Atkins Pantry Staples

Atkins, the name behind the low-carb movement, has just introduced their new Cuisine line featuring two pantry staples. Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and Atkins Penne Pasta provide essential fiber, while lowering the sugar content to help your favorite foods fit better into your low-carb lifestyle.



I substituted the Atkins Penne Pasta for our normal brand with a carbonara sauce and it tasted basically the same. I didn't think there was a whole lot of variation in the dry pasta market, but this has a definite nutritional advantage. I compared the Nutrition Facts from the Atkins Penne Pasta box with that of the other brand I had in my pantry and was surprised to discover that for the same serving size (2 oz dry pasta), Atkins Penne Pasta has fewer calories (140 vs. 200), more dietary fiber (18g vs. 2g) and, most impressively, more protein (11g vs. 7g).



I wasn't sure what to expect with the Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix so I decided to make the Atkins Cuisine Brownies. How can you go wrong with chocolate, right?! It's a quick and easy recipe that substitutes Splenda for sugar and Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix for flour. It also calls for five eggs (!) which was a little surprising. I added a handful of chocolate chips and black walnuts to the batter and undercooked them slightly because I like gooey, fudgy brownies. I wasn't disappointed in the texture or rich, chocolatey flavor but I must admit that not licking the bowl was kind of a drawback– the batter had a vegetable-y flavor reminiscent of alfalfa sprouts which I assume has something to do with the soy flour or wheat gluten in the mix. Thankfully, that taste subsides when you bake them! I would definitely try them again, but I would probably use something like agave syrup instead of the Splenda.



To celebrate the launch of the new Cuisine line, Atkins is sponsoring an online recipe contest where you can share your own recipe featuring the Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and Atkins Penne Pasta and win great prizes. Submit your recipes by September 30, 2009 to be eligible to win Atkins products as well as other fabulous cooking-related prizes.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Atkins and received samples to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.