Peanutbutter Cup Shake

Holy YUM.

I've got all this hot chocolate to use, and I normally make coffee and throw the hot chocolate in there. But for some reason lately it seems to have an odd aftertaste. Like protein powder or something that I'm just not digging.

So I'm staring at my packet of Hot Chocolate mix for my evening meal, groaning at the thought of using it as coffee/mocha yet again. Then it hit me... Make a shake. And then it hit me even harder... Peanut butter cup shake!

Ingredients:
1 packet Medifast Hot Chocolate
1 Tbsp PB2 powder
6 ice cubes
2-4 ounces of water, depending on how thick you want your shake

Blend the ice in a personal blender until all chunks are gone. Add water, hot chocolate and peanut butter powder and blend until smooth.

Servings: 1
1 Medifast meal and 1/2 optional snack

Medifast "French Toast" Sticks

Okay - so the term "French Toast" is a little deceiving. French toast is usually slices of bread dipped in egg and browned in a pan. While you technically COULD do this with the slices, I didn't want to add more egg than a condiment worth, so I decided to consume as-is. And they were a fantastic, different treat that I will absolutely try again! But, if you prefer a more french-toasty french toast stick, feel free to dip them in egg beaters and brown 'em up! I'm sure they'd be even yummier!

Medifast "French Toast" sticks

Ingredients:
1 package Medifast Pancakes (Any flavor - I used Spiced Pancakes)
1/4 c liquid egg whites (I use Kirkland brand - 1/4 c=25 calories and <1 carb)

Optional: Walden Farms Pancake Syrup

Directions:
In a rectangular bowl, gently whisk together 1/4 cup liquid egg whites with one package of Medifast pancakes until combined. There will still be a few lumps. This is normal.

Microwave for 2 minutes, monitoring carefully to avoid boiling over. Allow to cool for 1 minute, remove from bowl. Slice into sticks. Serve with your choice of syrup.

Medifast calculations: 1 Medifast Meal, 1 condiment.
(Calculations do not include syrup.)

Heaven in a Brownie Tray

This is definitely a "once in a while" treat, since it uses up one MF meal, one condiment AND one optional snack, but it's SO worth it. You could easily cut out one of the two toppings, (i.e. JUST peanut butter or just cream cheese) and still have this decadent treat, but the combo of the two together is to die for. :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Medifast Brownie Mix
3 tbsp water
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cream cheese
2 tbsp PB2 Peanut butter powder
1 tbsp water

Mix the brownie mix with 3 tbsp water. Microwave 1 minute 30 seconds. Cut one wedge of Laughing Cow Light cream cheese into small slices. Place cream cheese slices on top of baked brownie. Spread around lightly. (If you're too rough, the brownie will pull up instead of the cream cheese spreading). In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder with 1 tbsp of water. Adjust water to your desired consistancy. Spread the peanut butter over the cream cheese layer. The result can either be eaten warm, or frozen first.

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast Meal, 1 healthy fat serving, 1 optional snack

Mu shu Chicken

Please ignore the little orange flecks - I accidentally bought coleslaw mix instead of just shredded cabbage. I picked them out before consuming to stay on-plan 100%

Ingredients:
8 oz raw chicken tenders, cut into thin strips (Should shrink to 6 oz cooked weight - 1 lean)
1 1/4 cups shredded cabbage (2 1/2 green)
1/4 cup chopped green scallions (1/2 green)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (1/2 condiment)
1 tbsp Kikoman low-sodium soy sauce (1 condiment)
1 tsp oyster sauce (1 condiment)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (1/2 condiment)
1 tsp olive oil (1 healthy fat)
1-2 drops sesame oil

In a pre-heated sautee pan, sautee chicken in oil until cooked through. Add the cabbage, soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced garlic and sesame oil. Saute until cabbage softens a bit. Add in the scallions and cilantro and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Medifast calcs: 1 lean, 3 green, 3 condiments, 1 healthy fat

Shrimp Lomein with Shritaki Noodles!

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Whenever I'm craving asian food, this is the dish I run to! 

Ingredients: 

1 package of Angel hair Shiritaki Noodles (2 green)

1/2 cup chopped celery (1 green)

1/2 Tbsp chopped green onions (1/2 condiment)

1/4 cup chopped ciilantro (1/4 condiment)

2 tsp olive oil (2 healthy fat)

1/4 tsp chopped garlic (1/4 condiment)

1 tsp oyster sauce (1 condiment)

1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (1 condiment) (I use Kikoman low-sodium soy sauce, which has 1 carb per tbsp!)

7 oz cooked shrimp (1 lean)

Drain the shiritaki noodles in a colander. Rinse thoroughly. Place noodles into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Return noodles to colander and rinse again. Spread on a stack of paper towels and blot dry. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic and saute until garlic softens slightly. Add celery. Stir-fry until celery softens a bit. Add the noodles, soy sauce, oyster sauce and shrimp. Stir fry until the shrimp is warmed. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce, and a splash or two of water or chicken broth if necessary. Stir fry until everything is heated through. Top with cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.

Medifast Calcs: 1 leanest serving, 3 green servings, 3 condiments, 2 healthy fats

Note: If you have not used your optional snack, you can add more celery to the dish and count it towards your optional snack! Also, the shiritaki noodles I buy have 4 oz in a serving, 2 servings per bag.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Shake

Ingredients:
1 package Medifast Hot Chocolate
6 ice cubes
4-6 oz water
1 tbsp sugar free cherry syrup

Crush ice in a personal blender until you can no longer hear chunks. Add water and syrup, followed by the hot chocolate mix. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast meal and 1 condiment

Milky Way Shake

Ingredients:
1 package Medifast Hot Chocolate
6 ice cubes
4-6 oz water
1 tbsp sugar free caramel syrup

Crush ice in a personal blender until you can no longer hear chunks. Add water and syrup, followed by the hot chocolate mix. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast meal and 1 condiment

Celebrating 80 Pounds Down

This post is a little late, since I hit 80 lbs down on Sunday, but better late than never, right?

(For the record, it's 107 lbs down since my highest weight, with 80 lbs down since March 4th with Take Shape For Life!)

Anyway, I thought I'd mark this momentous occasion with some pictures to commemorate how far I've come. For those of you who know me from my online communities, you'll know that this is a HUGE deal for me to post something other than just a artfully cropped head shot. You're about to see why...

Ready?

2004 - at my highest weight

July 30th, 2013 - 107 lbs down from my heaviest, 80 lbs down thanks to TSFL!

On March 4th, 2013 I never expected to be where I am today. I never expected to be fitting into the size that I am in, let alone posting a full-body picture of myself willingly. I still have about 50 lbs to go, but that unattainable goal is suddenly attainable! 

As my weight melted off, people started asking me what I was doing. At 50 lbs down, I started to consider becoming a health coach for Take Shape For Life. When I hit 80 lbs down, I decided I couldn't wait any longer. My entire journey I've been kicking myself that I didn't know about this plan YEARS ago. I spent my entire adult life obese. Had I known about TFSL back then, I could have experienced my pregnancies at a healthy weight rather than being high risk and diabetic. So I made a vow to help others discover this fantastic plan.

Anyway, this isn't a sales pitch for TSFL. I would be promoting it regardless of whether or not I became a health coach because it's the first program that has WORKED for me. The other plans I tried worked for about 30 lbs, and that's when I'd start finding ways to cheat. There's no way to cheat on this plan. And as long as you stick to it, it'll work. 

So there's my big announcement, with some long-awaited full-body pictures. Now you can understand why I only posted artfully cropped pictures of my face. It was the only part of my body I wasn't ashamed of. Now I'm proud of the entire package, even with the weight I still have to lose!

Cheesy BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

***Recipe approved by Nutrition Support 6/3/13***

Today I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. I've been making the same recipes over and over (because I love them). I realized that after almost four months, I needed to change things up a bit! I had just bought a package of 99% lean ground turkey and wanted to make something I could heat up straight from the microwave, since summer is such a crazy time around my house. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes came to mind! Here's my take on my favorite bbq meatloaf recipe that my grandmother handed down to me! 

I decided to throw these into individual containers so I can just grab one and stick it in the microwave. My apologies for the non-artistic pictures :) 

Ingredients:

20 oz 99% Lean ground turkey (2.25 lean)

2 tbsp Walden Farms Original BBQ Sauce (1 condiment)

1/2 c Egg Beaters (.25 lean)

6 oz (1 1/2 cups) shredded moderate fat cheese (1.5 lean)

1 Tbsp chopped onion (1 condiment)

1 clove of garlic, minced (1 condiment)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper (1 condiment)

1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley (1/4 condiment)

2 packages Medifast Garden Veggie Crackers, crushed (2 optional snacks)
1/4 cup Walden Farms Original BBQ Sauce (2 condiments)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the crackers in the sealed packages, set aside. Combine the turkey, 2 tbsp bbq sauce, egg beaters, cheese, onion, garlic, pepper, parsley and crackers in a medium bowl until the mixture comes together. Press into a pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Brush with the remaining 1/4 cup of bbq sauce.  I used a 8x11 glass pan because I love lots of top with little "loaf".

Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-50 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the center. (Mine took 40 minutes and was 140 when I took it out. I undercooked a bit in order to avoid it being overcooked after re-heating)

Serves 4

Recipe: 4 lean, 6.25 condiments, 2 optional snacks

Per serving: 1 lean, 1.5 condiments, 1/2 optional snack

Serve with a side of Garlic Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower and 1/2 cup steamed green beans for a full L&G (Nutrition Support approved the combo for a full lean & green + 1/2 snack)

Product Review: Medifast Southwest Eggs

Just tried the Southwest eggs for the first time and was REALLY scared. I've read all the reviews about the eggs but figured that it would be nice to have eggs without having to subtract from my lean.

So as per the other people's reviews, I made them in a pan on the stovetop. Very quickly a scent started wafting up from the pan that reminded me a bit of warm vomit. (Yeah, eww) I freaked out and thought "OMG I ordered an entire box of these!" I added a little sprinkle of garlic and onion powder. Poured them onto the plate preparing myself for the worst...

They looked good, like how egg beaters look after scrambling them. I shakily raised the fork to my mouth and...... I LOVED THEM!

The little bits of red pepper and chile pepper were a bit firm for my tastes, so next time I will try soaking them first (as other reviewers had suggested). But overall, I really enjoyed them! I'm SUPER happy to add another product to my rotation!

Flavor: Tasted like egg beaters with a bit of a southwest flair. I loved the fact that they kinda had a salsa flavor without having to add any condiments

Texture: I cooked these on the stovetop like regular scrambled eggs, and if I hadn't known they were powdered to start, I would have just assumed they were egg beaters. Soaking them for a little while prior to cooking helped soften up the pepper bits and really improved the texture (not that it was bad as is, just added a little depth).

Portion size:  Good size, another filling option!

Would I order it again: Absolutely. I wish I'd ordered more than one box, since I've only had them a few days and I'm already three packets down! YUM! (I'm off to make them for lunch as we speak! LOL) 

Chile Rellenos

***Recipe approved by Medifast Nutrition Support May 2013.***

Sorry it took me so long to get this post written! Life is always crazy in the summer around my house. I had wanted to get a better picture for this recipe, but I haven't made the recipe again. I had SO many people asking for the recipe I figured I should just get it up there and update this post when I take a new (prettier) picture. Also, the picture below is the recipe without chicken. They will be a bit fatter with the chicken in there :)

I have been craving Chile Rellenos since I started Medifast, but figured there was NO way I'd be able to find a recipe that met the Medifast guidelines because rellenos are traditionally stuffed with cheese, then batter dipped and fried to a crispy golden brown and topped with a green tomatillo sauce. Personally, I prefer my non-fried version, and really, I didn't miss the sauce at ALL (but you could add tomato sauce etc to this and deduct it from your green).

Then, out of nowhere, the idea came to me: whipped egg whites. So I set off trying to figure out how to make a savory meringue. I was a little baffled at how I'd "batter-dip" the rellenos into the meringue, but I figured I'd deal with that later. 

I know the recipe seems odd with the egg whites, but trust me, these are AMAZING. (I ate this every day for four days until the leftovers were gone, and I'm STILL craving it).

Chile Rellenos

Ingredients:
12 whole green chiles (canned)
6 egg whites
3.5 ounces cooked, finely shredded chicken
12 oz part-skim mozzarella
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together 10 ounces part-skim mozarella cheese with 3.5 ounces cooked, shredded chicken, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Set aside.

Whip the egg whites on high with 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder until stiff peaks form. This took about five-ish minutes for my Kitchenaid stand mixer.

Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the whipped egg whites on the bottom of the pan.

Carefully remove the canned chiles, split down one side and place a tablespoon or two (depending on the size of the chile) onto the opened chile. Fold the chile around the filling and press the filled chile into the mixture, lining them up like you would an enchilada. Make sure to press the chile into the eggs so the eggs envelop the sides of the chile. Repeat the process for the remaining 11 chiles, lining them up like you would if you were making enchiladas.

Spread the remaining whipped egg whites over the chiles and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, increase the temperature to 450 degrees, remove foil and return to the oven for another ten-ish minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and the eggs are browned a bit. (See above picture).

This is best served fresh from the oven (let it sit a few minutes to let the cheese settle before serving). However, reheated leftovers are amazing too.

Servings: 4 (3 chile rellenos = 1 serving)

Medifast calculations (per serving): 1 lean, 1.5 green, 1.25 condiments

Recipe Copyright 2013 Shelley Watters

Pesto Salad Pizza

***Updated 5/3/13 to reflect NS approved cauliflower crust recipe changes***

My love affair with salad on pizza started in elementary school. Every Friday was "Pizza Day". For two bucks, you'd get two slices of pizza and a pile of salad with ranch dressing. I'd ignore the confused/disgusted stares as I piled the salad onto the slice and devoured it. Man, I loved Fridays when I was a kid....

Fast forward many, many years. I'd forgotten all about the salad pizza stuff until my husband and I went out to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. They had two pizzas that had salad on them. Instantly I was transported back to gradeschool. I HAD to have them. The first was a pear and Gorgonzola pizza with hazelnuts, topped with spring mix tossed with a blue cheese ranch dressing. The second was a "California Cobb" pizza with chicken, bacon and topped with shredded iceberg tossed with mayonnaise and topped with a fan of avocado slices. 

They were my favorite treat for a long time. Then they discontinued the first, then the second. While this was good news for my waistband and wallet, it made my heart sad. 

I figured out how to copy the Pear and Gorgonzola pizza, but can't have it on the Medifast plan. I do plan on doing a healthy version once I'm on maintenance, but for now we'll just focus on what I CAN have on-plan.

I decided to make a pesto pizza, and realized that I didn't have any other veggies to top my pizza but lettuce. So I decided to make it into a salad pizza so that I meet my Lean and Green guidelines. And it turned out spectacular!

Pesto Salad Pizza

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup grated cauliflower (2 green)
1/4 cup egg beaters (1/8 lean)
3/8 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (6g fat/oz) (3/8 lean)


Pesto:
1/2 cup basil (1/2 condiment)
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (1 condiment)
1 clove of garlic (1 condiment)

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (1/2 lean)

Salad:
1 cup shredded Iceberg lettuce (1 green)
1 tbsp Walden Farms Ranch Dressing (1/2 condiment)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 1/4 sheet cake pan with parchment paper.

Grate 1 cup of cauliflower and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese. Mix with a spoon and spread on the parchment. Spread it as thin as possible, avoiding holes in the mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. The crust will be browned and look a bit like a quiche looks on the top.

Meanwhile, pulse the basil, garlic and parmesan in food processor. With the lack of olive oil, the resulting pesto will be a bit grainy rather than smooth like true pesto, but I'm okay with that. I actually prefer it! Remove the baked crust from the oven, spread pesto over the crust and sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella on top. 

Return the pizza to the oven under the broiler (500 degrees) until the cheese melts and is bubbly (this happens FAST so watch it carefully!!!)

While the cheese is melting, in a small bowl toss the shredded lettuce with the Walden Farms Ranch dressing. Set aside. 

Remove from the pizza from the oven, cut into six slices, top with the salad and enjoy!

Recipe makes 1 serving.


L&G Calculations:
1 Lean
3 Green
3 Condiments

Laughing Cow Cheese and Other Yummy Stuff

I'm constantly trying to find the Medifast Nutrition Support answer for where Laughing Cow Cheese and other yummy extras fit in to the Medifast plan. And, of course, I never write it down. Then I have to go googling again the next time I want to use it. So here's the info that Nutrition Support has posted on the Medifast boards about Laughing Cow and other things they don't have on the quick start guide but are okay on the Medifast plan. I will be updating this post periodically and adding to the list when I come across things I want a quick reference to.

Laughing Cow:

1 wedge Laughing Cow Cream Cheese = 1 fat serving
1 wedge Original Laughing Cow cheese = 1 fat serving
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light varieties = 1 fat serving
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light (a flavor with 1 g carb/wedge) = 1 condiment
1 piece Mini Babybel, Light (Original) = 1 fat serving.
10 pieces (approximately 47 grams) Laughing Cow Light Gourmet Cheese Bites = 1 fat serving

Kraft Free Singles:

1 slice = 2 condiments (The sodium content is quite high, be careful using them)

Majestic Garlic - Cilantro:

1 tsp = 1 condiment
Link to post

Celery Pasta:

Can use the 3 ribs as your optional snack in addition to the 3 green servings!

Lean Serving Calculations:

(Copied/Pasted straight from Nutrition Support Message boards, Posting by Meredith, MS, CPT)
For any item to qualify as a Lean portion, the calculated serving size should be between 250 – 300 calories, <15 grams of carbohydrates, and >25 grams of protein. For the day, you want to stay between 10 – 34 grams of fat, and as recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA): under 2,300 mg of sodium (unless other health issues such as hypertension, etc. are present). If this calculated serving size provides between 0 – 4 grams of fat, you may add 2 healthy fat servings to your item. If it provides 5 – 9 grams of fat, you may add 1 healthy fat serving, and >10 you add no healthy fat servings.

Condiment vs. Healthy Fat Calculations:

(Copied and pasted straight from Nutrition Support Message boards, Posting by Meredith, MS, CPT)
To sum up, the serving of an item that is equal to 1 gram of carbohydrate can count as 1 condiment option. The serving of an item that is ~5 grams of fat and <6 grams of carbohydrates can count as one healthy fat option.

What to do if you run out of Medifast meals before your next shipment:

(Copied and pasted straight from Nutrition Support Message boards, posting by Meredith, MS, CPT)
However, if you are completely out of food, a 'temporary' (up to 1 week) solution to best try and keep your body in fat burning would be to consume 3, 4-ounce Lean & Green meals along with 1, low-fat dairy option. Either a 5 & 1 or a 4 & 2 may be appropriate options to follow while you still have access to food.

The Tools to My Success

I cringe at the title of this post, because I am not at my goal weight yet. But, I *have* lost 36 lbs and am off all my obesity-related medications, so I would consider my journey already a success.

I wanted to show you the tools/tricks I use on a daily basis that I just can't live without.

Bag Your Day

I saw this idea on Pinterest long before I tried Medifast. I'd considered doing it, but wasn't sure I'd like the food/it was too expensive/etc. You know, the standard excuses. 

Basically as soon as I get my Medifast order for the month, I sit down with a bunch of zip-lock baggies and put my day worth of food in each bag. I used to use a spreadsheet to make sure I wasn't repeating the same variety on every day. Now I just sit with the boxes, decide what looks good and go for it. The trick is 5 Medifast Meals per bag, per day. I love the Medifast optional snacks, so I put one of those in there per day too. This way I don't have to count how many meals I have. There's no guesswork. It's just there, and as I go I grab my meals. Sometimes I don't feel like what's in the bag and will exchange it for a meal from another bag. Which is fine. I love this method and it's nice to take ALL the work out of deciding what I'll eat for that day. I just grab a bag and go!

Fill Your Jugs

 Another way I take ALL the thinking out of doing Medifast is my trusty Rubbermaid 64 oz jug. I fill it up in the morning and make sure it's gone by lunch. Then I refill it and make sure the second is gone by the time I finish my workout at 9pm.

Medifast recommends you drink 64 oz of water. So, you could just fill it up once and make sure it's gone by the end of the day. That's what I was doing when I first started. But if you read my Week 8 update, I had a stall and bumped up my water intake to 128 oz and broke the stall.

But whatever you chose, this is a great way to ensure you're getting in all your water!

Weigh More Now, Weigh Less Later

By far, my favorite, and most used, gadget for Medifast is my kitchen food scale. I've had it for years

and have no clue where I bought it (I'm guessing Bed Bath and Beyond or Walmart). It sat in a drawer for a number of years, and came out the day I got my Medifast order. I make sure to weigh every lean item I have, and now that I found a spreadsheet with all of the weights in grams for vegetables, I'll be weighing those too (instead of my "how much can I cram into a level half cup method. ha!)

I didn't post a picture of my measuring cups and spoons, but those get a workout too :)

Go for a Spin

 This is one of my favorite gadgets for making Medifast interesting. It's the Hamilton Beach personal drink blender. It's like 15 bucks at Walmart and worth every penny. In fact, it kind-of makes me want to splurge the 60-ish bucks for one of those Magic Bullets.

This thing is great for making up smoothies with the shakes, mixing up the soft-serve, even making my Wendy's Style frosty with the Medifast Chocolate pudding. (I'll post that recipe at some point. A similar recipe is on my Pinterest board :) )

Grill It Up!

Oh, how I love this Rival Sandwich Maker. It was about ten bucks at Walmart, and again, worth every penny. I bought it after finding a Medifast Grilled Cheese recipe on Pinterest. After failing miserably the first time (tip: spray PAM on the grates, even on first use!!!), I scraped up the mess, threw the cheese on it, and ate the first heavenly grilled cheese (however ugly) on-plan.

Then I thought, well, if I can make THAT with this little appliance, what else can I make? I've developed a couple recipes I'll be posting in the future (think Stuffed French Toast and Grilled PB&J sandwiches and a few other things ;) )

If you're doing Medifast and getting a little tired of the standard fare, consider buying one of these babies and expanding your meal options. I love mine!

Medifast Broccoli and Cheese Grilled Cheese

Here's another recipe I found on Cody's New Beautiful Me blog that I adapted to fit with what I had on hand. I would never in a million years order the cream of tomato soup (I can't STAND tomato soup). But I did have some cream of broccoli soup, and I really, really wanted to try the grilled cheese sandwich.

Like with the breakfast sandwich, I chose to use the Kraft Free Single as my cheese option. Rather than being part of my lean, it counts as two condiments for one slice. Again, I'm okay with this. Use your own discretion regarding the cheese choice for this recipe, though. If you chose a cheese with fat, make sure to deduct it from your lean.

Again, other recipes I've found do not count the egg beaters as part of your lean. I didn't either. Again, use your own discretion with this recipe. (If you're making more than one of these per day, or in combination with other recipes using 2 tbsp egg beaters (such as the breakfast sandwich) be sure to deduct the Egg beaters from your lean.)

Medifast Broccoli and Cheese Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

1 Medifast Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/4 cup Egg Beaters (1/8 lean)
2 Tbsp water
1 slice Kraft Free Single

Spray non-stick spray into the wells of a sandwich maker and pre-heat. In a small bowl, mix together the egg beaters and water. Pour the mix into a pre-heated sandwich maker. It should fill all four little triangles. Close the maker and cook for three (3) minutes.

Once the "bread" has cooked, remove from the sandwich maker and place half a slice of cheese between two squares.

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast meal, 1/8 lean, 2 condiments

Medifast Breakfast Sandwich

So like many other people on Medifast, after a while on the program, you just need some variety. So I went searching for recipes to "tweak" my Medifast meals. 

I came across Cody's New Beautiful Me Blog, and her recipe for a breakfast sandwich using the pancake mix. While it looked delicious, I really didn't want to use up that much of my lean on one of my medifast meals.

I searched the Medifast Nutrition Support forums and discovered that you could use 2 Tbsp of Egg Beaters on one of your Medifast meals and not count it towards your lean. Because really, one lean serving of Egg Beaters is TWO CUPS. So two tablespoons is like, 1/18th of your lean or something. 

Anyway...

I also discovered Kraft Free singles at the grocery store. On the Nutrition Support boards, they said one slice of Kraft Free singles would count as two condiments. There's a lot of sodium in one slice, so use them sparingly if you chose them as the cheese portion of this breakfast sandwich. If you use low or moderate fat cheese for this recipe, remember to deduct it from your lean for the day. I have been using the Kraft Free singles for a few weeks now and haven't seen it impact my weight loss at all, so I'm happy to count them as two condiments. I also only use one slice per week (either as a grilled cheese sandwich or this breakfast sandwich) and need to use up my package! :)

For a McGriddles-type sandwich, add one tbsp of sugar free maple syrup (1/2 condiment). Remember to deduct it from your condiments for the day.

Medifast Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 package Medifast Spiced Pancakes
1/4 cup water (2 oz)
2 Tbsp Egg Beaters
1 slice Kraft Free Single

In the shaker bottle, mix 1 package of Spiced Pancake mix with 2 oz water. Shake 6 times. Set aside.

Spray a small ramekin with cooking spray. Pour 2 Tbsp Egg Beaters into ramekin and microwave for 1 minute or until set. Tip out onto plate.

Pour the pancake mix into the ramekin. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Tip out onto another plate. Slice the pancake in half.

Place the cooked egg and a Kraft Free Single onto one half of the pancake. Top with the other half of the pancake.

I like to dip the sandwich in 1 Tbsp sugar free maple syrup. (Add 1/2 condiment to the totals below if you choose to do this, however).

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast meal, 2 condiments (2.5 if using syrup).

Medifast Product Review: Blueberry Oatmeal

This was another scary purchase. All the reviews I'd found about the Medifast oatmeal(s) compared them to tasting like paste. I'm not really a fan of oatmeal in general (unless it's the uncooked, granola type), but I figured I needed variety in my lunches, considering soup every day for lunch gets really old after seven weeks. :) 

I was pleasantly surprised. I had tried the maple & brown sugar oatmeal in my first box, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't spectacular either. But a tsp of sugar free maple syrup on top made it one of my favorite lunches. I also tried the cookie recipe, which turned out gummy and gross. I'll stick with the straight-up oatmeal with a bit of syrup on it! :) With that said, next time I make this, I think I'm going to add a tsp of sugar free blueberry jelly on top to brighten the blueberry flavor!

I did find a recipe for waffles using the Medifast oatmeal. When I'm feeling adventurous, I'll give it a shot and let you know how it is! :)

Tip: I like my oatmeal thick, so I only used four ounces and cooked it for two minutes, then let it sit to thicken. The texture turned out perfect. This works for both flavors.

Medifast Blueberry Oatmeal

http://www.medifast1.com/Products/Site/Medifast_Direct_Products/MedifastMeals/Oatmeal/prd~58010.jsp

Flavor: Of the flavors of oatmeal I've tried, this is my favorite. Honestly, it kind-of reminds me of the blueberry Jiffy muffin mix, which I loved when I was a kid. It tastes like oatmeal with dehydrated blueberries in it. Like all the oatmeals, it's pretty sweet. 

Texture: When cooked with 4 oz of water and microwaved for 2 minutes and let sit to thicken, it reminded me of the texture of the regular instant oatmeal packets. There are little dehydrated blueberries, which give you a little pop of flavor and texture every so often.

Portion size:  Good size, one of the most filling options on the Medifast plan, in my opinion.

Would I order it again: Yes. It's nice to have some variety besides soup every day! I liked the flavor, and I'll definitely turn to this one when I'm having a hungry day AND craving something sweet. 

Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
3.5 oz lump crab meat (1/2 leanest)
2 oz part-skim mozzarella (1/2 lean)
1 clove garlic, minced (1 condiment)
1 Tbsp green onions, finely diced (1/4 green)
1 Tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced (1/4 green)
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (1 condiment)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (1/2 condiment)
1/4 tsp dried dill weed (1/2 condiment)
1 1/4 cups mushroom caps (2 1/2 green)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and wash and dry the caps. Place stem-side up in a rectangular glass dish that has been sprayed with PAM.

In a small bowl, combine crab meat, mozzarella, garlic, green onions, bell pepper, black pepper and dill weed in a small bowl. Stir gently to combine, trying to avoid breaking up the lumps of crab as much as possible. Fill the mushroom caps with the mixture, pressing it firmly into the caps, and mounding it on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the stuffed mushrooms. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned and the cheese has melted.

Servings: 1
Medifast calcs: 1/2 leanest, 1/2 lean, 3 green, 3 condiments

Medifast Buckeyes

Yep, that's right. Buckeyes!

I've got a thing for Reese's peanut butter cups, and my husband recently asked me to make him peanut butter balls. Which just increased my desire to have something, ANYTHING with peanut butter in it.

I did some searching of the Medifast forums and found that most people use and like the PB2. I was sad to discover that I could only obtain it by ordering it online (and paying shipping). I headed off to my local Whole Foods to see if they had any sort of peanut butter powder similar to PB2.

And as I stared at all the nut butters they had to offer, Just Great Stuff's organic peanut butter powder lit up on the shelf, like angels had shone a spotlight on it. It must have blinded me, because even with its $8.99 price tag, I still put it in my cart. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I figured that the price of the PB2 plus shipping would probably still be more expensive. (Although now that I'm writing the post, I remember that netrition.com has free shipping...)

Also, JGS's peanut butter powder contains coconut sugar, which has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar (PB2's ingredient), which, while it has 1 more gram of sugar than PB2, it has the same amount of carbs. Did I mention it's organic? ;)

Anyway, I came home, ripped open the jar and inhaled the peanut-y goodness, and decided that right then and there I HAD to come up with a recipe to incorporate it.

I make daily baggies with all my meals for the day as soon as I get my Medifast order, and I just so happened to have hot cocoa as my evening snack in the bag. I'm not sure if this recipe will work with the pudding, but believe me, I intend to try it!

**UPDATE** I tried it with the pudding, and while it works, it requires more water (I used two extra tablespoons). It had a bit of a funky gelatinous texture, but after freezing, it was pretty good. I still prefer the hot cocoa version.

Medifast Buckeyes

Ingredients:
Chocolate layer:
1 packet Medifast Hot Cocoa
3 Tbsp cold water

Peanut butter Layer:
2 Tbsp Just Great Stuff Peanut Butter Powder
1 Tbsp cold water

In two separate bowls, combine the powders and water. Whisk with a fork until completely smooth. Using four small cups (I use the Dixie 2 oz salad dressing cups), spread a layer of chocolate on the bottom of each cup. Follow it by 1/4 of the peanut butter. Top with the remaining chocolate.

Freeze until set, approx 1-2 hours. If using the Dixie cups, they should pop right out. If not, warm the sides with your hands for a few seconds and they will come out.

4 cups=1 serving

Medifast calcs: 1 Medifast Meal, 1 Snack

Veggie Quesadilla

Veggie Quesadilla

Tortilla:
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash (2 green)
1/4 cup egg beaters (1/8 lean)
3/8 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese (6g fat/oz) (3/8 lean)

1/8 tsp garlic powder (1/4 condiment)

1/8 tsp onion powder (1/4 condiment)

1/8 tsp ground black pepper (1/8 condiment)

1/4 tsp whole oregano leaves, crushed in your palm (1/4 condiment)

Filling: 

1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese (6g fat/oz) (1/2 lean category)

1/4 cup canned green chiles (1/2 green - I'm assuming they fit under the "peppers" category?)

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms (1/2 green)

Topping:

2 Tbsp Salsa (2 condiments)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, mix together spaghetti squash, egg beaters, cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and oregano. Press into a parchment-lined baking sheet as thin as you can make it. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Spread 1/4 cup of cheese over half of the baked tortilla. Spread chiles and mushrooms over the cheese. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Fold the tortilla onto the filling and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Remove from oven, allow to set for 5 minutes before slicing into triangles. Serve with 2 Tbsp salsa.

Medifast calcs: 1 lean, 3 green, just shy of 3 condiments