Wednesday 14 September 2011

Packaged Muffin Mix Review and a Super Chili Recipe !


Well last night I tested another packaged mix -  New Hope Mills Orange and Cranberry muffins.  I cannot give it an A+.   Maybe a B.   Why?  Though the texture was nice and they rose beautifully during baking time,  the taste wasn't top-notch.  They were too sweet for my liking but not just sweet, almost sickeningly sweet ; that taste of artificial sweetener.   And they truly lacked in flavor.  Though they claim to be orange cranberry I could barely taste either flavors.  Word of advice?  If you buy these,  add 1/2 tsp of pure orange extract to the batter.  That should bring them up a notch or two

Now all that said,  these are great for only having 2 Net Carbs per muffin.   And I am sure they would be better when smeared with butter or cream cheese while still warm from the oven.  I had my plain because I wanted to taste only the muffin to give it a fair rating.


Ingredients: Wheat gluten, cornstarch, milk protein (casein protein, whey protein) freeze dried cranberries, leavening (sodium aluminum phosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), salt, xanthan gum, natural flavor, sucralose.

Would I buy them again? Probably not.  I would rather bake my own at home with a combo of almond and coconut flour instead.

I do have another box though by the same manufacturer . These ones are blueberry but I will wait awhile before baking up a batch.  I will definitely post my review once I do .

Now on to my day yesterday, or rather, my supper.    I made an incredible low carb chili (without beans to keep those carbs low).   The bonus?  It cooks all day in the slow cooker and is ready when you are!  A word of advice:   when buying tomato sauce ensure you check the carb count.  Stick to plain sauce vs seasoned as that tends to go up in carbs because there is usually the addition of sugar.   Other than that, ENJOY !

LOW CARB SLOW COOKER CHILI



RECIPE:

 WHAT YOU NEED

 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of ground beef,  browned

2  10oz cans plain tomato sauce

1 small can fire roasted diced tomatoes (do not strain)

1/2 large onion diced

1 red pepper diced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2-3 dashes hot sauce

MAKE IT


Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 8 hrs on LOW.   Turn to HIGH.  Add 1 packet of sweetener (I used splenda) . Stir until combined and let cook 5 more minutes

 This serves 6-8 people

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Exercise today Wed, Sept 14/11:  30 Minute Cardio and Kick Boxing


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3 comments:

  1. I LOVE using my crock-pot, and this chili looks fab. Just buzzed and bookmarked :)

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  2. Mmm, your chili looks great! Perfect for the fall weather and I always love a slow cooker recipe!

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  3. I honestly never thought of using the crockpot to make chili...great idea!

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