21 Day Fix Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my absolute favorite desserts but I always eat a slice and want another, and another, and another which leads to a disaster if I don't have my self control in check that day. But since I have been on the 21 Day Fix I stumbled across a recipe for a healthier alternative, if you can say that, to the regular counterpart. The amazing thing about this cheesecake recipe is that it tastes just like full sugar, full fat, rich and delicate cheesecake.

At first I was scared to see how many colored containers one slice had in it but then I was relieved to know that each slice is only equivalent to one red container. This is perfect for me because I am supposed to eat four red containers each day and I hardly make it to that four every day. Not only does this help me reach that four container mark but it allows me to have a nice dessert after dinner.

You can top this cheesecake with whatever you'd like but since I am on the 21 Day Fix I choose fresh fruit or if I haven't used my allotment of peanut butter for the day then I melt a little of it and drizzle on the top. It hardens as it touches the cold cheesecake and gives it an extra little something for peanut butter fiend like myself.

So enough of the fluff and more of the recipe!

Ingredients:

16 ounces low-fat or 1 percent cottage cheese

½ cup of plain Greek yogurt

2 eggs

5 tablespoons of sugar (I used Stevia instead [1 tablespoon of sugar = ¼ teaspoon of Stevia])

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Dump cottage cheese and Greek yogurt in a blender and blend/liquify until smooth.

2. Add egg, flour, vanilla and lemon juice and blend again until all smooth.
3. Pour into a 9-inch round pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the top starts browning and pulling away from the sides. It should be jiggly to the touch but not runny.
5. Let cool for a couple hours
6. Transfer to fridge or freezer until chilled.
7. Enjoy!

Servings:  6   |  Container Count: 1 Red per slice

Note: the picture above is not my actual cheesecake slice. I am waiting for my camera to arrive so I took it with my iPhone camera and the quality was poor. Below is the actual picture of my cheesecake. 

Don't Cut The Carbs

Have you ever tried to cut carbs out of your diet and failed miserably? Maybe you failed because:
A) Your body was so used to carbs that it went into shock?
B) Could it have been that you just like the taste of bread and butter, pasta and garlic sticks?
C) Did you have headaches after axing the starches?

Maybe you remember this line: "You don't deserve them, you eat carbs for Christ's sake!"

Let's start here. Are you gluten intolerant? If yes then you might consider giving up carbs but if not then don't cut the carbs quite yet. Did you know carbs aren't created equal?

There are three types of carbs: simple starchy, complex starchy and complex fibrous.

What I would like for you to take away from this post is that you should stray from processed, sugary carbs (breads, white rice, white bread, white flour and opt for brown rice, whole wheat flour, green-leafy vegetables along with 100 percent whole wheat breads.

I know this is obvious and repetitive information, but there is a pattern to all of it. You must be reading it multiple times because it is solid information. I won't lie; I struggle with getting fresh fruits and veggies and whole wheat flour simply because I am on a tight budget, but when I have the opportunity I will snag unprocessed foods any day.

I challenge you to shed the processed foods and stick to an all-natural, unprocessed diet and see how different your body feels. If you're used to sugary drinks and carb-loaded meals you might feel anxious, fatigued and experience headaches, but that is your body ridding itself of the toxins and getting used to a more natural way of life. You'll eventually feel golden and actually start to see the weight slip off you.

Plus Size Weightloss

After having a colder-than-normal winter and having a little too much holiday candy I couldn't wait to OFFICIALLY start my walking and jogging routine again. Since spring has made its appearance I am back in the swing of things.

This week's hiatus has been due to a lot of mileage under my belt, a scavenger hunt and a retreat. The last two in which I helped create and implement; therefore, it has been an extremely busy week with a lot of physical activity!

In three days I managed to log over 17 miles and burn over 3,000 calories with Map My Run. For those who aren't aware, a pound is the equivalent of 3,500 calories. I only logged Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's workouts and didn't log Thursday's. I burned around 500 calories on Thursday and managed 2 miles. I have burned over 3,500 calories, and sure enough, I weighed myself and I am down a couple of pounds. A few of those pounds probably are accounted for in water weight, but I have lost one pound purely from walking.

It feels good to be back to my routine and feeling better than ever! Remember to take the time to walk that extra mile because it does payoff!

Keep Your Heart Healthy and Happy

Last Monday I started striving to walk six miles per day again. I have such a busy schedule that it has made it hard so on days like today (when the weather is almost perfect and my schedule isn't as busy) I take advantage of it. I walked 7.09 miles and burned 1,000+ calories. This seems like a lot, but throughout the rest of the week I will be lucky to log 3 miles a day. 

Since February is American Heart Month I adapted the following image from everybodywalk.org. These are just a few reasons why you should lace up your walking shoes and get started today!    

Plus Size Fitness

When the weather turned crisp and the days got shorter I slacked off on my fitness routine. I went from jogging and walking four - six miles a day, five days a week for a total of between 20-30 miles a week to a maximum of 12 per week. My weight has maintained, but my weightloss has been at a plateau. 

The candy corn, Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas meals and Valentine's candy got the best of me this year. Now that all those holidays are behind me I am back and better than ever! Really, I logged my best lunch-time record today! I jog (mostly walk) at during my hour-long lunch break and the most miles I ever logged was 3.4/5. Today I busted that wide open; I started this year's routine with a bang. I kept up my pace and within 12 minutes of walking I had already logged a mile. I thought that surely my GPS was messed up or something was wrong, but sure enough I kept my pace and logged another mile 24 minutes in. My typical mile is 17 minutes, but I shaved right at five minutes from each mile today. 

Thanks to the wonderful Southern sun and some good music I felt like my old self again. I can't wait to see the pounds start melting off again. 

Thankful for the 73° Charleston weather to make myself feel normal again. 

Colonial Lake and The Battery never felt so good as it did today.