NutriSystem Program Food Review: Orange Beef with Noodles is Just Plain Gross

Up to this point, I have been very impressed by NutriSystem. The program is very easy to follow, and the food is actually quite good. That is, the food that I have had up until now. For dinner this evening, I decided to go with the Orange Beef with Noodles. Fortunately, I made a tomato and artichoke salad to go with it. I didn't even finish the entree-- it was that bad.

Making the dish is quite simple. You can either stick it in the microwave or put it in a pot of boiling water. I had never prepared food by boiling it, and I heard that was a new, trendy way to make meals, so I decided to go that way. Honestly, I don't know if it would have made a difference at all with the dish. It was done within 5 minutes of sitting in the boiling water. (The microwave takes about 90 seconds.) The time was fine, as I was busy making my salad.

After peeling the plastic wrap back from the dish and plating it, the first thing you notice is the aesthetic value. There isn't any. Honestly, to be frank and blunt, it looks like vomit. The sauce is very runny and this horrid brown color. It does, however, smell relatively appetizing. You can most definitely detect the aroma of oranges.

The noodles must be made of wheat or semolina, as they are mushy and fall apart. They just aren't good. I'm sure NutriSystem was trying to create some sort of Asian dish with this one, but they fell far short and very, very flat. The beef is stringy. I'm not talking about biting into a piece of meat and having it be hard to chew. The beef (if that's what it really is) is literally in strings. It dissolves as soon as you pick it up on your fork. Not appetizing at all. The carots and peppers (at least, I think they were peppers...) are overpowered by the sauce, and are extremely mushy. There are water chestnuts (or watercress) in there, too, which remained crispy. However, I don't like them at all.

Orange beef and noodles is definitely a NutriSystem dinner entree that I will not order again. I already changed it for my next order, and replaced it with a pizza. I don't think my mother or husband are going to like it too much, either. This is one entree that needs to be improved.

Below are the nutritional facts taken straight from the NutriSystem website. If you are interested in starting theNutriSystem program and would like a coupon for $30 off of your first order, please email me at Candice@teentrendmagazine.com.

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 Package Servings Per Container 1.0 Amount Per Serving Calories 250Calories From Fat 50 % Daily Value* Total Fat 6.0g.9% Saturated Fat 2.0 g.10% Cholesterol 40 mg.13% Sodium 770 mg.32% Total Carbohydrate 31 g.10% Dietary Fiber 1 g.4% Sugars 8 g. Protein 18 g. Percent Daily Vitamin A25% Percent Daily Vitamin C40% Percent Daily Calcium4% Percent Daily Iron15%

* Based on 2000 calorie maximum recommended amounts.

Ingredients: Water, Cooked Seasoned Modified Food Starch Beef Strips (Beef, Water, Modified Food Starch, Seasoning (Sugar, Soy Sauce Powder [Soy Sauce {Wheat, Soybeans, Salt}, Maltodextrin, Salt], Sherry Wine Powder [Maltodextrin, Sherry Wine Solids, Sulfur Dioxide], Garlic Powder, Spices, Lemon Powder [Corn Syrup Solids, Lemon Juice Solids, Lemon Oil], Oyster Juice Powder [Oyster Juice, Dextrin, Soy Sauce {Soybeans, Salt}, Salt], Sesame Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein), Salt, Caramel Color), Egg Noodles (Durum Flour, Egg Yolks, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Orange Juice Concentrate, Red Bell Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Onions, Modified Corn Starch, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Sea-Salt), Evaporated Cane Juice, Olive Oil, Beef Extract and Salt, Natural Flavors, Orange Peel, Sesame Oil, Spices.