It was said a few times, but it's worth repeating. Try everything once, and make your own judgment about whether something is "good" or something is "bad". Don't let others' opinions scare you, or influence your opinions. And, don't expect this food to taste like what your homemade or regional food would taste like. It won't, and it's not trying to (like the fish & chips will not taste like what you can get fresh at the dock or in a great Irish pub - how could you expect that it would????).

I don't mind the salad kits at all. Not the best thing I've ever eaten, but perfectly fine for an easy lunch. Love the turkey burgers. cheesy enchilada, pot stickers and a bunch of other foods dissed on this thread. And, I've NEVER tried anything that I had to choke down or toss. Nothing's been that bad that I wasn't able to finish it. In fact, I can't think of even one thing that was even barely a struggle to eat.

Presentation is everything. Everything looks more appetizing when it's plated. So, take the time to make your JC meals look "pretty". When you go to a restaurant, if the presentation blows you away, chances are you'll like the food. If the plate placed in front of you doesn't look nice, there's a better chance you'll be more critical of the meal. I make a point of never eating my JC meals out of the containers they came in. Makes me think I'm eating "real", freshly prepared food...

the cook out chicken GROSSSSSSS

Can we please end the contest.

Nothing, and I mean nothing generates instant ralf more than the "Swedish Meatballs"!!!

Look up disgusting in the dictionary and there is a picture of the packaging for it

-WC

The only JC food I literally can not eat is the Swedish Meatballs.

The first time I had them, they were OK, the second time I got a slight headache, Was not sure if the meatballs caused it, so I tried them again yesterday and low and behold got a much bigger headache. I am not sure why because I have never reacted to any other food that way. I will not be buying them again. Most of the frozen foods I like, some of them more than others.
Love the Mesquite Chicken, BBQ Meatloaf, Salmon, Fish and Chips, and I also love the Lentils with Beef and the Turkey Burgers. Mmmmm
The chicken Sandwich is not a favorite either, very tasteless and tough.

I'm not a big fan of the sweet and sour chicken

The potstickers are sooooooo disgusting, same with salad kits and peanut anytime bars. Swedish metballs are evil. Chicken burger is terrible and so are the enchilada with tofu! Ugh....

My faves:
Triple chocolate cheesecake, lemon cake, turkey burger, turkey club panini....yummy!

I could not eat the potstickers..YUCK..Salad kits are gross also.
I love the turkey buger, i spray the pan, cook onions and mushrooms put f.f.cheese on, yummy. I like the sunshine sandwich, I take off the meat and don't use the sauce, I put f.f.cheese on it delish:)

ITA! I got started on JC after giving my mother all my NS leftovers, and I realized that I loved the program, but I could never eat that food again. I decided to try JC, and love this program too. Food is much better quality (and of course more expensive) than NS.

To keep in the spirit of this thread, I hate the potstickers too!

That garden soup was gross.. like oddles of noddles... i had to force my self to eat it.. Yuck

I do not like the chicken /tuna salad kits,swedish meatballs,any of the soupitizers, anytime bars,anything with soy.....,the freezer food is definitely the best.

LOL...Yes, I tried NS too and believe me JC is wonderful and sooooo much better....like night and day

Sandi ;-)

I just had the chicken salad kit...while it wasn't horrid, it was definitely not my favorite...who puts onions in chicken salad?! Tuna salad kit was pretty good though.

Also had the spagetti and meatballs for the first time last night and I have to say YUMMY!!! I'll get it as much as I can before it gone! And I love my lemon cake days

I thought the Sweet and Sour Chicken was so watery. I tried it once and that was enough.

The Pasta Fagioli was always gross but the last time I ate it I actually got sick to my stomach so I never ordered it again.

I stopped buying the JC bars. I found the Honey Peanut bar had a burning sensation to it and the Fruit and Nut was just disgusting.

The Chicken Fajitas was always my favourite and the last time I had it there were TWO tiny pieces of chicken in it! I was pretty pissed off.

I love the chicken salad kit! Maybe it's the convenience, I don't know, but I think it's yummy.
I can't stand the salmon, which is sad since salmon is literally my favorite food. MMM! I also can't stand most of the snacks, but love the cake/cheesecake desserts. The cheese curls are the exception, love them!!!!

It's amazing how much variety there really is on the program compared to what I thought it would be like.

I just finished eating the Chicken Pasta Parmesan. I was scared to death after reading a lot of posts that said it was not good; but I already had it on the menu for tonight so I had to at least try it! I actually liked it. I've got the Swedish Meatballs coming up on Wednesday and I'm extra scared about that one, lol.

Foods I don't like:

Cheesy Enchilada--I think it was the mushy tofu I didn't care for?

Green beans (that are in some of the frozen meals)--GROSS! I like mine soft though.

Thai Chicken Soupitizer--I had to add a couple crackers. There was just no substance and I couldn't put any vegi's in at the time. Unfortunately I have 2 more of these left :/

Turkey Burger--I liked it except for all the green bell peppers inside of it! If you like bell peppers, you'll like it.

Everything else I've tried I've really liked. I thought I wouldn't like the chicken sandwich and the fish and chips so I switched that whole day on the menu with another day and now I wish I would have tried it because everyone seems to really like those. I have to admit, there are a lot of days I'm scared with something new but am pleasantly surprised.

Hi Everyone,
definitely 99% of the shelf foods(except the chili), and all the soy frozen entree's. But I hate the anytime bars the most YUCK!!!!!

I agree with newbie~ like my greenbeans soft also, I won't eat them.
I love the choc cake, I really have not tried it till last week YUM.. I'm getting 2 next week:)
Frozen foods are the best!!

Definitely not a fan of the tuna salad kit because i feel like im an eating a snack not a meal!

HATED the southwestern chicken burrito..couldn't even finish it.

wasn't a fan of the southwestern chicken and rice either.

Love the french toast though!

I actually look forward to my PB Anytime Bar everyday! I love that thing!!! It's like a candy bar but I think it's better.

I switched my chicken salad kit this week for a pizza for lunch under the advice of pretty much everyone on this post, lol.

if everyone on this thread would write to jenny about the horrible 'shelf' foods, maybe we could get more variety in the frozen foods, keep the so called travel meals for people who have no center to pickup food and order online. . we who get to center for food should get more of a variety in the frozen selection!! if you agree, write a letter and send to jenny craig the address is in the contact us section. .
anyhow, of course, my least favorite food is the shelf foods, ALL OF THEM, there is not a one that i like. the soups are OK if you play with them a little, they have a good enough base, try adding spinach to the wedding soup or escarole is you like it (i do), a little extra chicken broth livens up the flavor, i take it out of the can, doctor it up. same for the gumbo soup, lots of thing to add there, extra carrots, okra (if you like it, again i do) and they give you all of 1/2 piece in it, use the frozen okra.

WRITE THAT LETTER, let's get some more frozen choices, there's so much untouched options!

I like any salmon out there: blackened, grilled, glazed...YUMM! But this salmon is so overcooked I could use it as a teething toy for my dog.

Try microwaving it for less time. I've had this entrée many times, and the salmon has always been fork tender.

I tried the potato soup yesterday and hated it but I'm not much of a soup person.

The salmon is truly horrible. Mine tasted like fishy shoe leather even with less time in the microwave. Oh well, won't be ordering that one again.

CRS - I put the potato soup with a little extra milk in a blender. Once it was smooth, I heated it with some bacon bits (limited free) and a little low fat cheese. It tasted great!

I took the salmon out of the package while still frozen, put it in a pan sprayed with Olive Oil and cooked it on the stove. Also, I added some soy sauce. It was really good. I had a feeling it wouldn't be great microwaved.

My least favorites:

tuna/chicken salad kits
pasta fagioli
meatball stuffed sandwich (no meatballs)
soupitizers
PB anytime bars

1amber, taking the salmon out to cook seperately is a great idea. I wish I had thought of doing that. Thanks for the tip!

Ok, so I feel a little whiney....as this is only DAY 2....BUT....so far, I've been pretty disappointed.

The oatmeal rasin cin bar tasted like crushed up vitamins...
I had the Turkey Burger for Lunch....THAT I liked alot!
Absolutely hate the Anytime Bars.
Dinner - chicken pasta parmesean.....eh, it was ok....I added some grilled mushrooms with 1 tsp light margarine and some seasoning which made it much better.
Day 2:
Silver Dollar Pancakes for breakfast.....not bad at all.
Eating the Sausage Gumbo right now at my desk at work....it's ok, but I agree it's a tad bland......put some light salt and a lot of pepper.....I'll eat it all cause I'm starving!!!!

Guess I'm feeling a little down cause the stuff is SO expensive!!!!!!!!

My first two days on the program had some of the best food they make. Unfortunately, your menu isn't like that. I can tolerate these, but they are probably some of my LEAST favorite foods. So just know...The food gets BETTER from here! I actually like the Peanut Butter anytime bars, but I seem to be in the minority on that. I hope your dinner selection is a little better tonight! Always write down what you DON'T like so you'll know in the future what you want to take off the menu and replace it with something you really like. GOOD LUCK!!

Amber

Well I'm back after three years and some of the fiood is new and there are old favorites as well.

My least favorites are still all of the shelf stable foods.They are mushy and not to my liking at all. Canned food is ok but the shelf stable YUCK! They do serve a purpose thought. I'm in Florida and when I was ont he JC program before if there was a hurricane warning, I would buy shelf stable and canned foods for that week in case of power outages. I ate them even when the storms were kinder than expected, but went back to the frozen foods.

Here are my least favorites;

BREAKFAST- Muffins, cold cereals and breakfast bars. All are sugary and that much carbs raises blood sugar only to drop and leave me famished long before lunch time.

LUNCH - I agree the cat food (tuna and chicken salad kits) YUCK! I do love tuna but could substitute with fat free mayo and regular white tuna packed in water. I don't know how anyponme can mess up tuna salad by JC did.

DINNER - I hate salmon so that has to be the worst, but all of those shelf stable dinners are mushy and yucky and are what had me leaving Nutri System and going to JC for the frozen fresher foods.

SNACKS & DESSERTS - I don't like the sugary cookies and cream, desert bars, trail mix and popcorn
whcih are not satisfying and meaningless to me.

MOST FAVORTIES:

BREAKFAST: Breakfast Scrmble and breakfast burrito which I add some roasted red pepper for some specy goodness. I prefer the proteins that tide me over for hours. I also like the pancases and "sausage>; and appreciate that JC has turkey bacon and turkey ham and veggie sausage for those of us that don't do real pork.

LUNCH - Cheesy Enchilada hands down. I could eat them every day. I'm a cheese lover so this is the best. Also like the broccly cheese potato but wish the broccki was less chunky, and pesto pizza has a good flavor and I ad peppers and spices for added zesty flavor. I also like the chicken stuffed sandwich. Must be all that cheese.

DINNER - Fish and Chips tops the list, and also love the traditional lasagna, potstickers, , mac and cheese, chicken fettucinne and chicken carbonara. Lots of cheese and proteins. YUMMY!

DESSERTS AND SNACKS - Triple chocolate cheese cake, double chocolate cake, chocolate walnut brownines and Jenny's cheese curls.

Anytime bars - Choclate peanut butter ones are great, cookies and cream is not my thing. If I want cookies and cream, better to just buy the chocolate chip cookies and dip them in skim milk.

Losing weight on cheese and chocolate. What is not to love!

JJ

I am on my third week, and happily switched from Jenny Direct with ONLY shelf stable food for two weeks, to a planned menu with both frozen and shelf stable items. I think I have tried all shelf stable items, and I agree with what most ppl on here said about them. I just have a problem with shelf stable meat, it weirds me out!

Least Favorites:

SWEDISH MEATBALLS! ugh. I didn't mind them the first time I had them, but the second time I couldnt even choke it down...((shudder))

Beef and Mashed Potatoes--the beef is mushy and gross, I wanted to gag

And I have to confess--I dont like tuna to begin with, but the chicken salad kit is so yummy! I had it for lunch today, very tasty.

its funny that all my thoughts were displayed by other JC members. I really had to laugh out loud that:

-salad kits look like cat food
-swedish meatballs are nasty
-most shelf stable pasta sauce tastes like spaghetti-o's sauce
-some shelf stable foods are a bit weird, and the meat is mushy

I'm glad to be able to try the other foods available. My JC Centre is amazing, and I think they will help me out if something is on the menu that I cannot choke down.

I don't like the Salisbury steak, the beef and mashed potatoes, the pasta fagioli, or..... the toffee cookies!! Yes, that's right. I know most of you will think I'm crazy, but they just taste like burnt sugar cookies to me. No thank you.

Seconded on the Toffee Bites. I never thought I would meet a crappy cookie, but there you go.

Ok so I have tried alot of the foods, I'm in my 4th week now, just starting it. But I've been doing personal menus because I am SO picky. I don't like fish, therefore I have not tried either of the fish entrees. But I can safely say my favorite meals so far are the meatball stuffed sandwich, the turkey and gravy (omg makes my mouth water thinking about it), mac n cheese (total yummmo!) and I LOVE the muffins! As for what I dislike...um I HATE the chicken sandwich (not the stuffed one) it's soooo gross...like really am I eating rubber? And the cookies and cream anytime bars blah!!!!

I love the potstickers!! I like the pasta dinners too. I love the turkey burgers, meatball stuffed sandwiches too. I love the sunshine sandwiches, love the muffins too.

I dislike the salmon (and I usually love salmon) and dislike the tuna and chicken salads. To me it does smell like cat food. I'm not crazy about the shelf meals either.

Dina

I did JC for 3 months straight last year and just got back on the program this week, so I definitely have some foods that I hate.

I really hate the ravioli from the shelf! Because of it I've been afraid to try anything else but the turkey chili -- I love that. I hate all the soups, I flat out refuse to buy them. I also hate the anytime bars. I just tell them no way. I bought them once and they were nasty.

My favorite lunches are the turkey burger and the broccoli cheese baked potato! The breakfast scramble is good, especially with some salsa.

If you hate the shelf stable foods, at least try the new Barley and Beef Stew. It is yummy and very satisfying.

Now, on the other end of the spectrum, the new Szechwan Pork is really bad. The quality of the mean is really bad (at least the entree I had was). Ughhhhhhh

did not like the south western style burrito

haven't tried the first four but love the ravioli, lol. my 2 least favs are the potatoe soup and the chili con carne.

The Bests: Penne Pasta, Sunshine Sandwich, Turkey Burger, Rising Crust Pizza, Chicken Gumbo Soup and of course the Lemon cake!

Not so good: Tuna Kit, Italian Wedding soup, Sourdough Bites, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweadish Meatballs and the New Pork.

I love the ACTUAL potstickers but HATE that square tofu they put with the rice! Why does it it have to be there, why don't they just let it be only rice or even veggies?? I can't order it anymore which is a shame bc the potstickers themselves are so tasty.

Tried the penne once and didn't order it again. I think the rotini is good though! Ravioli was ok at first but I got sick of it quickly.

I liked the turkey burger but now it kind of grosses me out. I think it's the texture. I can actually stomach the chicken sandwich more even though it's bland.

I think the chocolate caramel bar is sooo tasty (which is probably why it's the size of my pinky).

I CANNOT STAND TO EAT...ravioli, salmon, potstickers are good, but the rice mixture bad, getting sick of meatloaf (I just think I need a break from the meatloaf then i will be good to eat it again.) sourdough bites,

I LOVE... brownie's, any of the pizzas (especially rising crust YUMM), sunshine sandwich, french toast, beef chow mein, I can probably think of more,

Its nice to see a forum with such different opinions

HAVE A GOOD DAY!

hate the shelf foods, but.... when i went into the center today for weigh in week #2 I tried to explain to my JCC that there seemed to be a "line of foods" i really don't care for, she said "oh you prefer the frozen foods" I said no they are all frozen...... guess what I didn't realise the shelf foods were not frozen, at my house they were, I put them all in the freezer, that didn't help the taste. This week I paid more money than usual for my weekly supply of food -but no shelf food! Boy did I feel dumb!

I agree with the others who think they taste like chef boyardee!

The only things I found to be inedible were the salad kits. GROSS!!!!!! Some of the things are just ok - like the cookies & cream cheesecake & the triple chocolate cheesecake, the chicken & broccoli sandwich/roll. The ones I absolutely love are the mac & cheese, the enchiladas, & the chocolate cake!
Was wondering why some of you are mentioning things that aren't on my menu - are they old things or just not available in my area?

I really dislike the Tortilla Soup and the Swedish Meatball meal. Everything else has been pretty descent.

I'm only in my first week... but so far my horror experience was the Southwestern Chicken burrito..... omg.... it was like those 50c burritos you get at the corner store when you're a starving college student.... except you cant douse it in sour cream to force it down! lol

...and since I dont have soupetizers... that was ALL I got to have for lunch that day... little sad 3 inch burrito.....

Scatts - I always have my salad at lunchtime. Keep in mind that the printed menu shows everything that you'll consume that day. You can shift foods around to better suit your schedule, or to spread out your mini meals more. Like, your breakfast fruit can be eaten mid morning, if you prefer. Your dinner veggies can be an afternoon snack. Your salad can be breakfast.... really, you can mix it up. So, no reason that the burrito (which is bigger than 3", btw) needs to be the only thing you ate at lunch.

Ok..... 4 inches.... o_O.... thanks for the info on being able to switch veggies and stuff from other meals though.... my dinner that night had additional veggies AND and a salad.... I could have used those... I'll remember that from now on.

Still doesn't change my mind though that that was one awful burrito!

Did mine a little different because there are some food I don't love but don't hate - I like em and they play a roll in keeping the menu from becoming stagnate.

Breakfast:
Love:
Frosted Oaks, Triple Grain Crisp, Scrabbled eggs, pancakes & french toast

Like for a change in meal plan:
Bfast Burrito, bfast stuff sandwich, & the other cold cereals

Don't care for:
The sunshine sandwich, maplenut hot cereal

Having my first muffin tomorrow and haven't tried the rest

Lunch:
Love:
Cheesy enchiladas, chow mien, chicken salad kit, turkey burger, and chili con carne

Like for a change in meal plan:
Turkey Panini, Tortellini, Tortilla soup, sw burrito, sw chicken & beans if I can doctor it up

Don't care for:
Gumbo, stuffed potato, rotini/meatballs, swedish meatballs

The rest I haven't tried or not enough to make a decision

Dinner
Love:
Spaghetti, Carbonara, Meatloaf, Fettuccine, Potstickers, Turkey w/gravy, Fajitas, Fish&chips

Like for a change in meal plan:
Mesquite Chicken, cookout chicken, cheese ravs, lasagna, turkey chili (doctored)

Don't care for:
any of the pizzas, mac and cheese, beef and mashed taters

And the rest I haven't tried or not enough to make a decision

Dessert:
Love:
Triple chocolate cheesecake, Triple chocolate cheesecake, Triple chocolate cheesecake,
AND
cookie and cream cheese cakes; cinnamon twist, popcorn, veggie chips, choc chip bar, cheese curls.

Like for a change in meal plan:
chocolate caake, walnut brownie, choc chip bites, smores bar

And the rest I haven't tried at all.

Soupitizers
Hate them all! Ewwwwww.