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Day 15, a day where I enjoyed three stated gluten-free products, highlighted by a GF pasta in a garlic cream sauce. For breakfast on the go, today I sampled a new variety of the ONLY elevation Bar, their Cashew, Cherry with Dark Chocolate bar. It was tasty, but has two fewer grams of protein and seven more grams of carbs than the variety I reviewed, making this one, NOT a repeat buy since I’m trying to keep carbs in check. For my mid-morning snack, I enjoyed more of those Black Bean Tortilla Chips I love.
My lunch was the tastiest of the day, but not exactly the most nutritious. Featuring LiveGFree Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta, it’s not only gluten-free but organic, if you’re into that. I’ve had this pasta before but for some reason didn’t get a review done for it.
I was a bit heavy-handed with the garlic cream sauce…
In cooking this pasta, you really do have to watch the time, it’s not as forgiving as regular pasta and easily overcooks, which is what I did the first time I tried it. The recommended cook time is 7-10 minutes and you really have to be hovering over that pot, with no distractions, checking the pasta at the 7-minute mark, then 8 minutes if not done, then 9 minutes if not done, sampling the pasta each time to ensure it’s the al dente texture you like. Cook it 30-45 seconds too long and it turns to a mealy mush. Instructions also recommend rinsing the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process.
When properly cooked, it’s a nice pasta. Like other GF pasta alternatives, it’s got the texture of whole-grain noodles. The calorie and carb counts are very similar to traditional penne pasta, the protein count though is a bit less. I enjoyed this pasta with a garlic cream sauce, complimented with some parsley flake. The noodles embraced the sauce, just like regular pasta. It was a tasty dish, but a high calorie one (half of the count being the cream), and high carb (most all of it the pasta).
Costing me $2.15 for a 16-ounce bag at Aldi, I’m giving Live G Free Gluten Free Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. It’s tasty and carries about the same level of nutritional value as regular pasta, but the high carb count makes the case for skipping on pasta altogether. It’s a quality product worthy of a repeat buy, but with a mission of losing weight in mind, not something I’ll be stocking my pantry with.
Here’s the Day 15 Menu:
Today was a weigh-in day and I’m pleased to report I’ve dropped another two pounds since starting this diet. Overall, I’m doing well, but on this day, although the calorie count was good (goal: no more than 1,600 a day), the protein count was below goal (100+ grams a day), and the carb count was way too high (no more than 60 grams per day). The saving grace in terms of carb intake today was that I consumed the bulk of them earlier in the day, so activity could burn the carbs off, rather than eat them late and have the body store that extra glucose that wasn’t used up with activity, as body fat. I also didn’t get any vegetables in. Some broccoli would have been nice with the pasta, but knowing my carb count was already going to be high, I left the veggie out of my dish.
Eating gluten-free while also counting carbs is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Eating those carbs earlier in the day is one way to address the challenge. A diet that forbids higher-carb foods is not sustainable (never mind addressing cravings), there is no reason to deny yourself those foods, just treat them like an occasional treat, rather than a regular menu item.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike
The Bachelor on the Cheap Gluten-Free Diet Challenge 2023 – Day 15, Featuring Live G Free Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta – Bachelor on the Cheap
Day 15, a day where I enjoyed three stated gluten-free products, highlighted by a GF pasta in a garlic cream sauce. For breakfast on the go, today I sampled a new variety of the ONLY elevation Bar, their Cashew, Cherry with Dark Chocolate bar. It was tasty, but has two fewer grams of protein and seven more grams of carbs than the variety I reviewed, making this one, NOT a repeat buy since I’m trying to keep carbs in check. For my mid-morning snack, I enjoyed more of those Black Bean Tortilla Chips I love.
My lunch was the tastiest of the day, but not exactly the most nutritious. Featuring LiveGFree Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta, it’s not only gluten-free but organic, if you’re into that. I’ve had this pasta before but for some reason didn’t get a review done for it.
I was a bit heavy-handed with the garlic cream sauce…
In cooking this pasta, you really do have to watch the time, it’s not as forgiving as regular pasta and easily overcooks, which is what I did the first time I tried it. The recommended cook time is 7-10 minutes and you really have to be hovering over that pot, with no distractions, checking the pasta at the 7-minute mark, then 8 minutes if not done, then 9 minutes if not done, sampling the pasta each time to ensure it’s the al dente texture you like. Cook it 30-45 seconds too long and it turns to a mealy mush. Instructions also recommend rinsing the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process.
When properly cooked, it’s a nice pasta. Like other GF pasta alternatives, it’s got the texture of whole-grain noodles. The calorie and carb counts are very similar to traditional penne pasta, the protein count though is a bit less. I enjoyed this pasta with a garlic cream sauce, complimented with some parsley flake. The noodles embraced the sauce, just like regular pasta. It was a tasty dish, but a high calorie one (half of the count being the cream), and high carb (most all of it the pasta).
Costing me $2.15 for a 16-ounce bag at Aldi, I’m giving Live G Free Gluten Free Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. It’s tasty and carries about the same level of nutritional value as regular pasta, but the high carb count makes the case for skipping on pasta altogether. It’s a quality product worthy of a repeat buy, but with a mission of losing weight in mind, not something I’ll be stocking my pantry with.
Here’s the Day 15 Menu:
Today was a weigh-in day and I’m pleased to report I’ve dropped another two pounds since starting this diet. Overall, I’m doing well, but on this day, although the calorie count was good (goal: no more than 1,600 a day), the protein count was below goal (100+ grams a day), and the carb count was way too high (no more than 60 grams per day). The saving grace in terms of carb intake today was that I consumed the bulk of them earlier in the day, so activity could burn the carbs off, rather than eat them late and have the body store that extra glucose that wasn’t used up with activity, as body fat. I also didn’t get any vegetables in. Some broccoli would have been nice with the pasta, but knowing my carb count was already going to be high, I left the veggie out of my dish.
Eating gluten-free while also counting carbs is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Eating those carbs earlier in the day is one way to address the challenge. A diet that forbids higher-carb foods is not sustainable (never mind addressing cravings), there is no reason to deny yourself those foods, just treat them like an occasional treat, rather than a regular menu item.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike