Awesomeness wrapped in shiny silver!

Yeah. You heard me right. Low. Carb. Chocolate. Chips. It’s music to the ears, is it not?

I can make it sound even better. Are you ready for this? You might wanna sit down…

Low-Carb Chocolate Chips with absolutely NO sugar alcohols.

Now that is truly a thing of beauty.

Nevada Manna Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (formally called CarbSmart Sugar Free Chocolate Chips) are the best tasting sugar-free chocolate chips I’ve ever tried. Sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, these mini bits of chocolate bliss are just the perfect sweetness.  They aren’t so sweet they’ll make you sick, yet you still get that nice smooth chocolaty flavor. And not having sugar alcohols makes me love them even more. Not to mention they are kosher and diabetic friendly! With 8 carbs and 7 grams of fiber per 2 tbsp serving, you’d be hard pressed to find a something to complain about. That’s 1 net carb per serving. Sweet indeed.

The uses for chocolate chips are endless as well. So far I’ve tried them a few different ways and I’ve been very pleased with the results. I’ve mixed with my favorite nuts, which include macadamia, almonds and peanuts. Next time I plan on throwing some unsweetened coconut in as well. Take that unhealthy sugary trail mixes!  They are also great sprinkled on top of a low-carb mousse or your favorite low-carb ice cream. And I’d be remiss to mention how spectacular they are when used in Dana Carpender’s No Sugar Added Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s low-carb comfort food bliss at it’s best. And Dana has graciously allowed Nevada Manna to share the recipe on the back of every package of chocolate chips. (This is the recipe that crowned Dana with the title of low-carb cookie goddess!)

I will warn you – these are really good all on their lonesome too. I keep finding myself walking by the bag and pouring a small handful to snack on.  The rest of my family does the same, so a bag will disappear pretty quick around here if I don’t keep a stealthy eye on my stash.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, polydextrose (soluble fiber), cocoa butter, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, sodium bicarbonate, vanilla, acesulfame potassium, sucralose.

Nutritional Information:

• Serving Size: About 2 Tbsp (15g)
• Servings per container 15
• Calories 80
• Calories From Fat 50
• Total Fat 5g
• Sat. Fat 3g
• Trans Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 15mg
• Total Carbohydrates 8g
• Fiber 7g
• Sugars 0g
• Sugar Alcohols 0g
• Protein 1g

If you’ve missed making cookies with your kids, or shoot, just making treats for yourself, you no longer have to abstain from that simple pleasure. Navada Manna has you covered. Speaking of covered, I think it’s time to melt some mini chips for dipping strawberries in.

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

The Atkins Diet is probably the most well known low-carb plan in existence. Dr. Robert Atkins devoted his life to teaching people about healthy living and weight loss. Despite his success with a myriad of patients, his efforts were scoffed at and deemed dangerous by so-called experts in the health field. Thankfully the medical community is starting to realize the benefits of low-carb living and are finally showing Dr. Atkins the respect he deserved while he was still alive.

Despite the astounding amount of research backing carb restricted lifestyles, people still have fat phobias that will take a good bit of time to overcome. Hopefully the latest books on the subject, such as The New Atkins for a New You, will help quell those fears by providing the latest studies and explaining the solid science behind it all.

You may be wondering why you would want a copy of the latest Atkins book. Maybe you already have the older editions, as I do, and wonder what could be so different about this latest version. A collaboration written by Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Stephen D. Phinney and Dr. Jeff S. Volek, this latest rendition of the Atkins plan may surprise you.  So who are these doctors writing about the Atkins plan anyway? Dr. Westman is an associate professor of medicine at the Duke University Health System, and director of the Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. Dr. Phinney is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Volek is an associate professor and exercise and nutrition researcher in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. I believe it’s safe to say these three gentleman know a thing or two about healthy living.

So again you wonder what makes this version different. I’m pleased to say there certainly are some positive changes in this latest revision. Inside you’ll find the most up-to-date research backing the low-carb approach to controlling weight and regaining health. You’ll also find easy to understand explanations of how carbohydrate restriction increases fat loss and enhances your health. They’ve done a good job of keeping it on the lay-persons level – so you won’t have to haul out the medical dictionary to understand what they are saying. I believe the biggest draw with this book though are the explanations of how to personalize the plan to fit your lifestyle and preferences.  So many times people believe they can’t try a low-carb diet because they are vegetarians, vegans or because they don’t like a certain food. The New Atkins for a New You includes suggestions for tweaking Atkins to fit your way of life.

As always, you’ll find food lists for each phase of the plan and recommended ways to enhance your Atkins experience. They include several suggestions for when you are eating outside the home, including which menu choices to consider or avoid when eating at places like Arbys, Chick-Fil-A, KFC, etc. In the back of the book you find several delicious looking recipes, as well as full menu plans for each phase and variation of the diet you are using. We can’t neglect to mention all those inspirational success stories they include that keeps us encouraged and excited about low-carb living as well.

The thing that impressed me the most about this version of the Atkins plan is the way the good doctors try to make it simple and adaptable so you can easily make this a permanent lifestyle change, instead of just a quick weight loss plan. Because when it comes down to it, the hard part isn’t so much the weight loss as it is the maintenance after the “new-size high” has worn off. In this fast-paced life we all live, we don’t have time for complicated calculations just so we can have lunch. The harder a diet plan is to implement, the less likely people are to stick with it for the long haul. Especially once you’ve reached your goal and are no longer seeing the physical changes that keep you inspired and excited about your choices. And while low-carb living isn’t all about weight loss, we have to be honest and say that despite the health benefits, weight loss is generally the main reason people give it a try.

I’m relieved to say my initial fears about this book being a politically correct version of Dr. Atkins work were unfounded. There was no shying away from fats, which is honestly what I was afraid I’d find. Instead they’ve embraced Dr. Atkins findings and taken them to an updated level. I think Dr. Atkins would be pleased… and so will the scores of people out there who will embrace this way of living, thus changing their lives forever.

Disclosure: I bought this item myself and my opinions were in no way influenced by outside sources.

I think it’s safe to say that most people like cheese. It’s a universally loved food that can single handedly change a dish from something bland to something wonderful.  And as a quick snack, cheese rates right up there among the best of them. But cheese isn’t always as portable as we’d like it to be. While you can carry cheese around with you, it’s not the same as keeping almonds in your purse or desk for those times when you have no options. I throw the almonds in my purse or glove box and forget about them until I need them. This isn’t something you can really do with cheese, unless you like cheese that could use a shave and a haircut. But you can carry a stash of Just The Cheese Popped Cheese with you. No refrigeration or razors required.

I first tried Just The Cheese products a few months ago and I was impressed.  The Popped Cheese line comes in handy little bag just right for your briefcase, glove box, lunch bag, or a larger purse. Made from real cheese, Popped Cheese is high in protein and calcium and has a carb count totaling a whopping 1 gram.  With just over 3 servings in a bag, you don’t have to worry about losing control and blowing a whole day worth of carbs, unlike the issue with nuts.  In fact, I found I couldn’t finish an entire bag in one sitting… and I tried.  These little morsels of cheesy crunchiness are very filling. I found they make a great replacement for chips or crackers with a meal. If you miss having popcorn as a snack, this may be a good substitute as well. According to the package you can put these in the microwave for a warm, crunchy snack. While I admit I haven’t tried them that way yet, it does sound good. Another delicious way to enjoy these Popped Cheese snacks would be sprinkled over a salad in place of croutons.

I like the texture and the crunch of these snacks. You can choose between Cheddar, Butter Flavor and Lower Salt . The Lower Salt flavor has the least ingredients, which simply consists of semi-soft cheese. The other two flavors have a somewhat lengthier ingredient list due to the flavorings (onion and garlic powder, a variety of cheeses in the blend, etc.) Over all I’d say this is a good product that will fit the needs of many low-carbers who desire convenience as well as healthy options. This should be an acceptable snack on any phase of a low-carb plan, but remember the some plans limit cheese to a few ounces a day and this would certainly need to be a part of that limitation.

Each serving of Cheddar or Butter flavor contains:

Calories: 75

Fat: 6.5 g

Cholesterol: 25 mg

Sodium: 300 mg

Carbs: 1g

Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 5 g

The Low Sodium package is the same, with the obvious exception being the sodium, which comes in at 225 mg per serving.

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