Did you pre-hydrate the meal? I'm doing that with all of them (except the brownie) and that seems to help with a lot of crunchy problems. If so, how long did you hydrate for? I haven't tried the chili yet, but hubby and I just ordered some and would like to learn from your experience!.

How was it otherwise? LOL..

I'm eating the chili now. I really like it (if it's been presoaked, as mentioned). It's just that you only add 1/2 c water, so it's less bites of food to savor. I don't add chili powder or cumin to it but others do. I like 1T salsa (1 condiment) and 1/2 wedge Laughing Cow lite cheese (1/2 fat)...

I did pre-hydrate but only for about 10 minutes before I cooked it. I think I will do it for a bit longer next time. As far as the taste I was actually preparing for the worst because I do NOT like the flavor of the chili cheese puffs and I was worried the chili would have the same flavor but it didn't. I added a tspn of hot sauce to mine and it gave it a bit of zest It isn't amazing but it is better than the oatmeal by FAR! I cannot do the oatmeal...

I haven't found it necessary to pre-hydrate (lol, love that term) or soak ANY of the meals...but I do follow the directions exactly as written. Mix with water, microwave for 2.5 minutes, let sit for 1 minute, microwave for 1 more minute, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes to steam and finish cooking. If you don't have the time to do this, then you do need to "pre-hydrate."..

I soak all my Medifast meals, including the shakes for at least 2 hours. This seems to be the magic number to give them optimal texture and flavor...

LOL - I suppose pre-hydrate is a bit of overkill isn't it? :-D Still, hydrating it is when you do when you add water.. and I do it before I'd otherwise do it.. oh well, no justification but I'm still going to keep using that term LOL..

I put water in my packet stuff at least 2 meals ahead (so 5 hours) or more. I usually put in two meals the night before so those soak 12 hours or so.

I'm looking forward to trying the Chili :-)..

I like the chili and I have had the best results with really planning ahead, I let it soak for at least 12-24 hours. I have tried it after 3-4 and still found it too crunchy, so I tried it the next day and it was much better! Love it with hot salsa and hot sauce!..

In maintenance I am eating oatmeal every morning for breakfast and chicken noodle soup for lunch. I mix them both up the night before in shaker jars and stick in the fridge. Really helps with planning and the texture is vastly improved.

The chicken noodles plump up like noodles in Campbells Soup...

Quick tip for the chili... I hydrate for about an hour, then add 1-2 OZ of lean ground beef, 1 tbsp of salsa - homemade so part of the vegi/green factor (I'm not wasting a condiment) and 1 wedge of light LC. Soooo Yummy!!!! I love my chili!..

This is how I am as well. I have the soup every night for dinner (I alternate soup types) and add in the boiling water from my Keurig and let it sit next to my computer while I work on it and keep stirring it from time to time and allow it to cool down. By the time it's not burning hot, it's perfect. It's generally around 15 minutes that have gone by for me. There is an occasional thing that is a little more, um, chewy, than the rest but it's all good..