no lumps remain. Pour half the batter into a frying pan sprayed with PAM butter spray; set the other half of the batter aside. Flip the crepe when ready and cook the second side. In a separate pan, cook the Egg Beaters, sausage, and vegetables. When both the eggs and crepe are ready, spoon the filling into one side of the crepe and top with the FF cheese. Microwave for 20 seconds to melt the cheese, and enjoy with a spoonful of spicy salsa if desired!

My husband took one bite of this and asked me to make him some for lunch! He likes them with a little Frank's hot sauce cooked into the eggs and asked me to add a little to the crepe batter next time as well.

Some tips on making your crepes since I had trouble at first: they take much, much longer to cook than pancakes, which I wasn't expecting since they are so thin. Also, if you try to flip them early, they'll rip and be ruined (or at least not look so pretty). I wait until the edges start to lift and then carefully slide my spatula underneath. The second side only takes a minute or so to crisp up since it's already mostly cooked. If you are making crepes and want the first one to stay moist for easy folding while the second cooks, put it on a plate and place a damp paper towel over the top.

Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering how to count this and what we're going to do with the rest of the batter. Here's where breakfast starts to feel like a real extravagance!

Quick Dessert for Breakfast Crepe:



leftover crepe batter
1 fruit serving of your favourite berries (I like strawberries), in thin slices
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ricotta cheese

Prepare the second crepe as directed above. While it's cooking, pour the water, vanilla, and Splenda into a small pan and heat it on medium heat. Add the strawberries, and let them cook until most of the liquid is gone and the pan is thick and syrupy. Put the ricotta cheese in the crepe and top with the fruit syrup. If desired, drizzle with Walden Farms Maple Syrup or Chocolate Syrup and a tiny puff of whipped cream. Enjoy your breakfast dessert!

After a year, I have to say that this breakfast still has me feeling slightly amazed that I can do it all with a breakfast entree, dairy/protein, and fruit serving (plus a free food: the tbsp of ricotta), but you can! Just make sure that you don't go over 100 calories for your egg filling- it depends on the stats for your sausage. You could also use 1oz of fat free ham if you want more egg or cheese. It was a totally filling and decadent breakfast- definitely satisfied my cravings!

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.

I'm Leaving on a Cruise Ship...

Well, not really- but I can pretend, right? One thing I love about cruises is the wonderful food. Our favourite cruiseline is Celebrity, and they've introduced a relatively new feature on some of their ships called Bistro on Five, which serves lighter fare like sandwiches, sweet and savory crepes. We really enjoyed eating there- the meals were fabulous!

Recently I was asked if I ever made any savory crepe recipes (after sharing my Fruity Crepes recipe), and it immediately made me think of Bistro on Five and the delicious meals I'd enjoyed there. Today's recipe is the result of that, and believe me- it will have you envisioning the high seas!

Mediterranean Turkey Pesto Crepe:



Pancake Mix (Breakfast):

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2 oz sliced turkey or chicken
1 tbsp sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onions and green pepper
1 oz shredded Italiano blend cheese
1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp basil pesto

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the pancake mix as directed and add the additional 1/3 cup water until the batter is very thin and runny. Spray a medium frying pan with Olive Oil PAM spray. Pour half the batter into the pan (refrigerate the other half and reserve for later). When the crepe is crisping, flip it over. The second side cooks very quickly- be careful not to overcook! In the meantime, sautee the sliced chicken or turkey in Olive Oil PAM spray with the vegetables and sundried tomatoes. When the vegetables are soft, place the crepe flat in a baking dish and fill with the meat and vegetable mixture. Top with the shredded cheese and fold the crepe over top. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. In a Ziploc bag, mix together the mayonnaise and pesto until well blended. Snip a tiny hole in one corner of the bag for easy squirting. When the crepe comes out of the oven, scoop it onto a plate and squirt the pesto sauce over the crepe in a zigzag pattern. Enjoy it while it's hot!

Dietary Services confirmed that 1/2 package of pancake mix can be used as a carb serving, so this is a great "flex" lunch entree.

Here are the stats for a flex lunch: 1 Fat Serving, 2 Lean Protein Serving, 1 Low Glycemic Carbohydrate Serving, and 1 Vegetable Serving.

Counts as a complete lunch (served with a salad or veggies), and a free food.

If you are one of the lucky ducks who gets an extra carb serving with your lunch, make the second crepe as well and have a sweet crepe for dessert! Fill it up with hot chopped strawberries or other berries and enjoy a decadent meal.

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.

Breakfast

In the "old days", I used to skip breakfast. I don't eat cereal, and most sweet stuff is really bad for you. Have you gone to the grocery store and looked at the nutritional facts on a muffin, lately? The ones I used to eat had over 500 calories per muffin! That's insane!

I remember when I first started Nutrisystem, I was delighted because I could eat all the sweet stuff that I used to crave for breakfast. I mean, a chocolate muffin? Seriously?

I also love that I've been able to replicate some of the more decadent breakfasts that I used to enjoy. This one will definitely make you feel like you're having a special treat. Save it for those lazy weekend mornings!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Fruity Crepes:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
4 tbsp low fat ricotta cheese
1 tbsp fat free cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Splenda
1 fruit serving of your favourite fruit

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a pan, heat up a little water, 1 tsp Splenda, and your fruit serving, sliced thinly if it's strawberries- you don't need to slice blueberries or raspberries or the like. Simmer on medium heat until they form a syrupy mixture and turn off heat. Spray a large pan with PAM spray and heat it on medium. In a bowl, blend the pancake mix, milk, and water until smooth. Pour half the batter into the pan- it should fill the full base of the pan. Flip the pancake when it's set and set aside when cooked. Make the second crepe. While it's cooking, mix the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, splenda, and vanilla extract in a small dish. Spoon half the filling inside each crepe and roll them up. Top with the fruit sauce and bake in the oven for ten minutes. Top with a puff of whipped cream if desired and enjoy!

I made mine with strawberries but these would be great with blueberries or raspberries. You could use the Blueberry Pancake Mix if you wanted to make them fruitier. I also considered making cranberry orange or apple cinnamon crepes. The flavour can be varied if you add different extracts to the ricotta filling as well- you can make this dish whatever way appeals to you! Count it as a breakfast entree + a dairy/protein serving, fruit, and free food.

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.

More Thanksgiving Treats

I got an email from Hungry Girl with some great pumpkin recipes, so I thought I'd give them a try and review them here for you. If you haven't visited the Hungry Girl website I definitely recommend it- just keep an eye on the nutritional information, because while all the items are low calorie, they may not all fit into the Nutrisystem program.

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Caramel Pudding Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
5 tsp Egg Beaters
1 tsp sugarfree maple syrup
1 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cube of caramel
1/4 tsp fat free milk

In a bowl, mix together everything but the caramel and milk. Pour into the muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. In the microwave, melt the caramel and milk for 30 seconds and stir vigorously to blend. Drizzle the caramel over the muffins and enjoy.

Well, the picture didn't come out very well. I should have clued in from the name of pudding cupcakes that these would be soft and gooey, and using a fancy silicone baking mold wasn't going to work. I was trying to make roses but unfortunately the batter got stuck and they came out crushed. They tasted really great, though! I also made a few modifications to the Hungry Girl recipe. Since these were far too low in protein to count as a dessert and not really suitable for anything else, I substituted NS pancake mix for the yellow cake mix. I don't think it hurt the flavour any. Here's the original Hungry Girl recipe if you're interested. This makes one large serving and it counts as a breakfast or dessert entree plus a free food, with 190 calories, 42g carbs, 2g fat, and 11g of protein.

Flex Meals (Dessert):



Hungry Girl Too Good To Deny Pumpkin Pie:

2 graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
2 tbsp Splenda
1 tbsp sugarfree maple syrup
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Spray a baking dish with PAM and pour the graham crumbs inside, spread evenly. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour batter into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving with a little whipped cream on top.

The original Hungry Girl recipe is here. Again, I made a few modifications to compensate for the low protein and my tastes. Also, since I'm the only one eating it, I didn't want a whole pie so I tried to boil the recipe down to a single serving. I counted this as a breakfast or dessert plus a fruit (and a free food if you use the whipped cream). It has 209 calories, 35g of carbs, 2g of fat, and 12g of protein. I substituted graham crackers for the Fibre One cereal because I'm just not a big fan of the taste of Fibre One. Use that if you prefer it though. This was pretty good! I like my pumpkin pie sweet and tangy so I increased the proportionate amount of Splenda and pumpkin pie spice- feel free to decrease a little if you prefer a milder flavour.

Definitely give these recipes a try if you're looking for a pumpkin-y treat!

Pumpkin Week!

I'm still a little pressed for time so I haven't really had much time to cook, but it felt a little silly to do Pumpkin Week in January so I'm doing the best I can. It might be a little shorter than usual, though.

Pumpkin is a very versatile food on the Nutrisystem program. 1/2 cup counts as a veggie serving and 1 cup counts as a fruit, per the dieticians. This makes it easy to incorporate it into the plan.

You've already seen my Crustless Pumpkin Pie, which can be used as a dairy/protein serving, and here are two more recipes that I've tried.

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):

Pumpkin Roll:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/3 cup Splenda
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Icing:

2 tbsp Philadelphia Ultra Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 tsp margarine
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all the roll ingredients together and spread the batter thinly on a sheet of wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with a sheet of wax paper and roll up the cake and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Mix icing until smooth, and spread it on top of the cake and reroll (minus that second sheet of wax paper!). Chill for an hour. **Makes 2 servings**

Sorry, no photo because my camera messed up. Honestly, it wasn't all that photogenic anyway because it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I thought the batter would spread itself out in the oven, but it didn't, so I got more of a pumpkin cake than anything else. It wouldn't roll. I just cut it in half and put the icing in between like a sandwich to try and get the roll effect. Unfortunately, I found that I didn't like the icing at all, so I wound up scraping it off and just eating the cake. The cake was really delicious though! This counts as a dessert entree (or breakfast)- as prepared with icing, it has 130 calories, 23g of carbs, 3g of fat, and 10g of protein. Next time, I'd just frost it with plain cream cheese though and not mix anything into it. If you want to eat just the cake, eat the whole thing and count it as a breakfast or dessert entree + 1/2 veggie or free food.


Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Pancakes:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (or plain mix plus 1tsp chocolate chips)
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 oz macadamia nuts, crushed
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all the ingredients together and cook either as pancakes or pancake puffs (my preference!). Enjoy with sugar free maple syrup, if desired.

I got this recipe from Kompukat on the Nutrisystem boards and it is delicious! Even the name makes it sound decadent. Definitely try this one when you need a pumpkin fix. It counts as your entree, fat serving, and either 1/2 veggie or a free food. I made ten puffs (this batch got a little deformed, sorry!).

Thanksgiving Giveaway!

Here's your chance to win something cool just in time for Thanksgiving. I am very excited to be doing my first giveaway here at Stomach Rumblings!

CSN Stores has offered to give one of my readers a $35 gift certificate which can be used at any of their more than 200 online stores which sell everything from modern bar furniture to stylish accessories to cookware and great gadgets!

I was browsing through one of their sites, Cookware.com, and they have lots of neat items that would be great for cooking in a healthy lifestyle. If you don't have a puff pan yet, here's your chance to get one absolutely free!



This morning I used mine to make Strawberry & Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffs. I made the Nutrisystem Pancake Mix as directed (substitute 1/3 cup of whole grain pancake mix if you don't have any) by adding 1/3 cup of fat free milk, and then filled the wells on the puff pan 1/2 full. I added a dab of cream cheese in the centre of the puff batter, and then a piece of strawberry before I covered them with more batter. These were so yummy and filling with sugarfree syrup! Plus you still get a dairy serving and the rest of the strawberries. This recipe made 12 large puffs.



If you already have a puff pan, they also have some neat gadgets like this potato slicer, which is perfect for your faux fries recipes! Or you can pick something like this onion chopper, which comes in handy if you have trouble slicing them. I have one myself and except for it being a trifle hard to clean, I love it since it chops all kinds of veggies very quickly.

So the winner of this giveaway will receive a $35 gift certificate to be used at any one of their sites- you don't have to get cookware if you don't want to (although I highly recommend the puff pan if you don't have one!)

How do you enter? You'll receive one ballot into the draw by commenting here with your email address and telling me what you would choose from CSN Stores. Followers of my blog will receive one additional entry. If you write about my giveaway in your own blog or on Facebook and you post a link here, you'll receive three additional entries for each place you post it.

I'll draw the winner on November 12th at 10:00pm EST, using Random.org to select the winning post. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or I will draw another winner. The contest is open to US and Canadian residents.

Good luck!

On Vacation

Are there some foods or drinks that just make you feel like you're on vacation? For me, I always used to say to my husband that my vacation begins when I have a cold pina colada in hand. Pineapple is such a tropical fruit that it just makes me feel more relaxed, if that makes any sense.

I was delighted that my farmer's market had fresh whole pineapples for $2 on the weekend, so I bought a few to do some experimenting with (along with eating them fresh! I love fresh pineapple). These two recipes will make you swear you are cheating- your dessert will be better than whatever your friends have!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Pina Colada Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp rum extract (optional)
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1 tsp sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp Splenda

Icing:
1.5 tbsp Philadelphia Ultra Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp Splenda
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp sweetened coconut

Spray a baking dish with PAM and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all the cake ingredients and pour the batter into the dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top has browned. In a little dish, blend together the cream cheese, butter, Splenda, and extract, ensuring there are no unmixed lumps (which would make your icing taste gross). Refrigerate icing until the cake is cool and ready to be frosted. Spread icing on top of cake and sprinkle with 1 tsp coconut and enjoy.

This was amazing. I couldn't believe it wasn't cheating because it was SO sweet and rich. It uses a breakfast entree but I highly suggest having this for a dessert because it is just so sweet- I couldn't handle that much sweetness in the morning, personally. Breakfast and dessert entrees are interchangeable so there is no problem doing that. The coconut (oddly enough, sweetened coconut has better stats than unsweetened!) counts as a free food- 2 tsps is 24 calories. The butter is your dinner fat serving, and count the cream cheese as part of a dairy/protein serving (you can count it as another free food if you want but Nutrisystem suggests not having more than one at the same time).


Pineapple Upside Down Cake:



1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup pineapple, diced
1 maraschino cherry
2 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp Splenda
1/3 cup pineapple juice

Spray a baking dish with PAM and place the cherry in the center. Dust the bottom of the dish with the Splenda Brown Sugar and place the pineapple bits all around the cherry. Mix remaining ingredients together- you may need to add a little water if the batter is too thick- I added 1 tbsp more. Pour batter on top of pineapple and bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes or until the cake is browned. Allow it to cool, then carefully invert it onto a plate and enjoy.

Since I was using fresh pineapple, I had no pineapple juice on hand. I substituted V8 Fusion Peach Mango juice, which I thought was tropical enough. It turned out great! Note that this recipe has no dairy in it, so you'll need to add a half dairy serving to your day to compensate for the missing milk. Count the maraschino cherry as a free food at 12 calories.

These recipes made me feel like I was getting ready for vacation already!

More Puffing

Today was another fruit week success- two more great recipes to try. Enjoy!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I really do love my puff pan. It's so satisfying to have lots and lots of bite sized treats!This recipe actually made 12 puffs but I was too hungry to wait for the second batch to cook before I took the picture and ate them!

Caramel Apple Puffs:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp Torani SF Caramel Syrup
1/2 apple, diced (save other half to eat on the side)

Mix all ingredients together and bake them in the puff pan, turning at the halfway point if your pan doesn't have a lid. Serve them warm with sugarfree maple syrup if desired. You still need to add a dairy serving to make a complete breakfast but these are very tasty and filling as is, so you can save it for later if you want to. These also might have been good with 1/2 serving of raisins instead of eating the other half of the apple.


Nutrichocolates (Dessert):



Chocolate, bananas, and peanut butter- what else is there to say? :)


Banana Drops:



1 pkg Nutrisystem Nutrichocolates
1/2 medium banana, sliced into circles
1 tsp peanut butter or 1 tbsp PB2
unsalted peanuts (optional, fat serving)

Divide the peanut butter or PB2 evenly on the banana circles and freeze for at least 1 hour. Melt the Nutrichocolates in the microwave and dip the banana pieces (peanut butter side down) into the chocolate and put them on a foil covered plate. Top with a piece of peanut, if desired. Chill until chocolate hardens and serve while still cold (the banana gets mushy if you let it thaw).

These are SO good! If you use the PB2, this is only a dessert, fruit, and free food! I am definitely going to have to get some more Nutrichocolates in my next box!

New recipes and reviews!

I'm finally getting around to trying those NS entrees that are sitting in the back of my cupboard because I'm afraid I won't enjoy them. I guess I've been hoping I'll taste them via osmosis? I'll try to post at least one new item a week if I can get myself to eat them! I've been enjoying the other entrees I have so much that I haven't really needed to mix it up. But who knows- maybe like the trail mix bar, one of these mystery meals will become my new favourite!

Southwest Style Chicken Wrap (Dinner):



Well, it's not going to be this one. It's not that I found the meal bad, per se- it just wasn't really to my taste. It also felt like a smaller portion than the BBQ Pork Wrap or the Buffalo Chicken Wrap, for some reason. Either way- I really like those but didn't really care for this so I won't be ordering it again. It's heavy on beans and corn and didn't really feel like there was much chicken in it.


I got this recipe off the NS boards, and I was dubious at first but pleasantly surprised!

Cinnamon Bun (Breakfast):



Cobblestone Cake:

1 pkg NS Cinnamon Bun, cut into tiny pieces (try to save icing pieces for on top!)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
cinnamon, Splenda to taste

Spray a small dish with PAM spray and place the pieces of bun inside it. Mix the cinnamon, Splenda, and Egg Beaters together. Pour the Egg Beater mixture over top of the bun pieces, ensuring that all pieces are covered. Put a piece of Saran Wrap over the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight to allow liquid to soak into the bun. In the morning, bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and enjoy!

When I took that bowl out of the fridge and saw the bun fragments were still swimming in a soup of egg, I figured this was going to be nasty. I mean, I was picturing cooked egg fragments adhering to the bun pieces, which doesn't really sound appealing. Much to my surprise, the entree did "stick together" and had morphed into a yummy smelling and tasting cake by the time it was done! I am going to try this again in the future for sure.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Apple Cinnamon Cake:

1 pkg NS Pancake Mix
1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
2 tbsp milk
1 small apple, cored and cut into very small pieces (save one whole ring to decorate top of cake)
1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, Splenda to taste
crushed walnuts (optional, fat serving)

Spray a cooking dish with PAM and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix everything together in a bowl and pour into dish. Top with the apple ring and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon if desired. When cool, drizzle with Da Vinci Caramel Syrup if desired, but it's wonderful plain!

I've been experimenting with substituting Greek yogurt for milk in these pancake recipes because it has SO much more protein than milk and I find them much more filling. It does change the taste slightly but I like the flavour- some of you may not. But definitely give it a try to see if you like it. I wasn't able to eliminate the milk entirely because then the batter is too thick, but this was a much denser, richer cake made this way. Altogether, the milk, Egg Beaters, and yogurt only counted 80 calories and you're allowed up to 150 for your breakfast dairy (since you get 1/2 dairy extra with pancakes) so you can still have something else if you want to- I bet you'll be too full to need it though!

Having fun again!

And isn't that what it's all about? If you're not enjoying what you're doing, you're less likely to stick to it. Food should be fun! That's another reason I love my Redi Set Go.

I have a new review and a couple of recipes- enjoy!


Chocolate Macadamia Nut Biscotti (Dessert):



This has a rich chocolate flavour and was nutty and delicious. Too bad it's discontinued! I have seen them fairly frequently on eBay though so you might be able to get hold of them if you want them. I'm usually not a biscotti fan because I like my cookies soft instead of rock hard, but dipping it in tea made it quite palatable.


Chicken Salad (Lunch):



This is another entree that I view as a base for making whatever you want. Is it kinda gross to squeeze it out of the little foil packet? Yeah, but don't have it by itself and it's great! What do you like in your chicken salad? You can add chopped apples or nuts (count them as a fat if you use them), celery, more chicken... whatever you'd normally put in chicken salad. Just treat the entree as the mayonnaise-y base and you're all set. I usually add more chopped chicken and green onions to mine. Lately I've been making it a melt which is SO yummy... split your dairy serving between chicken and cheese, and put the salad mixture over a slice of bread, top with cheese, and toast in the oven until it's hot and gooey. Delicious and filling!


Macaroni and Cheese (Dinner):



I saw a recipe to make chili mac, and took a crack at making it NS friendly. I know that some people mix together the Chili with Beans and the Macaroni and Cheese and then just eat half, but I'm not a big fan of having to stop halfway! I'd rather have just one serving of something if I can do it. So I tried it on my own and it was yummy!

Chili Mac:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Macaroni and Cheese
2oz ground turkey
1/3 cup kidney beans (borrow a carb serving from elsewhere if you don't get one)
chopped onions and tomatoes
garlic, black pepper, chili powder

Spray a pan with PAM spray and sautee the onions and tomatoes with the garlic until they soften. Add the turkey and cook until it's no longer pink. In the meantime, boil water for the macaroni but don't add it to the cup until just before you're going to use it. You want to soften the noodles and mix it up but you don't want all the liquid absorbed so that the cheesy flavour goes through the whole dish. Stir in the kidney beans and spices and simmer for a few minutes. Add the softened macaroni and stir well, then cover the pan until the liquid is all gone. Top with a little more cheese if you have a free food left and maybe some chili peppers and enjoy!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


I love using the pancake mix but I wasn't wild about this recipe, despite it being a big hit on the Nutrisystem boards. It wasn't bad- just not to my taste.

Apple Bundt Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter extract
1 tbsp Splenda

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then pour into a sprayed dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

Because of the higher percentage of liquidy ingredients, this cake is very soft and spongey, and I just prefer a denser cake so this isn't one of my favourites. It's also a little lower in protein- make sure you still have a full dairy/protein serving with it since the Egg Beaters replace the milk. I actually used Blueberry Pancake Mix and apple/blueberry puree and I liked the flavour, just not the texture. It's not as filling as some of the other breakfasts either.

You can customize it with differents fruits and spices to make it to your liking. Many Nutrisystem members use baby food to get a variety of pureed fruits, which is much easier than making your own. My son didn't seem to mind that I borrowed a jar of his. It was a little weird using baby food until I remembered that the reason I buy organic food for him is so that he just eats plain fruit, so why shouldn't I eat it too? I may try this again with different ingredients- he has an apple/mango blend that might be fun to make! I might also try adding some nuts (fat serving) or some fruit chunks just to give it a little more texture.

I love my puffer!

I'm feeling very much more like myself again now. I've been 100% since my little mishap, and I sneaked on the scale today and it made me very happy. I won't share yet since it's not official until Sunday, but it looks like I may cross that milestone this week after all! We'll have to wait and see!

I FINALLY got my Xpress Redi-Set-Go and I love it! It's so useful. I especially love the puff pan that comes with it!

I've found that one of the biggest psychological hurdles to successful weight loss is that when you try to practice portion control, a "normal" portion looks SO SMALL. Those of you who are already on Nutrisystem, do you remember when you opened your first package and saw the size of the entree? It looked pathetically small- how could it possibly be intended as a meal? When you bulk up an entree with veggies or use other tricks to make the meal look larger (cutting the pizza crusts in half to make two thin ones, anyone?), it is psychologically more fulfilling.

The pancake puff pan lets you make LOTS of little tiny pancakes that you can stuff with almost anything you can imagine. Instead of having two medium size pancakes, you can have nine or ten little ones that fill your entire plate! Much more satisfying, in my opinion. I am sure this pan is going to be getting a lot of use to stay tuned for lots of recipes using the NS pancake mix!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



Sorry, there were more of them but I started eating them before I thought to cut one open so you could see what was inside! The recipe made eight large stuffed puffs.

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Puffs:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp Egg Beaters
1/4 cup water (plus a little extra)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pepper to taste
1 oz fat free ham
1 low fat marble string cheese

Spray and preheat your puff pan. Cut the ham and cheese into 8 pieces and wrap the ham around the cheese. In a small bowl, mix together the other ingredients, adding water slowly until the batter is the right consistency (not too runny but you definitely don't want thick). Spoon a small amount of batter into each puff well and place a ham/cheese wrap inside each one. Top with more batter to cover. If you're using the Redi Set Go, you really don't have to flip them if you don't want to (although one side is a little deformed), they can just bake until they are done (about ten minutes). If you are using a stovetop puff pan, you'll need to flip them over with a stick or small spoon when the bottom is set and the top is still gooey. This can take some practice! Enjoy them hot right out of the pan while the cheese is hot and melty (it had already started to cool in the photo).

This was a delicious and filling breakfast! Note that you still need to add a half dairy serving to compensate for not putting the milk in the pancake mix.


Flex Meals (Lunch):



These puffs were a delicious treat! I made some for my husband afterwards (although with a "real" hot dog.

Corn Dog Puffs:

2 tbsp yellow corn meal (not muffin mix or anything like that)
4 tbsp whole wheat flour (if you have soy flour use 2 tbsp of that plus 2 tbsp flour)
1/2 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 fat free veggie hot dogs (up to 100 calories)
butter extract
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup water

Cut up the hot dogs into 9 small pieces- if you have extra, eat the rest while you're making them. Preheat and spray your puff pan. Mix together all the other ingredients, adding the water slowly. Fill the puff pan, putting one piece of hot dog in each well and topping with more batter. Serve hot with your favourite hot dog toppings- I like ketchup and relish, my husband had his with mustard.

New recipes and reviews!

OK, back to the interesting stuff for a while! I've got quite a few new recipes and reviews to share since they didn't really fit in with the Salad Free Week theme. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Granola Bar (Breakfast):



Yeah, I kind of knew when I opened the package that I wasn't really going to enjoy this. It looked just like the Apple Granola Bar that I threw out. It also had no real peanut buttery taste at all- just more of a heavy taste. I did eat it because it wasn't bad- it just wasn't good, either. In hindsight, I should have smeared my fat serving of 1 tsp peanut butter on top of it and I bet it would have tasted a lot better but I didn't think of it at the time. I think this could definitely have been improved if Nutrisystem put chopped peanuts in it instead of just "flavour"!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):



I got this recipe off the NS forums and it sounded so good but I just didn't find that the taste was what I expected. I'm willing to give it a second try though because it sounds so good! I am thinking that the eggs and cheese might be better on the side.

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Bowl:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/2 dairy/protein serving sausage (I use Lilydale Turkey Sausage)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup McCormick's Sausage Gravy

Prepare your sausage as directed and cut into chunks, set aside. Mix the pancake mix and milk and pour into a sprayed casserole dish. Pour half the gravy on top, then add the sausage, egg, and cheese. Top with remaining gravy and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.


I've got one more pancake mix recipe that's so good, the whole family enjoyed it!

Sweet Potato Bran Bread:


1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
2 tbsp wheat bran
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 small jar pureed sweet potatoes

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased loaf pan at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done- very simple!

When I saw this recipe idea, I thought of how my ten month old son loves sweet potatoes so I decided to modify the recipe to make it for him. I used organic whole grain pancake mix instead of the NS mix and real sugar instead of Splenda, as well as butter to grease the pan instead of spray. He loved it! I did bake it in a casserole dish but I think next time I will use a loaf pan. This might be good with shredded zucchini as well.


Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes:


I decided to make a recipe similar to my Crab Cakes but baking them in the oven to get more of a twice baked potato feel.

Baked Crab Florets

1 pkg NS Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes
4oz crabmeat, drained (100 calories or less)
diced green onion
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
Old Bay seafood seasoning

Prepared the potatoes as directed, with slightly less water to keep them thick. Stir in the other ingredients and put them in a fun shaped silicone baking dish (I used roses). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown, and serve with seafood sauce.

Yum! I think I'd let these crisp up a little more next time but I really enjoyed them.

A New Take On An Old Favourite

There are some meals which just feel like comfort food. My family background is Hungarian, and a meal I can remember having at my grandmother's from before I can see over the table was stuffed peppers. My grandmother was a wonderful cook who made everything from scratch and just the memory of her cooking is enough to make me hungry! She passed away in 1991 and I still miss her very much.

Today, I thought I'd set out to recreate her meal as best I could in a way that was Nutrisystem friendly and salad free!

Sloppy Joe Mix (Dinner):


Stuffed Pepper:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Sloppy Joe Mix
8oz water
diced onions
Aylmer Diced Chili Tomatoes, to taste
1 large green bell pepper, hollowed out
1 oz shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pan with PAM cooking spray (or use your favourite fat serving) and sautee the onions and chili tomatoes until fragrant. Add the water and sloppy joe mix and stir. Continue stirring occasionally until mixture is thick. Pour meat mixture into the bell pepper and top with cheese. Bake until it is gooey and melty, about ten minutes.

You're supposed to add a carb with this entree but I decided to have it earlier in the day and have the meal without. I was so full when I finished that I was glad I didn't save it. My grandmother used to put rice in her stuffed peppers so next time I may try putting in 1/3 cup brown rice in the mixture to see how that is but I am sure I'll need two peppers since the meat mixture was overflowing into the pan! If you use cooking spray, don't forget to have your fat serving at another point in the day. Between the onions and the peppers, you won't need salad with this meal!


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


It's nice that breakfasts and desserts are interchangeable because I wanted to use some of the fresh mangos that I bought at the farmer's market and this cake really seems to be more of a dessert item than a breakfast item. Either way- it's a decadent treat!

Mango Almond Cake:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped mango
6 sliced almonds, toasted
2 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar
2 tsp Splenda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp almond extract
1 tsp butter extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you have to toast your own almonds, just put them in a saucepan over medium heat (they don't need spray or anything) and cook them until they're fragrant and turn them over.

Mix everything but the almonds together in a bowl (reserve 6 long thin strips of mango for garnish). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and pour the batter into the dish. It will be very thick. Arrange the six pieces of mango on top like a tropical flower and hope they don't fall into the cake like some of mine did! Decorate with the toasted almonds and bake for 20-25 minutes.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with vegetables but I made it tonight for dessert and it's so yummy that I'm making one for tomorrow, too! It counts as breakfast or dessert plus a fruit serving and a fat serving.

Two for two!

I tried two new ideas today and both of them were yummy!

Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


As you can probably tell from my blog, I love making healthy versions of fast food. I love things that taste like they're awful for me and it makes me happier to know they are not. So without further ado- the McDonalds McGriddle.

McGriddle Breakfast Sandwich:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
4 tbsp fat free milk
1 tbsp sugarfree maple syrup
1 egg
1 slice fat free cheese
2 slices chicken bacon (I prefer this to turkey bacon- it crisps better and has more flavour)

First, prepare the pancake mix as directed on the package. I actually added the syrup first and then added the milk 1 tbsp at a time because I wanted the pancakes to be a little thicker than usual so that they would be nice and puffy for the sandwich. Definitely don't overdo the milk! Set the pancakes aside and cook your egg and bacon (or sausage). Then assemble your sandwich and enjoy! It's incredibly filling and delicious, and the syrup taste in the pancakes makes it just like Mickey D's.


Flex Meals (Lunch):


This recipe is a modification of a yummy pasta salad my father always made for BBQs. I loved it and I'm so happy I can still have it while following Nutrisystem! This counts as a flex lunch + veggies.

Seafood Pasta Salad:

1 serving of small sized pasta (80 calories, 15g of carbs)
2 oz imitation lobster meat (or real if you can get it!)
1 oz baby shrimp
2 tbsp fat free Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup no sodium niblet corn
diced red pepper, green pepper, red onion, green onion, and tomatoes

Prepare your pasta, rinse and pour into a Tupperware. Add all the other ingredients, cover, and shake until the dressing is evenly spread. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Yes- corn normally does count as a carb. However, the Nutrisystem dieticians have said that occasionally you can count 1 serving of a starchy veggie as 2 veggies. For this salad, you really only need half a serving so it counts as one veggie, plus the other ones in the salad. The stats for one serving are: 223 calories, 39g of carbs, 2g of fat, and 15g of protein.

Getting excited again

Sometimes I think all it takes to get re-energized about weight loss is a new recipe or two! One of the things that really sucks about a lifestyle change is not being able to eat the food you love (which got you to where you needed the lifestyle change!). The best part about Nutrisystem is that I'm learning ways to adapt those old meals into things that are healthy and still delicious! I mean, who would have thought that cheesecake was doable on a weight loss program?

I've got a review and a few new meal ideas to share today.


Chicken with Dumplings (Dinner):


Boy, what a disappointment this was! I knew when I saw the shape of the box that it wasn't the same as the one on the Canadian plan that I reviewed earlier, but I was hoping it would at least taste similar. *buzz* Sorry, you lose. The gravy is runny and it just doesn't have that rich flavour I loved in the original entree. Now, the new one does have 7 grams of fat fewer and is lower in calories too, but I'd rather have the other meal anyway.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


I made another version of the Blueberry Ricotta Danish with plain pancake mix and cherries and it was still delicious! I think this is a great base to play around with, with different fruit filling and dried fruit in the mix.


I also used the Pancake Mix for breakfast this morning. I got the idea from looking on the NS boards for other savory breakfast ideas, since I think the Egg Frittata is gross. So I tried this and it was amazing!

Cheesy Egg and Bacon Biscuits:


1 pkg NS Pancake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 oz shredded cheese
1 tbsp bacon bits
2 tbsp Egg Beaters

Mix together everything except the Egg Beaters (and maybe save a little cheese too) and pour the batter into sprayed muffin cups. Top each muffin with 1/2 tbsp of Egg Beaters and any remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until the tops are crispy and eat while they're hot!

This breakfast was SO filling and delicious. I think I am going to have it again tomorrow! You could also try subbing ham or veggie sausage for the bacon if you prefer.


Chicken Pasta Parmesan (Dinner):


I like this entree as-is, but I was craving a cheesy flavour tonight and didn't want to overdo the cheese since I'd had those yummy breakfast biscuits already today. I sauteed a little spinach and onion in a pan with garlic, and dumped the Chicken Pasta Parmesan over top. I stirred in 1 tbsp of Ultra Low Fat Philadelphia cream cheese and let it simmer until it was bubbling. This was so creamy and delicious! I might add some mushrooms and tomatoes next time, too.

Am I really on a diet?

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Nutrisystem? Seriously. This is the easiest way to lose weight. People ask me if I'm tempted to cheat. Well, let me tell you what I ate today, and you tell me if you'd feel the need to cheat!

Breakfast: toasted bagel (carb serving) with fried egg and a slice of fat free cheese, banana.
Lunch: cream of potato soup with bacon and cheese, salad
Snack: Sour Cream & Onion Soy Chips
Dinner: Sourdough Pizza with turkey pepperoni, veggies, and cheese plus a second slice made on whole wheat bread (carb serving)
Dessert: 5 cinnamon donuts (NS breakfast item)

Seriously, would you need to cheat if you ate like this? I feel like I've been cheating all day long!


I was sure I took a photo of the Sour Cream & Onion Soy Chips but I don't see one on my camera so I guess I forgot. It'll probably be a while before I review these again since I don't have any more, so I'll do a mini one now.

Sour Cream And Onion Soy Chips (Dessert):


In this case, the Nutrisystem photo is pretty accurate. What these really remind me of are those Quaker mini rice cakes, except thinner. The texture and appearance is very similar. I found these to be pretty bland, though- they didn't have much seasoning on them at all. They were a nice snack since I had the donuts to eat later but I wouldn't want these as a substitute for one of the yummy sweet desserts that NS offers.


Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


I got this recipe off the Nutrisystem site and it is amazing! Seriously, you have to try it.

1 pkg Nutrisystem Pancake Mix
1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp brown sugar Splenda
2 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp egg substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend. Spray mini donut pan (or whatever you choose to use, I really wanted mini donuts so I bought the pan just for this recipe!) with PAM cooking spray and spoon in the batter- don't overfill because these rise! I could actually have made six donuts instead of five. Bake for about ten minutes or until done. Let them cool, and if desired top them with a little bit of glaze made with a tsp icing sugar thinned with milk. You're just brushing it on with a pastry brush so I wouldn't worry too much about the calories and it tastes wonderful!

This counts as a NS breakfast entree, so you still get to add the dairy/protein and fruit like I did with my breakfast. They're very filling so it works great to split up your breakfast.

Right now, I am one happy dieter!