Day 7:

Breakfast:
Blue Berry Pancake 39/40 ++++

I'm trying the pancake's for the first time. I'm a little hesitant to put syrup on the pancakes, so I've decided to use fruit and a tablespoon of fat free whipped topping. the pancakes on the package actually look quite large, but I'm betting they are smaller about the size of the cookies I would guess. The pancakes look smooth- given that the package says Blueberry flavored pancakes I wasn't really expecting fruit.

Visual Appeal: 10/10
Upon opening the package I was surprised to see blueberries in the mix. Very nice. The mix itself has a very nice blueberry muffin smell. Mixing it I am reminded of my easy-bake oven when I was a girl. (chuckle) The pancakes turn a nice golden brown and cook easily. They are also quite a bit larger than I first imagined. I got two reasonably sized pancakes out of the mix. (The picture is taken on a smaller plate, just so you are aware these are not massive pancakes. )

Smell: 10/10-
The smell is wonderful. I love the smell of blueberries and this has a nice fruity aroma.

Taste: 9/10-
The pancake by itself does not live up to the smell. It has the dull taste of blueberries but otherwise you taste mostly pancake. Now, in my opinion, pancakes are a holder for the topping. I've never really liked pancakes by themselves unless they come from Lehi Roller Mills. (but that's another blog all together) I made a nice blackberry puree and poured it over the pancake. It really brought out the blueberry flavor. It was very nice.

Texture: 10/10-
The batter was not lumpy- in fact it was just the opposite. I was a little worried that it would cook funny, but it came out alright. The cooked pancakes are very light and fluffy. They have a nice light cake like texture when eating them. All in all texture is excellent.

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Lunch:
Pasta with Beef 37/40 +++1/2

Hmmm... I'm back to the non-dehydrated cup meals. The word beef in this meal makes me nervous. To me beef doesn't microwave well, so I'm opting for the heat in boiling water method. Looking at the package it looks like the pasta will be shells and the beef looks like meatballs. or possible small chunks The tomato sauce again looks to be free of spices. Looking at the ingredients there are jalapeno peppers in there, so it should have a bit of a kick.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-
Looking at this meal it really isn't that appetizing simply because all I see is bloated pasta in a tomato sauce. The meat is in chunks though it does look ground. There is quite a bit of pasta in this meal which should be filling.

Smell: 10/10-

Wow! The meal smells great! The jalapenos are simply jumping out of this sauce. I think I might also smell some red pepper or paprika. The sauce has the same tomato smell that I'm becoming used to in Nutrisystem meals but the addition of the spice makes it really appetizing.

Taste: 10/10-
Oh wow! I'm glad I gave this meal a shot. It really is quite good. The tomato sauce does have a zip similar to a medium chili you might get in the store. The chunks of beef are hardy and taste really good with the sauce. While the pasta has little to no taste really, the flavors in this meal are alive and well. I need more of this...

Texture: 9/10-

Ok, Pasta took down the score yet again. Too bad. This really is a good meal. The pasta is overcooked though I can feel a bit of resistance though it is so slight I can't even say that it's close to aldente. The beef chunks and tomato are really quite nice texture wise. The good news is that the flavors and the meat and tomatoes really make it so you can't tell the pasta is overcooked. This meal is quite good texture wise.

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Dinner: Chili with Beans 37/40 +++1/2

Time for dinner and I have to say I am really hungry tonight. I'm looking at this little cup of chili with beans, and I'm a little worried. I guess this is why we are learning about portion size. Looking at the packaging I'm seeing beans and meat in the chili. The meat looks surprisingly similar to the beef I had in my last meal. There looks to be some spice in there as well. That would be good. In general I like my chili hot rather than sweet.

Visual Appeal: 10/10-
Opening the package, the insides looks very much like chili in a microwavable cup I have had in the past. (It looks like chili)

Smell: 8/10-
Smelling this meal doesn't give me the usual chili smell. I can smell the beans and the sauce but they are not inundated with spices. I'm guessing this is a very mild chili from what I'm getting. It's kind of disappointing, since I know Nutrisystem has a very good use of Jalapenos in their other dishes.

Taste: 9/10-

Indeed it is a very mild chili, but it is also very good. While I am headed back to the kitchen to "kick it up a notch." For someone who doesn't like heat this would be very good. The flavors are rich. The beans meld well with the sauce and the meat. All in all the flavors are very nice.

Texture: 10/10-

The textures are very good. The beans and meat are well prepared and are neither paste like or crunchy. It is extremely well prepared.
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Dessert: White Chocolate Chunk Cookie 37/40 +++1/2

I'm in the mood for something sweet this evening, so I'm happy that the white chocolate chunk cookie was my draw for today. Looking at the package I'm seeing large chunks of white chocolate throughout the cookie. It looks like there are nuts in there as well.

Visual Appeal: 9/10-

Again we have the Nutrisystem smooth cookie. I'm not exactly sure why they don't show the cookie looking like this on the package. It's not off putting. I have one large chunk of white chocolate on the top and a single nut. It is a nice golden brown.

Smell: 9/10-

Smells exactly like the other cookies sans the Oatmeal raisin. It smells slightly sweet. You get more flour smell than anything.

Taste: 9/10-

Sorry to say that I can't really tell much difference between this cookie and the peanut butter cookie from last night. It's not bad. It's pleasant really, but just not distinct from the other cookies in the system. I was hoping for a unique flavor here and it's pretty much the same. It is still delightful the cookie is sweet and the white chocolate is nice... but there isn't anything unique to this cookie.

Texture: 10/10-

Texture in this cookie like the rest is great. It is cooked well. It's moist and the nuts and chocolate chunks are easy to eat.

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Today's Water:
Exercise: