Strawberry Cheesecake? Yes, Please!

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I love to eat dessert. Like it is literally my favorite favorite meal of the day! Unfortunately this can be a bit of a derailment when trying to lose fat or even maintain weight loss. That is why I try to "health-ify"some of my top picks when it comes to treats. I love to eat at Cheesecake Factory, always getting the same thing, Kale and Quinoa Salad. Have you tried it? If that is a no, then promise you will order it on your next visit, seriously it's so yummy. But I always have such a temptation to order a piece of cheesecake (I mean who doesn't). Sometimes I do, and that's ok but is it so wrong to want to eat cheesecake every day? Maybe. 

Well, lucky for both of us, I have solved that problem. I would like to introduce you to these lil' beauties....Oh So Light Strawberry Cheesecake Bites. Yes, my friends this bowl of goodies will satisfy those sweet tooth cravings while keeping you swimsuit ready! 

Oh, and did I mention if you choose these over CF Strawberry Cheesecake, you might be saving yourself 638 calories. Aaaand 27 grams of fat. 

You're welcome. Now go make these!

Oh So Light Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

2 egg whites

1/3 cup truvia baking blend

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1 TBSP arrowroot powder

40 strawberries

graham cracker crumbs (garnish)

·      Preheat oven to 350

·      Coat a 9 inch round pan with nonstick spray, set aside

·      Blend together the cheese in food processor until smooth

·      Add in egg whites, truvia, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and arrowroot powder. Blend until smooth

·      Pour filling into pie dish, cook in oven for 50 mins.

·      Remove cake from oven, allow to cool.

·      Scoop cheesecake out and place in piping bag or Ziploc

·      Core strawberries and pipe about 2 tsp of filling into each berry.

·      Garnish with graham cracker crumbs

·      Serve chilled

(1 serving is roughly 4 berries)

My Favorite Treat....Revealed

For those who know me well know that my love for popcorn runs deep. Not that overly salted orange and yellow movie theater popcorn, but the good stuff. Homemade is where its at when it comes to popcorn. Here are some fun popcorn health facts:

• whole grain
• low calorie
• high fiber
• trace amounts of B vitamins, thiamin, niacin, and folate

Who knew all of that was contained in those tiny little kernels? Bottom line is popcorn is dry and needs to have flavor to make it taste good. Here comes the good news: you don't have to add extra fat and calories to enjoy this inherently healthy treat! Below is a yummy recipe that packs tons of flavor and a proper amount of good fat.

P.S. I always have a bag handy when I go to the movies:) This is also perfect to share for a night in!

Herbed Popcorn

10 cups air popped popcorn (this is usually one batch)

Fresh Rosemary

¼ cup Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

½ tsp garlic salt

Cracked black pepper

·      In a small saucepan, combing olive oil, garlic, and one spring of rosemary. Allow to heat up and simmer lightly. Once it starts to simmer a little more rapidly remove from heat

·      Add garlic salt and pepper. Pour over popcorn.

·      Once cooled add the cheese and serve immediately.

·      Will keep in airtight container for 2 days

·      Great topper for soups and salads in place of croutons

Gimme Lemon....Everything

There is something genuis behind the lemon, ya know? It's beautiful, bright yellow color makes me instantly happy, invoking fantasies of sipping' lemonade in the sunshine. I'm going to totally pretend like it didn't snow a few days ago and summer is right around the corner. Good news is these Lemon Chia Protein Bites are the perfect way to get ready for that bikini, or tankini, or swim dress. I love to make a big batch at the beginning of the week and have them on hand whenever I get the urge to snack, which might be every 20 mins. Anyone else feel my pain???

Lemon Chia Protein Bites

½ cup quick oats

1 TBSP chia seeds

3 cups vanilla flavored protein powder

1 TBSP Truvia

1 tsp lemon zest

4 TBSP lemon juice

6 TBSP water

·      Combine oats, chia seeds, protein powder, Truvia and lemon zest in bowl.

·      Add in lemon juice and water

·      Form into balls (note: all protein powders have different dryness levels, so you might need to adjust water measurement)

·      Roll in unsweetened coconut shreds and place in freezer for 30 minutes.

·      Remove from freezer and store in airtight container in fridge. Will last for 5 days

The best kale salad...ever

"I hate kale" is an expression I hear often. Here's the thing about kale, its fibrous, earthy, and does not taste like bacon or chocolate. Therefore people are against it. Even blending it in smoothies doesn't really hide its crunchy texture. The secret to making kale taste great is making it flavorful while also softening the texture. When I make a kale salad, I usually pour the dressing on the night before, or even a few hours before serving it. This helps break down the fibers in the kale and soften the texture. This recipe is hands-down the best kale salad that is a crowd pleaser! Even those who "hate kale" love this salad, and even beg me for the recipe after they taste it.

Kale Sweet Potato Salad

Salad:

2 sweet potatoes, diced

2 TBSP olive oil

salt and freshly cracked pepper

1 cup (dry) Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions (also called pearl)

3 cups finely chopped kale leaves

1/3 cup dried low sugar cranberries

1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP orange juice

salt and pepper to taste

·      Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potato in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in on baking sheet for 20 minutes or until browned. Cool

·      Place kale, couscous, cranberries, almonds, feta, dressing, and potato in bowl. Toss well

·      Serve chilled or warm. Will keep in fridge for up to 3 days

Nektar Honey Crystal Doughnuts

Can you keep a secret? There is such thing as a healthy doughnut my friends. It's not a Krispy Kreme or a Duncan, but this mini version packs protein and whole grains. I love making these with my kids, there is just something so great about a mini version of food! Not to mention the folks over at Nektar have created these drop-dead yummy honey dusted pretzels. And hello, anything with dark chocolate is always my fav! You can find these yummy pretzels on Amazon. These are perfect for you Valentine!!

Nektar Honey Crystal Doughnuts

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP coconut oil, melted

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 c plain greek yogurt

1/4 c almond milk, unsweetened

glaze:

1/4 c plain Greek yogurt

1 TBSP cocoa powder

1 TBSP melted coconut oil

2 TBSP Trivia baking blend

2 crushed Nektar Honey Crystal Dusted Pretzels (topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini donut pan (i use the Wilton Mini Doughnut Pan ) with non stick spray. Set aside
2. Blend together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl add coconut oil, egg and vanilla extract. Stir in maple syrup and yogurt.
4. Add in flour mixture slowly to wet ingredients. Then add in almond milk.
5. Transfer  bater to Ziplock baggie and snip off corner
6. Pipe in batter into donut cavities, filling them full.
7. Tap pan on counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 5-7 minutes and allow to cool in pan for a few minutes. Transfer to wiring baking rack to cool entirely. Repeat with remaining batter.
8. Once mini doughnuts are cooled, mix together glaze ingredients. Place doughnuts face up on rack and dip top into glaze one by one. Add Nektar crushed pretzels on top.
9. Enjoy!

Oatmeal....healthified

Even though oatmeal is associated with a healthy breakfast, unfortunately the majority of people don't prepare it the way it should be eaten. For example, adding heavy cream is a popular thing to do, and makes the oatmeal very rich. Also brown sugar is the #1 sweetener that is used in making oatmeal delicious...also not healthy. A fast timesaver in the mornings, instant oatmeal is literally THE WORST oatmeal ever, nutritionally speaking. So now you are probably scratching your head thinking, great, either I can't eat oatmeal ever again, or if I do it will taste horrible. But don't worry, I've got you covered. I love eating hot oatmeal, especially in the the winter. It's the perfect breakfast and way to start your day. Here is a 5 minute (no joke) recipe that will restore your faith in oatmeal.

5 Minute Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

1/2 c rolled oats

quarter of an apple diced (leave skin on)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP almond butter

1 tsp honey or desired sweetener

1. Boil one cup of water in small saucepan

2. Add oats and apples

3. Allow to cook until all moisture is absorbed and apples are soft (around 4 minutes)

4. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, almond butter and honey.

Healthy Dark Chocolate No Bake Cookies

Before I got married, I had never even heard of a No Bake Cookie. When I started dating my husband, he would ask me every Sunday night to make a batch. For almost 14 years I have been making him No Bake Cookies. Recently I went to make them and thought how they could be made healthy. Then I ran across this recipe on another blog and really like them but thought they could be made with less honey and a little more salt. I'm totally a salty and sweet kind of girl:) I have spent a few weeks making different variations of these and I finally found the perfect combination.

*Veggie Lisa's Healthy Dark Chocolate No Bake Cookies

Mix in large bowl:

3 cups quick cooking oats 

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds

3 tablespoon cocoa powder

Set aside

Melt in Small Saucepan:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup natural peanut butter (I use Adams chunky) or almond butter would work too

stir together until combined and melted

Then remove from heat and add the following:

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt (i use pink himalayan)

Once everything is combined then add 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and stir (off the heat) until the chips are melted. Then pour over the oat mixture and stir all the oats are covered in the chocolate sauce. 

Lay out mini muffin papers onto larger cookie sheet. Use a small cookie scoop and scoop into each paper. Then I like to sprinkle some mini semi sweet chocolate chips on top.

 Allow to set up in fridge. Be sure to store in fridge or they will become soft set and harder to eat.  Makes about 40 

*adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. My kids actually beg me to put them in their lunches instead of Oreos. Take that Nabisco!

                                                                                    XOXO,
                                                                                          Veggie Lisa