Desserts Needed.

[Schlep]

When we go out for supper or have people over for dinner the low carb life style works out great as I can always find more than enough food to eat and still stay low carb.

The problem is desserts, has anyone found a good dessert that is low carb other than cheese cake as we already have a great recipe for that.

Sometimes I will eat fruit but that is something I would prefer to stay away from.

I would prefer recipes that you have used and been happy with rather than something you may have seen somewhere as a lot of the recipes do not turn out great.

[Alice]

Honestly, there are few "good" desserts that are what I call low carb. I don't know if you are Type 1 (insulin) or Type 2, but either way...they carbs have to be counted...

Having said that, I enjoy a good cup of coffee for dessert. I find when I have people over, few really want dessert, but seem to like small bites of things...which is fine with me!

So, I will visit a chocolate store and buy a few gorgeous chocolates and put on a gorgeous plate. You can pass it, or just leave it in the middle of the table. I learned this trick in Italy...they often just have a bite of chocolate after dinner with espresso.

Cookies work well like this too. They can be simple Pepperidge Farm's...or something a little fancier. But, same concept...small carb counts for the satisfaction of just getting that final "sweet bite".

I have been keeping the Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies in my pantry. They are only about 5-6 carbs per cookie since they are a type of thin shortbread. No preservatives or additives, they just taste good with coffee.

You can serve ice cream like gelato...small little servings in pretty cups. Maybe with a cookie wafer tucked in the side.

I also am famous for taking 3 bites and calling it quits. I always hope my hubby will share a dessert with me, but he always wants his own.

But, the 3 bite principal has helped me keep my sweet tooth without too glucose-trouble.

[MJB]

Sugar free Jello pudding, lots of different flavors available.

[xMenace]

Stay away from fruit? pffft! A serving per meal should be mandatory.

[princesslinda]

Check out the miracle peanut butter cookies under the recipe thread...splenda, peanut butter, egg and vanilla....very blood sugar friendly.

Also, I eat a lot of s/f jello and s/f pudding. Fortunately for me, I like salty/crunchy snacks better than sweet ones.

[Schlep]

Stay away from fruit? pffft! A serving per meal should be mandatory.

I know you are an advocate of fruit but how can you blatantly suggest fruit not knowing what it does to peoples sugar. Fruit spikes my sugar by about 2 points and I do not mean tropical fruit but apples, bananas, grapes, pears etc.

[Mich]

Fruit? Me too, Schlep.

I've probably eaten ten whole pieces of fruit (in tiny bites) over the last five years. My only exception is Smuckers sugar free jam--a teaspoon here or there to add flavor to toast or Wasa crackers with peanut butter. I prefer to use my limited carbs for veggies and multigrains.

I take a multivitamin to cover any shortages.

Mich

[Evermont]

This is what I do...

Winter Blues Treat
------------------
3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1 tsp agave nectar

Mix well and freeze. The agave nectar is a sweetener with a lower glycemic index than sugar. I sometimes substitute raw honey for agave nectar. I like to mix in a 1/2 tsp blueberry preserves for color but it's just as well to mash up a few blueberries instead. I like it with a dash of cinnamon too.

I think this is a pretty darn healthy dish, I guess it's low carb too. There's lots of protein in the yogurt, good fats (omega-3) in the walnuts, antioxidants in the blueberries... and it tastes great to me!

[Schlep]

Fruit? Me too, Schlep.

I've probably eaten ten whole pieces of fruit (in tiny bites) over the last five years. My only exception is Smuckers sugar free jam--a teaspoon here or there to add flavor to toast or Wasa crackers with peanut butter. I prefer to use my limited carbs for veggies and multigrains.

I take a multivitamin to cover any shortages.

Mich

Thanks for confirming that what happens to me happens to others. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions it is appreciated.

[Alice]

Can you handle angel-food cake? You can add a tsp or two of instant coffee to the mix for a pretty neat coffee angel food taste.

I guess I fall in the "quantity" vs "type" category when trying to cut carbs...almost any thing in the dessert category is going to have carbs. Which is why I treat coffee like a dessert...I drink it black with no cream/sugar.

Dark chocolate has fewer carbs typically.

I just can't see serving company sugar-free jello or pudding...it reminds me of what is served at my mother-in-laws senior living center...but I'll bet some of you make it much better than me! A garnish could pull it off...cinnamon stick, peppermint stick, pirouette cookie...etc.

[ladytaz]

Thanks for confirming that what happens to me happens to others. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions it is appreciated.

I too, when I wasn't on insulin, couldn't eat fruit, without a big rise in BG. I'm not even a huge fruit fan either. I may get a craving for it, here and there. But not something I'd normally eat on a daily basis. So, before I was on the insulin, I steered clear of the fruits! They were way more trouble than they were worth! ;)

[Mich]

We too take the quality vs. quantity approach in our house. I serve "tiny bites" desserts to company. a small plate of chocolates, fancy glasses of ice cream with a garnish. Served with coffee, these are appreciated by everyone we know.

A Sees chocolate chip truffle has 11g of carb. A tiny dish of Dreyers (Edy's) no sugar added iced cream has about 4 g.

I always offer more, but everyone is watching their intake these days and I rarely am taken up on my offer.

Mich

[princesslinda]

Here's a dessert I made around Thanksgiving....you can serve it alone or in a pie crust (alone being the most carb-friendly)

1 pkg s/f vanilla pudding
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

In a large bowl, beat cream, pudding mix and spice x 1 minute with wire whisk. Stir in pumpkin. At this point, you can stir in a tub of Kool-Whip for a "mousse" texture, or just put into parfait glasses and refrigerate x 2 hrs or until set. This is good with pecans sprinkled on top...and i've also substituted butterscotch pudding for the vanilla (s/f of course).

I don't know the exact carb count but, for me, it was VERY blood sugar friendly.