J’adore #85 – Low Carb Lifestyle Food and Snacks – Edition 4

DISCLOSURE: Please know that all these low-carb snacks and food items were gifted to me after I did outreach to initiate a request to try a sample. These brands generously provided it with no promise of coverage. There were a couple of products that I got samples of that I did not like, so I am not be mentioning them here! I am sharing the products I ate and enjoyed.

For me, the low-carb lifestyle works. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, or a dietician, but I do know what has worked for me. Mr. Misadventures and I started our low-carb journey in the spring of 2017. I lost 40 pounds! I kept it off too! But in the last few months of 2019 and the first few months of 2020, I gained back 7 (selling our house, a cross-country move, new house, a global pandemic…) but in June I went back to stricter carb counting and am now down those 7 pounds plus 3 more!

Blink and there is a new low carb/keto/paleo product on the market. That is something that has changed in the last 2-3 years and I love it. I also can't keep up. A good problem to have. I do get tired of our usual food, so I love discovering new low-carb foods and snacks to change things up. Since we do a lot of outdoorsy things and tend to pack our own food, it always allows us to bring along new items to try out.

Here is the latest round-up of my most recent low-carb food adventures!

BRAMi Italian Snacking Lupini Beans

I think I have mentioned it before that my mother's side of the family is Portuguese and growing up we used to travel back to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit my grandparents and from time to time we attended Portuguese festivals called festas. While the main attraction for me was “soupish” or sopas for my Mom it was a plastic bag of tremoços to snack on. These are also present at family reunions and I didn't know them by any other name. Turns out these are lupini beans which are more frequently known to be of Italian origin.

Through the years I have found them in international markets in heavy glass jars, but I did not run into them very frequently. Little did I know that I should be on the hunt for these little guys because they are EXCELLENT for a low-carb diet! When I first saw these portable packs of lupini beans from BRAMi, I knew they would be perfect for day trips and hiking, but I also got to try the hummus and love it! Hummus for 0 carbs, I am on that!

The Misadventure family loves a good apéro even when we are picnicking and the BRAMI Lupini Bean Snacks are perfect. Add a little bit of charcuterie, some cornichon, and a (reusable) glass of nice sparkling wine, or if we are hiking, water, and voilà – le picnic is complete!

Carbs – ZERO

Buy BRAMi on their website.
Buy BRAMi on Amazon.

Delish Girls Keto Low Carb Granola

There are a few things I miss following a low-carb lifestyle and one of them is granola. When I lived in France I ate (their amazing) yogurt with a little bit of fruit and granola all the time. Several times a week. The yogurt is not the same in the US, so we usually go for Greek natural yogurt with the lowest amount of carbs possible. I eat a small bowl each week but usually by itself since granola is off-limits.

However recently, my low carb life has changed, I discovered Delish Girls Keto Low Carb Granola! It is a delicious creation crafted by a duo of lovely health-conscious entrepreneurial ladies in delicious flavors such as Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Cinnamon Orange Pecan (which is the one I had for breakfast in the image above).  And if that doesn't tempt you, they have seasonal flavors such as Key Lime Pie and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin. I tried both and they were fantastic. Right now I am eyeing one of the new seasonal flavors, Salted Caramel Toffee which I think would be AMAZING with low carb vanilla ice cream!

As I mentioned recently, I don’t think I’ve ever had peaches as sweet and juicy as I’ve experienced during my first summer here in North Carolina! They are such a treat! I have been eating them with the granola with or without the Greek yogurt depending on my carb count for the day (or with low-carb vanilla ice cream!).

I am so thankful to the Delish Girls for bringing granola back in my life!

Carbs – 1g per serving (key lime pie, peanut butter) /2g per serving (cinnamon orange pecan, chocolate fudge)

Good Lovin' Bar Keto Bars

Chocolate mint is my kryptonite. I've never met a chocolate mint anything I didn't like. Junior Mints, Andes Mints, those alpine chocolate mint balls you see in bulk food sections, and of course Thin Mints, don't get me started on Thin Mints. All. My. Kryptonite. There are lots of low-carb snack bars out there. And lots of tasty ones too, like the rest of the flavors that Good Lovin' Bar has to offer, but there was only one bar on my radar and that was their BEST KETO BAR Mint Chocolate Chip! Mr. Misadventures and I got their Sample Pack with 5 flavors: Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, Peanut Butter Brownie, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, and of course Chocolate Mint.

We shared all the flavors, except the chocolate mint, it was a strict “don't even touch it, think about it, or wink at it, it's all mine!” I saved it for last and took it out on a date. Okay, not exactly. I brought it hiking, a treat for the walk through the woods in the humidity, something I am not a fan of, but I bribed myself with the bar. I didn't have to, it is low carb and not a cheat, but the chocolate mint was enough of a motivation to get and keep me going. And you know what? So worth it! 

Carbs – 3g per bar (raspberry cheesecake) / 4g per bar (chocolate coconut, chocolate-dipped strawberry) / 5g per bar (peanut butter chocolate, chocolate mint)

Buy Good Lovin' Bar Keto Bars on their website.
Buy Good Lovin' Bar Keto Bars on Amazon.

HighKey Pancake and Waffle Mix

Mr. Misadventures does 95% of the cooking. But there are a few things that I make. I always make the chili. I always cut the rotisserie chicken and I make the pancakes. It's not that Mr. Misadventures can't make pancakes, it's that he always turns them into crêpes. (Yah, I know big first-world problem!) But sometimes a girl just wants pancakes. Pre-low carb lifestyle, this was a go-to order for breakfast in diners as they just really aren't my French husband's thing, he prefers those crêpes. He has been a good sport though and we have tried several low-carb versions of pancakes, none of which have been that awesome.

So when I reached out to Highkey to try theirs I was a bit worried. I wasn't sure I was going to get him to try another batch. Instead, I eased him in and started with the chocolate pancake mix. I was strategic about it, I made them one evening when he was craving chocolate and we were out of bars. He loved it, almost like eating chocolate cake! Success! So when I informed him we were having blueberry pancakes a few days ago from the same company that did the chocolate he didn't put up a fight. It was either that or the fact that it was a lovely 70 degrees and not 90 with humidity so we could indulge in eating on our back deck, or he was probably still in a good mood from all the endorphins coursing through his system after our 5-mile walk. Whatever, it was, I'll take it because he loved them! And I did too!

Carbs – 3g per serving

Buy HighKey products on their website.
Buy HighKey Pancake Mix on Amazon.

Keho Savory Keto Bars

As I have written many times before, Mr. Misadventures and I usually pack our food for road trips and day trips. It helps us control what we eat, particularly since most of the places we visit don’t usually offer a lot of options. We are morning people and typically pack breakfast and lunch, rarely dinner as we always think we are going to be home by then.

But after being caught out late so many times usually because Mr. Misadventures wanted to get that last photo… I have now started carrying bars and in particular Keho Savory Keto Bars because I prefer to eat something savory before anything sweet. It’s hard to find savory bars, let alone low carb ones which is why I love these bars from Keho! I've tried “pizza to go,” “tex mex moment,” and “curry in a hurry” (my favorite). They have one other flavor I have not tried: “thai me over.” If it is anything like the curry one, I know it will be tasty as well.

Carbs – 5g per bar (pizza/tex mex) / 4g per bar (curry/thai)

Buy Keho Savory Keto Bars on their website.

Kombucha Town Live Seltzer

Oh, do I love kombucha! When I first started drinking it, I would have several a day. Then I figured out how much sugar it has! Even though it is still fairly low carb compared to juices and of course sodas, it has too many carbs for me to have it every day. That is until I discovered Kombucha Town Live Seltzer! It is kombucha-flavored seltzer water and I love it! AND I can drink it every day. Plus I think the branding is cool (see photo below), who doesn’t want adventure?!

I tried the 3 new flavors, cucumber, ginger, and grapefruit along with some of their “original” kombuchas, my favorite being blood orange. Love the focus on community and sustainability that the founder, Chris McCoy, is relentlessly committed to. Love the town, Bellingham, Washington, where they make it. It's a great college town, not too far from the Canadian border, and where you catch the ferry if you want to go to Lummi Island and trust me, you want to go to Lummi Island. 

But I digress. There are so many reasons why you should be drinking kombucha, all that culture is so good for you! I am just thrilled that I can drink a daily version of it with Kombucha Town!

Carbs – 1g per can

See Where to Buy Kombucha Town Live Seltzer on their website.
Buy Kombucha Town on Amazon (regular only, live seltzer not available yet).

Wilde Chips

I am not much of a potato chip person EXCEPT when I have a sandwich. I grew up eating 3 sandwiches (1) peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly) that I would take to school almost every single day, (2) grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and (3) tuna fish sandwiches with a certain thin potato chip in a can that started with a “P.” Is it nurture vs. nature? I do not know. All I know is that it is difficult to eat a sandwich without chips! I have been missing chips a lot the past couple of years. BUT I recently discovered  Wilde Chips and my life is complete! 

These days when I make a sandwich it is now accompanied by these chips, and I am in heaven! Low carb bread made by Mr. Misadventures, almond butter, and low sugar mixed berry jam is the perfect pairing. The chips are 9 carbs for the bag and have 10g of protein a real treat and my new forever sidekick for my sandwiches! P.S. these chips aren’t made of potato but rather chicken breast, but I swear that old adage “it tastes like chicken…” this time it tastes like a potato chip!

I tried a sampler that included: Nashville Hot, Chicken & Waffles, Jalapeno, Himalayan Pink Salt, Buffalo, and my favorite Salt & Vinegar. I liked them all except the chicken and waffles, I am not a fan of the actual dish so this didn't surprise me, however, Mr. Misadventures loved that flavor which is weird because he doesn't like that dish either. He was pretty happy, it meant more for him!

Carbs – 9g per serving

Buy Wilde Chips on their website.
Buy Wilde Chips Amazon.

If you liked this selection of low-carb foods and snacks, check out the previous 3 editions!

J’adore #78 – Low Carb Lifestyle Food – Edition 1
J’adore #82 – Low Carb Lifestyle Food – Edition 2
J’adore #83 – Low Carb Lifestyle Food – Edition 3

That's it for this edition of J'adore featuring low-carb food and snacks that I have been adoring lately!

How about you? Got any low-carb snack recommendations? If not, what is your go-to snack? Do tell!

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