Carbquik Baking Mix (3 lb. box)

FIRST IMPRESSION – Having made a batch of pancakes following the instructions (but w 2X the eggs), the Carbquik pancakes were more grainy and less doughy than “real” pancakes. They were approximately the texture of cornbread pancakes made with moderately coarse cornmeal. Like cornbread pancakes, the Carbquik pancakes were “weaker” and more crumbly (i.e., not a just a little rubbery as "real" pancakes should be), and burned a little more easily than "real" pancakes. Not quite "House of Pancakes" or "Bisquick" pancakes, BUT, they are more than acceptable and were satisfying.UPDATE -- 3 years later, I haven't used the mix again, and finally threw it out.RECOMMENDATIONS> If you use Carbquik to minimize your blood glucose, and you don't need to drown your pancakes in maple or sugar syrup, you’ll probably be pleased. If it is your family which can’t live without pancakes, they can smother Carbquik pancakes in enough butter, blueberrys, and maple syrup that they won’t notice the difference.> If you want to use Carbquik to minimize your calorie intake -- well, FORGET IT. After the heavy cream and butter the recipe calls for, they ain't low calorie. And that's before extra butter on top and syrup.> If you crave "real" pancakes (and don't have diabetes), then eat "real" pancakes, but learn to enjoy them without excess butter and without syrup (or just the slightest taste), and have 2 or 3 pancakes (with eggs and lean ham) instead of a 10-stack.> A light dusting with powdered cinnamon (best fresh, buy cinnamon sticks and powder them in a coffee grinder) and stevia, can brighten up the flavor without adding calories or carbs. It is not the same thing as adding cinnamon and stevia to the batter mix. The "dusting" hits your taste buds immediately and much more intensely than flavoring added to a batter mix.> You can add whole or crumbled nuts to the batter for additional flavor (which adds only a few carbs). Pecans are the best choice for diabetics (they are relatively low in carbs, but relatively high in calories). I usually press whole pecan halves directly into the freshly poured batter rather than mix them ahead of time.LIVING WITH DIABETES–a few personal observations> IN SHORT – After living with diabetes for two years, including having sessions with a dietician, my conclusion is that the recommended strategies of portion control and substitution don’t work for me. I’ve found going (nearly) “cold turkey” to work best for me. My endocrinologist is shocked that I've actually managed to lower my glucose level so well that I'm down from four 500mg metformin/day to 1/day, and have no other diabetic symptoms> Portion control: I tried cutting down to ½ an ear of corn as the only carb at dinner – and still my glucose was too high. Half a small baked potato is too much. A whole small apple is too much. A 1" sliver of blueberry pie is too much. It usually is possible to reduce the portion small enough to be acceptable – but much too easy to cheat and have a larger portion “just this once”.> Ineffective Substitution: Nearly all bread/rice/pasta/ice cream etc. substitutes either do not remotely resemble the real thing (and are unsatisfying) OR they only reduce your carb intake by 50 or 75%–which is not nearly enough to reduce glucose levels sufficiently. In my experience, substituting sweet potato for “white” potatoes does not reduce the carbs enough, nor do low carb breads. Sure, chickpea pasta tastes good -- it tastes like chickpeas -- but it isn't pasta, and will not satisfy pasta cravings. If you like chickpeas, then eat chickpeas. Real whole chickpeas actually go rather well with spaghetti sauce and are better than chickpea pasta.> Effective Substitution – A few Carbquik pancakes (without fruit or syrup) do not raise my glucose level significantly. Carbquik pancakes are more satisfying as one component of a larger meal, e.g. with eggs and lean ham. “Miracle noodles” are great as a minor component of a soup (mostly for the contrast in texture) – but are not satisfying themselves as the primary component of a dish (as you’d usually eat pasta). Cauliflower rice is unsatisfying, but spaghetti sauce goes well on bed of chopped lightly-steamed fresh real cauliflower -- it ain't pasta, but it is good.. A tablespoon of pearled barley can substitute for half a cup of rice in a big pot of soup -- and has a low glycimeric index. I occasionally have a few Finncrisp flatbread crackers with chickpea spread, peanut butter, cheese, etc. Stevia is very nearly as satisfying as sugar in coffee. Tuna salad (with no pasta, but fairly liberal with the mayo) is great – satisfying and nearly no carbs.> I haven’t completely eliminated carbs, but my personal rule is a maximum of one small portion of carbs per day. That may, for example, mean 4 French fries, one slice of bread, or 2 smallish pieces of fried battered chicken -- never heavily battered chick or fish.>> Barley is a "miracle food", at least for me. Barley in any form has about 1/4 the glycemic index of white rice, 1/2 the glycemic index of brown rice--- and is at least as satisfying. You can use it exactly as you would white rice. I also buy barley flatbread (ordinary american saltines are barley crackers) which is an excellent substitute for barley bread. Barley bread is MUCH healthier (for a diabetic) than any other bread, and is very satisfying, but has a much higher glycemic index than crackers (because sugar is added to any bread, to feed the yeast to produce carbon dioxide to make the dough rise). Caution, carbs are still carbs, regardless of the glycemic index. Low glycemic index only means that the carbs are converted to glucose much slower, giving more time for your body to adjust. So alot of barley eaten over a short period of time can spike your blood glucose. But moderate barley intake is possible. It makes all the difference in the world (for me) to occasionally eat a barley cracker (or several) the way I ate them before my diabetes. Fiber is nominally a carb, but does not raise blood-glucose, but rather suppresses the rate of rise in blood glucose from other foods.> I find that if I have a portion of carbs in a meal which is very heavy with fiber (e.g., a large salad), that my glucose remains under control. If I have a very high-fiber no-carb meal, I can even have a "real" modest dessert (such as a cookie) without my glucose skyrocketing.> The strategy of concentrating on very flavorful acceptable items (e.g., gourmet cheeses) reduces the craving for unacceptable items (e.g., apple pie). Nuts, pickles, olives, pork rinds, beef jerky, tuna spread, cheese, baby carrots (with a mayo dip), and other items, succeed in keeping my glucose down, without me feeling too deprived. If you aren't a pork rinds and beef jerky person (I wasn't either), I suggest reconsidering -- both are nearly no carbs, and relatively low cholesterol, and are very satisfying -- perhaps the two most effective items I've found to curb my carb cravings.> Trying to control both calories and carbs is a losing strategy. High fat (ideally vegetable oil), high calorie, foods are the best way to get into the low-carb groove. Control the carbs first. After three months of successfully controlling your glucose level by diet, THEN start worrying about calories. I lost 30 pounds in two months simply by reducing my carb intake, and I remain at the lower weight without worrying about the calories.> It is my wife who quite reasonably misses the carbs. I don't really miss pancakes and biscuits. The challenge is finding substitutes which are satisfying for her which I can eat.

Everything I’ve made from this has been pretty delicious and very satisfying. It’s not exactly like flour or Bisquik but it’s close enough/very versatile when you’re counting carbs! With the high fiber content in this, it’s literally almost impossible to over eat it, which is a Godsend when dieting. Compare that to the regular stuff, where you can’t easily eat and eat, getting worse feeling by the minute, (physically AND mentally awful!) this is well worth the extra money to satisfy those cravings. I’ve had zero digestive problems from this mix!I’ve made sausage balls, biscuits and gravy, keto chocolate chip muffins, and waffles/pancakes so far. All were good, and yummy. It’s super easy to use as well because sometimes getting specialty food can be difficult to find and super expensive. This bag has lasted me a long time! I usually only make half recipes though because with specialty foods I tend to be very conservative and only use frugally to stretch it out. (Instead of two cups I use one) This has been my second bag I’ve ordered, and I’m sure I’ll get it again! Super filling and not really dry but if anything feels not quite as “moist” I use a little gravy or melted butter and stevia or some low sugar jelly or keto maple syrup to moisten it up. Love the low net carbs, how quick and easy it is to cook or bake up! I love baking in traditional ways, but when you’re trying to lose weight or maintain having those highly caloric/sugary stuff around can start calling your name late at night being super tempting. This mix helps me with cooking or baking projects without the guilt or feeling of failure going off diet in the end!If you love traditional carbs then the consistency and texture will be almost identical if you want to feel like you’re cheating without cheating. I personally have never liked the results of almond flour and other types of low carb flour (they end of tasting too “grainy/gritty”) so this is the one my brain associates most closely with the real stuff. Again, without going hog wild because it’s so high fiber! It really makes you feel full!Just about ready to order my third bag! Quality is always on point!Additional Comments: I would recommend looking up a recipe for “Protein Bagel made with Greek yogurt.” Just substitute THIS low carb baking mix with Greek yogurt (about 1 cup mix with 3/4 cup Greek yogurt) and mix into a dough. Then shape dough into bagel shape.I would look up the time/temp/measurement quantities for your own preferred instructions though, but I did mine at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. I used Everything but the Bagel seasoning on top. They ended up tasting NOT exactly like a chewy real bagel but almost like similar to the Cheddar Bay biscuits from Red Lobster. I made them with cheddar cheese the next time with no bagel seasoning (just mix this low carb baking mix with Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar and did a drop biscuit) and had a yummy high protein biscuit with butter along with some clam chowder I made. It was almost identical in taste, texture to Cheddar Bay biscuits. Supper yummy!