Once when I got a sweet tooth urge I nuked a chunk of cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds and then added splenda and mixed it together. Not very filling but definitely sweet.

Another thing I've done is 1/2 cup water, a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, a pack or 2 of splenda, and 2 tbsp heavy cream in the microwave and mixed to make hot chocolate. I put some almond extract in mine too but you could skip that, I'm not sure about the carb/sugar count.

I poured half a stick of melted butter, 1tbsp of splenda and 2tbsps of cinnamon. I can't imagine them having much flavor with just butter and splenda....definitely need to add cinamon to them!

I also make a quick crustless lemon cheesecake by blending 8 oz. of cream cheese with a whole container of cool whip and adding 2 to 3 Tbsp of sugar free lemonade mix. The lemonade mix is sweet enough you don't need any additional sweetner. After I blend it all together with my hand mixer I chill it. Naturally you have to eat it in moderation, it is very light and yummy though. This is my fav. dessert I take to get togethers for my dessert.

Hey islandchick, instead of using Cool Whip i get a carton of heavy whipping cream and with a handheld mixer I whip it up with a little splenda and a teaspoon of vanilla....tastes just like Cool Whip!

I know it's more convenient to get ready-made Cool Whip, but the homemade version only takes 5 minutes to whip up and it's induction friendly. Just a suggestion!

*****I will be trying out your lemon cheesecake recipe though....sounds delish!!! THANKS!!!*****

:fr: I had no idea cool whip wasn't allowed. Fatkir I will certainly try the HWC, I keep it on hand :) Thanks for the suggestion!

Islandchick, using sugar-free lemonade mix to flavor your cheesecake is really clever. I appreciate your good ideas and yummy quick recipes. Keep 'em coming; I have pounds to go...

As always, JerseyGyrl, I appreciate your reading our posts and keeping us straight. I'm currently using Truvia in my efforts to eat Atkins. I don't use it every day, though. What's your take on Truvia?

Is aspartame not allowed at all? Or, are we to use it in moderation?

Aspartame is not allowed at all. Dr. Atkins suggested that sucralose is a healthy alternative to sugar, and that aspartame is bad for us.

Aspartame will not stall your weight loss, but sucralose is the suggested alternative.

Thanks for the info girls! :)

I made the cheesecake muffins posted earlier in the thread, and oh my God, they were amazing! Very easy to make, too! Recipes like that will keep me on track this time around. I'm now thinking of other ways to customize them.

I like to add 1-2 T. of Hershey's Special Dark Dutched Unsweetened Cocoa to the cheesecake muffin batter for chocolate cheesecake. I also add a little less than 1/4 tsp. of very finely grated fresh lemon peel to make lemon cheesecake muffins. Last night, I made them and after filling six of the muffin cups, I added 1 T. of cocoa to the remaining batter so I had 6 chocolate and 6 lemon cheesecakes.

I use cupcake liner papers in the muffin tin - no clean up, thank you.

I found some sugar-free raspberry preserves (1 carb per tablespoon) and topped my lemon cheesecake with a tablespoon last night. I have been craving fruit (who knew I'd ever crave fruit?), and this did the trick in a big way!

I have to be careful with these little muffins...I like them too much.

Enjoy! And be glad we're on Atkins.