Review: LC-Tapioca Instant Pudding

 

Ch-ch-ch-chia! source

Update: July 19, 2011. Glen just contacted me and told me they’ve revamped the tapioca, so expect a newer, even better product.

Let me start out by saying I’m not the biggest fan of tapioca. So but when Glen Frederich of Hold The Carbs sent me his company’s LC-Tapioca Pudding Instant mix with chia, I wanted to give it a shot. I have never tried chia seeds before, and this was the perfect opportunity to see what’s what.

Of course there are a lot of things I haven’t tried before, but some of those other things are illegal or change the blog status to an adult-only rating. That and I’ll never tell that I want to skydive out of a plane while eating bacon. Oops. Too late.

In that case, I’m not admitting I haven’t sky dived with blueberries in my armpits, either. Arg! OK. I’ll quit while I’m ahead.

LC Tapioca Pudding Instant Mix is a blend of gums, sweeteners, and chia seeds. The three-cup package makes a pretty substantial bowl of tapioca pudding. The instructions were easy enough, and be prepared to add liquids to the recipe until you hit the desired consistency, or you’re literally dealing with a very thick, gummy pudding.

In fact, to me, this wasn’t so much the kind of pudding to which I’m accustomed, so I decided to requisition its use, instead, for some amazing smoothies (recipe below)!

I love Holdthecarbs.com products because the company puts low carbers and people with gluten intolerance at the forefront. They also try to accommodate vegetarians as well. That said, it’s hard to hit the mark for everyone while creating a packaged product for widespread consumption–especially for people who care what they put into their bodies. For this reason, I don’t love it as a pudding, but I’d recommend it for smoothies.

And because a 1/4 cup serving of the tapioca (prepared) is only .8 net carbs, this is a super easy and cheap way to thicken your smoothies and pies, even if you’re not a huge fan of tapioca and want to put those thickening agents to good use. The chia and gums help totally thicken in smoothies without watering it down (like ice cubes might), and works to thicken pies without the carbs.

Ready for a pretty righteous smoothie? I’m all about making lemonade out of lemons; or, as it were, smoothies out of tapioca.

 Low Carb Chia Blueberry Smoothie

1/3 cup LC-Tapioca Pudding Mix
1/2 cup heavy cream*
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
Added sweetener (to taste)

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Serve chilled.

Only 5 net carbs.

* You can sub the cream + water for a cup of coconut milk or almond milk to go dairy free

Rating: ♥♥ for puddings, ♥♥♥ for smoothies
Price:$7.98 for 9 oz package, package makes 3-4 cups of pudding
Usefulness: Thickening smoothies and beverages, in pies as a thickener.
Negative: As a pudding this is a bit too gummy, but it works in other applications.
Found at: Hold the Carbs
Website: Hold the Carbs