So you’ve decided to take the plunge and try (or buy) Medifast. Congratulations! It was a huge help to me as I lost the 50 pounds total that I wanted to lose. Now that you have a box full of pre-packaged meals, what are you supposed to do with them all (except just prepare them)?! Let me start off by saying that I spent probably the first three months just eating them “as is” except for a little pepper or Garlic Garlic as needed.
After three months of eating the same old stuff every day, I finally decided to get adventurous and try out some new suggestions and combinations of meals to add a little variety. Here are my ten favorites:
- Flavored Shakes – This probably the easiest fix of all and I use this at work all the time. I add some crushed ice to my blender bottle from the fridge at work (if you can’t get crushed ice, just ignore this step) and then fill it up to just over the 8 oz. marker. Then add a packet of French Vanilla Shake and about 2 tblsp of Da Vinci Sugar-Free Syrup (I keep a bottle at work and right now I’m using Pumpkin Pie). Shake for 30 seconds and then enjoy!!
- Pudding Shakes – These are super simple and taste creamier than just the Flavored Shakes. Into my blender, I add anywhere from 5-8 ice cubes and then fill it up to over the 1 cup mark. I whirl that in the blender until the ice is broken up and making a bit of a slush. Then I take a packet of Vanilla Pudding and dump it in and blend on *LOW* just to get it started so you don’t end up with vanilla pudding chunks all over the top and sides. Then I add 2 tblsp of Da Vinci Sugar-Free Syrup (my favorites are Peppermint and Caramel) and then blend until smooth and creamy. YUM!!
- Chocolate Chocolate Muffins – I’m not a huge chocolate fan to be honest, but these muffins are really tasty! They are somewhat dense with almost a lava-like consistency on the top which goes great with a cup of coffee.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
Author: Your Weight Loss Diva (option)
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 2
- Calories: 111
- Fat: 1.8g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 207mg
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 3mg
Recipe type: Medifast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 1 packet Medifast Brownie Soft Bake
- 1 packet Medifast Chocolate Chip Pancake
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ tsp vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a muffin pan with either Reynolds foil bake cups or silicone reusable baking cups.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I use one of the shaker jars).
- Add water and vinegar to the shaker jar and mix well.
- I mix with a small spatula to get down in the corners of the shaker jar and along the bottom.
- Pour into the prepared muffin pan and place in over for 15 to 18 minutes. The original recipe called for 15 minutes, but I've found that 18 minutes in my oven creates the perfect muffin for me!
- Let cool a little before devouring!
- Banana Shake Muffin
Banana Shake Muffin
Author: Slightly adapted from Sandy's Kitchen
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1
- Calories: 128
- Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 13.6g
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 332mg
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 17.3g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
Recipe type: Medifast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 1 packet Medifast Banana Shake
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 tblsp All Whites (100% Liquid Egg Whites)
- 2 tblsp water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a muffin pan with either Reynolds foil bake cups or silicone reusable baking cups.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I use one of the shaker jars).
- Add egg whites and water to the shaker jar and mix well.
- Pour into the prepared muffin pan and place in over for 20 minutes.
- Set aside and let cool.
- Maple Brown Sugar Muffins – I’m not a huge chocolate fan to be honest, but these muffins are really tasty! They are somewhat dense with almost a lava-like consistency on the top which goes great with a cup of coffee.
Maple Brown Sugar Muffins
Author: Your Weigh Loss Diva
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 2
- Calories: 96
- Fat: 1g
- Trans fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 15.3g
- Sugar: 2.5g
- Sodium: 182mg
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 3mg
Recipe type: Medifast
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Ingredients
- 1 packet Medifast Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
- 1 packet Medifast Original Pancake
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ tsp vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a muffin pan with either Reynolds foil bake cups or silicone reusable baking cups.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I use one of the shaker jars).
- Add water and vinegar to the shaker jar and mix well.
- I mix with a small spatula to get down in the corners of the shaker jar and along the bottom.
- Pour into the prepared muffin pan and place in over for 15 to 18 minutes. The original recipe called for 15 minutes, but I’ve found that 18 minutes in my oven creates the perfect muffin for me!
- Crepes with Chocolate Pudding - This is a variation of Sandy's Kitchen Pancake Crepes that I make for breakfast/snack on the weekends at home.
Crepes with Chocolate Pudding
Author: Slightly adapted from Sandy's Kitchen Pancake Crepes with 3 Variations!
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 2
- Calories: 95
- Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Sugar: 5.5g
- Sodium: 211mg
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 3mg
Recipe type: Medifast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
Chocolate Pudding
- 1 packet Vanilla Pudding
- ½ cup water
- 1 tblsp Walden Farms Calorie Free Chocolate Dip
Crepe
- 1 packet Original Pancakes
- ¼ cup plus ½ tsp water
Instructions
Chocolate Pudding
- In your TSFL Shaker Jar, add the water and pudding and whisk well.
- Add the chocolate dip to the pudding and mix well.
- Place in the refrigerator while you make the crepe.
Crepe
- Whisk the pancake mix and water together to form a thin batter.
- I spray my pan with some olive oil to help with sticking and then pour the batter in and spread out to make the crepe.
- Place over low heat and when the top starts to bubble, carefully slide a thin spatula underneath and flip crepe over.
- Cook until the other side is brown and then place on a plate.
- Fill with the refrigerated pudding and cut in half.
- Eat half for breakfast and save the other half for your mid-morning snack!
- Chocolate Chai Fudge – This fudge is originally from New Beautiful Me with a modification that was offered by Sandy’s Kitchen. Take 1 packet Brownie Soft Bake and 1 packet Chai Latte and mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add 4 tblsp water and mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper (make sure it’s an even amount since this will be two Medifast meals!) and place in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes. I prefer 30 minutes because the bites aren’t so hard and they’re a little crunchy. I tried the second batch after a couple of hours and had to wait for them to thaw a little because I couldn’t bite into them! Be ready to lick your fingers clean, because these are messy!
- S’Mores Crunch Cookie – This is courtesy of TSFL themselves! On August 9, 2013, they celebrate National S’mores Day with this YouTube video. I modified it a little by using 1 packet Chocolate Chip Soft Bake and added 3 tblsp water and mixed it all up in one of the little trays that the soft bakes come with. Meanwhile, place 1 S’more Crunch Bar on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 20 seconds. Once the bar comes out of the microwave, mush it up a little and then mix it in with the Chocolate Chip Soft Bake mixture until they are all combined together. Spread it out all evenly in the tray and then place in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until done. Make sure when done that you split it in half as this makes 2 meals.
- Chili-Mac Cheese – Relatively easy and tasty dinner/evening meal. Prepare 1 packet Vegetable Chili and 1 packet Macaroni & Cheese separately. Then take 1/2 of each prepared meal and combine into Chili-Mac Cheese. My most favorite comfort food of all time is Macaroni & Cheese and I could eat a whole box of prepared Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (yes the old blue box) in one sitting! Hence why I started Take Shape for Life! Anyway, this is a decent enough substitute for my Macaroni & Cheese cravings.
- Java Chip Shake – I found this recipe from Escape from Obesity. You can blend 1 packet Chocolate Chip Soft Bake with 1 cup of cold coffee and some ice to make a creamy shake!
Here’s a list of some of the baking/cooking supplies I use:
- Da Vinci Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup, 750ml
- Da Vinci Sugar Free Caramel Syrup, 750ml
- Da Vinci Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup, 750 ml
- Walden Farms Calorie-Free Dip-Chocolate 12 Oz
- Freshware 12-Pack Round Silicone Reusable Baking Cup
Darlene Vierra says
July 11, 2014 at 4:12 pmI have 2 boxes of the vege chili. I do not like it. Can you suggest alternative ideas as to how it can bu used? I love the program..but not the chili, don’t want to waste it. thank you in advance.
Julie says
July 14, 2014 at 7:25 amHi Darlene! I love the program as well, but agree that some of the food leaves something to be desired! The best suggestion that I have for the chili is the one in this post for the Chili-Mac Cheese. My weakness has always been Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and mixing the Macaroni and Cheese with the Chili gives it a creamy texture that you might like. Don’t forget that the recipe makes two meals though and save half for later!
If texture is an issue, you might try soaking the chili in the water during the day or overnight before cooking it and that might soften up the beans and meat a little.
I know that dairy is a no-no while on the diet, but how about adding just 1 ounce of low-fat cheddar or 1 tablespoon of non-fat sour cream to try and liven it up a little!
Lisa says
December 17, 2014 at 9:21 pmMy suggestion for all soups are top prepare them with hot water a couple of hours in advance. I keep mine in a thermos all morning, so that at lunch time every thing has a normal cooked texture.
Julie says
December 18, 2014 at 8:42 amThat’s a great idea Lisa….thanks!!!
Kamwick says
August 25, 2016 at 6:49 pmDairy isn’t a no-no..the meatless lean and green choices have plenty of cheese options.
Ann Marie Bodi says
June 1, 2016 at 8:31 amI started mixing the chili, sloppy joe, or Mac n cheese with the potatoes. Make each individually then combine for 2 meals.
Julie says
June 2, 2016 at 6:07 pmI hadn’t thought of that Ann Marie. Sounds worth trying!
Debbie Bodenhorn says
June 5, 2016 at 4:22 pmJust remember when mixing meals to count them as whatever you have too, don’t forget that, I had a client that mixed meals daily and still counted them as one and ate the whole thing each time and gained weight, it doesn’t work like that, so really remember to measure and count each meal as it should be counted.
Julie says
June 5, 2016 at 9:15 pmOh no! Yes, even if you mix two meals together, you need to count them as two meals and eat half for one meal and the other half for another meal. Thanks for the reminder Debbie!
Suzanne says
May 23, 2015 at 11:21 amThanks for this. I’m just starting, so these were some really good tips!
Tina says
September 19, 2016 at 10:31 pmHello, do you have any recommendation on what to do with the Soft Serve? I have tried adding Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup and Torani Sugar Free Almond Roca to the Coffee Soft Serve- neither improved it for me. I am afraid of what the texture/taste will be if I try to make it into a shake. TIA!
Julie says
September 26, 2016 at 5:57 amHi Tina,
I liked the Chocolate Mint and Coffee Soft Serve in shakes and when possible, I used an actual blender (not the blender bottle). Using a blender helps with the texture and you could definitely add some Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup to either one to add some creaminess. Hope this helps!
Catherine says
August 15, 2018 at 2:22 pmI use my little mini Cusinart to make my soft serve. It comes out great! Also, I add a few leaves of fresh mint to boost the mint even more.
andrea says
May 24, 2017 at 9:43 amI’m having trouble with the microwave meals like mashed potato and oatmeal they all come out dry and hard. am i cooking too long? not adding enough water??
Julie says
May 26, 2017 at 3:34 pmHi Andrea,
It might be a combination of both and also could be dependent on your microwave. Newer microwaves tend to be more powerful and probably won’t need as long to cook something. Try decreasing the amount of time first. If that doesn’t work, try increasing the amount of water. You can also check my post How I Prepare Medifast Meals for my suggestions.
Cheryl says
June 10, 2017 at 11:49 amAny ideas on how to make the Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry Shake taste okay?
Julie says
June 12, 2017 at 6:52 amHey Cheryl,
I’m afraid I haven’t tried that shake yet. If you have a heavy duty blender, you could try cacao nibs that would a little bit of a crunch and some more chocolate flavor.
Lynn lanham says
September 22, 2017 at 8:14 pmThere is no hope for that and the robust rustic pasta ,it is aweful ! I would love to find someone to trade with.
Susan says
November 27, 2017 at 9:16 pmI mix the Dark Chocolate Cherry Shake with a 7 oz cup of Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt (12 oz is a full lean) and it’s a yummy mousse. Sometimes I will add in a Tablespoon of Torani Sf black cherry syrup.as well.