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Posts tagged ‘chocolate’

Sep 28

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Lazy Birthday Cheesecake

Whew! What a blur the past month has been.  But It’s official, I submitted my dietetic internship (DI) applications.  In order to become a Registered Dietitian, one must first complete an internship. I feel relieved to have the applications submitted, but so nervous at the same time! Now it’s just a waiting game until November 6th (match day).  Until then, I’ll be studying my time away for the Dietetic Technician, Registered exam and researching graduate school options (girls gotta have a back up plan, right?).  

Well, in other (less stressful) news, today is my birthday! I seriously can’t believe I’m 26.  I know, I know, it’s still young, but I’m officially in my “late-twenties” and the way time is flying lately, 30 will be here before I know it.  Somehow I managed to get the day off of work;  I can’t remember the last time that happened!  So to celebrate, I’m taking it easy: lounging in my PJ’s and drinking coffee, casually reading the news instead of listening to NPR during my 45 min. commute, and waiting for Jacob to wake up.  I’m hoping we will go check out this sandwich/cheese shop in Merchant Square for lunch (I’ve heard good things!).

I’ve requested homemade cheesecake for tonight.  I’m not too interested in regular birthday cake and frosting. If I’m going to splurge, it’s gotta be worth it… and cheesecake is totally worth it!  Do you have a favorite birthday splurge? I’d love to hear about it!

I’m going to go ahead and share the cheesecake recipe with you, but we haven’t actually made it yet.  But don’t worry, it’s tried and true! My mom makes this almost every year for Christmas and it’s a super simple recipe.  No crazy fancy ingredients here.  Perfect for a lazy birthday.

Lazy Birthday Cheesecake, makes 2 cheesecakes

Ingredients
2, 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1, 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 homemade graham cracker crusts or store-bought
Optional: chocolate chips

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 300* F.  In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth.  Add eggs and lemon juice, mix well. Pour into pie crust and sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

Coming Soon: Fall recipes featuring squash!

Last Year: Birthday Treat: Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

Jun 15

3 Comments

A Sweet Tooth Confession and Mint Chocolate Chip Yogurt

Okay.  I admit it.  I have a HUGE sweet tooth.  Lately, it’s been a little (okay a lot) out of control.

Maybe it’s the crummy weather (where is the sun?), maybe it is the fact that I have been working a lot, maybe it is because Jacob is out of town until July 15th with little cell phone service, or maybe it’s the ridiculous amount of apartment and job searching I’ve been doing without a whole lot of luck.  Maybe it is all of the above.  Whatever it is, it needs to stop.

So that’s that: today is the day it will stop.  I will NOT give in to my urge to stop at Starbucks on my way home from the store for a grande mocha frappuccino with whipped cream.  I will NOT eat a million cookies at work, just because my supervisor brought them in.  Instead I WILL make better choices.

Recently, Megan, over at My Road to the RD made a milkshake to satisfy her sweet tooth without all the guilt.  This got me thinking about the kinds of healthier desserts I enjoy.

In my post about thin crust pizza dough, I mentioned that I had purchased a chocolate peppermint herb plant.  I love peppermint!  I like it as tea, in a  mojito , and especially with chocolate.  This specific plant, which is actually called chocolate peppermint, smells and taste like chocolate peppermints!  You can’t get much better than that! Chocolate peppermint make an excellent addition to one of my favorite guiltless desserts

Mint Chocolate Yogurt

1 container Fage 0% Greek Yogurt

1 serving Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips (about 16 chips)

1 Tbsp chopped chocolate mint

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and mint over the yogurt in a bowl, and dig in!

Nutritional Benefits

Protein! Fage 0% greek yogurt is loaded in the stuff…20 grams!

Calcium! The yogurt provides 25% of your daily value of calcium, important for your bones!

Flavanols and Antioxidants! Dark chocolate has recently entered the health conversation for it’s heart health benefits, check out this article from the Cleveland Clinic for more information.

Probiotics! Another hot topic in nutrition, probiotics are “good bacteria”.  If you are taking an antibiotic, consider consuming probiotics daily! See this article from the National Institutes of Health for more information.

Nutrition Comparison to Similar Products

This recipe has: 200 calories, 15 grams of sugar, 6 grams fat, 21 grams protein.  (includes the yogurt and chocolate)

*The following nutrition facts are on a per single serving container basis (because who eats less or more than that?).  The actual serving size may vary between brands

Fage 0% Greek Yogurt: 120 calories, 9 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams protein.

Yoplait Thick and Creamy, Strawberry: 190 calories, 28 grams of sugar, 3.5 grams of fat, 7 grams protein.

Yoplait Greek, Plain: 100 calories, 9 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fat, 14 grams protein.

Oikos Chocolate Pure Pleasure on the Bottom, Greek: 110 calories, 16 grams of sugar, 0 grams fat, 10 grams protein.

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