Happy New Year!
I’m sure you’ve made the resolutions, hit the gym, started counting calories, and already by January 5th you are completely out of motivation. Am I right? Well here’s hoping I’m not, but if I am you’ve come to the right place! I’m not a magician – I can’t make the pounds melt off your body and I cannot change the genetic shape of your curves (or lack thereof), but I can help you focus on the main goal: feeling healthy, fit and good about yourself. Because truth be told, my friends, it’s not about the weight on the scale or the size of your jeans…it’s about you feeling better than you’ve ever felt before!
So how to get there? Start with a practical plan of attack, one that helps you adopt a healthier lifestyle without making you cut out all the things you really love. Have an addiction to soda? Start drinking diet, or cut back to just one a day. Can’t stop ordering Moxie Java coffees with all the sweet stuff loaded in them? Learn this new phrase when making your next order: “skinny (made with skim milk) and sugarfree, please!” Have a craving for cheesecake? Say no more! Read below for a fantastic recipe and how to eat your cheesecake and still reduce calories and slash fat while doing it!
Take your resolution and make it into an evolution instead – fitness is not a destination, it’s a journey – and you wouldn’t set out on a journey without the neccessary tools and information, would you? Seek no more, and welcome to the light side…
Healthy Cheesecake!
Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce
I found this recipe a while ago on health.com’s web site and finally had a chance to make it over this past weekend. I followed the recipe exactly except for the eggs. Where it calls for 4 whole eggs I used egg beaters instead, which cut the calories, fat and cholesterol even more. This was not a planned substitution, I simply did not have enough eggs and I always have egg beaters on hand (psst! They’re an awesome sub for baking with eggs and cutting back on the bad stuff while still getting the good nutrients that eggs provide!).
Note: If you make this cake in a nine-inch springform pan (like I did), cut the baking time by about 15 minutes. The center of the cake may appear looser than expected, but it will become firmer as it chills overnight.
Ingredients
Cheesecake:
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1/2 cup sugar
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20 reduced-calorie vanilla wafers
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1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
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3 large egg whites, divided
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Cooking spray
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1 1/2 cups sugar
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3 tablespoons cornstarch
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2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
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1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style fat free cream cheese, softened
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
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4 large eggs
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Strawberries (optional)
Sauce:
- 4 cups sliced strawberries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare cheesecake, place 1/2 cup sugar, wafers, and dash of salt in a food processor; process until mixture resembles sand. Place 1 egg white in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until frothy. With the processor on, add 2 tablespoons egg white through food chute, processing until blended (discard remaining egg white). Firmly press mixture into bottom and slightly up sides of an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; cool completely on a wire rack.
Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, and remaining dash of salt in a large bowl. Add cheeses; beat with a mixer at medium-high spreed until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add vanilla and 1 teaspoon juice; beat just until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition just until incorporated. Add remaining 2 egg whites; beat until incorporated.
Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 300 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a 3-inch circle in the center of the cheesecake barely jiggles when the side of the pan is tapped. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.
To prepare sauce, combine sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing lightly with a spatula; discard solids. Return mixture to pan. Combine 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly. transfer mixture to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in 2 teaspoons juice.
Yield & Time
16 servings (serving size: 1 slice cheesecake and about 2 tablespoons sauce)
Nutritional Info
Calories: 245 (or 235 if egg beaters were used instead of the 4 whole eggs)
Fat: 8.4 g (or 7.3 g with egg beaters)
Protein: 6.6 g
Carbs: 36.8 g
Fiber: 0.9 g
Cholesterol: 75 mg (or 22.25 mg with egg beaters)
Iron: 0.6 mg
Sodium: 216 mg
Calcium: 49 mg
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