Suggestions Needed

[cmcole]

My hubby is pre-diabetic (right on the verge of needing meds, but doctors are trying to get him to control it with dietary changes).

He is lactose intolerant, and will not consider even the lactose-free cheeses, or yogurt, or tofu, so don't bother including any of those with your suggestions.

I would like to make him something crunchy he can have in the evenings (he would normally grab chips or something similar). I have a dehydrator, and could crisp up some things, if I had some ideas.

Strange how a person can just run out of ideas when it is their own family that is involved, rather than someone outside.

If it were just me, there's lots of things I'd have, if I got the munchies, which is rarely.

He thinks he has to follow the diabetic diet, which, from the look of it, has improved somewhat, but which contains more carbs than I'd have, personally.

[LisaS]

I keep meaning to try my hand at these Almond Thins
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=189363 -- essentially a savory cracker based on almond flour.

I know that on one of Blaine's shows he made a parmesan (can he do parmesan?) cracker that he served with a creamy chive spread (but it is cream cheese based - you could do something else i guess)
http://fittv.discovery.com/fansites/blaine/recipes/running/chivescrackers.html

but I haven't tried it either.

I know for me, having a more filling dip or side with crunchy cracker like things helps control the qty of crunch I want - and fills me up. So instead of plain chips - lc crackers and veggie dippers for guacamole.

Homemade jerky could fit the bill - but it isn't exactly the same crunch fix as a chip or cracker.

you could also try making some lc granola like this one:
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1180

[lizi145]

Have you ever tried jicima? It's a veggie low in carbs which can be sliced up like a potato chip (I use my Cuisinart to slice). I, then, put them on a griddle or frying pan with oil. I sometimes sprinkle parmesan cheese (which he probably won't want to do) on them. It's not as crunchy as potato chips but they sure do taste good! Yum!

Nuts are also good to munch on...almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds.

Would he give this a try?

I hope this helps.

Lizi

[Ottawa]

Glennys Soy Chips (http://www.glennys.com/store/index.aspx) are a nice treat and only 15 ECC for a whole bag 140 cals-9 Protein). Since he could not have the Cheddar type he could get BBQ, Caramel , etc..

For homemade you could try Yuba chips (http://72.32.36.211/forum/showthread.php?t=702)(Skin from Soy Milk) for a real carb bargain. You can load these up with cheese or spices and just bag them up for a rainy day. They are incredibly crisp and very light. I even made them up as a dessert with sour lemon curd and merangue (sp?) at under 1 ECC per dessert.

[root]

My favorites are stuffing celery. Trader Joe's has a great organic mayo and mixing in some choped shrimp or crab and stuffing the celery is my favorite. Whole Foods has the greatest celery I've tasted. It's a carb bargain with a fibre boost. Try garlic, cumin and celantro to your taste.
Hope this adds to your ideas.

[realruth]

ttp://users3.ev1.net/~fontlady/snack_recipes.html (ttp://users3.ev1.net/%7Efontlady/snack_recipes.html)

there are a couple of good ones here on Linda's site
I recommend the townhouse crackers and buttery sesame crackers

[Gaelen]

CM, you could also try crisping up some thinly sliced pepperoni or other fatty sausage into pepperoni chips...they're very easy to do in either the oven or microwave.

[lowcarbgirl]

CM, you could also try crisping up some thinly sliced pepperoni or other fatty sausage into pepperoni chips...they're very easy to do in either the oven or microwave.


Dang it Gaelen, that was gonna be my suggestion!!! Evil minds :evil: must think alike!!! Or is that great minds? LOL!!!

hugs,
Willow

[cmcole]

Thanks, all.

Regarding the jicama - only occasionally have I seen it here (and I miss it myself), and it is usually mouldy!!

I'd head for snow peas and other veggies. He's a tough guy to please, as he grew up on processed foods and very little veggies, but he's improving, in small steps.

[Bellgirl]

I love raw snow peas and there's a Marzetti's Southwestern Ranch dip that is wonderful with them.

But I am a cracker person... somehow fresh veggies don't completely satisfy the kind of crunch I get in a cracker. I buy those Dr. Kracker seeded crackers but they are pretty pricey. My fave homemade cracker has parmesan cheese as a binder, so I assume that wouldn't work for your DH. Good luck!

[Relief]

the best crunch I've found are "nut thins" from blue diamond. they come in many flavors , are gluten free, and come it at under 1 ECC per cracker. a little carb pricey for intervention --(and so good it is sometimes hard to stop at a good serving size of 5 or so!) but they just might be the ticket for your DH. really really crunchy! I LOOOOOVE them with artichoke parmesan dip! I buy them at the local Heath food store but you can get them on-line. i just googled "blue diamond nut thins" and got a bunch of sources.

And don't forget pork rinds--not everybody can stand them, but if you can they are the lest carby crunch around!

[cmcole]

Well, we found the Nut thins - I'm almost not happy, but my hubby sure is (although portion control is a problem).

I tried one last night - not bad. I've never been that big a snacker, so I can have one and stop there, unless I were to sit down and mindlessly nosh on the whole box. I think he needs a hobby to keep his hands busy.

I don't mind pork rinds. He won't consider them (he says he doesn't like them, but I don't remember him even trying them). I thought it was great when I was doing Atkins, and bought a cupboard full of them. Then I had to figure out what to do with them - because I discovered that my problems did not lie in the snacking category, but in the overall eating, and especially carb-related items (breads, especially).

[Tad]

The first time we did LC (2003), I was really into EatSmart Soy Crisps (http://www.snydersofhanover.com/en/products.php?cat=5&id=42), a Snyder's of Hanover product. My favorite was the Parmesan, Garlic, & Olive Oil, which was really strong. They eat a lot like a Ruffles potato chip. 8g of protein, 11g carbs (5g fiber, so 6g ECC), 11g of fat, 0g of trans fat (so they claim, but they're made with canola oil) per 1 oz. serving.

I haven't had any in awhile... too easy to eat too many :p

[Reverie]

I sometimes take a handful of pecans or almonds (about 20) and roast them in a non-stick skillet. When they are crispy, after about 10-15 minutes, I add a little butter and salt or seasoning salt. Keep the raw nuts in the freezer. This helps with portion control.

[Inez]

If you think you don't like pork rinds, buy them at another store. A lot of the bad taste in pork rinds is because they're stale. Fresh ones really have very little taste, just a lot of crunch! The grocery stores that appeal to health-conscious shoppers may not be the ones that have a high volume of sales for pork rinds, so they may have been sitting on the shelves too long. You may also want to try flavored ones, although many of the flavored varieties have MSG in them.

[cmcole]

Thankyou, Inez, but it is my hubby who doesn't like them.

I recently found nut cubes/crunch which MD Eades mentioned in her blog recently. I found them packaged at a grocery store, and then in bulk today in cashew, sunflower, peanut and pumpkin seeds. I tried a couple (all but the pumpkin) when we got home. Not bad. I could probably limit myself. My hubby, on the other hand, is still struggling with portion control and mindless snacking (sitting in front of the TV and just shovelling things in without concern for amounts)

[hawk]

I make a snack out of 8 turkey pepperoni (not greasy) and 1/2 teaspoon of cream cheese on each one. It is a really good snack.

[shulameet]

Dear CM,

I make my own 'cracklins' from poultry skin, called 'grivenes' in Yiddish. This also works for any fats trimmed off of meat and I don't see any nutritional difference from fried pork rinds. My high tech method is to put them into a deep little covered pyrex glass dish, then microwave until deep brown. I drain breifly and then press between paper towels to extract the fat. Unwrap quickly to prevent sticking to the towels and sprinke on seasoning. Voila!

How about making your own jerky ? What about experimenting in your dehydrator making veggie leather out of ground up celery, onion flakes, garlic powder and dried tomatoes? Add a dash of hot sauce for spice.

Oh, you can also try an Indian cuisine bean wafer called papadum. It's crispy and very savory. You might even find a mix for it in the ethnic food section of your market, a health food stores or an Asian grocery (if you're lucky enough to live near one).

Shulameet