Sugar-free Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

yummy strawberries and cheesecake

I had originally planned to make these cheesecake-stuffed strawberries on Saturday night so I could bring them to my aunt’s house for Mother’s Day on Sunday. But alas, things don’t always go according to plan: On Saturday around 7:30 pm I was driving to Home Depot and I got a flat tire! Fortunately I wasn’t alone, or I would have freaked out. But what was supposed to be a quick trip to Home Depot ended up turning into a several-hour ordeal, and by the time I got home I was exhausted.

So even though I had all of the ingredients ready to go, I did NOT end up making this recipe for Mother’s Day. Womp womp. But I did make it a few days later…while I was at work! On Tuesday morning I woke up early so that I could make the cheesecake mixture. Then I packed the ingredients into my huge purse, and when I got to work I put everything in the fridge until lunchtime.

The scene at my table during lunch was kind of funny. I had plates, knives, napkins, a tray, strawberries, nuts, and the cheesecake mixture laid out in front of me. As I sat at the table cutting and scooping out the insides of the strawberries, my friend commented that she felt like she was watching a cooking segment on tv.

lunch table

I would have been done with everything relatively quickly if I didn’t need to stop at every stage and take pictures for this blog! The “photo shoot” took a turn for the ridiculous when my friends started posing for pictures with the strawberries. I’m sure people in the lunchroom were wondering what the hell we were doing!

strawberries cheers

I had only used half of my cheesecake mixture, so yesterday I brought the rest of it with me to work, along with another quart of strawberries. This time I prepared the strawberries a little differently – after hollowing out the strawberries I turned them upside down so that any liquid would drain out. I also cut some of the strawberries at the tip so I could stand them up for pictures, and in a few I just made an X at the tip instead of slicing off the stem.

strawberries drained

Tips for this recipe:

1. Make sure to really hollow out the strawberries. Otherwise the strawberry flavor kind of overpowers the cheesecake flavor, which is the best part!

2. Make sure to dry the strawberries off really well. You don’t need to drain them for hours like I did – I’m sure using a napkin would have sufficed!

3. If you decide to make the “X” cut into the tip, don’t cut too low if you’re planning on cutting off the stem – otherwise the strawberry will fall apart:

strawberries cut with X

Sugar-free Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 lb. of fresh strawberries, washed
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp. Truvia
  • Chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut off the stems of the strawberries and cut out some of the insides. (If you want them look pretty, like for a party or something, then cut off a little bit off the tip so you can stand them up.) Or, you can slice open the tip of the strawberry and fill it from that end.

hollowed out strawberries

2. Beat the cream cheese, vanilla and Truvia for a minute or two, then spoon it into a plastic baggie (or a pastry bag if you fancy – I’m not!).

3. Snip off one corner of the baggie and squeeze the cheesecake into the strawberry.

filled strawberries and nuts

4. Dip the cheesecake end into the chopped walnuts (or any nut, or graham crackers, chocolate, etc.)

That’s all there is to it! So easy.

P.S. – One of the ways I determine whether or not a sugar-free recipe is really delicious is by feeding it to my non-dieting friends. So I’m pleased to report that my friends all loved it.

Enjoy!

yummy strawberries and cheesecake2

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Miracle Noodles – are they really a “miracle”?

Posted on May 14, 2013 by
mmmm

Miracle Noodles mixed with an Avocado Sauce

I first heard about Miracle Noodles a little over a year ago. Back then I was on the extremely strict HCG diet (only 550 calories allowed each day), and I was completely obsessed with finding ways to make low-calorie versions of the meals that I love…which, to be honest, is anything and everything. I love to eat. Anyway, I was reading some bulletin board and stumbled upon a thread about Miracle Noodles, a zero-carb and zero-calorie alternative to pasta.

No calories AND no carbs? Sold!

After doing some extensive research (a.k.a. Google), I learned that Miracle Noodles are made of a healthy natural fiber called Glucomannan, which is derived from the roots of the Konjac plant.  In addition to all of the health benefits of high fiber foods, fiber also keeps you feeling fuller longer, preventing overeating. Yada yada yada….

Honestly, it wasn’t the product descriptions or the reviews I read that convinced me to buy Miracle Noodles. It was the idea of making – and eating – a healthy version of Chicken Pad Thai, one of the dishes that I was missing the most. So I headed to amazon.com and bought a 6-pack of the angel hair noodles.

By the time they came in the mail, I had probably read over 200 reviews on the noodles. The negative ones mostly talked about the fishy smell of the liquid they’re packed in, which for some people seems to be overwhelming. I was expecting to be completely nauseated when I opened up my first package of the noodles, but that wasn’t the case at all! In fact, the “fishy” smell was so faint that I had to actually hold the bag up to my nose in order to smell it.

Nonetheless, the first dish I made using Miracle Noodles was a FAIL. Why? Because the Pad Thai recipe I had settled on turned out to be gross. The thing I’ve since come to learn about the noodles is that they don’t have any flavor when you eat them by themselves. So the success of the meal depends entirely on whatever you choose to mix your noodles with.

I tried again a few days later, this time following a recipe for sesame noodles that I found on the Miracle Noodles website. This time it was a complete success! The sauce was AMAZING. After 3 months on a super restricted diet, I thought I had died and gone to Chinese Japanese Thai Asian-food heaven.

Miracle noodles with peanut sesame sauce

Miracle noodles with sesame peanut sauce

So are Miracle Noodles really a ‘miracle’? I think that answer depends on your perception. They definitely don’t taste like pasta, so if you’re expecting them to then you will be severely disappointed.

But if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times: sometimes when you’re dieting all you need is a hint of a flavor to satisfy a craving. So if I use Miracle Noodles to make some Asian-inspired dish and that keeps me from going out and ordering some pork lomein from the Chinese food place, then yes, I would consider that a diet miracle.

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Time to follow through with my New Year’s Resolution

Posted on April 30, 2013 by

I work at an accounting firm, and during our busy season (January to April 15) my company is constantly feeding us. Breakfast on Tuesdays, pizza on Wednesdays, and bagels on the weekend, with foot-long heroes, cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, ice cream cupcakes, and pretzels with cheese dip (yum) scattered throughout. Oh, I almost forgot the happy hours with platters upon platters of fried food. It’s ridiculous.

Not that I’m complaining. On the contrary, snack time during busy season is the best! But for someone like me, who has a really difficult time controlling herself when it comes to sweets, it makes eating healthy almost impossible. And since I generally have the mindset of “I’ve already cheated on my diet, so I might as well continue eating a bunch a crap today and start my diet fresh tomorrow,” starting the day with a bagel leads to a full day of indulgence.

Some of my favorite snacks from this past busy season:

busy season snacks

Yummy!

Obviously all of this eating had consequences, which I finally faced up to last Monday when I stepped on the scale for the first time in months.

Drumroll…..

I’m up seven pounds since December. SEVEN!

You know what that means, right? I’m back on a diet. What else is new?

At first I was going to cut out all carbs and sugar, because I lose weight super fast that way. But when I gave it some thought I decided against it. My New Year’s Resolution for this year was to figure out how to maintain a healthy weight so that I’m not yo-yo dieting for the rest of my life. I think the only way for me to do that is to stop all the drastic diets and instead focus on controlling my binging episodes.

Last week was my first full week of trying to eat “in moderation.” I did pretty good…until the weekend rolled around. Friday night drinking led to late night McDonald’s for dinner, which wasn’t really that bad, even though it was McDonald’s. I had a double cheeseburger and some chicken nuggets. But the rest of the weekend? Forget it. Carbo-loading on Saturday (to stave of a hangover) led to a day of overeating. There was a lot of cake involved.

But it’s fine (or so I keep telling myself). “What happened before doesn’t matter. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.” I just hope that’s not a mantra I find myself repeating every Monday.

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Sugar-free chocolate with coconut and almonds (aka “Almost an Almond Joy”)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

finishedThe first time I made this I had just eaten dinner and was having a major chocolate craving. Of course I was on a diet (because seriously, when am I NOT on a diet?), so I decided to make some of my sugar-free Chocolate Delight.

I also happened to be on a coconut kick around that time. Coconut meringues, piña colada ice cream, macaroons – I was on a tear. So when it came time for me to add my “toppings” to my chocolate, of course it was a no-brainer – I was definitely adding some toasted coconut. (Sidenote – there are few things that smell better than toasted coconut. It’s heavenly!)

THEN I had the brilliant realization that if I were to add some almonds to the mix, it would kinda be like I was eating an Almond Joy, which is one of my all-time favorite candies. So that’s what I did.

You already know my diet mantra – sometimes all you need is a hint of a flavor to get you through a craving. Well, this recipe does exactly that. While it didn’t have the gooey coconut filling of an Almond Joy, the flavor was there and it was AMAZING!

Sugar-free chocolate with coconut and almonds
(aka “Almost an Almond Joy”)

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk) – optional
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia (7 packets)
  • 2 tbs. shredded coconut
  • 2 tbs. almond slivers
  • Cupcake liners

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spread the coconut and almonds in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes (be careful not to burn the coconut.)

toasted2. Melt the oil, stir in the cocoa powder, then add the half and half, truvia, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. You can find the full instructions for Chocolate Delight HERE.

everything but truvia

3. Pour some chocolate into your cupcake liners, then sprinkle in the coconut and almonds.

pour

4. Put them in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat them.

takeabiteEnjoy!

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Paleo, gluten-free, HCG and South Beach Diet, etc.)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce and cheese2

If you follow my blog then by now you should know that I’m big on the idea that sometimes all you need is a hint of a flavor to satisfy a craving. Does a cauliflower pizza crust taste like a real pizza crust? No, of course not! But it doesn’t taste like cauliflower. And with the right mix of spices and toppings, this recipe will help to alleviate any pizza cravings you might be dealing with.

The first time I made cauliflower pizza crust I actually thought that I would be able to pick it up and eat it with my hands, like a regular slice of pizza. That is not the case! You will need to eat this with a knife and fork.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded cauliflower
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese (you can use any cheese, but I think cottage cheese is healthiest)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt, to taste (I usually sprinkle the pizza with salt AFTER I’ve cooked the toppings)

Directions:

1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles using a blender or food processor.

shredded cauliflower

2. Place the shredded cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it uncovered for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.

microwaved cauliflower

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface).

3. In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the remaining ingredients.

mix ingredients

4. Pat the crust on to a cookie sheet. I make my pizzas small and thin, so they cook well and it’s easy to remove them from the tray. But you can make them any size you wish.

cauliflower crust on sheet2

5. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove the crust from the oven. (I like mine to be crispy around the edges. It makes the crust more “solid” when it comes time to eat the actual pizza.)

cooked cauliflower crust

Now that you’ve got yourself a healthy and delicious pizza crust, you’re free to make any type of pizza you like! You can stick with the basics and just add sauce and mozzarella cheese, or go crazy and make a white pizza or a Hawaiian. Just add your toppings and throw the pizza in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Oh, one thing I’ve learned – you should cook any veggie topping before you put the pizza in the oven. The 5-10 minutes that the pizza is in the oven, well, that’s only to heat things up and melt the cheese. If you want soft veggies or cooked meat, you’ll need to prepare that beforehand. You can do it while the pizza crust is in the oven.

Enjoy!

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce close up

cooked cauliflower crust with tomato sauce and cheese

finished cauliflower crust pizza2top finished cauliflower crust pizza

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Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

peanut butter cup wrapped

Peanut butter and chocolate. Both are great on their own, but when they’re combined? Heavenly!

I love this recipe. Not only is it fun to make, but in my opinion these peanut butter cups actually taste much better than their sugar- and chemical-laden counterpart! And it should go without saying that they’re much much MUCH healthier.

I’m usually able to get 10 decent-sized peanut butter cups out of this recipe. Which means…wait for it…that each peanut butter cup is only 87 calories! Want to eat two? Go ahead – you’re still clocking in at 40 calories LESS than the 210 calories that are in a pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

I keep these in the freezer until I’m ready to eat them. I try to give them 20 minutes to thaw, but I’m rarely able to wait that long.

Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk)
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia (7 packets)
  • 10 teaspoons of peanut butter (1 teaspoon per cup)
  • Cupcake liners

Directions:

1. Melt the oil, stir in the cocoa powder, then add the half and half, truvia, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. You can find the full instructions for Chocolate Delight HERE.

add cocoa

2. Pour a thin layer of chocolate into your cupcake liners, then put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

first layer hardened

3. Remove from the freezer. Add one teaspoon of peanut butter to each cupcake liner. (My peanut butter had been out of the fridge for awhile, hence the liquidy texture.)

peanut butter layer

4. Cover the peanut butter with another layer of chocolate. (OMG doesn’t that look good?!?!)

top layer

5. Put them in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat them.

peanut butter cup out of freezer

That’s all there is to it! Super easy and super delicious.peanut butter cuppeanut butter cup unwrappedpeanut butter cup unwrapped2peanut butter cup bitten

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Homemade Sugar-free Chocolate made with Coconut Oil (a.k.a. Chocolate Delight, Cocoa Crack, Chocolate Bark)

Posted on February 28, 2013 by

cocoa crack with nuts

I love love LOVE this recipe. I’ve been making it for about a year, and I tried quite a few variations before settling on this one. I generally only make a little bit at a time. This way, when I have the urge to binge on chocolate (which may have happened once or twice in my life), it won’t be on more than a few pieces.

This recipe can be kind of tricky. The problem arises when I add the Truvia. Up until that point I have a smooth, liquid chocolate that is perfectly blended. But as soon as I add the Truvia, the oil begins to separate from the rest of the mixture (there’s a good picture of it in Step number 4, below). It’s so annoying! I don’t know if it’s because I’m adding too much Truvia at once, or if it’s because of some ingredient in the Truvia.

Whatever the reason, it’s not a big deal. It’ll only be noticable in the first few chocolates you pour out. But it can be kind of jarring that first time you take your chocolates out of the freezer and see that solid white hunk of oil. Don’t freak out! I promise, even if they’re “clumpy,” your chocolates will still taste delicious!

By the way, the only ingredients that you really need to make this chocolate are cocoa powder, coconut oil, and Truvia. Everything else is optional.

Homemade Sugar-free Chocolate
(a.k.a. chocolate delight/cocoa crack/chocolate bark)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tbs. low-fat half and half (or milk)
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 5 tsp. Truvia
  • Optional – nuts, coconut flakes, pretzels, raisins.

1. Melt the coconut oil.

melt oil

2. Stir in the cocoa powder and mix it well, then add the half and half, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract.

add cocoa add half and half everything but truvia

3. Stir in the Truvia.

add truvia

4. Pour the mixture into molds, ice cube trays, cupcake liners, or on a sheet of parchment paper. (Apparently those silicon cupcake liners are the best thing to use for this recipe, because it’s easy to pop the chocolate pieces out when you’re ready to eat them.)

If you notice, in the bottom two rows you can really see the separation. By the time I got to the top row, most of the separated coconut oil had drained out, leaving me with a more solid chocolate mixture.

truvia separation

5. Sprinkle in some nuts, coconut flakes, pretzels, or whatever else you like and then stick them in the fridge or the freezer for at least 15 minutes. I usually put them in the freezer, because it’s harder to binge on something when it’s frozen, you know?

This is what the above batch looked like when it had hardened:

coconut oil hardened

I know, I know, it doesn’t look appetizing. Stupid oil separation. But again, it’s no big deal – I simply poured some more of the chocolate mixture over that first hardened layer, and it made them much more appealing!

cocoa crack 2 layers

I had more chocolate mixture left, so I made a few more.

cocoa crack second batch

Now don’t those look amazing?! Trust me – they taste it too. And coconut oil is really good for you, so you’re actually doing something healthy when you eat these yummy treats. Just don’t O.D.!

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