Day 8:

Breakfast:
Apple Strudel Bar 35/40 +++1/2

The Apple Strudel Bar looks a little different from the other breakfast granola bars that I have seen. The picture on the bar is quite small but it looks like layers of crispies, perhaps some apples, and a light frosting zigzagged across the top. Looking at the back, the bar is supposed to have rolled oats, but the picture seems that the soy dominates this bar.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

The frosting on the top is a pale yellow color and looks embedded in the granola. The entire base of the bar has been dunked in the same frosting. I can see the rolled oats mixed in. In real life it looks a bit more like an actual granola bar.

Smell: 10/10-

The smell of this bar is a mixture of apple and granola. It's really quite appetizing though it might be a little strong for someone who does not like apple scent.

Taste: 8/10-

I can really taste apples in this bar. This is flavor is similar to the Apple Scone. It's very sweet. I can taste the granola throughout the bite. The nice thing is- no soy aftertaste! The frosting is a little much for me. I would have liked the granola alone with the apples. The tons of frosting makes this feel more like a desert than a breakfast.

Texture: 9/10-
This bar is not as gooey as the cranberry granola bar. It's a little dry, but not bad. There is no funny texture to this bar- slight resistance to chewing on the ends but the middle is great.

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Lunch:
Split Pea Soup 39/40 ++++

I like really well done split pea soup especially with ham, but this makes me wonder. First it's a just add water meal. Second... it's a just add water meal. :) The soup on the front of the package looks a little disturbing if you don't like split pea. It's uniform pea green with spices. Interesting.

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

Visual appeal completely depends on whether you have eaten split pea soup before. I have, thus it doesn't bother me. It is a beautiful split pea green, you can see the spices and it isn't overly chunky.

Smell: 10/10-
Surprisingly, I smell ham when I take a whiff. That is refreshing. It has a very nice split pea scent. The ham and the pea blend very well together. Very nice.

Taste: 9/10-

I actually had to take a look at the back of the package to see if there was ham in the soup. The ham flavor really comes through. There is no ham by the way, and I suggest avoiding reading the ingredients. :) The flavor like most Nutrisystem meals is somewhat muted, but you still get the basic flavors of the soup.

Texture: 10/10-

The texture for some might be off putting, but it is reasonably close to actual split pea. It is a little gravely in your mouth, but that is expected. The chunks are not so big that the soup comes off unstrained, which is an advantage. All in all good texture for Split pea.

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Dinner: Hearty Beef Stew 27/40 ++1/2

For me, beef stew can go either very right or very wrong. Most of the time, when I've had it in little cups like this, it goes wrong. Hopefully this is not one of those times. Looking at the picture, this stew should have sizable chunks of meat, carrots, potatoes, peas and what looks like beans. It is in a rich brown sauce. All in all the picture looks wonderful!

Visual Appeal: 6/10-

Okay... soups look like stews and stews look like soup. The hearty beef stew is really a soup. The bits of vegetable, beef, and potato are swimming in a beef broth rather than a gravy. Strange looking. The beef has a funny pinkish color and the vegetables look as though they've been overcooked a tad.

Smell: 7/10-

It does smell like a vegetable soup, but not a stew. The richer flavors are missing from the scent. There is also that odd, came from a can Campbell Soup smell associated with this meal.

Taste: 6/10-

Starting with the broth, It's a beef broth sort of... mostly tastes like vegetable soup. Reminds me of Campbell's beef with barley. The beef doesn't taste bad but the broth overpowers both the vegetables and the beef.

Texture: 8/10-

Vegetables are overcooked as is the beef. It really falls apart in your mouth.
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Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie 33/40 +++

Time for a chocolate chip cookie. I really miss the glass of milk right now. Looking at this picture I actually see a smooth texture for the cookie. There are several chips across the top. Overall looks good.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

The cookie is a bit browner than NS cookies normally are, but that doesn't bother me. There are quite a few chocolate chips but they are mostly around the perimeter. It's quite tall in the center almost a full inch in height.

Smell: 9/10-

Smells like a chocolate chip cookie. Granted the smell of the cookie overpowers the chocolate it still smells really quite good.

Taste: 7/10-

The cookie itself is quite bland. Only when you get a piece of a chip do you really get flavor. I would suppose that NS bet on you getting a chocolate chip in each bite. Without the chips the cookie is pretty much lifeless.

Texture: 9/10-

The cookie is a little airy. That's the best way to describe it. When I take a bite there is the immediacy sensation that I'm eating a bit of puffed foam. Other than that, the texture is very nice.

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Todays Water:
Exercise: