Isn't it boring?

I was talking to an acquaintance yesterday who insisted that programs like Nutrisystem must be boring because you just eat the same old thing out of the box every day.

I've got some new recipes to share- anyone bored yet? :)


Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce (Dinner):


I would normally add cottage cheese to this entree to make it more like a lazy lasagna, but I decided to do a version of the recipe I used with the Chicken Pasta Parmesan. I sauteed chopped spinach, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes in a pan with garlic, and then dumped the entree over the top. I added 2 tbsp of fat free cream cheese (I wanted a little more since I added so many veggies) and let it simmer until blended. It was delicious!

Count this as your dinner entrée + veggies + 1 extra for the cream cheese (up to 35 calories' worth).

Nutrichocolates (Dessert):


I was a little nervous about these when I opened the package- they looked terrible. The chocolate looked old and dried out and I was regretting my decision to order a few for messing around with. Then I stuck them in the microwave for 30 seconds and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw!



They melted perfectly and tasted great. I cut the ends off some strawberries and rolled them around in the dish of melted chocolate and put them on a plate to harden.



They were absolutely delicious, although I confess that I wanted very much to have a glass of champagne with them. I managed to avoid that temptation. My only suggestion is that when you put them down to dry, put them on wax paper or something so that you aren't looking at a plate with melted chocolate globs stuck to it and trying to figure out how to get them off to eat them!

Count this as your Nutrisystem Snack plus one extra for the strawberries (you don't need a full SC serving, 35 calories of strawberries is a lot!).

Red Beans & Rice with Sausage (Lunch):


I love zesty Cajun food, and this entree seemed perfect for tweaking.

Spicy Cajun Gumbo (Lunch/Dinner):

1 pkg NS Red Beans & Rice with Sausage
1 cup sodium free chicken broth
3/4 cup sodium free diced tomatoes
chopped green pepper, green onion, Spanish onion
1.5 oz diced shrimp
1.5 oz chopped chicken
chili spice, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Old Bay Seafood Seasoning to taste

I just threw everything in a pot and let it simmer together. It made an enormous serving that I had a hard time finishing. This counts as lunch + protein + veggies. If you get an extra carb at lunch time, I'd add 1/3 cup of wild rice as well. You could also lower the shrimp and chicken to 1oz each and add an oz of turkey sausage, too!

This meal was definitely full of flavour and I really enjoyed it!

Count this as your Nutrisystem Lunch entrée plus 1 Powerfuel (or a dinner entrée) plus veggies.

Wow

Tonight my dinner was absolutely unbelievable. I wouldn't have guessed that it was designed for weight loss! SOOO good. I had the Beef Taco and it was amazing. I made it into a taco salad with romaine lettuce, tomato chunks, cheddar cheese, and fat free sour cream, and I added diced onion and green bell pepper to the meat and sauce. It also came with three taco shells which I crunched up and put on top. It was one of my favourite meals!



Here are some other meals I have tried recently:

Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes (Lunch):


I confess to having been a little leery of this! Not only just at the idea of having mashed potatoes as a main course for lunch, but just generally instant mashed potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised by how rich and cheesy they were. I had them with steamed broccoli and a serving of fresh salmon and it made a yummy lunch.

Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce (Dinner):


This meal was pretty much what you'd expect- rotini pasta in a chunky tomato sauce with little meatballs. I found the meat plentiful and since I love pasta, this really hit the spot for me but wasn't anything special.

Beef and Noodles with Stroganoff Sauce (Dinner):


I love beef stroganoff, so I was hoping for a creamy beef and noodle dish. It wasn't really what I had in mind though (although I guess I was thinking of Hamburger Helper Stroganoff which isn't all that great anyway). The sauce was a little too thin for my taste and it was more of a broth based dish than a cream sauce. Would I eat it again? Sure, but I've adjusted my expectations.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding (Dessert):


This was the first thing I actively disliked, but then again, I'm not really a pudding person. I thought it would be really great to enjoy it as a fondue, so I cut up strawberries and bananas and got some graham crackers to dip in the pudding. It still just didn't cut it for me. This one is definitely not on my order again list.

But, the bottom line is, so far so good. I'm sticking to my program, I'm losing weight, and the food is definitely not bad. Nutrisystem is a win for me.