Not Ketchup: In the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you first that this is a product created by a fellow blogger and friend. And of course, I want to support her efforts. That said, if it was something I didn’t like, I would quietly put it to the side and never mention it again. But it is good and so much more interesting than store-bought tomato ketchup. At this time, the only flavour that is sugar-free is the Tangerine Hatch Chile but I do know she’s planning on attempting to make the other flavours without sugar as well. It’s great as a burger topping, a marinade, or a dipping sauce. My youngest (and pickiest!) loves it so that tells you something!
It is available in some grocery stores such as Whole Foods but it’s probably easiest to get on Amazon at this point. Not Ketchup on Amazon.
Epic Bacon Bites: I wanted to like these, I really did. I mean, it’s really just uncured bacon and has zero carbs, what’s not to love? I saw them at a Whole Foods when I was at a conference in Chicago and thought they’d be perfect for me. But I didn’t really like them at all. The trouble was the consistency, I think. Instead of being dry and chewy like jerky or crispy like bacon, these were…moist. Ugh, isn’t that an awful word? They had decent flavour but an off-putting mouthfeel. At least for me. I think it’s a matter of taste so who knows…you might like them!
Kite Hill Cream Cheese: Now this stuff I like! A big thumbs up for this dairy-free almond milk cream cheese product. I’ve tried a couple of dairy-free cream cheesee substitutes before and been less than impressed (and often concerned about the fairly high carb count). One was so awful, I had to wash my mouth out to get rid of the weird plasticky taste. So when I spotted this at Whole Foods, I tried it with trepidation. I was happy to see the low carb count per serving (only 2g, compared to the 5g in Daiya) and I was utterly impressed with the flavour too. The chive cream cheese is awesome but the plain cream cheese is great too, with no funny aftertaste. I am even featuring it in an upcoming recipe!
Nutpods: Another dairy-free product for the win! I saw an ad for these on Facebook and being a sucker for new products, I clicked through. I am not dairy-free but I do have a sister who is lactose intolerant and who was coming to visit, so I added some to my Amazon shopping cart. I was delighted to see that they don’t contain any soy, carrageenan, gluten and are completely unsweetened. And they actually taste pretty good, too! At zero carbs per tablespoon, they are a delicious dairy-free way to lighten your coffee and give it a little flavour. I tried the French Vanilla. Oh, and it froths nicely too for dairy-free lattes and cappuccinos.
On The Go Paleo Hot Cereal: This was an impulse purchase at New Seasons one day and it was a very good impulsive buy. Although it’s pretty easy to make your own low carb hot cereal mixes, sometimes it’s nice to have other people do the work for you. It was tasty and my two girls were big fans, asking for it quite a lot. It was especially delicious with a few sugar-free chocolate chips melted in there! It’s now been renamed under the brand Pure Traditions.
Steaz Iced Green Tea: Summer is coming (okay, summer is HERE!) and you need to stay hydrated. When you’re sick of the taste of water, these Steaz green tea drinks make a delightfully refreshing change. I’ve tried the raspberry and the half & half (half lemonade, half green tea). Make sure you go for the ZERO kinds, as the others do have a little sugar. I am planning on getting the Peach Mango flavour next! They are sweetened with erythritol
.
Ayoba Yo Biltong: It wouldn’t be a proper low carb product review without some jerky, would it? I received a package of this in one of my Keto Krates and I was a little leery, having had some awful Biltong from Trader Joe’s (biltong is a traditional South African style jerky). But this stuff is really good, as are their meat sticks. I gave them a thumbs up in a video review of my box and they kindly sent me a whole bunch more just for the shout out. It’s quickly becoming one of my favourite snacks.
Buff Bake Peanut Butter: Jury is out for me on this one. They are…okay. The chocolate chip one really didn’t do it for me but the white chocolate was tastier. I found they had a bit of a strange mouthfeel, sort of pasty, which might be the added protein powder. The good thing is that besides the jars, they also come in little travel size packs you can take with you. Do know that they do contain a little sugar, but still only come in at 3 g net carbs per serving.
Battle of the Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads: NutiLight vs Go-Lo.
So here we have two sugar-free Nutella copycats. I’ve tried both and they are both good, but I think that in a blind taste test, NutiLight would be the clear winner. It’s smoother, more chocolatey and less overtly sweet. And it’s less expensive, which is a big bonus. On the plus side for Go-Lo, their product is made with sustainable palm oil and they sell the little on-the-go packets. But the reality is that while these are both great products, it’s so ridiculously easy to make your own sugar-free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, it’s much more cost effective, and you can add whatever natural/sustainable oils you want, you should really do that most of the time!
So there you have it, friends. I have more products I’d like to review but I don’t want this to get too long winded. Until next time!
Christiana says
Hi – as someone born and brought up in Southern Africa I have a comment about biltong . . . . and jerky! I would say that biltong is biltong is biltong, not an anything style anything – if you see what I mean! Biltong is biltong and jerky is jerky. True, they are both dried meat but each employ different processes and different ingredients. I am not a fan of jerky – way too sweet for me, but adore biltong. Fortunately my husband makes wonderful biltong, quickly and easily using a dehydrator. Recipe on application!
Connie says
I would love to have your recipe. My husband is South African, and I learned to love biltong there. I have a dehydrator. Thank you so much.
Carolyn says
Of course they are! But for American readers, it’s the best way to explain what it is. 🙂
Pat McCormack says
Thank you for all your hard work, making it easier for the rest of us!
Mary says
Carolyn, thanks so much for all of these reviews. My husband and I have been ‘grain free’ for about 7 weeks now- losing weight and feeling better. My quest has been to find crackers to put dips/guacamole etc on. I found some flax seed (maybe almond flour too?) crackers online but haven’t tried them yet. I saw they were pretty pricey- like maybe $9 per box (!) If they’re good, I’d splurge, but just wondering if you’ve tried them or have any other recommendations for crackers. Dr. Davis suggests dippling with endive but it just isn’t the same… Thanks again for your suggestions!
Carolyn says
There are several brands of flax seed crackers on the market and most of them taste about the same. But my Keto Krate sent one that we all really loved, with Italian seasonings (it tastes like Pizza to my girls!). This link is for a case on Amazon, sorry I couldn’t find a single bag… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HS23TQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000HS23TQ&linkId=aaf43808b1ba0d335e65dd2153ce3f65
Mary says
Thanks very much for the flax seed link, Carolyn. Will check it out.
Sara says
I have tried Flackers and did not like them. I haven’t tried the ones that Carolyn recommended. I make a sesame seed cracker. They’re easy to throw together. I make them plain so I can pair them with whatever I want. The recipe is on The Diet Doctor website, search low carb sesame crispbread. I also make cheddar crackers. Carolyn has several cracker recipes on her site.
Mary says
Just bought Flackers at Whole Foods. We LOVE them. Had them with spicy Guacamole. So happy to have found crackers we can eat and enjoy! Thank you.
Leslie W says
Christiana, Connie, Carolyn, never heard of let alone tried biltong but would be interested to see a recipe. We have a dehydrator but wondering if it could be made out of venison. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I’d be interested in a recipe too because I have a dehydrator. 🙂
Connie says
I have never tasted it, but it can be made with venison. The regular recipes use brown sugar, so I am hoping the “low-carb” recipe” will be sugarless. Here are a couple of sites to check out until we get the recipe.
http://www.instructables.com/id/BiltongNOT-jerky/
http://www.sa-austin.com/blog/2014/04/making-traditional-south-african-biltong-1400.html
Carolyn says
Cool, thanks!
Mary says
You had recommended low-carb Halo Ice
cream and I am so glad! I found it at Krogers. My husband and guests are totally unaware it is lower carb. They are all fans!
So thank you for helping us navigate the low-carb world.
Carolyn says
We’re big fans too!
shelby says
I absolutely love your blog for all of the above reasons (and previous recipes!) It helps me out so much when trying to think of something new for hubby to eat!
Noelle says
I too tried Epic meat snack products (they make jerkies, bars and bits) and didn’t like any of them enough to buy more. They are a bit pricey too so maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I was hoping for something to add to my snack list but Epic products aren’t it. Like you, I didn’t like the “moistness” but also wasn’t a fan of some of the flavors, which sounded good on the packages. Beef stick with cranberries? Yes in theory, no in consumption. Epic does also make a like of animal fats that are good though, and cheaper than Fatworks. I would recommend them.
Carolyn says
Thanks for the heads up on the fats…I have seen them on Amazon.
Patrick says
I actually like the Epic Bacon Bites, I like that it is “moist”. I’ve tried there other products and didn’t really like any of them.
[email protected] a Dash of Cinnamon says
Thanks for letting us know if the new products out there. May have to look into a few of them.
Kelly says
I’m most interested in learning some recipes for a hot low-carb breakfast. I miss a nice bowl of oats.
Carolyn says
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/10/grain-free-hot-cereal.html
jillian says
Thanks for info, I have had my share of purchases that were not so great. Re: Kite Hill, I have the ricotta in the fridge now and it is really good! I like their products a lot, but are a bit pricey. Worth it.
Carolyn says
Good to know about the ricotta. I just made something with regular ricotta and now I will be able to recommend that if people need to be dairy-free, that they use Kite Hill.
Michelle Dickman says
I LOVE, too much, the Kite cream cheese with chive. Plain is good too.
Sally says
I love love your blog.
Look for chicharon instead of the epicly bad stuff you tried. The genuine stuff. Deep fried pork fat. When done right is light and crunchy and only protein and fat.
Paula Ford says
Totally agree with you about the Epic bars. I soooo wanted to like them, but couldn’t get past the consistency. 🙁