I can do this!  Chocolate Cream Frosty while on a diet?  Count me in!

I love Love LOVE Atkins.com!  Have you checked out some of the recipes they have there?    You can search by Phase or by Course, and a couple other options I haven’t yet explored.

Today, as I was checking out the dessert section I found the recipe for this yummy, wonderful bit o’ chocolate fabulousness!  But I don’t own any sugar-free chocolate syrup.  Matter of fact, if I even knew that such a thing existed I surely would have bought it already, but I never even imagined it.  So, I sat here and wondered a little, wondered about what store I oughtta call and see if they have this nifty, guilt free indulgence, and several thoughts struck me all at once.

• Hey!  I know how to make regular chocolate syrup.
• I have Splenda in the pantry and I KNOW you can cook with that!
• I can make sugar-free chocolate syrup!

I just substituted the Splenda for the sugar and made some delicious elixir.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Syrup

You’ll need:

• ¾ cup water
• 18 pkts Splenda  *see update at end!
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• dash salt
• ½ tsp vanilla

Combine the first four ingredients in a small/medium sauce pan.  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about five minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour into ½ pint jar.

Too easy!

Here, dip your finger in!  Give it a taste!  It’s marvelous!

Chocolate Cream Frosty a la Atkins

This recipe is doubled so you can let the kids have a tiny taste and not feel like you got gypped!

You’ll need:

• 6 large ice cubes
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup sugar-free chocolate syrup

Combine all ingredients in the blender and give it a good whirl until it’s rather frothy.

Here’s the good word!  According to Atkins.com this has only 2 gr. of carbs!

Enjoy!

Update:  Looks  like I better switch to Stevia for this and all my other sweet purposes.  Check out this info Mommaofmany turned me on to.  Can’t be eatin’  these harmful chemical soups or feedin’ ‘em to my kiddoes!

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The reasons are:

1. It’s frugal.
2. It tastes better, by far!
3. It’s wholesome.

The recipes to get you started:

Thousand Island Dressing (not Atkins friendly)

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp sweet pickle relish
• 1 tsp onion flakes (or minced, fresh onion)
• pinch each- salt and pepper

All you do is mix all the ingredients together and put it into a pint jar, pop the lid on and keep it in the fridge.  If there’s still any left after a couple of weeks, rinse it down the drain and try a different recipe.  Y’all would have finished it in a few days if it were something you really adored!

Ranch Dressing (my favorite!)  The Squid likes it too!)

*This is a low carb recipe.

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp parsley flakes
• ¼ tsp dried dill weed
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• splash of ½ & ½

Same method as for the Thousand Island Dressing.

Italian Dressing

* Another low carb recipe.

• 1 cup olive oil
• ¹⁄3 cup red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp onion flakes (or minced onion)
• ½ tsp dried Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp paprika

This one you can mix right in the pint jar.  No need to dirty a mixing bowl.  Just put all the ingredients into the jar, screw the lid on and shake it well.  You ‘ll want to give it a good shake every time you use it.  Good stuff!  It can also be used as a marinade for chicken or beef.

Here’s a shortcut to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

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I have bought Lemon Curd ($$$-ouch-$$$$) twice in my life.  Hubs and I love the lemony-wonderfulness, but we balk, big time, at the price.  Usually $5 for a tiny 4 oz. jar at my grocery.   I was thrilled to learn how to make it at home!

You’ll need:

• 1¼ cups sugar
• 2 T honey (optional)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• zest of 4 lemons
• ½ cup butter, melted

First you wanna melt the butter in a small glass dish.  Let it cool while you zest and juice your lemons.

In a medium glass bowl whisk together the sugar, honey & eggs till smooth.  Stir in the lemon juice and zest.  Slowly add the melted butter while stirring.  Cook in the microwave on high @ 1 minute intervals, stirring after each minute, until thickened.

*In my nuke box it took 4 minutes.  Your mileage may vary.

Cool for about 15 minutes or so.  Pour into 3 half-pint jars.

In theory, this could keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but once you have a taste you’ll eat it up pretty quickly.  It’s best on my homemade biscuits.

We did a price break-down and I was really pleased.

• $0.21 sugar
• $0.26 eggs
• $1.33 lemons
• $0.50 butter

For a grand total of $2.30 for 20 ounces of Lemon Curd!

Linked to:

• Super Saving Saturday
• Frugal Friday
• Food on Friday
• Real Food Wednesdays

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As with my ketchup recipe, I got the idea from Passionate Homemaking and made it into a dip that suits our family.

• 1 – 16 oz. carton sour cream
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Stir it all together and scoop it into a wide mouth pint jar.  You don’t need to bother with the mixer either, I just use a rubber spatula in a medium bowl.

If you want to use this as salad dressing just add ¼cup  buttermilk.

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Another item to add to my ever growing list of stuff I have to learn to make from scratch.  I was somewhat dismayed.

So, as usual, I googled it, and as usual found about a billion recipes, none of which call for sugar.  What is the matter with the Hellmann’s folks?

And as usual, I only used the recipes as a guideline for making something my family loves!  I’m happy to say it’s not only AS GOOD AS the factory made stuff that has a long list of horrible ingredients, this is the BEST MAYO ON THE PLANET!!!  And it only has 6 ingredients, each of them wholesome.

Here’s how I did it.

You’ll need:

• a blender, if you don’t have one go buy one, don’t know if this works without it. (maybe with a wire whisk and some very fit arms)
• 2 eggs, take ‘em out of the fridge and let ‘em warm to room temp.
• 1 or 2 T apple cider vinegar
• ½ t sea salt
• ½ t dry mustard
• ¼-½ t garlic powder

—————————————————————————–

• 1 cup olive oil

Put the first five ingredients into the blender and whiz on high for one minute.

Begin adding the olive oil very slowly in a steady, but very thin stream.  This part takes a minute or two.  Go slowly, that’s the trick to good mayo.  You can stop adding oil once the mayo has thickened.

Pour it into an old (clean) jar, pop the lid on and there you are, the best mayo on the planet!

Homemade stuff is always best and often making things from scratch is lots easier than we imagine it to be.  Give it a try.

I didn’t do a cost break-down, but just by looking at the ingredient list and guesstimating you can see this is much more FRUGAL than purchasing factory made mayo.

Here’s your link back to Frugal Friday.

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