I recently heard from someone who was very interested in the Nutrisystem diet, but worried that she wouldn’t be able to prepare a lot of the food because she didn’t have a microwave. In the following article, I’ll take a look at some of the methods of preparing some of the most popular breakfast, lunch, and dinner items on Nutrisystem to see if a microwave is really necessary.
Breakfasts And Snacks: Of all the food options, breakfast and snacks are the ones that need the least preparation. Cereals only require you to add milk or fruit. Rolls, buns, and bars are ready to eat. You can also eat the cinnamon roll straight out of the box, although it is very good when warm. The pancakes require some prep, but can be made with a skillet on the stove. Even the egg frittata is made by adding hot water.
Nutrisystem Lunch Prep: Unlike breakfast, many of these meals need to be prepared and heated. Although there are some ready-to-eat bars, most items like soups, stir-fries, hot dogs, and pasta will need to be heated. And while a microwave would make the job easier, you can also achieve it using hot water. This is probably easiest to achieve with a stove, but in a pinch, a hot plate would work.
For example, dishes like sausage and rice and cheese tortellini can be made by adding boiling water to the product, stirring, and cooking over low heat. The hot dog is quick and easy to heat up in a microwave, but you can also do it like your mom probably used to, by cooking it in boiling water. And you can prepare soups and other lunch foods in the same way. Yes, it will take a bit longer, but it sure can be done and a lot of people make it that way.
Dinner preparation: Some of the most popular dinners can be made in a regular or toaster oven (like pizza). Many of the pasta-type foods (such as lasagna, chicken and meatballs, and macaroni and cheese) can also be made with boiling water. You can even use this method with newer wraps like BBQ Pork and Buffalo Chicken.
The bottom line here is that a microwave can make Nutrisystem preparation easier and faster, but it’s not required. Most of the time, you can use the boiling water method accomplished with a stove or hot plate. (I’ve even heard of people using water from a coffee pot or the hot setting of a water cooler.) Also, some of the food can be reheated on a stove or in a toaster.