Day Seven: Squashing the Stats

Lunch: Rice and Beans

Before we began the Nutrisystem diet, I bought a butternut squash knowing that we'd need plenty of vegetables for the week ahead. When we received the daily tracker booklet with the grocery guide, it did not list butternut squash, only spaghetti squash. So I was not sure how much we could eat, or if the plan allows you to eat it.

Knowing we had to eat the squash soon —and feeling very tired of green beans and salad — I conducted an investigation. I searched the internet and also the Nutrisystem site to find out about squash. I could not find anything about butternut squash, so I looked on Calorie King and determined that the two varieties of squash are not that different when it comes to nutritional information. 

Take a look at the stats below:

Butternut Squash vs. Spaghetti Squash, Round 1

Calories in one serving (1/2 cup): B = 40 calories, S = 19 calories

Round 1 goes to Spaghetti Squash

Butternut Squash vs. Spaghetti Squash, Round 2

Total fat in one serving (1/2 cup): B = <0.1grams, S = 0.2 grams

Round 2 goes to Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash vs. Spaghetti Squash, Round 3

The container holding my lunch.

Total carbohydrates in one serving (1/2 cup): B = 10.5 grams, S = 4.7 grams

Round 3 goes to Spaghetti Squash

I was surprised that there wasn't a bigger difference between the two squashes. However, I learned that Nutrisystem has only selected vegetables that are 20 calories or less with no fat for its grocery list. I decided it was not a huge deal given that butternut squash won the second round with less fat (by very little, but I'll take the win). Why Quibble over squash?

With that decided, I chopped the squash into French fry-like pieces and place them on two baking sheets. I seasoned them with a little Lowry's salt and baked them in the oven. Husband and I were very happy to have something different with our dinners!


Squash aside, the rest of the day was easy. Well, not really. Next, I had a seaweed dilemma. I picked up a seaweed salad (I love this stuff) to be my vegetable for lunch. I also had green beans because I figured I could not eat all of the seaweed. Well, seaweed is not in the back of the daily tracker booklet so I had to do more research later. Here was my status during lunch:

12:16 p.m. Status update – I am eating a 2-ounce serving of seaweed salad while I wait for my lunch to absorb about a cup of water. I have no idea what a serving of seaweed is because I cannot find it on the Nutrisystem website, and it’s not listed in the approved supplemental foods list in the plan booklet. I’ll have to sort this out later. I decide that 2-ounces must be a safe bet.

My Black Beans and Rice in a cup is ready, so I peel back the lid to examine the food. Quantity wise, it's not much but the smell is good (see photos above). I try to eat slowly, but it is hard when I'm so hungry and there is so little food in the cup. It was good, so I'd order it again. It's probably not for everyone though since there are LOTS of beans. 

3:36 p.m. Status update – I am starving. It is time for a snack that includes an apple, PB2, and a Nutrisystem chocolate chip cookie. The cookie (see picture) is small, and I did not have my hopes up for it tasting like a homemade cookie. It tasted fine (the chips are the small kind) for a diet friendly cookie. Husband and I have refined palates from eating way too many gourmet cookies so I think it would be difficult to please either of us.

5:30 p.m. Status update – I just did a lot of research, and I have discovered that a serving of seaweed salad is TWO ounces. Sigh. That serving size contains 4 grams of fat and 70 calories. I must have been eating 4 or 5 servings before when eating out. Yikes! I'm glad that I guessed the serving size correctly.

Dinner: BBQ Pulled Pork

6:15 p.m. Status update -- Husband is now home from work, so we make our dinners right away. He has Beef Stroganoff while I try the BBQ Pulled Pork. Husband reported that it was "Fine. Pretty good." I don't care for Beef Stroganoff so to me it smelled awful. My dinner, however, smelled very good. Husband said he was not sure about the pulled pork so he eyed mine with skepticism. He's quite the pulled pork snob. For me, it was fine. I really would have preferred more meat though. It seems a lot of these meals have too much sauce and not enough meat. You can see a photo to the right.

Overall, I was satisfied with my meals for the day. Adding different vegetables to the meals definitely helped. It's hard to do sometimes, but we're going to keep trying. 

Next challenge: The Potato!