Tag Archives: low carb drinks

Drinks, Recipes

Refreshing Pomegranate Cream Soda

As the temperatures gradually rise, or in some cases – leap, into summer, a nice cooling drink is always welcome.  This is a great one to take out on the patio while you BBQ or just sit and enjoy the day.

It’s a little like an Italian cream soda, but not quite and it’s so simple to make.  Obviously, this would also be great with orange syrup, pineapple syrup, or almost any flavored fruit syrup.   You could get addicted…

Pomegranate Cream Soda

3 tablespoon sugar free Pomegranate Syrup*
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 can sugar free Ginger Ale
1 cup of crushed Ice

In a blender, add the syrup, vanilla, ginger ale and half the crushed ice. Pulse several times to mix together. Add the rest of the ice and pulse again  until the ice is mostly crushed in. Add the cream and pulse once or twice to blend it in.

Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

*  Don’t have flavored syrups?  You can use the squeeze bottle drink flavors/ liquid water enhancers, like Mio, Crystal Light or whatever brand your local store carries.  Use 4 to 5 squeezes to add the flavor.  I tried it out with Blueberry Pomegranate.  Delicious. 

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 54.8 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 0.3g Protein: 0.3 g

Drinks, Recipes

O’Kelly’s Slim Irish Cream

Generally speaking, Irish Cream is not a low calorie or low carb drink, but it can be. You do need to make it yourself though. There are many Irish Cream recipes available and almost all of them call for sweetened condensed milk. While you can buy low carb sweetened condensed milk, you can also make your own. But the recipe I’ve adapted ever so slightly is from Mercy at Food.com, partially because it doesn’t require sweetened condensed milk and you are essentially making a sweetened cream. I called it O’Kelly’s in honor of my roomie’s Irish heritage.

Once you have the Irish Cream made, then try the Irish Cream Cheesecake made with it. Truly a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

This recipe makes over 750 ml — I got about 850 ml, so prepare a bottle that can hold at least 750 ml and maybe a small jar for the extra. You will also need a funnel.

O’Kelly’s Slim Irish Cream

3 cups heavy cream
1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey
( I used Bushmill’s, but you don’t need an expensive whiskey, just an Irish one)
1 teaspoon instant Espresso coffee
2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate syrup (Hershey’s or Walden Farms)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup Ideal sugar substitute or other suger alcohol crystal
24 drops of liquid sucralose

Mix coffee powders with sugar alcohol crystals. Add a little whiskey and the chocolate syrup then stir to make a paste. This will dissolve easier when added to the recipe.

Place cream in a heavy pan and cook on very low heat until it is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. If you want it a little thicker, cook until it is the consistency you prefer.
Cool until the cream is about room temperature.

Blend whiskey, liquid sucralose, coffee paste, and extracts and pour into a blender with the cooled cream and blend until smooth.

Makes about 25 1 oz servings

This will keep 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Shake well before pouring.

You can make this using a sugar substitute such as Splenda but the carbohydrates are higher due to the filler that is used to hold the sucralose. I use EZ-Sweet liquid sucralose, which you can purchase from Netrition or Amazon. I show the carb counts using the different chocolate syrups and using Splenda for all of the sugar replacement.

Nutrition Information:

1 oz serving With Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Calories: 89.5 Net Carbs: .6 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

1 oz serving With Walden Farm’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Calories: 88.9 Net Carbs: .4 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

1 oz serving With 1 cup Splenda & Hershey’s syrup
Calories:89.5 Net Carbs: 2.6 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/14/2013 1:06 PM

Drinks, Recipes

Pumpkin Nog for the Holidays

A few days ago, I concocted the most marvelous hot nog that I’ve had in quite some time… and it’s low carb! The cream version is rich and so satisfying. The lower car’d almond milk version for those who can’t handle milk products is also delicious although not as thick. Either way, it’s a great way to toast the holidays with a warm drink. It will become my midnight NewYear’s drink.

I used a sugar free Pumpkin Spice Syrup in it, but you can just add extra cinnamon, nutmeg and clove instead.

Hot Pumpkin Nog

Rich and Creamy Version – Serves 2

1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder *
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 oz. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
2 tablespoons Rum
6 drops liquid sucralose or 3 packets of sugar substitute

In a small sauce pan, mix together the protein powder, heavy cream and water. Cook over low heat until the powder is completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin, sweetener and Pumpkin Spice Syrup and stir until it is blended in. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture just starts to bubble around the edges. Turn off heat. Pour into small cups, 1/2 of mixture in each cup. Add 1 tablespoon of dark rum to each cup and stir it in, then sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice over the top.

Nutrition Info – 1 serving
Calories: 241 Fat: 22 g Net Carbs: 2.3g Protein: 1.3 g

Less Rich Version with Almond Milk – Serves 2

1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder *
1 1/2 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 oz. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
2 tablespoons Rum
6 drops liquid sucralose or 3 packet if sugar substitute

In a small sauce pan, mix together the protein powder and almond milk. Cook over low heat until the powder is completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin, sweetener and Pumpkin Spice Syrup and stir until it is blended in. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture just starts to bubble around the edges. Turn off heat. Pour into small cups, 1/2 of mixture in each cup. Add 1 tablespoon of dark rum to each cup and stir it in, then sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice over the top.

Nutrition Info – 1 serving
Calories: 59 Fat: 1.9 g Net Carbs: 0.6 g Protein: .9 g

* You may omit the Vanilla whey powder and add 2 teaspoons vanilla.  The powder makes it taste richer and thicker, besides adding protein, but it isn’t necessary.

To make the fully-charged sugar version, just follow the recipe using 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water and 3 to 6 teaspoons of sugar to your preference. About 10.6 net carbs and 179 calories.

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/19/2013 12:25 PM

Drinks, Recipes

Hot Gingerbread Nog

Here’s another delicious hot winter drink for a bit of celebration this year end. It combines the flavors of gingerbread with espresso for a yummy holiday nog. This recipe makes two drinks but can be increased easily for more people.

Hot Gingerbread Nog

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute
1 tablespoon sugar free maple syrup
1 tablespoon gingerbread sugar free syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/3 cup cream
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon Espresso powdered coffee
2 tablespoon rum or boubon
Sugar substitute (to taste)

Have two 1 cup mugs ready.

In a small pot, add butter and brown sugar substitute and stir until melted. Add 1both syrups and mix in, then add cream and water, powdered coffee and spices. Stir and cook until the nog is hot but not boiling.

Put 1 tablespoon of rum in each mug, then pour hot nog into the mug and stir. Add sugar substitute to make it sweeter if needed.

Serves 2.

For a lower carb version, use 1 cup of almond milk in place of the cream and water in the recipe.

Nutrition Info for 1 serving using cream:
Calories: 229 Fat: 20.8g Net Carbs: 2 g Protein: 1 g

Nutrition Info for 1 serving using almond milk:
Calories: 104 Fat: 7.1 g Net Carbs: 0.9 g Protein: 0.7 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/28/2013