Low-Carb Smoothies: More Than 135 Recipes to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Without Guilt (Paperback)

~ Donna Pliner Rodnitzky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Watching your carbs? Look inside for more than 135 fabulous recipes for frosty drinks so delicious it’s hard to believe they’re legal.

If you’re a committed carbohydrate counter or a calorie-conscious eater, you can reclaim the pleasure of sipping a yummy, nutritious smoothie. Donna Pliner Rodnitzky, a proven master at whipping up palate-pleasing glassfuls, presents a host of great-tasting, sin-free delights.

In Low-Carb Smoothies, you’ll learn how to transform a carb-and calorie-laden smoothie into a guiltless treat by replacing forbidden ingredients with intensely flavored sugar-free syrups, low-glycemic fruits, and protein powders. Get tips on how to find the best fruit and the basic equipment you’ll need to create low-carb smoothie perfection. With both low-carb and ultra-low-carb options, you’ll find recipes to suit every phase of your diet, whether you’re on the most stringent plan or in a less-restrictive maintenance phase. All the recipes minimize the carb count and maximize taste.

Discover too a host of ideas for low-carb garnishes, from strawberry fans to carb-friendly peanut-butter cookies, to make your smoothies not only taste great but look great. A smoothie is the perfect treat to serve your guests at the end of a meal or as a midday refresher—they’ll never know it’s diet-friendly.

Choose from a host of delectable recipes, including:
•Huckle–berry Thin
•Blueberry Chill
•Coconut CarbBuster
•Raspberry Tornado
•South Peach to Diet For
•Raspberry Chocolate Espresso
•Chocolate Almond Bar Smoothie
•Peanut Butter Cup
•Happily Ever Apple
•And more . . .

About the Author

Donna Pliner Rodnitzky started her culinary career as a caterer prior to becoming a cookbook author. She is the author of twelve cookbooks, including Ultimate Smoothies, Slim Smoothies, Summer Smoothies, Tipsy Smoothies, Sinful Smoothies, and The Ultimate Low-Carb Diet Cookbook. She lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (March 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400082307
• ISBN-13: 978-1400082308
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,148,239 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, May 16, 2007

By	PCJ "Wicked Red" (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book hoping for quick and easy smoothie recipes with fewer carbs. Unfortunately, this book relies VERY heavily on specialty ingredients - AdvantEdge shakes, Zone Perfect protein powder, Amplify dietary supplement, KETO instant pudding mix, Carb Countdown, Old Orchard low carb juice mix - none of which can I get in my local stores. As far as I can tell from searching on the internet, the KETO and Old Orchard products have been discontinued.

While the recipes sound tasty, there is not one recipe that doesn't call for at least one of these products and some recipes call for up to 4! I don't mind when a book occasionally relies on a specialty product, but not every single recipe. It also relies heavily on sugar-free syrups (such as Torani or Da Vinci) and Crystal Light drink mix in flavors I have never seen in the stores around here. All things considered, I doubt I'll make even one recipe out of this book. If I've got to buy 3 or 4 expensive and hard-to-find ingredients just to make one smoothie, forget it.

If you are looking for low carb smoothies, Dana Carpender's book is much better and calls for very few specialty items.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Probably a flawed premise, February 18, 2008

By	Suzanne Saunders (Rocky Mountains USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book might get three stars for its clever use of buzz words: "low carb" and "sweet tooth" and "without guilt" are no doubt a marketer's dream combination. However, its content sorely disappoints.

The book was probably developed during the height of the low-carb craze, to tempt people with the idea that they can have "fruit" and "sweet things" as part of a real low-carb eating plan. But the premise is dubious. As a result the smoothie recipes in this book do not look appetizing to someone wanting to eat good whole foods.

Who wouldn't want to "satisfy your sweeth tooth without guilt," as the subtitle says? However, I'm less concerned with "guilt" than with the overwhelming use of artificial sweeteners and processed foods in this book's recipes.

The problem is that fruits aren't very low-carb foods. (Many people who did the Atkins diet will remember longing to eat a piece of fruit along with all the green veggies and meat.) Therefore, to create sweet and fruity tasting recipes the author consistently uses artificial sweeteners - along with processed food products full of artificial sweeteners and heaven knows what else.

Although there is a short chapter with some useful information on selecting, storing, freezing and using fruits, the author does not comment on any fruit's carb or glycemic properties, except to note that bananas have a high number on the glycemic index.

I am trying to consume fewer artificial sweeteners and highly processed foods, not more. In this book, more recipes than I can count include diet Jell-O, diet soda, diet drink powders, aspartame, and the like.

I'll look elsewhere for ideas for healthy shakes and smoothies. I will use glycemic index information from such sources as The New Sugar Busters! (see pages 93 - 100) to select smoothie ingredients.