Low Carb Freedom

Yikes! Gotta update this place!

Starting to look at links like email addresses, posts, etc. and this place needs a good sweeping, tidying. Gotta restock these lowcarb shelves with new stuff!

Feel free to email me at my brand spanking new current email with anything you think I should know about.

How can you eat low carb with NO work?

Yesterday was busy, but today was even busier. I went to BJs AND Costco. At Costco, I grabbed two of those already cooked roasted chickens on the way out. I also grabbed their bag of precut lettuce for $2.99. Added some cukes, onions, mushrooms to the lettuce, tossed it Ken's Italian dressing. Easy, great, and quick!

Easy Low Carb Tuna Cakes

You know, it is one of those nights, you need to go to the grocery store, but there is no time to do that between work and dinner time. What can you cook quickly and what can you have in your cabinet?

I always have cans of tuna, and I also bought this Old Bay Tuna Classic Cake Mix packet a while ago. It was time to put this recipe to the test.

I had one packet. The receipe calls for two cans of tuna. I had to add a third can to feed three people. My son wouldn't eat it, but I had a few extra pieces of chicken for him.

It was actually delicious! Only change to the recipe on the package was to add more mayo.

From the package:

In a large bowl, combine 1 package of mix and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Add 2 cans (6 0z) tuna. Shape into 4 patties. Broil or fry 5 minutes per side or until browned, turning once. Serve with OLD BAY® Tartar Sauce. Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

BREAD CRUMBS (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, DEXTROSE, SALT AND YEAST), WHOLE EGG SOLIDS, SPICES (INCLUDING RED PEPPER, CELERY SEED AND MUSTARD), ONION, SALT AND PAPRIKA.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Amount Per Serving 1 1/3 tbsp. (7 g) seasons 1 tuna cake
Calories:30
Fat:1 g
Cholesterol: 35 mg
Sodium: 90 mg
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 1 g
Fiber: 0 g

I couldn't find a place to buy the tuna packet on the web, but I could find their crab cake recipe. The ingredients are the same, and it is for 16 oz versus the 12 oz. I bet it would work even better with the three (or four) cans of tuna.

They have it at Amazon:

Old Bay Crab Cake Classic Seasoning Mix, 1.24-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)

And it is part of Prime membership!

If you can find the tuna, try that. If you try the crab with either crab or tuna, please let me know!

Yes, we are back on low carb!

OK, we have drifted... way too far, but we are going back on low carb. Why? Because it works. The family has a big event in June and we have to get in shape for it.

Soooo..... I'll be posting what we are eating, new finds, etc.

My husband has already lost five pounds, I didn't weigh myself when I started. Daughter is on it but not really keeping track, and the son eats what is in front of him.

Even though it is the middle of winter here and we still have two feet of snow on the ground, the grill has been our friend. Flank steak, chicken breast, cheeseburgers... all gets cooked on the grill and tastes simply amazing. Hubby went and cleared off snow from the patio, obstensibly to make sure it didn't go into the house when it melted, but we got a clear bonus from that effort as well.

So... read on... as I post more each day!

Low Carb Ice Cream

From reader Jay, just in time for summer!

    For your blog readers in the PA, MD, WV, NJ, NY areas that have a Weis Markets, Mr. Z's, or Weis/King's near them....great news! Under their own store brand, they have "Trim Time" ice creams. They are available in vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, and moose tracks.

 

    The nutrition facts: (Chocolate)

Calories	90
Fat	3.5g
Cholesterol	10mg
Total carb	18g
Fiber	5g
Sugar	4g
Sugar alcohol	9g
Protein	3g

 

    And the flavor is good. I'd eat them even if I wasn't watching fat and carbs! I wish I could tell you who makes these for Weis, but that info is not available. I'm sure the manufacturer makes many more store brands with the same ingredients.

 

Go Lower Bars Now Available in US!

Way back in March of 2005 I wrote a review of a great product that came from England, Go Lower Bars.

Here is an excerpt, but read the whole thing:

Folks, for long-time readers, you know that I usually can't abide low carb "bars." Most of them are just filled with maltitol, and I don't know how anyone can stand the consistency let alone the after effects; gas, bloating, etc. I have taken to eating nuts. I let my kids eat the Carbwell Cereal bars because they only have 3g of maltitol, but I wish they had none.

The employees at the Go Lower company from England read my site and said that they had low carb bars that I would like. Even though they currently don't distribute in the US, they kindly sent me some to try. All I can say is, "nirvana!" These things are the absolute best!

To my readers in England, run to try these out! And for those readers in the States, join me in begging them to distribute them over here! The Brits definitely have it over the Americans in the low carb bar department! For adults who are interested in health AND good taste, I haven't seen another product that even comes close.

Well, Andrew from Carbsmart just emailed me to tell me that he now carries these Go Lower bars in the US and they are available on his site (click here to order). These get my highest endorsement!

Thomas' Light Bagels

For those of you who have kids or are on South Beach, or maybe even maintenance with Atkins/low carb, then there is a new product that you should try. My son, who is absolutely addicted to carbs likes it, and I have tried it myself and would be happy eating these every day if I could.

While Thomas has discontinued its low carb bagel, it now has a Light bagel that is much better than Dunkin Donuts low carb bagels. The only other bagel that I have found that has come close is the Stop & Shop Light bagel, but people across the country don't have Stop & Shop, and sometimes I would like to pick up something in a different grocery store to avoid multiple trips. With 14 grams of fiber, this thing should stick to your ribs.

	Thomas' Light Plain Bagels
Serving Size	1 bagel 71g
Calories	130
Total Fat	1g
Saturated Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	380mg
Total Carbohydrates	37g
Dietary Fiber	14g
Sugar	1g
Protein	7g
Ingredients	Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour, (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid), Water, Modified Food Starch, Oat Fiber, Wheat Gluten, Inulin, Polydextrose, Yeast, Cornmeal, Salt, Dextrose, Natural Flavor, Perservatives Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid), Grain Vinegar, Monoglycerides, Guar Gum, Sodium Stearoyl, Lactylate, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Soy Flour

Baja Bob's Martini Mixes Make GREAT non-alcoholic sugar free slushes!

I like slushes in the summer time, and so do my kids. But who wants a mouthful of blue filled with sugar? It is bad enough to have the after-effect of the blue mouth, it is even worse to have the after-effect of the sugar.

Baja Bob's comes to the rescue with their Martini Mixes; they don't have alcohol in them, and they don't have sugar in them. They just have the tartness that you come to expect from a good slush. I much prefer these mixes to the sugar-free slush mixes available at Target. (Of course, your kids may have other ideas.)

Baja Bob's Martini Mixes are available at netrition.com and are shipped to your door if they aren't available at a low carb store near you. Try them! You won't regret it!

	Baja Bob's Sour Apple Martini Mix
Serving Size	4 fluid oz.
Calories	less than 10
Total Fat	0g
Saturated Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	45mg
Total Carbohydrates	0g
Dietary Fiber	0g
Sugar	0g
Protein	0g
Ingredients	Purified Water, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Sucralose, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Yellow #5, and Blue #1

Great Low Carb Blog...

OK, this isn't really news. I should have linked to this blog a long time ago from my low carb blogroll. But, better late than never!

Do check out Weight of the Evidence for an in-depth look at new research coming out that impacts the low carb lifestyle.

Low Carb Slush Syrup from Target

I always checked out slush syrups when I went to the store, but they were always just sticky with sugar and carbs. (ha ha) Well, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a sugar-free version mixed in with the sugar versions at Target. I bought a three pack of syrup for $6.49. It included a bottle of blueberry, watermelon and cherry berry. Now, I have tried the blueberry so far, and it didn't taste tart enough for me, but my son loved it. I'll have another review on what I prefer for slush syrup later.

	Target Back to Basics Sugar-Free Blue Raspberry Syrup
Serving Size	1 fl. oz. 2 tablespoons
Calories	1
Total Fat	0g
Saturated Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	25mg
Total Carbohydrates	0g
Dietary Fiber	0g
Sugar	0g
Protein	0g
Ingredients	Water, Citric Acid, Xantham Gum, Cellulose Gum Sucralose, Gum Arabic and/or Modified Food Starch, Artificial Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Aceslfame K and Blue #1, Antifoam and Sodum Benzoate (Preservative)

Carbwise Bars -- Discontinued

Just received this from Bev, a new Low Carb Freedom reader:

Stumbled upon your site trying to find information about CarbWise bars, because I cannot find them where I have been shopping, nor can I find them online.  I just called the company, and they confirmed that the bars are discontinued due to lack of sales.  They are not planning on bringing out any replacements.  When I asked the representative if the company was going out of business, he said "No, we make other products".  I then asked him if they were planning on any diabetic friendly products, and he said no, so I asked if they were planning any new low-carb products and the answer was also no.

Too bad, as IMHO, these were among the best low-carb bars available - they don't taste like chalk.

Thanks for your great work on your website - I'll definitely bookmark you for a new source of information!

Bev

Get these low carb products while they are at BJ's, Costco, and Target

OK, folks, I'm just going to give a bulleted list of low carb products that are available now at BJ's and Costco. This is not a complete list, but just new products that I have come across, and due to the rotation of stock at these two places, they might not be there long.

Costco:

• Carnitas! It is back! (At least for now.) Plus a pork pot roast that I have purchased and haven't tried. Click here for a low carb carnitas review.
• Polaner All Fruit Sugar Free

BJ's:

• Keto Forever Rasberry Bars! (While Keto is still out of business, the same manufacturer that produced these for Keto is now making them again.)
• Fuze Slenderize

Target:

• Sugar Free Slush Syrup (I'm getting a review together now)