Atkins Baking Mix Review

[terilynne]

Uh... I have NOTHING good to say. I am glad I didn't have high expectations.

So I needed to waste some money on *something* yesterday and this baking mix was it.

Since I have "gotten back to basics", I have been craving brownies so I thought I'd give their brownie recipe a try. I also wanted pancakes but didnt want them last night so I opted to make the brownies.

Well, they were the NASTIEST crap I've ever had. I can't even explain the taste and the aftertaste they left. The texture tasted like it had little pieces of cardboard in it. ick. It was so bad, I can't even bring myself to WANT to try a pancake or anything else with it for that matter. Nasty. I think they make this to keep people AWAY from bread while doing Atkins. Its an expensive "bread suppressant".

So, this morning, I am still craving pancakes (that I dont even like normally). I decide to make some ricotta ones from a recipe I got on OH. Maybe its just me, that my cooking skills are off, but basically I will call it "ricotta scramble". It was way too eggy and was too hard to flip so that's how it ended up as a scramble. I dont care for eggs all that much either, so I was unimpressed and reached for the bag of beef jerky.

So...... I think I just need to go to IHOP, have a blueberry pancake drenched in butter and get this out of my system

[Deleted]

My recommendation is go to IHOP and have a pancake. I have a policy not to do anything "fake" - but that's just me. I know others do all the time and that's fine. If I want something I simply have it. I've learned over the years it's all about moderation. Since you can't eat an entire stack of pancakes, having one or two pancakes won't kill you and you'll stop obsessing over it (at least that's what I do when I crave something).

[dsnuts]

Almond flour pancakes are awesome.

[Gail R]

Yeah, In my opinion those low carb mixes are nasty. they either turn out like like cardboard or glue. The taste is enough to put you off food for a while...

[bb212]

Maybe try some buckwheat pancakes? Different flavor, but no faking!

I'm not a fan of substitutions either. I've always been of the mind that if the substitutes really suck you're better off enjoying the real thing in moderation. What good is a substitution if it tastes like crap?

I had watched a few hungry girl cooking show episodes out of curiosity and noticed that she uses a lot of fat free things (fat free whipped topping, fat free cheeses, etc) as substitutes and my stomach turned. Sure you could eat a lot of whatever she was making and not take in a lot of calories, but if the flavor sucks why bother?

[Deleted]

Bread suppressant.. love that!
Thanks for being the guinea pig on this one.. I have some "fake" mixes in my cupboard that I bought months ago in a moment of weakness.. I have yet to try them. If any taste even halfway decent, I'll be surprised.

[terilynne]

Yep, I will be going to IHOP soon and indulging AND leaving what I cant eat there. I am not sure why I thought this would be any different from the other "substitutions" I've tried over the years. I felt intrigued to try this one, mostly due to their wonderful looking blueberry pancakes on the packaging. That's almost misleading advertising. LOL

Live and learn..

[Girlrocker]

Ah well, that's buh-bye to $13! I don't have a great faith in lo-carb mixes either, but a little surprised because Atkins actually has decent products. Gluten free baking, using different flours like almond and bean are tastier. Thanks for being the tester.

Here's a recipe posted on the Paleo site, and look, yummy coconut flour and oil also in the recipe, perfect for DSers! The cup of almond flour has 12g of carbs for the whole recipe; the 2 eggs add 14g protein, and of course, you you can play around with the recipe, make a nice whipped topping with ricotta or cottage cheese, fruit.

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbs coconut flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup water (consider soda water for slightly fluffier pancakes)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
coconut oil
fresh berries

Instructions
Combine almond flour, applesauce, coconut flour, eggs, water, nut meg and sea salt in a bowl, and mix together completely with a fork. The batter will appear a little thicker than normal mix.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat with 1 tsp coconut oil.

Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan once it is fully heated. Spread out batter slightly if desired.

Flip like a normal pancake when the bubbles start showing up on the top, and cook for another minute or two.

Add more oil to the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
Top with fresh berries.

Note: If the pan is too hot, the cakes will stick, burn on the outside, and/or not cook entirely through.

[trxxyy]

Jan 31, 2012 13:08:29 GMT -5 terilynne said:

I have been craving brownies so I thought I'd give their brownie recipe a try. I also wanted pancakes but didnt want them last night so I opted to make the brownies.


So...... I think I just need to go to IHOP, have a blueberry pancake drenched in butter and get this out of my system

Have you tried making black bean brownies? I have not had them but I really want to try them.

I really like the Harvest Nut & Grain pancakes from IHOP. Those are a little bit better on the carb side and you could use sugar free syrup.

-shelly

[newsabrina]

I'm glad you were the guinea pig for us!! You saved me some $$$!

Lately, I've been craving french toast drenched in syrup. I *might* cave this weekend if I haven't gotten it out of my system and make them with high fiber bread but fill up on bacon/sausage first and have just enough french toast to taste one. So, yea.... I know how you feel!

[Girlrocker]

The other thing I was going to add is if you are the type who can have 'one' and be satisfied, than I agree, have at it and enjoy it! It's a treat, not something you do all the time. There are certain carby foods I have to steer clear from at times because I know I can't have just one, it will be like opening pandora's box. Pizza, bread, really good crackers like that for me, potatoes - esp french fries too. But if you know diving in once will scratch the itch, go for it.

Shelly - I've actually eaten black bean brownies and they are delish! I haven't tried making them yet, but I think they're pretty simple.

[inge]

Brownies made with black beans are really good.
I also have a recipe for pancakes make with coconut flour. They are fluffy just like normal pancakes and are really good. They don't taste "fake".
I use s/f syrup and lots of butter on them.

Here is the recipe:

Fluffy coconut flour pancakes

4 eggs
1 cup milk or heavy cream mixed with water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon splenda
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
coconut oil or butter for frying

fry pan at middle to low heat. make pancakes small 4-5 inches.
let get brown on bottom first and then flip.

[Deleted]

If you want a light fluffy all-American pancake, just go have one.

I like German style pancakes, which are a LOT heavier and thinner. I make something along those lines by using egg, Greek yogurt, a little milk, which I beat up together. Then I add just enough flour or Bisquik, a little at a time, until I get batter. If I were guessing ratios, it would probably be about two tablespoons of flour/mix per egg.

I can't give exact amounts because it's something I do by feel. I like to eat them slathered with Nutella, or with peanut butter and jam.

[meredith123]

Thanks for the warning. I was thinking to trying some, no I won't.

[terilynne]

Oh! I forgot about the black bean brownie recipe out there. Another thing I've been meaning to try. I was just wishful thinking that this mix wasnt as crappy as it was and could be useful for a variety of things. I am glad I finally tried it though.

The recipes posted here are great, thanks!

[Girlrocker]

I know, it would be nice to have a ready-to-go multi purpose mix to use. I think almond/cocount flour would be great to always have on hand, especially for sweeter baking, you can probably make up your own dry mix combo and keep it on hand. I've made some really great gluten free pumpkin, banana, blueberry, zuchini breads and muffins too.

[tldtld]

Anyone on this thread tried the BisQuick substitute "CarbQuik"? I keep eyeing it on Amazon...

[susan1219]

I have made up my mind that if I crave something, I am just going to eat it in moderation. Moderation is the key....there is not any need to deprive myself, which can lead to a binge. Just like I made pumpkin spice cookies for my grandson today and I ate one compared to the 3 or more that I use to eat.