One of the things low-carbers often bemoan is the lack of convenience items that fit on the plan. Sure there are a few foods like nuts, beef jerky (which you have to watch ingredients on) and the like, but filling low-carb meals you can just toss in the microwave are few and far between. I can remember in 2002 and 2003 when such items were fairly easy to find. There were frozen dinners, boxed meals, bagged snacks… you name it. Some were tasty, but many just didn’t live up to low-carb standards and quickly went the way of the Dodo Bird. I think manufactueres have been leary to jump on that bandwagon again. But a company called Homestyle Fresh, LLC has done just that.

With my usually crazy schedule I tend to occasionally work through lunch and only remember that I need to eat after the hunger demon has reared it’s ugly head. My next step is generally to rummage through my cabinets or fridge looking for anything to make it stop. It’s not a pretty picture either. I try to keep protein bars, nuts, cheese, hard boiled egg and other low-carb options avaiable for just those times, but sometimes you want a meal, ya know? So yesterday I had one of these episodes and decided to give LC Homestyles Beef Chili with Beans a try.

One box contains one nice serving size in a microwaveable tray and in about 90 seconds you have a hot meal ready to go. If the microwave isn’t your thing, there are also instructions for making it on the stovetop.

I chose to use the microwave and the first thing I noticed was the smell while it was cooking. It smelled really good. I realized that could have been the hunger talking, but I knew my taste buds wouldn’t fail me. If it was awful, they’d tell me. In less than two minutes I was pouring the hot chili into a bowl and sitting at the table. I was hooked after the first bite. It tastes just like any higher-carb chili brand you can name. Actually, I’d say it’s better. Not only does it taste good (you’d never know the beans are black soybeans) but it also has chunks of diced beef in there. Granted I’m not a huge fan of soy anything, but there isn’t enough soy in there to make me shun this item. It certainly qualifies as comfort food – especially during the cold winter months. I know I’ll want several boxes of these in my pantry.

Overall I’m very impressed with LC Homestyles Beef Chili with Beans. I was full for quite a while thanks to the chili’s 11 grams of fat and 26 grams of protein. And at 4 net carbs it’s a good fit for pretty much any low-carb plan. I’m hoping to see more from this company in the way of low-carb convenience foods.

Nutritional info per serving:

• Total Calories 250
• Calories From Fat 100
• Total Fat 11g
• Saturated Fat 4g
• Trans Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 55mg
• Sodium 1160mg
• Total Carbohydrates 10g*
• Dietary Fiber 6g*
• Sugars 3g (sugars come from the ingredients – NO ADDED SUGAR)
• Protein 26g

*Net carbs as listed by the manufacturer on the package = 4g per serving.

Ingredients: Water, tomato puree (unpeeled ground tomatoes, extra heavy puree and salt), ground beef, diced beef (beef, salt), black soybeans, green pepper, textured vegetable(soy protein concentrate, caramel color), contains 2% or less of the following ingredients: chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt), salt, natural flavor, isolated oat product, spice, guar gum, cayenne pepper.

I give this product a full 5 stars. Beat that bland tasteless rice cakes!

Disclosure: I was provided this product free of charge in order to review it. It in no way effected my opinion of the product.

I think it’s safe to say I’ve become a protein powder connoisseur.  I’ve found it useful in various recipes, as well as traditional use for shakes. One thing I’ve learned, the hard way, is that you get what you pay for.  This is especially true when speaking of protein powder.  For the longest time I bought the cheap brands, only using them occasionally. They were fine for the occasional use, but had an ingredient list as long as my arm.  When I decided to give The 6 Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle a try, I knew that I’d be really putting my current cheaper protein powder to the test. And boy did it ever fail – big time. I went from using it maybe once every couple of weeks, to using two or three times a day. While I can honestly say it was just as filling as any other I’ve tried, it gave me some nasty stomach issues.  It felt like I’d just abused myself with large quantities of maltitol. Once these symptoms surfaced, I was less than impressed with the company, or the money I was so excited about saving. I decided it was time to research other labels. This happily lead me to several options, though more expensive, that I could use without fear of my intestines forming a revolt. One of the brands I like the best is Nature’s Best Perfect Isopure Whey Protein Powders.

With anywhere from 0 to 3 carbs per serving, and 50 grams of protein, you’re certainly getting the most bang for your buck. The ingredient list is pretty long, but that’s due to all the vitamins and minerals, which they list in great detail. Isopure boasts 100 percent whey protein isolate, and shuns the protein blends that contain inferior protein sources. It is available in 9 great flavors, so you’ll find a wide variety to suit your tastes. And I was very pleased to find that it mixes well, and doesn’t leave that gritty texture in your mouth as other brands do. If you are following Dr. Eades 6 Week Cure plan, you’ll be happy to know that Isopure also contains the leucine recommended in the shake recipes. I was very pleased with this brand, despite its higher price tag. I can honestly say it’s absolutely worth it.

Nature’s Best Perfect Isopure Whey Protein Powders are available in the following flavors:

• Cookies and Cream
• Strawberries and Cream
• Dutch Chocolate
• Creamy Vanilla
• Pineapple Orange Banana
• Apple Melon
• Banana
• Mango Peach
• Punch

Dutch chocolate is currently my favorite, but I’m a chocolate hound, so that’s really not surprising.

Ingredients and nutritional information vary by flavor, but here is a rundown on the Dutch Chocolate:

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 2 scoopfuls (65g)
• Serving Per Container: about 21
• Calories 210
• Fat 0 g.
• Choleterol 5 mg.
• Sodium 320 mg.
• Potassium 320mg
• Total Carbohydrates 3 g.
• Dietary Fiber 2 g.
• Sugars 0 g.
• Protein 50 g.

Ingredients: Ion Exchange Whey Protein Isolate, Vitamin/Mineral/Amino Acid Blend (taurine, potassium [as potassium chloride], chloride [as potassium and sodium chloride], calcium [as dicalcium phosphate dihydrate], phosphorus [as dicalcium phosphate dihydrate], L-Glutamine, magnesium [as magnesium oxide], vitamin E ]as dialpha tocopheryl acetate], niacin, zinc [as zinc sulphate dihydrate], vitamin A [as palmitate], pantothenic acid [as d-calcium pantothenate], vitamin D3 [as cholecalciferol], vitamin B6 [as pyridoxin], copper [as amino acid chelate], manganese [as manganese sulfate dihydrate], riboflavin, thiamin [as thiamin hydrochloride], folic acid, biotin, iodide [as potassium iodide], chromium [as amino acid chelate], molybdenum [as amino acid chelate], selenium [as amino acid chelate], vitamin B12, natural and artifical flavor, sucralose, silicon dioxide.

I give this protein powder a full 5 stars and an ardent thank you from the bottom of my heart – and my intestines concur.

Disclosure: I was provided this product free of charge in order to review it. It in no way effected my opinion of the product.

Meringue cookies were one of my favorite snacks while riding the low-fat rollercoaster in my younger days. They were low in fat, crispy and one of the few low-fat foods that I thought tasted wonderful.  Now that I’m no longer shunning fat, meringues are something I rarely think about. In my mind they were always a low-fat thing. So I was happy when I discovered a company making a sugar-free meringue that low-carbers can enjoy.

Miss Meringue Sugar Free Meringues taste great and have that light, airy texture you’d expect from a meringue. Sweetened with Isomalt and Splenda, these meringues are great for any sudden snack attacks you may find yourself trying to handle. These come in chocolate and vanilla and contain 8 to 9 carbs with 2-3 grams of fiber,  depending of the flavor. This leaves a net carb count of 6, unless you prefer to subtract the 6 grams of sugar alcohols as well, leaving you with a net carb count of zero. Keep in mind the isomalt in these could give you a bit of gastric distress if you overindulge. But honestly, the serving size for these delicious meringues is 18 cookies.  Cut that serving size back and you’ll likely not notice the isomalt at all. While experimenting on myself (for the better of the low-carb community of course) I ate an entire serving size in one setting to gauge the effects of the isomalt. I’m thankful to report I had no issues.

I’d obviously love for them to be completely free of sugar alcohols, but all things considered I’d order these again. They really are a nice snack and, in my personal opinion, are better than eating the full sugar version. The ingredients are also rather simple, which for me makes this product more appealing.

Nutritional information for the chocolate meringues:

• Serving Size About 13 Cookies (13g)
• Servings Per Container 4
• Calories 40
• Calories from Fat 0
• Total Fat 0g
• Saturated Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 65mg
• Total Carbohydrates 8g
• Dietary Fiber 2g
• Sugars 0g
• Sugar Alcochol 6g
• Protein 5g

Ingredients: Egg Whites, Isomalt, Dried Egg White, Alkalized Defatted Cocoa Powder, Inulin (Vegetable Fiber), Tartaric Acid, Sucralose (Splenda Brand).

Nutritional information for the vanilla meringues:

• Serving Size About 13 Cookies (13g)
• Servings Per Container 4
• Calories 35
• Calories from Fat 0
• Total Fat 0g
• Saturated Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 60mg
• Total Carbohydrates 9g
• Dietary Fiber 3g
• Sugars 0g
• Sugar Alcochol 6g
• Protein 4g

Ingredients: Egg Whites, Isomalt, Inulin (Vegetable Fiber), Dried Egg Whites, Natural Flavors, Tartaric Acid, Sucralose (Splenda Brand), Vanilla Extract.

For those that are watching fat, carbs and/or calories, these are certainly a good bargain as well. I would caution you that these seemed just a bit dry to me, so I recommend keeping a drink handy while enjoying them. Despite this small caveat, my family quickly devoured the entire tub, leaving me my one serving to use for this review.

Over all I give this 4 ½ out of 5 stars. The half star loss is due to sugar alcohols, but would have been a whole star should they have used maltitol instead of isomalt.

The bottom line: I believe any low-carber can enjoy these meringues without guilt, as long as they keep portion sizes in mind. And as always, use these on occasion and not as a regular part of meal planning.

Disclosure: I was provided this product free of charge in order to review it. It in no way effected my opinion of the product.