Chocolite Finally! Caramel Chocolate Nougat

These Chocolite bars make a great snack when I'm craving something sweet. You can buy the packages individually or in a box with 16 individual packages. There are two pieces per package and each piece of the caramel chocolate nougat is 30 calories. Each flavor can have a different calorie count which is conveniently written right on the box and on each individual package. The great thing about this is that if you buy these at The Low Carb Grocery you generally get 5x the rewards points.

    

 

Ingredients are: oligofructose, erythritol, polydextrose, maltitol, fractionated palm kernel oil, cocoa, cocoa butter, milk protein concentrate, chocolate liquor, egg albume, maltodextrine, heavy cream, glycerin, calcium carbonate, milk fat, sodium caseinate, natural & artificial flavours, invertase, salt, soy lecithin, disodium phosphate, and sucralose.

The caramel chocolate nougat is my favorite flavor. It contains a light chocolate nougat on top of a thin layer of dense, chewy caramel all covered in a layer of chocolate. The individual packaging makes them very convenient to throw in your bag if you're on the go. They're a fast snack when you don't feel like preparing anything and very satisfying.

I will definitely be buying these again!

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Egg - Chocolate

I bought this product after I had finished my Jay Robb Egg Protein. I was placing an order at  The Low Carb Grocery and needed a quick replacement for my breakfasts . This one just happened to be on sale so I decided to try it, especially since it gave me bonus points! This product comes in a chocolate flavor and also a vanilla custard flavor. I will review the chocolate flavor.

This protein comes in a 909 gram tub. Each tub contains 27 servings (each serving is one scoop - which is included). I make my shakes with 6 oz of water and one scoop of protein powder.

Ingredients are: Egg albumen, cocoa (processed with alkali), artificial flavour, lecithin, sucralose, and aminogen.

When mixed with water this protein shake tastes very similar to chocolate milk (although a little thinner in texture). It claims to be "INSTANTIZED to mix easily with a spoon" and it is very easy to mix with a spoon, you will get most of the lumps out. When blended, it doesn't get as thick and milkshake-like as the Jay Robb Egg Protein but does come out very smooth in a very short amount of time. I use water, but I assume it would come out a lot thicker if you blended it with milk.

This product is very convenient if I have a very short amount of time for breakfast. It tastes good, mixes quickly and fills me up pretty well. This is definitely a product I would try again

Miracle Noodles/ Miracle Rice (Shirataki Noodles)

I had heard about Miracle Noodles through many HCG forums and was looking for something to buff up my meals so I decided to give them a try.  The three types that I use are Fettuccine, Angel Hair and Rice.

Miracle Noodles (also known as Shirataki Noodles) are thin, translucent traditional Japanese noodles that are very low carb and low calorie. They are made from the konjac yam and are largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber. They have no taste on their own but will absorb the flavors of whatever they are prepared with. On the HCG diet they are considered a "free food" and can be eaten at any time.

The packages that I buy come from The Low Carb Grocery   but you can also find them at many Asian supermarkets. The noodles are generally packaged in a liquid. To prepare I generally rinse the noodles well (if they are packaged in a liquid they may have a fishy smell when the bag is opened) and dry roast them is a pan to dry them out a little before adding them to my other ingredients.

Miracle Noodles - Angel Hair

The Angel Hair variety are my favorite type of Miracle Noodle. They remind me a lot of Cellophane/Glass noodles. They are great for making stir fry's with vegetables and a little bit of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos and I also use them to make a great low cal Pad Thai.

Miracle Rice

Miracle Rice is made from the same ingredients as Miracle Noodles. They are cut into smaller "rice" shaped pieces but remind me more of barley. Miracle Rice can be prepared the same way as Miracle Noodles and will absorb the flavors of the dishes that it is added to.

Miracle Noodles - Fettuccine

These are my least favorite of the 3 types that I have tried. They are very good if dry roasted and served with minimal liquid/sauce. I found that I really didn't like the texture if too much sauce was added, they became very slippery, almost slimy.

These are definitely a product that I will be buying again. I have bought them a few different times and really enjoy having different meal options besides just meat and veggies.

Jay Robb Egg White Protein - Vanilla

I got a little bored on my diet just eating an egg for breakfast so I figured I would try out a protein shake. I had read some reviews about this product and most seemed to be positive. Luckily, this was one of the protein powders that my local low carb store carries regularly. I decided on the vanilla flavour, but this product also comes in chocolate and strawberry.

The ingredients are egg albumin, xylitol, natural flavor, xanthan gum, lecithin, and stevia. 

There are two different types of packaging: the container and the bag. Both come with a scoop and your basic protein shake is one scoop of protein powder plus 6 oz. of water. There are 24 grams of protein per serving ( 1 scoop).

I used my Magic Bullet to make my protein shakes, but a blender would work just as well. The only negative thing I can say about this protein shake is that although it claims to be easy to mix, it does take a relatively long time to blend if you want to get a shake without any lumps. A blender is definately needed to get a smooth shake. However, once it is blended it gets quite frothy and milkshake-like. The taste is almost like a vanilla milkshake or melted vanilla ice cream. It also tastes good if you add fruit, especially strawberries!

 

 I will definately be trying this product again. The only thing I would recommend is that you shop around and compare prices. There are a lot of places that will grossly over price this product.

The Low Carb Grocery

The Low Carb Grocery has quickly become one of my favorite places to shop for low carb products. They have a retail and online store that stock over 1,000+ low carb foods. Their retail store is located at Unit #8, 170 Esna Park Drive (Markham, ON, Canada, L3R 1E3), but their shipping costs are also very reasonable (they ship nationwide within Canada).

I generally shop online since their shipping costs are usually less than what I would pay in gas to drive to their store. My orders are always handled VERY QUICKLY. If I order early in the morning my order is generally shipped on the same day and if I order later at night my order is shipped the next day (depending on how busy they are, but I've never experienced a delay in shipping). I receive an email once my order has been received, when it is being processed and also once it has shipped (with a Canada Post tracking number). Basically, you're kept up to date through every step of your order.

Whoever packs their orders is a packaging genious! They generally use boxes that their store products arrive in, but they take great care to make sure that everything is snug and secure in the box. I've never had anything come in damaged. Whenever I have something shipped I use the "Safe Drop" option with Canada Post and they always make sure to label the box so that the mailman knows to leave the box on the porch if no one is home. It costs nothing but is handy if I have to work and won't be home.

Their prices are reasonable and on par with the other low carb stores in my general area. 

Once you create an account you are also given a Membership Rewards Card number through which you can earn points and redeem them towards your orders. You earn 10 points with every $1 spent (excluding taxes, gift card purchases, delivery charges). They also peridically have "Extra Reward Products" which earn you 2X, 3X, 5X or more reward points. 

Points Required	Redemption Value
5000	$5.00
10000	$12.00
20000	$30.00
25000	$50.00
30000	$75.00

 The Low Carb Grocery is definately a place I will continue to shop at!

Carbwise Low Carb Brownies

About a month ago I started a modified version of the HCG diet. One of my toughest hurdles to overcome was my insatiable love of chocolate and all things chocolate.

While visiting my local low carb store I ran across these Carbwise Brownies. Each brownie is 2 oz and each brownie is only 50 calories, 1g net carbs, 0 diet count, 2 diet count plus, has 5g of fiber and 6g of protein. These brownies are sweetened with erythritol instead of maltitol or splenda so there is no aftertaste and no GI distress. These brownies have been designed so that they won't cause any blood sugar spike in diabetics.

The ingredients are: Purified water, oat fiber, erythritol, egg whites, inulin, almond meal, modified corn starch, cocoa (processed with alkali), olive oil, xanthan gum, guar gum, leavening (monocalcium phosphate, baking soda), and natural flavors.

Nutrition Facts: per 1 brownie (2 oz.)

Calories 50 Fat 1g Saturated Fat 0g TransFat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 80mg Carbohydrate 10g Fiber 5g Sugar 0g Sugar Alcohol 4g Protein 6g

For being a low carb product these brownies are actually quite delicious. They aren't super chocolately or fudgie, but have just enough cocoa to satisfy a sweet tooth. They are soft and moist and great for when I'm craving something chocolately. The only problem I have with these brownies is that once I have one, I always want more!

Even though this product technically is not part of the HCG protocol, I haven't had any stalling or gaining in my weight loss.

This is a product that I would buy again (and have!).