Protein Honey Cheesecake

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My Dearest Readers,

I am writing to let you know that I think you deserve the best. We're talking the absolute best. No cheap imitation, no dishonest fakery, nothing that pretends to be one thing and turns out to be another. Just the pure, honest to goodness, delectable best.

I think you deserve to eat something that is utterly delicious. You deserve to drool over the mere thought of such a sweet, tasty bite... and then, you deserve to consume it.

You also deserve to have all of these things without feeling guilty. After all, where is the beauty in consuming something so deeply gratifying, only to be left with regrets? I contend that it would be much more beautiful to ditch the guilt in favor of satisfaction. Contentment. Joy. Thankfulness.

And so, I made you this cheesecake. So that you can not only indulge your senses and give in to temptation... but feel proud of it. That's right. I said proud. You can eat this for breakfast to start your day out with a butt kicking of protein. You can eat it after a workout to repair your muscles. You can eat it day and night without feeling guilty, because you're not consuming empty, sugary calories.

It's just plain good.

Love,

Carly

Protein Honey Cheesecake

Adapted From: Blogilates (Her recipe includes berries - head on over and check it out if you'd like!)

Prep Time: <5 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: <25 Minutes

Ingredients for Cheesecake:

• 1 cup 0% Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt (Oikos, Chobani, or Fage will all work, among others. I tried out Oikos for this recipe)
• 2 tbsp Low Fat Cottage cheese (I used 1% milk fat)
• 1 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Vanilla Whey
• 1/4 Cup Stevia

Indredients for Crust:

• 6 pitted Prunes
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (they break up faster than whole ones)

Directions:

1. If making a crust, combine prunes and almonds in a food processor and blend until they form a rough gravel. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop the prunes and break up the slivered almonds with your hands into tiny pieces and then mix well with your hands. Then, distribute crust into a greased cupcake pan and press down to make it a compact layer.
2. Combine all cake ingredients in a blender and blend for about 20 seconds or until smooth. 
3. Pour the mixture into the cupcake pan (if you included a crust, you'll pour this over that), filling to about 3/4 full. This mixture will not rise the same way a real cupcake would.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Notes:

• Blogilates includes a recipe for the crust. While I did make a few of these with crust, I contend that it's not particularly necessary. They're just as delicious without the crust. That said, I did modify the crust recipe to make it slightly lower calorie. It's a very thin crust that pretty much only serves to add just the tiniest bit of crunch.

16 Holiday Recipes You'll Die For & A Thanksgiving Menu

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It's not just about the turkey, folks. It's about giving thanks and loving each other... and the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts, of course. Here's a Thanksgiving Menu filled with delicious, creative dishes. Pick your favorites and find the recipe links at the bottom.

I know, you're drooling right now. And you're also thinking, "How on earth could I even eat all of those things in one sitting?" The answer is two-fold: Tiny bites, big pants.

Here are the recipes:

Appetizers:
Baked Honey and Basil Brie Pastry with Reduced Kahlua
Pretzel Rolls with Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce
Baked Apples with Savory Pork Stuffing
Spicy Curry Pumpkin Fries

Sides:
Skinny Vegetarian Stuffing
Roasted Cranberry Sauce (Here are 7 more Cranberry Sauce recipes)
Kahlua Brown Sugar and Walnut Whipped Sweet Potato 
Thai-Style Brussels Sprouts

Main:
Roasted Turkey

Dessert:
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake With Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Sea Salt
Cherry Pomegranate Mini Pies
Homemade Peppermint Patties

Cocktails:
Whiskey Sweet N Sour Cocktail
Vodka Cake Cocktail
Whiskey Apple Cider
Rumon Ale Cocktail

Enjoy!

Chocolate-Cheesecake Protein Yogurt (Pro-Yo?)

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The flavor of rich, delicate chocolate cheesecake. The texture of smooth frozen yogurt. The health benefits of protein powder. It's a triple threat. It will soothe your soul, delight your taste buds, and cool your body. What's not to love?

It's a hot one, folks! I'm one to make an extra stop at Chicago's frozen yogurt shops when the temperature climbs this high. 


But, as with everything in life, there's an equation for frozen yogurt procurement. Here's mine. Getting frozen yogurt from one of the local shops requires:

1. that the place be open -- which it often isn't, and that's just depressing...
2. that it not be pouring rain -- because God knows I'm not walking 8 blocks in the rain to get anything...
3. that I spend money -- which I hate to do...
4. that I spend calories -- which I also hate to do...

Most of your typical frozen yogurt shops are slightly deceiving. They not only give you so many topping options that it's easy to add at least a hundred calories in toppings alone... but they also tend to add a lot of sugar to the flavors they have. Trust me, friends, there's a reason it tastes so darn sweet.

At the end of the day, maybe you're trying to avoid paying. Maybe you're trying to avoid calories. Maybe you don't want to walk in the rain. Or maybe you're just too lazy to leave the house. But you know what? I've got you covered. Here's some Chocolate-Cheesecake Protein Yogurt. 

Let's start a new thing. Instead of Fro Yo, let's call it Pro Yo. Ya dig?

Chocolate-Cheesecake Protein Yogurt

Servings: 2 per recipe
Calories: 115 per serving
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• 1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder
• Optional: Freshly sliced strawberries

Directions:

1. Combine yogurt and protein powder and mix well.
2. Top with strawberries.
3. Serve!