Mini White Chocolate Cheesecakes

One of my favorite blogs is Janetha's, and I'm really hoping I can meet this chicka at the next Blend retreat. She's got great content on her blog. Lots of good workout info and some healthy and some not so healthy recipes like the one this post is about. Her Hubs is a hottie and her dogs are adorable AND she's got a superhero of a momma ta boot!! No I'm not a crazy stalker, I just know a good thing when I read one!!

I did change the recipe a little, nothing to drastic but you can find her recipe here...but this is what I did.

Crust ~
1 + 1/3 cups and an extra handful of Nilla wafers
1/3 cup butter melted

tossed the Nilla wafers into my food processor.. made crumbs added the melted butter and you've got crust.
Line regular size muffin tins with 18 cupcake wrappers and put about a lrg spoonful into ea cupcake wrapper. Press with fingers. Put into a 325 degree oven for about 8 - 10 mins set aside. At this point turn your oven down to 300 so it's cooled and ready to put in the cheesecakes.

Filling ~
6 oz Ghirardelli White choc bar or chips
1/3 cup butter
16 oz 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese ~ softened to room temp
8 oz plain 0% Fage yogurt
1 Tbls Cornstarch
1 Tbls Vanilla
2 Eggs

Melt choc w/ butter in a dbl boiler or in microwave. I've never used the microwave but on Janetha's blog I think she says about 2 mins stirring about half way through. Then set aside to cool, mix yogurt and cream cheese until well blended and smooth, add in choc mixture beat again until mixed and smooth, then add in cornstarch and vanilla again mix until smooth and well incorporated. By this time you'll want to just eat the filling out of the bowl.. it smells so good!! Next add in eggs 1 at a time mixing after adding each egg.

melted choc & butter

cream cheese & yogurt

fill your cupcake wrappers evenly. I used my regular sized ice cream scooper which worked great. I filled these suckers to the top!!

Bake at 300 for 30 mins. the cheesecakes will have little splits on the tops and you'll think they aren't done but if you cook them any longer they will be dry. cool them for 20 mins then cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hrs. Top with whatever you'd like.

cooked and cooling

I'm thinking that I will make these and add in dark choc next time.. that sounds really good!

 I might try to do a no bake version.. I'm wondering what would happen if you didn't add in the eggs and just went right to filling the cupcake wrappers and put in the fridge for a couple hrs or even overnight. Hmm, now my brains working overtime.

I also got a great workout in today. Knowing that these little suckers would be in my tummy later :)

Do 3 sets and take minimal breaks in between each exercise to keep your heart rate up! I took about a min break in between each set.

1. after you do the 10 squats your going to hold a squat position with 1 leg held out to the side and just pulse it up and down. your not doing a leg raise so it's a small movement. Boy does it burn that outer saddle bag area. then do another 10 squats and pulse the opposite leg. so you'll do 20 total squats with 20 pulses on ea leg.

7. I used 12 lb weights after the first set. 10 was to easy and if your not fatiguing your muscles what's the point in my opinion. Today my chest (from the plyo pushups w/bosu) and my arms are REALLY SORE!!! which means I did what I was supposed to do!
I'm pretty much sore everywhere!

The rest is pretty self explanatory!  

 I did shorten my work week to 4 days instead of 5. I work for a cleaning company and my arm and wrists were starting to take a beating, I already have Impingement syndrome in my right shoulder that hasn't bothered me for a couple yrs, after doing physical therapy and getting some ionphoresis. But now it's hurting ALL THE TIME, not good. Since my goal is to get my trainers cert.. exciting news flash, I'm ordering my stuff from NASM tomorrow!! I don't want to junk my body cleaning. I need 1 more day of rest and this will also allow me to get in an extra workout day and study time. I'm grateful to be able to work a 4 day work week due to my wonderful husband who works his butt off!

I hope all's well with you guys! Let me know if you try the cheesecakes or my workout

OX Sherice

Farmers Market

Hey Peeps~

Saturday my sister and I ventured downtown to the Farmers Market! It was such a beautiful day for it! It makes me feel good to know that I'm supporting local farmers and I'm getting organic food. Know your farmer, Know your food!

As we sat and shared a delicious Huckleberry Danish and drank our coffee, we listened to the band play and took it all in. I appreciate all the farmers who work so hard to bring their yummy, healthy, organic foods to us.

There where booths selling Honey, Flowers, Meats, veggies, starts for all sorts of veggies, herbs, breads, eggs, and cheeses!

I love this picture...

I didn't get this exact Honey but I did get some that was Alfalfa and Goldenrod... it's really yummy!

here's what I did get..

2 lbs ground beef, 2 lbs stew meat, 1 pint honey, 1 flat strawberries (that are just about gone), a delicious loaf of Italian bread, 2 bunches radishes, a basil plant and a yummy Chipotle garlic chevre. I've never had goat cheese and I'm sold. My sister got a round of the lavendar and we shared.

The Strawberries were from Hermiston Or and I should have gotten 2 flats.. they were so good. Then I came home and made a late breakfast from what I bought.

Coffee, some of the Italian bread, 1 egg + 2 egg whites with some of the Chipotle Chevre , and some strawberries w/ honey! It hit the spot!

DO you have a Farmers Market where you live? If so, do you go?

Sunday was a lazy day but I did manage to get this workout done! It was brutal. I haven't done a H.I.I.T workout for a while.

If your on Instagram feel free to follow me.... foodieluvsfitness...

Have a great week!

OX Sherice

Strawberries and Cream

Hey All ~ 

How's everyone's week going? Mine went by fast. No complainants from me. Tomorrow is Friday and paid day, double bonus!

It seems that the whole Banana "ice" cream sensation is all the rage in the health world. I've made mine and it was yummy. Plus you can make it tons of ways! But, I don't like that it melts very quickly and the ones I've made have just been lacking in something. I was reading a blog the other day and there was a recipe on there and then the gears in my brain started to turn.... 

This was the outcome

I bet you'd like to know what it is?

I had all the ingredients on hand and I was so excited..

Strawberries and Cream

1 can chilled Coconut milk ~ chill in fridge at least overnight, drain out the water that will separate from the milk

1 frozen Banana ~ cut into pieces (I'd recommend cutting before freezing)

1 cup frozen Strawberries

2-3 tsp of Agave

put all ingredients into food processor and blend away.. in about 2-3 mins (guesstimating) you will have smooth creamy fruity deliciousness!! 

You can use this as a base and mix whatever fruits that sound good. The chilled coconut milk makes it creamy and smooth and keeps it together better than just using bananas. I noticed that it doesn't "melt" like the banana or real ice cream does. I put the left over in the fridge overnight and today it was still solid and creamy. And just as delicious!

Next time I make this I'm using Pineapple and coconut for a creamy Pina Colada! Who's with me?

let me know if you try this. What kinda fruit you used and how it's changed your dessert life :) 

I'm planning on hitting the Farmers Market this weekend. And I'm sure there will be Cappuccino involved! 

What are your plans for the weekend? 

XO Sherice

SouthWest Chicken Salad

Hey Peeps ~

I hope everyone one's Mother's day was beautiful like mine! Around our house we feel that everyday is a day to celebrate mom's and dad's so we never really do anything extra exciting. Other than maybe I don't spend all day doing the usual chores and cooking. I love to cook so I really don't mind it!

Today I got up, had my coffee on the deck will being serenaded by the birds and being snuggled by Marley, all the while Mr. Sunshine warmed me!

Then I made Mexican egg wraps, which I LOVE!! I just can't get enough of these. It's so easy and super delicious. I need to get some whole wheat tortillas. That's the only thing that always makes me feel like I'm not eating as I should. But I'm human.

I use...
2-3 tsp Taco seasoning
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs 
small flour tortillas
hot sauce or salsa
Scramble eggs with seasoning and put in shells just like a burrito or taco. I add salsa, a little cheese, cilantro, and Fage yogurt to mine..but it varies.. variety IS the spice of life, Right!! 
This makes about 4 wraps, enough to feed the hubs and I, 2 egg wraps ea.

Then I did some "around the house" stuff ya know... the usual suspects.. dishes, laundry, bathing! Then it was off to visit with my mom for a bit and then get a workout in!
Here's my workout for ya! Do 3 sets!

 Once I killed my workout! Yes I'm guilty!! I came home and made some delicious gluten free, vegan oatmeal choc chip cookies.

So yummy and did I mention Healthy!

At Chili's they have a southwest quesadilla chicken salad with a cilantro vinaigrette that is the only thing I ever get from there, minus the quesadilla ( trying to be healthy, ya know) So I thought I'd try to recreate it at home..

Sherice's SouthWest Chicken salad

Chicken Marinade 
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin.. I love cumin
1-2 cloves garlic minced
about 1/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
 I put all ingredients into my Magic Bullet and give it a whirl!! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this little machine!!

Cilantro lime vinaigrette
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup EVOO
1-2 Tbls fresh squeezed lime juice.. I used 3 and it was perfect but I like lime
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
once again I used my Magic bullet! put all ingredients in and give it a whirl!
put in jar and put in fridge. Let sit for about 30 mins so flavors can marry before using

then I grilled the chicken and sliced it up, and added it on some romaine added corn kernals, black beans, black olives, a little cheese, avocado, cherry tomatoes and some crushed up corn tortilla chips on top. Then added the 2-3 Tbls of the dressing. DELICIOUS!!

 now I'm having the same thing tonight for dinner and a cold Stella.

Happy Mother's Day!!
oxox Sherice

Pasta? Think again!

Hey There ~

Things around here have been pretty quite. I'm excited to be putting some plants into my garden this weekend. When Mother's day rolls around you know it's safe to start planting. You don't want to any sooner for fear of frost. So I will be putting in some plants this weekend.. I've got some seeds also but I've been waiting due to lack of a fence across our garden area. We have a little puppy who likes to dig and run around in the raised beds so we will need to be putting up some fencing to keep him OUT unless he's invited in :)

 Last night I had a delicious dinner!

Spaghetti Squash with Quinoa "meat" balls and a little red sauce I made.

Sherice's simple red sauce ~ This is a super quick easy sauce I make when I don't have any spaghetti sauce in the freezer or I want a lighter sauce.

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lrg onion minced or 1 sm onion minced
handful of crimini mushrooms minced
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped basil

Saute onions and mushrooms for 5-7 mins add in salt and pepper stir, add in garlic saute 1-2 mins, add in tomatoes and red pepper flakes. simmer for 10-15 mins. add in basil or sprinkle directly onto whatever it is your eating!  Enjoy!

Here's the video on how to make the squash and "meat" balls..

These meatballs were so delicious you've got to try them. I was thinking that the next time I make them I might mix it up a bit and add in some grated zucchini and some fresh basil.. just to give them a bit more flavor and to kick up the veggie content.. or even adding in some diced eggplant would be great. Go nuts!! That's the best part of cooking.. tweaking a recipe to suit your palate!

I also made Kale chips for the first time this week.. oh they were crispy and spicy.. just what I like!
I made 2 batches.. the first batch was my favorite but the second was good also!

All Hail Kale ~
preheat oven to 350 for 11- 14 mins keep a good eye on these, they go from not quite done to burnt in no time at all

I cheated and got a bag of organic kale already cut at Trader Joe's just because I could :) 

I split the bag into 2 batches..

#1 batch

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

1/4 tsp Chipotle powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

good sprinkle of sea salt

#2 batch

1 Tblp EVOO

1/4 tsp chili powder

sprinkle red chili flakes

1/4 tsp cumin

good sprinkle sea salt

I made the mistake of thinking they were cooled and put them into a ziplock bag. The next day they were chewy instead of crispy, still good but not what your going for!

I haven't worked out this week due to a bruised knee.. I took a couple days off at work to let it rest and heal. Being on your hands and knees washing floors isn't going make the healing any faster ya know. So I will have a workout posted for you this weekend. 

I'm really going to try to get more blogs posted. I'm thinking maybe 3-4 a week. I want my blog to grow and get some more hits and followers so I need to be spending more time at it and start being a lot more consistent. I find that the only time I really blog is when I've got a recipe or workout to share, but I'm finding that on the blogs I follow and really enjoy, they blog about their day to day lives and what they've eaten that day or their workouts. So I will try not to totally bore you to death. I'm really NOT that exciting but I will try to blog more! 

OX Sherice

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

Hey!

How are you? I hope all is well.

Sundays are our usual breakfast day around Potter Palace. I usually make Eggs Benedict Sherice's way http://foodieluvsfitness.blogspot.com/2012/03/breakfast-for-dinner-eggs-benny-sherice.html or Egg's, Bacon and hashbrowns. One thing I HATE is making bacon. It's splatters, spits and hurts me. Makes a yucky mess all over my clothes and everything else. So my sister said to me "why don't you make it in the oven?" I thought "what a great idea." So today when I made breakfast that's exactly what I did. It was so easy, I don't think I will ever make bacon on the stove top again. Here's what you do.....

Line you pan with aluminum foil. Lay out your bacon, I always cut my in half. Why? I don't really know. Put your pan in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 400 degrees and cook for about 15-20 mins. Cooking time depends on how thick your bacon is. I found that I flipped mine when it was just about done because by the time the top was done the bottom would have been to done. But my bacon was pretty thin too.

whalaaaa! Just the way we like it without all the mess!

A couple weeks ago I bought some Newman's Own Dog Biscuits that I felt good about feeding to the boys. 

But at 7 bucks a bag @ 10 oz between 2 dogs. These didn't go far.  I decided to make my own. I have a bone cookie cutter kit with 3 sizes in it that I'd gotten like a yr ago and had never used. So I thought I should probably make use of them. I remember reading that pumpkin is safe for dogs and helps ease an upset tummy, and I know that Peanut Butter is something that most dogs love and is also safe. I looked online and saw a few different recipes. I kinda mixed and matched and came up with this one.

 I happened to have all the ingredients on hand but next time I will make sure that I use organic ingredients and I will use only oat flour. I didn't have enough and that's why I used part whole wheat flour. I don't feel that they need the gluten in the wheat flour. My dogs are ok with it but they don't need it and I know that a lot of dogs have allergies to gluten.
After I made these I realized I should have just taken some of the oats and made more oat flour. After all, I just bought a Magic Bullet.

But it was an after thought like I said. So next time I make these I will totally omit the whole wheat flour.

1 cup canned organic pumpkin. NOT pumpkin pie filling, just canned pumpkin
3-3 1/2 cups oat flour - I just used organic oats in my magic bullet until fine like flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup oats - for texture
3 Tbls peanut butter
1 tsp cinnamon


Pumpkin benefits for dogs are.. helps ease upset stomach, helps with Diarrhea
Peanut butter....It's high in protein and the natural oils help with a shiny coat
Cinnamon....is an antifungal, antimicrobial and antibacterial and has much of the health benefits for dogs as it does humans but give in moderation. if itchy or rashes appear your dog may have an allergy to cinnamon but it's not very common.
eggs...perfectly fine for dogs as long as they are cooked. raw eggs block the absorption of Biotin
Oats.... are a good source of soluble fiber even for dogs


preheat oven to 350 degrees, Then whisk pumpkin, eggs, peanut butter and cinnamon together until mixed. Then add in flour and oats. I did all this by hand. When it got to hard to mix, I then emptied the dough onto the counter and kneaded it. It was a little sticky so I added a bit more oat flour until it was no longer sticky. I kneaded the dough a couple times and then made a nice round out of it.. as if you were making pastry for pie crust, same concept. Then I rolled out the dough to about 1/2 in thickness.

 Then I started cutting away!!
 I used my medium sized cutter and my small sized cutter.

For the Med size cook for 40 min flipping them over after 30 mins

For the Sm size cook for 30 mins flipping them over after 20 mins

These are the small size.. and 1 little heart :)

Here is the comparison between the med and the small! They share a med size but the small size is perfect for them!

Marley and Luka Both told me they were "PAWsome" LOL

Marley, sitting pretty hoping to get seconds :)

Luka gobbling up his!


This recipe made 40 med size treats and 54 small size treats. And 1 heart :)

let me know what your K-9 kids think of these treats!
Mine sure do love them!





oxox Sherice

Quinoa mexican salad

Hello ~

How has everyone's week been? Mine was VERY busy at work!

Today I have a quick recipe and workout post for you guys. I've been loving me some Quinoa these past couple weeks. It's delicious, easy to make, healthy and a complete protein. You can find it at pretty much any grocery store now and I get mine from the bulk section of Fred Meyer or Yokes AND it's organic :)

REMEMBER you can make as much or as little of this as you want. You can add whatever spices and veggies sound good to you! You can eat this salad right when you make it but it is 100 times better when it's cold and all the flavors have married :)
As always try to get the most organic ingredients that your budget will allow :)

1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup chx stock
1 avocado
2 handfuls of fresh cilantro
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup cubed pepperjack cheese
6 quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 Tbls  cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
the spices are an estimation. when I made this I didn't really measure

First cook 1/2 cup Quinoa in 1 cup stock as recommended on package. Then put in fridge and let cool (if possible) then cut up all and combine ingredients with the Quinoa

I also tried this, this weekend... very tingly and invigorating.. must drink ice cold!

This one is Gingerade

Since my job is working for a cleaning company. I come home tired and worn out and I'm having a hard to getting the motivation to get my workouts in during the week. I've had some people say well get up before work and do it. I LOVE working out but I also like sleep and I'm getting up about 6:15-6:30 M-F already. So for now I've been working out on the weekends. Saturday I did the Bikini Sculpt workout from my new Tone it up DVD..

This has 7 great workouts on it set in beautiful Hawaii. They gave me encouragement and a push when I wanted to give up! I recommend you try it out. The price is right at $30 bucks. find it here, http://beachbabedvd.com/the-dvd/

Here's a sneak peek... the making of the Beach Babe DVD....

 For Sunday, Here's my workout

3 sets of....

Squats with a leg raise using a resistance band 15 ea leg

bicep curl w/ resistance band 20 rep

30 sec squat jumps... 2 squat pulses and a jump

Fire hydrant w/ leg raise to the rear 10 reps (R)

Fire hydrant w/ leg raise to the rear 10 reps (L)

30 sec donkey kicks

laying leg adduction w/ resistance band (R) 40 reps these are small pulses

laying leg adduction w/ resistance band (L) 40 reps

30 sec squat jumps

side plank hip up and downs w/ feet stacked 10 reps (R)

side plank hip up and downs w/feet stacked 10 reps (L)

30 sec donkey kicks

Dbl crunch ~ crunching your upper abs while doing a reverse crunch and meeting hands and legs in the middle 20 reps

Have a great Sunday

Sherice xo