Why is all the good stuff discontinued???

I made a fantastic dessert today that I had to share!



Black Forest Cake has always been one of my favourite desserts. In fact, as you can probably tell from this blog, I have a major sweet tooth and I love cakes and pastries, period! I was really excited to find a way to make this cake NS friendly but also delicious.

Black Forest Cake

1 pkg Microwave Chocolate Cake Mix
1 tsp cocoa
2 tsp Splenda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk

4 tbsp fat free whipped cream
1/3 cup sugar free cherry pie filling

Mix all ingredients together well and then pour into two small greased baking dishes. Microwave each one separately at 50% power for 90 seconds and allow to cool in the refrigerator. Use a knife to gently loosen the cooled cake and place one cake on a plate. Spread the whipped cream on the cake and pour the cherry filling on top. Add the top half of the cake and add a puff of whipped cream and a cherry. Enjoy!


So again- why is Nutrisystem getting rid of all these yummy items? Fortunately, you can still occasionally find these in Big Lots stores or on eBay. If you can't, you can always take one of the new Chocolate Cakes and cut it in half and use that (although they're smaller so it might be difficult to fit all the cherry filling inside!).

Back on track!

I weighed in with a loss of 2.2lbs this week, bringing my total loss to 35lbs in 15 weeks. That is definitely something to be proud of! I am only 5lbs away from getting my next Nutribear.


The wedding on Friday was lovely. I also had my next Non Scale Victory- I did manage to fit into my old dress so I didn't have to buy a new one! The dinner was difficult, though. During cocktail hour, I stuck to diet Coke, but it was hard to pass up all the delicious hors d'oeuvres! I had one piece of grilled chicken on a skewer and avoided all the fried, cheesy things.

The meal was a little hard to handle, though. The first course was cream of broccoli soup, which of course was a no-go. Dan was happy for two servings, though! The salad was very good- mixed greens in balsamic vinaigrette. For dinner, I chose salmon, which came served with mini potatoes, vegetables, and a rich cream sauce *sigh*. I ate about half the fish after scraping off as much sauce as possible, two little potatoes, and all the vegetables and I was full. When the waitress put a chocolate drizzled crepe filled with ice cream and strawberries in front of me, I had one bite and ignored the rest. I also had half a glass of sauvignon blanc with dinner.

So, I didn't do wonderfully, but I enjoyed my meal and managed to survive my next date with the scale. And I got to have a wonderful evening with my husband and friends.

Mmm... chocolate...

I got a tip from the message boards that I hadn't even considered- since the Nutrisystem food is shelf stable and shipped in cardboard boxes, chocolate items tend to melt in the summer. Stock up now before it gets too hot out! I decided just to order 2 months' worth of food now and I'm going to delay through the hot part of the summer.

I made it a goal to try just about everything that NS offers so that I could review it here. I've tried a few new things this order and was pleasantly surprised.

Tomato & Corn Chowder (Lunch):


Why was this discontinued??? It's rich and zesty and filled with flavour. Much, much better than the Creamy Tomato Soup. Fortunately, it's still findable at Big Lots stores in the US and I've been able to buy it from other NS clients.


Cinnamon Swirl Granola Bar (Breakfast):


I took one look at this and it was reminiscent of the Apple Granola Bar that ended up in the trash. I took a bite, and fortunately, it was much better. It still wasn't one of my favourite breakfasts but it was edible. I'm not crazy about NS granola bars as a general rule, although I do like the Chocolate Chip one. This bar was sweet and cinnamon-y.


Vegetable Beef Soup (Lunch):


Now this was the big surprise. I wasn't expecting to like this but it was delicious! Full of beef and potato chunks and lots of vegetables. I used to love to eat beef stew with big chunks of sourdough bread and butter. Obviously I can't do that anymore but I think I may save my breakfast carb and my dinner fat to go with this meal in the future. It was very satisfying and I added more to my auto delivery.


I have my next hurdle tomorrow- one of my best friends is getting married. And yes, there's an open bar, which in the past I would have loved to partake. I'm thinking that at this stage of my weight loss though, it's not really worth it. For one night of fun, I'll probably have a zero loss this week if I drink a bunch of empty calories and I want to keep going towards my next Nutribear. I may even skip that slice of wedding cake! Hopefully the food won't be too unhealthy (it's a plated dinner, not a buffet). Either way, I'm sure it'll be a fun night and I'm looking forward to celebrating with him and his new wife.

I have a friend who is also trying to lose weight, but every time something comes up she tells me "It's a special occasion" and goes to town- drinks, dessert, and an unhealthy meal. I can sympathize with her outlook, but there is always going to be something going on- that's life. We are always going to be faced with temptations to give in and settle back into our old habits.

Don't get me wrong- I don't think celebrating once in a while is a bad thing. But I think it really does need to be something out of the ordinary and an infrequent occurrence. Eating like that is one reason that we all got the way we are, and to make this a permanent lifestyle change, we have to find ways to cope with temptation. Like Ashley said on the Biggest Loser this past week- we've changed, but the factors that helped us get overweight have not. They'll still be there long after we reach goal, and we need to be able to deal with them. Our journeys don't end when we finish losing weight- that's when the real work begins.

Happy Mother's Day!

I weighed in today and only had a very small loss but after having such a big week last week, and feeling a little bloated, I was expecting a low week and that's OK. What matters is the overall picture and the scale is still going down!

Today's my first Mother's Day and I couldn't be happier. Well, maybe with a good night's sleep once in a while but it's all part of being a parent!

Matthew gave me a beautiful bouquet of roses and daisies and a sweet card, with Daddy's help. I hope all the moms out there are having a lovely day!

Would you like fries with that?

Who doesn't miss McDonalds? Yes, their food is crap, but there is something comforting about biting into a greasy hamburger from there, at least for me. Maybe this explains why I'm so overweight? :)

I set out to recreate my old nemesis, the Big Mac. Surprisingly, I came pretty close!



One of the counselors at Nutrisystem sparked this idea for me. She told me that the hamburger patty can count as a protein if you don't add the bun, so for a treat I could have a double hamburger (because it does get kind of expensive to eat two entrees in one evening). Two patties made me think of a Big Mac, so it only remained to figure out the best way to make it!

I started by toasting a low calorie whole wheat hamburger bun, plus an extra bottom piece to make the third piece of bread. The rest of the idea was easy- a slice of cheese, lettuce, and onions (plus pickle if you like it but I don't). But wait- how was I going to make the Big Mac sauce? That stuff is deadly. I thought about the flavours, and took 1 tbsp of mayonnaise (my fat serving, but use fat free or reduced fat if you prefer), 2 tbsp of fat free thousand island dressing, and 1 tsp of relish. The flavour was pretty close!

Next- we can't have fries, but onion rings are a pretty good substitute. I saw this recipe on the Nutrisystem boards so I went out and bought a Spanish onion. Unfortunately when I cut into it, it was weird and did not have rings, so I decided to just make onion patties instead by cutting them into slices and breading those. Take a few spoonfuls of whole wheat breadcrumbs and spice them with your favourite seasonings (I like Italian spice) and dip the onion rings in Eggbeaters, then into the breadcrumbs. Spray with a little PAM spray, and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, and serve with the rest of the Big Mac sauce.



My husband took one look at my plate and said "That can't be OK." I wouldn't have this every day, but boy does it hit the spot if you have a fast food craving!

If you don't get an extra carb serving with dinner, I suggest having a lunch like the Chicken or Tuna Salad and putting it over veggies and saving that carb serving for the breadcrumbs and the extra piece of hamburger bun. It's worth it!

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!

A new bear!

I was hoping to earn a new bear this week, although the results were a little in doubt since last week I only lost 1.6lbs. Well, I blew it away; FOUR pounds! I had to weigh myself twice to make sure! I haven't lost four pounds since my first week on Nutrisystem! I have been doing more walking with the baby since the weather's been nice, and this is definitely encouragement to keep it up. I am really excited. And only eight pounds to my next bear!

I tried some more new things this week. I also noticed when I was going over my tags that some of the things I eat on a regular basis were never reviewed- silly me! I am going to make an effort to check that everything I like is here, and hopefully I'll start getting pictures in of the things I don't really care for as well. Not because they're bad- they're just not to my taste. I've never been a cold cereal person, for example. But that's the nice thing about Nutrisystem- there's something for everyone. And lots of chocolate- everyone loves chocolate!


Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix (Breakfast):


Mmm... why on earth did they discontinue this?? You can still frequently find it on eBay. Yes, it may be expired, but it's a mix, so I'm not too worried. It tastes just fine to me! The pancakes were delicious with sugarfree syrup. This is going to become one of my favourite breakfasts. *runs off to scour eBay for more mix*

And here they are as donuts, following the recipe in my previous post. Of course, two got eaten before I thought to take a photo! Also delicious, but more along the lines of chocolate chip cupcakes than donuts as they were less dense. Maybe a bit less liquid is needed in this version.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (Dessert):


I was really hoping for something similar to the lunch Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, which is delicious! When I opened the wrapper, it already looked different since it wasn't covered with chocolate. By itself, it was OK, but compared to the lunch bar it was just meh. Probably not something I'll order again since there are so many desserts I do like.

Greek Yogurt (Dairy/Protein Ideas):


Mmm. I read about this all the time on the NS boards but it seems that while Greek yogurt is plentiful in the US, it's pretty hard to find here in Ontario. I did finally manage to locate a Sobey's that carries the Liberte 0% brand, and I decided to give it a try. On the NS boards, people recommend stirring in a spoonful or so of Jello fat free sugar free pudding mix, so I tried it with vanilla and then put it over fresh strawberries and crumbled graham crackers for a carb serving. It was delicious! Very rich and creamy, as well as insanely high in protein so it was filling. It's not cheesecake, but it's close enough to make me happy for the time being. Speaking of which- I have ordered Jello cheesecake pudding mix to try with this!