Chocolate pudding suggestions?
 

I was sooo excited to have my first chocolate pudding HNS last night and I was sorely dissapointed. The main reason I like pudding is for the smooth texture and this pudding was grainy. I let it set for several minutes which helped a little bit, but it still wasn't right. Has anyone tried making it with hot water and then chilling it in the fridge? Or if I make it a day ahead of time, could that help?

Thanks!

I don't know what HNS is, but I love me some diet pudding, so maybe I can help: I like sugar-free Jell-O brand pudding. If you make it yourself, make sure to keep whisking for about two minutes to get rid of all the grainies. Even when you think they're gone, keep whisking. You can also buy it premade. Another thing to do is add sweetener and cocoa powder to Greek yogurt or ricotta.

I add a little more water than what they suggest. I think the hot water idea is intriguing. Let me know if it works.

I felt the same way - couldn't WAIT to have my chocolate pudding and felt the same way about the "graininess". I also add extra water and chill for at least 30 minutes...sometimes freeze it for 1 hours and it's like a chocolate slush!! I actually prefer the vanilla pudding better - don't know why but the consistency seems smoother. I stick to the Hot Chocolate for my chocolate fix.

I use my hand blender to make it and blend for at least two minutes. Yeah...it's not going to be as good as the milk blends, or as smooth as the chemical laden sugar free options, but its not bad.

I have also used it in the cheesecake recipe, minus the lemon HNS and the lemon juice of course and it turns out pretty darned good.

Ditto! I have found 2 ways to eat it (1 pudding and 1 cake)

1. I blend the chocolate pudding with cottage cheese in the food processor. Add Splenda, vanilla and water (to the right consistency). It makes it creamy.

2. Make the chocolate cake from the recipe thread. I add one egg to a package with splenda, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bake 350 for 15 min.

Good luck and if you find a trick let us know.

Thanks for the suggestions :)

Today I tried mixing it with hot water and it was actually harder to get the chunks to blend then with cold water, BUT when it was in that warm soupy state, I thought it tasted better and ate it like that.

I'm going to keep toying with it and try some of the recipes you suggested, though I'm still just on day 6 of the Meta Slim, so I don't have much wiggle room in what I can use yet. Oh well, it's chocolate, yay! :D

If you're craving chocolate- have you tried the hot cocoa brownie recipe? I LOVE it! It's super easy and quick- 1 pkg hot cocoa mix, 3 tsp water, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 packet of Splenda. Mix and microwave for 30 seconds. I had to add more water- mine wouldn't mix. It comes out gooey! If you want more of a cookie bake the above mixture 350 for 60-90 seconds.

I stick the pudding in the freezer for 20 minutes or so, and it is kind of like a yummy frozen chocolate yogurt.. Give it a try.. You might like it.. And yes add a little more water to it,, it does seem to help. I think I wouldn't do hot water though..
Cheers!

Ronnie

The brownie recipe sounds too good and super easy - can't wait to try it out!

Thank you Susie - I didn't know about the brownie or cake recipes! I am definitely going to give them a try!!

I make my own brownie "batter" with the hot chocolate HNS. I mix 2 ounces of hot water with the HNS. It's the consistantcy between pudding and batter. I love it!

I make the Ohio Mousse that is in the cookbook a lot. It's very good, especially at lunch with some berries. I chill it for a bit and it's super creamy.

I use super cold water and mix them them together a little at a time..it doesnt take long..and mine is always thick and not really grainy..I actually think its better with a tiny bit LESS water...i like it thick and really cold

That is so funny I had my first chocolate craving this weekend the first day i tried the chocolate pudding the first bite tasted like chocolate frosting by the fourth and fifth bite it was not good at all. So last night i tried the recipe with the Canfields Chocolate Pop and the HSN pudding. The Diet chocolate pop would have been better with out the HSN. So i think next time i have a chocolate craving i will drink the diet pop:dizzy:

I agree that the Canfield's Diets Soda is very good, but I am reasonably certain it is not recommended by MRC's plan, as it is sweetened with the dangerous sweetner, aspartame.

The Canfield's Diet Chocolate soda is used in the Death by Chocolate recipe on page 236 of the Cookbook? That is why i thought maybe it would be ok to have once in a while? Maybe not?

Interesting, because I am reasonably certain that I was told to avoid such sweeteners on this plan -- that there was only a couple of diet sodas that are acceptable (not sure which ones, as I don't drink soda). Well, except for ZEVIA which is sweetened with the natural herbal sweetener, stevia.

But anything just occasionally is probably not that awful, but I just choose avoid aspartame.

Here is an interesting article from Dr. Joseph Mercola, if you might be interested in considering the dangers associated with aspartame:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-new-name.aspx

All the best with MRC! --Joy2MeNu

I agree that aspartame is dangerous, but MRC's HNS's have had that in them for a long time. They are just now phasing it out of their products, but I do believe some products still have that in them. So read the labels on the boxes if you are concerned.

MRC seems to be okay with most artificial sweeteners. I won't touch splenda, aspartame or nutrasweet. They are chemically altered which makes it had for your body to process and can be dangerous.

The natural sweeteners that are safe and don't spike your blood sugar are stevia, xylitol, and agave. I asked a gal at the center if those were okay and she said yes. They are all safe for diabetics and are even known to improve teeth and gum health. Xylitol is a sugar found in the fibers of fruits and vegetables. Stevia is a sweet leaf/herb. Agave sweetener is the nectar of an agave succulent plant.

I'm attaching a sheet I put together for my grandma who was becoming pre-diabetic. It shows how to use these safe sweeteners in baking. I'm not sure how well these will translate to MRC recipes, but I thought it might be helpful for those concerned about eating naturally. *stepping down from my soap box now* :D

okay, interesting -- as I asked my center what these hns products were sweetened with. I was not happy with the answer, as I was told Splenda (sucralose). But at least not aspartame, which was a relief. Geeeez!

It looks like sucralose is modified table sugar (sucrose) whereas Splenda contains dextrose, maltodextrin, and sucralose. (You have to dig through the faq's on their website or look on wikipedia to find that detailed) So the HNS's don't quite have Splenda in them. I don't think either are good, but I'm willing to take the HNS's to get through the program and be at a healthier weight. I also feel that since I'm eating TONS of greens, hopefully that is counter balancing any negative effects. :broc:

I do sincerely apologize to the artificial sweetener lovers on this board that I'm probably offending with these posts. :hug: It's just nice for those of us who are interested to talk about this stuff here.

Thanks Diet Gal. --Joy2MeNu

[QUOTE=diet gal;3192430]I agree that aspartame is dangerous, but MRC's HNS's have had that in them for a long time. The natural sweeteners that are safe and don't spike your blood sugar are stevia, xylitol, and agave.


For some interesting information, go to mercola dot com and in the search bar at top, type in agave and read the article .... Agave, A Triumph of Marketing over Truth.

I know that we have no way to know what is or isn't the truth when it comes to these things, but I found this interesting. Perhaps something to follow up on.

Also, Xylitol, being a sugar alcohol, can lead to stomach upset and excess gas if consumed too much. But it does not effect blood sugar, so it's a good choice. (if you have dogs, make sure they don't get ahold of it -- it can be toxic. it's estimated that if a dog accidentally got into your purse and you had sugar-free gum in there and a dog weighing 65 pounds ate 6-8 pieces, it could be fatal.)

And indeed, most of the powdered HNS products were sweetened with aspartame, good to hear they are changing. The concentrates were always sucralose, so don't know what's going on there.

Thanks dkmd27,

I love mercola's site and think he's right on about 90% of the time. I was looking at his BioThin supplement to use instead of MRC's stuff, since I know he follows much stricter protocols.

I make sure to get agave that is organic. I would really only use a little as a honey substitute in something like oatmeal or tea.

Xylitol can affect your stomach, but only if you have large amounts (40g+) without working up to it (which we should be no where near on MRC's plans). Most gum has xylitol in it and no one has problems.

Stevia seems to be the 'best' option overall, but it is known to have a bitter or funky after taste, depending on which type you buy and how it was processed.

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect... grab a piece of (MRC sanctioned) fruit and enjoy! :D

I have some Stevia but it's too intense for me. I use it sparingly but can't get used to the taste. I know Splenda isn't the best but I heart it. :(

It's the powders that have aspartame right? I try to stick to the liquid HNS but I really like the lemon one in the cheesecake.

Random off program topic but had anyone tried the soda made without fructose? I had a Mt. Dew and Sprite before starting the program. They tasted so much better.

I suppose I will have to curb my splenda craving. Can we use honey?

Most of the powders are aspartame free now. :) I think there are only a couple products that still have it in them. You can request to read the ingredients of the products before you buy them and you can read the boxes of the products you already have, to check.

For the purposes of this diet, and since we're already consuming fake sugars in the HNS's, a little more Splenda isn't going to kill anyone. We gotta do what we gotta do to get to our goal weights. Honey is a big no-no. It spikes your blood sugar very high.

For Stevia being too intense for you (which I'm guessing is the bitter/funny after taste), if you pull up the attachment on sweeteners in my previous post, it details information about the % of steviosides and rebaudiosdes in each blend, so if you get a brand with the right balance, it's supposed to have less of that weird taste. (I haven't tried them all, it's just what I read)

Are you maxing out on your HNS's? I haven't had a single sugary craving on this diet because I drink so many of those. Normally I'm a sugar addict. I wonder if you're craving soda, if you can have a lemon HNS mixed with plain fizzy soda water? That would be kind of like a Mt. Dew/Sprite. :)

Diet Gal,

You seem to have a great deal of knowledge on this. So, let me run this by you. I have been using TRUVIA (a stevia-based sweetner) and found it to be by far the best stevia I have used. I sprinkle it on my cinnamon toast and it TASTES and FEELS just like sugar in my mouth:smug:. Here is a link to the ingredients: http://truvia.com/about/ingredients/default.aspx

Do you think this is a safe and good sweetner. I am thinking it is, but wondered about your option. Thanks. --Joy2MeNu

I am not sure if it contains fructose, but I was told the only diet drink I could have OP was Diet Rite. I get the white grape which tastes similar to sprite. I mix it with the Kiwi Melon concentrate and it is AMAZING! You might give it a try!

This suggestion is not applicable to the MRC plan.

I was told any DIET CAFFEINE FREE soda is ok. I personally LOVE diet root beer. It tastes just like root beer to me, or maybe that's the lack of having "real" soda in so long! I just wish I could find diet caffeine free cream soda...

megs - just gotta watch the sodium content in sodas other than diet rite which has no sodium in it. I stick to diet rite if I'm gonna drink a soda.

Thanks Joy2MeNu :)

I was wondering about the other ingredients in that too and I did some research. The general consensus about erythritol (the main ingredient in Truvia) is that it is safe. It is a sugar alcohol, made from plants, similar to xylitol. Some people experience digestive problems with xylitol when ingesting over 40g, and with erythritol, it looks like you can typically eat up to 80g before you may get a laxative effect. From the general info sources, they all say it's safe with this caveat.

I did find this other site, however, where people are having reactions to Truvia, but they can handle stevia on it's own. If you google 'truvia side effects' it is the first link 'Truvia Side Effects: The dangers of Truvia (adverse effects)'. On Dr. Mercola's website, he mentions how Truvia does not use the entire stevia leaf, but only two of the sweetest compounds from it. People may be having complications because the stevia was broken apart, which could make it harder to process or it could be the erythritol. The ingredients also include 'natural flavors' which could be anything, good or bad.

Overall, I would say that if you are not experiencing any side effects from it and are having it in small doses, it looks reasonably safe. Some people just might be more sensitive to it then others.

PS - I just double checked the ingredients on the lemon HNS and it has aspartame. :cry: Hopefully they'll take it out of that flavor soon too.

Wow Diet Gal, you're my hero. What a terrific reply. Yes, I don't experience any side effects, so I guess I will continue to enjoy it. I love that the consistency of it is like granulated sugar. Feels like the real thing.

So, I was messing about in my kitchen last night, mixed up some vanilla HNS and added 2 tablespoons of Cool Whip Free...WOW! It was like a mousse. I imagine we could do the same with the chocolate...

I do max out HNS- only way to go. I don't crave sugar, I just love Splenda. I use it when I eat blueberries or strawberries. So good!

I should look at my stevia bottle. I'm not sure about the ratios.

I think the vanilla pudding is smoother than the chocolate. I tried it tonight with pumpkin pie spice in it! Yummy!

Thanks Joy2MeNu - That's so sweet of you! :hug: I was raised in a very health conscious family that had a more progressive/holistic view than the standard. My parents and I have always loved to research and soak up anything health or body related... it's just a passion :D

Mmmm, that sounds very tasty. The spooning texture of the vanilla pudding isn't as thick and puddingy as the chocolate, but the tasting texture is very smooth. It almost tastes like banana pudding to me.

I love to add different extracts to my vanilla for a different flavor every time. I kinda helps with the taste.

Cool Whip Free is off plan

Ohhh,,, can we have Cool whip free?? That would be awesome..

I see a new addiction coming my way!

Cheers!

Ronnie:D