Awesome looking reduced sugar oreo cheesecake recipe!

Just found this on the web and HAD to share!!
Link: http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/what-have-we-here/

What have we here?

August 28, 2009 by Linda

OREO CHEESECAKE

That’s right, kids! The good stuff is still available to us!

Creamy white and packed with crunchy bits of cream-filled wafer cookies this cake will make a huge splash whenever you serve it!

(I have to say my daughter made the one that got photographed…so gorgeous!)

~~~~

Vegetable cooking spray
2 pkgs sugar free Oreos or Murray’s sugar free chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted
Four 8-ounces pkgs reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Splenda Granular
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with the cooking spray. Wrap in aluminum foil so that the butter doesn’t seep out and burn in the oven and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Finely crush 1 1/2 pkgs of the Oreo cookies (or 1 pkg of the Murray’s) and place in a medium bowl along with the melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until crispy to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl whip the softened cream cheese just until smooth. Beat in the Splenda, vanilla, sour cream, and whipping cream just until blended. One at a time, beat in eggs just until incorporated. Coarsely chop remaining cookies and gently fold into cheese mixture. Pour into cooled crust. Bake for one hour, loosely covering with foil after 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, but do not remove the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight or at least 5 hours. Remove sides of pan and slice. (Cheesecakes will be creamy, soft for the first few hours, and will become more dense and cakey the longer they are allowed to chill. They really do get better as they sit and rest!) Makes 18 servings.

Per Serving: 230 Cal; 6 g Protein; 17 g Tot Fat; 14 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 219 mg Sodium

Chef Jay's/Tri-O-Plex Products Discount!

Any of you use these products? I got them to agree to give us a discount. Boxes of 12 packets are $20 each. http://www.chefjays.net/ They are normally $25 on their site, so this is a 20% discount like we've gotten elsewhere...

She wrote the following:

Your group can call in to our office to place an order. We answer phones Mon - Fri 8am - 5pm PST. They must give the code

W500

when ordering to receive the special discount.  The product will be $20.00 per box PLUS $5.95 for shipping.
Ph:702-873-7777

THIS DISCOUNT DOES NOT WORK ON THEIR WEBSITE!!  YOU MUST CALL IN TO ORDER!!

SO, if you use these products, I thought I'd pass it on!  I know that I've paid from $2.49 to $2.99 per packet when I've bought these items.  I've seen them as high as $3.29 each.  Cookie packets have two good sized cookies in them and brownies are one fair sized brownie.  They have like 18 to 20 grams of protein in them...  They are pretty good too.  And, the $5.95 for shipping IS flat rate--one box or 20 boxes.  I confirmed that with her!  Oh, and they also have a "protein puff" that is sort of a higher protein Cheeto sort of thing!  My surgeon's little shop sells them, but I've never tried them.

If you've tried their products and have a favorite, pass it on to us!  I love the Decadent Chocolate Brownie when I just neeeeeed some chocolate but want the protein too.  I have also tried 3 or 4 of the cookie flavors and liked those as well.  I've not tried any of the bars or the puffs...

Recipe: Lea's Apple Crisp

This is one of those let's-indulge-a-craving sort of recipes... It is a comfort food around our house. Thankfully it at least has some redeeming qualities... I mean, apples are fruit, right?? LOL


LEA'S APPLE CRISP

6-8	tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (such as Granny Smith)
2-3	tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4	cup granulated Splenda
1 1	teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon ground nutmeg OR 2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Put apple slices in bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle Splenda and spices over apples. Pour melted butter over them and sort of toss all with a spoon to coat the apple slices.

Prepare topping (see below) an sprinkle over top of apples. Bake at 350 till golden brown (30 to 40 minutes usually).

Topping:
1 cup oats (rolled is better, any will work)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated Splenda
1 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

NOTE--In topping, you can use other flour! If you have a preferred replacement, go with that. I've used almond flour with some baking soda, baking powder, and salt mixed in...

As I said in the beginning, we only do this once in a while. I canned several quarts of apple slices last summer, so I can drain a jar of apples and dump them into the baking pan and go from there... Easy, peasy! LOL It feels like cheating now (not having to peel, core, etc), but it sure didn't when I was getting all those bushels of apples ready to can!

Recipe: Butter Pecan Cookies with Protein

This recipe is a revision of my oatmeal/choco chip/pecan cookies with protein. (click that to see that recipe!) Both recipes are a revised version of Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies recipe that is found on the inside of the lid of a tub of Quaker oats! These butter pecan cookies are yummo and NO one can tell they are not a sugary cookie! Granted, they are not sugar free, but they are lower sugar and totally yummy!

Butter Pecan Cookies with Protein
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine (I use light Blue Bonnet)
3/4 cup brown sugar (not Splenda brown sugar, just brown sugar--I've already changed it!)
1 1/2 cups granulated Splenda
3 eggs OR 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 scoops Unjury unflavored protein powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
4 cups oats
11 oz bag butterscotch baking chips OR 1 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup chocolate chips
6 oz bag chopped pecans (about 1 1/2 cups)

Blend the margarine, brown sugar and the Splenda. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix again. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, protein powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix those really well and then add to the wet mixture. Mix well. Then stir in the baking chips and nuts. Once those are well distributed, add the oats but add like 3 cups and then add more till you get a nice thick mix that isn't terribly wet. It usually takes 4 cups, but I've used as little as 3 1/2.

These bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Store in cookie jar, tin, or just a rubbermaid or tupperware bowl with lid. This recipe makes about 40-48 large cookies (2 1/2 to 3" in diameter). Each cookie is about 150 calories, 18 carbs (2 fiber) and about 4 grams of protein when computed using pecans as the nuts.

NOTE: If you choose to make these cookies withOUT the protein powder, you must add in 1/2 cup of flour (of your choice) to make this recipe work! If you don't have the almond flour, you can use another flour (spelt, whole wheat, etc) or use another scoop of protein powder and 1/4 cup more all purpose flour.

Tips for Limiting Desserts/Sweets/Treats

Tips for Limiting Desserts

· When you have a sweet craving, try either chewing a piece of fruit flavored sugar free gum or drinking a 20 oz bottle of water.

· I was scared to give up sweets because I was QUITTING something. But I turned the negative of quitting into a positive. I am ADDING the habit of having one dessert per week.

· When you crave a dessert or sweet treat, try brushing your teeth. Something about the act of brushing and the minty flavor of toothpaste is supposed to tell you that it's not time to eat – plus candy or chocolate or whatever it is you want to snack on won't taste half as good with that minty flavor in your mouth!

· Besides not buying treats (they are too tempting and my family gets enough other places without needing them at home), when I am winding my day down I will make myself a large cup of herbal tea. It takes me a while to drink it (because it is hot), I am getting flavor in my mouth (I now have a huge stash of tea varieties), and it counts toward my water consumption. I have found that I really look forward to sipping my tea, and I can watch some TV or read a book and not feel guilty that I am consuming mindless calories.

· I have a piece of paper on my refrigerator and every time I have a craving, I write it down. The deal is that on Sunday I can pick one thing from the list to eat in moderation IF I STILL WANT IT. I usually find that after a few hours the thrill is gone, and I can make a reasonable decision for a treat on Sunday. It's funny, but most of the time once I write the craving on the paper I can usually forget about it.

· What helped me is that I planned which days I would have a dessert. I am trying to focus on asking myself which dessert do I want to have on Saturday instead of focusing on what I am saying no to at the moment.

· Remember the Three Ds: DRINK (preferably water); DIVERT (take your mind off food); and DELAY (wait 15 minutes).

Compiled by member of the YahooGroup NoExcuseWorkOutSupport

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Recipe & Serving Idea for Splenda Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Fluff

In my post below, I shared a recipe for a Splenda sweetened Pumpkin Cake. It is a yummy dessert option any time of year. But, how about dressing it up for the holidays??? Here's my idea...

Mix up the cake and bake it in that cool mini-bundt cake pan I mentioned before...



Then, after the cakes have cooled, split them in half like a shortcake.
Place the bottom half on a dessert dish.
Mix up some Pumpkin Fluff (recipe below).
Spoon some of the pumpkin fluff onto the bottom half of the cake.
Place the top portion of the cake on top of the fluff.
Top it all off with a dollop of sugar-free Cool Whip!

This would make a great family dessert for the holidays!


PUMPKIN FLUFF (from Charlie)

1 ¾ Cup of Pumpkin which is ½ of a large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

¾ Cup Splenda Granular

1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

1 small container of whipped topping

Mix pumpkin, Splenda and pumpkin pie spice together with a spatula. Then, add 1 small container of whipped topping. Mix well.

Recipe: Choco Coconut Pecan Protein Ice Cream

I didn't have any strawberries on hand to make the strawberry cheesecake protein ice cream recipe that I wanted to try so bad, so I experimented instead!
Here's what I mixed in there:
1 scoop Muscle Milk Light chocolate milk flavor
2 scoops IDS belgian chocolate protein powder
2 1/2 cups of 2% milk

Now you could use 3 scoops of your favorite chocolate protein powder, but these are what I used. I mixed those up good with my stick blender (immersion blender) and set that to chilling in the ice cream maker. Then, I took a small bowl and dumped in about 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips, about 1/8 cup coconut flakes, and about 1/8 cup pecan pieces. I added those after the ice cream was already starting to stick to the blade.

The judge of this fine concoction was my 16 year old daughter who shuddered at the thought of wasting a perfectly good ice cream maker by putting PROTEIN powder in there! So, after the ice cream finished blending, I put it in a plastic bowl with a lid and stuck it in the freezer for later. Well, when I went to take a bite, the contents had CLEARLY been attacked prior to my arrival. I said, "Mandy, have you been in the ice cream?" She told me that she wanted a taste and to see if it was an "aquired taste" or if she could "stand to eat it..." She had eaten at least 1/2 a cup, so I guess it isn't just an acquired taste and apparently the protein she could "smell" while it was chilling in the maker was no longer present in the finished stuff!

Now that we know that we like the outcome, we've got plans for more batches. I want to make a very shallow pan of no-sugar-added cheesecake filling and chill it well--just filling, no crust, and about 1/2 inch deep. Then, I want to cut it into 1/4 inch cubes and freeze those in a ziploc baggie. Then, when making a "cheesecake" flavor of ice cream, you could drop some actual cheesecake cubes into the ice cream about 5 minutes before it is done and you'd REALLY have cheesecake ice cream! It would be similar to those danged Cheesequake Blizzards that DQ has!

How about a cookies n cream protein powder and crumble up a few no-sugar-added Oreos in there??? Not a lot of cookies, mind you, just enough to give it that texture and crunch! You could even scrape away the cream first!

I also shared this recipe over at ObesityHelp. Check out the comments there if you are interested!

Great Sweet Tooth Solutions from Biggest Loser Participants

While surfing the Biggest Loser website today, I stumbled across a page from the season 4 shows that lists 20 Low-Cal Desserts to Die For, also known as Tips for Tricking Your Sweet Tooth... These sound GREAT! Many of them are very WLS friendly and would work well for us postops. Heck, a few of them are good enough that you'd think you were reading EggFace's blog! The article is available for viewing at
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/the_club/articles/index.shtml
and the full text is below! They must have gotten good feedback on these ideas as they turned several of them into a list for the season 5 website with no credit given to the past participants who suggested them here... For example, number one below is now known as a "ricotta fruit cup."

Top 20 Low-Cal Desserts to Die For
Biggest Losers Give Tips for Tricking Your Sweet Tooth

You don’t have to give up treats in order to lose weight. Just make some adjustments. These Biggest Losers tell you how.

1. Steve Tofanelli — I fill a wine glass with mostly berries, a little fat-free ricotta cheese, and a crumbled amaretto cookie on top.

2. Ryan Benson — Skinny Cow brand ice-cream sandwiches are delicious and only 130 calories.

3. Mark Yesitis — Sugar-free pudding snack cups are only 60 calories. Mmm!

4. Lisa Andreone — A really great dessert is sugar-free hot chocolate (the 25-calorie kind) with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping (the 5-calorie kind).

5. Ryan Kelly — I love a sandwich of fat-free chocolate graham crackers with sugar-free whipped topping in the middle. Put your sandwich in the freezer for about 1 hour, and it will taste just like an ice-cream sandwich with hardly any calories!

6. Heather Hansen — I call it my apple treat: I core half of an unpeeled apple and put it into a small microwaveable bowl. I cover it with plastic wrap and microwave it for a couple minutes and then drizzle it with sugar-free maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Sometimes I also add a dollop of fat-free vanilla yogurt.

7. Kathyrn Murphy — I like to stir a teaspoon or two of peanut butter into a sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding cup. It tastes just like a peanut butter cup!

8. Kai Hibbard Martin — I love a bowl of sliced fresh strawberries with vanilla soymilk. Sometimes I add a little Splenda for extra sweetness.

9. Susan Tofanelli — When I have extra ripe bananas on hand, I peel them, cut them into 1-inch pieces, and freeze them. I blend the frozen chunks in a food processor or blender, sometimes adding a little water and maybe a drop of vanilla extract. It’s really creamy and tastes rich like ice cream. I figure 1/2 cup probably has about 50 calories and no fat.

10. Tina Meyers — I like having melon because I can have a bigger serving size than some other fruits. Frozen yogurt goes well with it, but sometimes I just have plain melon with a little fresh mint and a few sliced almonds sprinkled on top.

11. Suzanne Mendonca — I like to spread a graham cracker square with fat-free cream cheese. I usually put fruit spread or fresh berries on top of it.

12. Tammy Senti — If there’s extra coffee in the kitchen, I’ll ice a glass of decaf with a little scoop of fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, with nutmeg or cocoa powder on top. It’s more like a dessert than a drink.

13. Edwin Chapman — I like to make homemade rocky road by topping sugar-free chocolate ice cream with a couple of miniature marshmallows and a few chopped pecans.

14. Gary Deckman — I make “croutons” of toasted angel food cake. I put a few in a glass with diced fruit and a spoonful of fat-free frozen yogurt or sugar-free ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

15. Nick Keeler — My weakness is sugar-free raspberry sorbet. I like it with tangerine or orange slices and top it with a few almonds.

16. Lael Dandan — I like fat-free vanilla or strawberry frozen yogurt with fresh blueberries.

17. Toniann “Toni” Sapienza — I buy the super jumbo fresh strawberries and dip them into a few tablespoons of fat-free chocolate sauce.

18. Steve Rothermel — I like to grill fruit on kebabs; sometimes cantaloupe, honeydew, or a little pineapple in chunks on skewers. If it’s a special occasion, I have a little sugar-free ice cream with it.

19. Ruben Hernandez — A pudding parfait is one of my favorite dessert recipes. I layer sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding with fresh blueberries, raspberries, unsalted pistachios, and fat-free whipped cream . . . yum!

20. Kelly Minner — I like poached pears with a little honey and chopped pecans.

Copyright Biggest Loser Club 2007