Howdy, folks! You might be thinking this is another post about cheating on your Zone diet. But you would be wrong!
For years, I was able to follow the Zone with a tiny little cheat snack at the end of each day. I played around with my cheat snack in order to discover what kinds of snacks would work. I have told you about my problem with homemade cookies-- basically they are just too good to resist. Who can eat just one? A portion is so small, it is just not satisfying. And the other problem with cookies is that they are made of wheat. I have found that eating anything made from wheat flour immediately bloats my belly. So cookies were out. But cheesecake seemed to work. I created a cheesecake which used mostly cottage cheese for protein, as well as a few eggs, and I could eat a single slice of this each evening without gaining weight. But alas, all good things come to an end.
I decided this week to go back to my cheesecake recipe, but this time I would do the math. I sat down and calculated the exact amounts of carbs and protein in my recipe, and adjusted everything so that 1/8 of the whole would be a perfect 2-block snack. Now, this is taking into account that I did NOT measure the fat. I'm not sure how many blocks of fat are in one slice. But I do know it is WAY more than 2 blocks! I have never been very precise about fat. Extra fat is fine as long as the carbs are kept in line.
Chocolate Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 350. In food processor, combine 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cup pecans. (You can also use walnuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamias, etc.) Add a dash of salt. Pulse until the crumbs begin to cling together. Dump the mixture into a deep dish pie pan and press with fingertips along the bottom and sides. Bake crust for about 11 minutes or until golden. OPTIONAL: sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of shredded coconut into bottom of crust before baking.
While the crust bakes, combine 8 oz. neufchatel (lowfat) cream cheese and 4 oz. dark chocolate chips. Melt in microwave for 1-2 minutes, checking frequently so chips do not scorch. Blend the melted chocolate with the cream cheese. Then add 4 eggs and use handheld blender to process. Add 16 oz. lowfat (or nonfat) cottage cheese and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust. Lower oven temperature to 300 and bake for about 55 minutes or until no longer liquid in the center. Let sit at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Cut into 8 even slices. Each slice contains 2 blocks of carbs and 2 blocks of protein, plus ample fat.
This is NOT an overly sweet dessert! As you can see from the recipe, the only sugar comes from the 4 oz. of chocolate chips. However, I think it is just sweet enough to be satisfying. The texture is slightly more crumbly than a regular cheesecake. If you are one of those with a raging sweet tooth who simply MUST eat some kind of treat daily (I can often be included in this category!) I hope this recipe will assist you with sticking to your Zone proportions. If you try it, please give me some feedback!
For years, I was able to follow the Zone with a tiny little cheat snack at the end of each day. I played around with my cheat snack in order to discover what kinds of snacks would work. I have told you about my problem with homemade cookies-- basically they are just too good to resist. Who can eat just one? A portion is so small, it is just not satisfying. And the other problem with cookies is that they are made of wheat. I have found that eating anything made from wheat flour immediately bloats my belly. So cookies were out. But cheesecake seemed to work. I created a cheesecake which used mostly cottage cheese for protein, as well as a few eggs, and I could eat a single slice of this each evening without gaining weight. But alas, all good things come to an end.
I decided this week to go back to my cheesecake recipe, but this time I would do the math. I sat down and calculated the exact amounts of carbs and protein in my recipe, and adjusted everything so that 1/8 of the whole would be a perfect 2-block snack. Now, this is taking into account that I did NOT measure the fat. I'm not sure how many blocks of fat are in one slice. But I do know it is WAY more than 2 blocks! I have never been very precise about fat. Extra fat is fine as long as the carbs are kept in line.
Chocolate Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 350. In food processor, combine 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cup pecans. (You can also use walnuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamias, etc.) Add a dash of salt. Pulse until the crumbs begin to cling together. Dump the mixture into a deep dish pie pan and press with fingertips along the bottom and sides. Bake crust for about 11 minutes or until golden. OPTIONAL: sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of shredded coconut into bottom of crust before baking.
While the crust bakes, combine 8 oz. neufchatel (lowfat) cream cheese and 4 oz. dark chocolate chips. Melt in microwave for 1-2 minutes, checking frequently so chips do not scorch. Blend the melted chocolate with the cream cheese. Then add 4 eggs and use handheld blender to process. Add 16 oz. lowfat (or nonfat) cottage cheese and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust. Lower oven temperature to 300 and bake for about 55 minutes or until no longer liquid in the center. Let sit at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Cut into 8 even slices. Each slice contains 2 blocks of carbs and 2 blocks of protein, plus ample fat.
This is NOT an overly sweet dessert! As you can see from the recipe, the only sugar comes from the 4 oz. of chocolate chips. However, I think it is just sweet enough to be satisfying. The texture is slightly more crumbly than a regular cheesecake. If you are one of those with a raging sweet tooth who simply MUST eat some kind of treat daily (I can often be included in this category!) I hope this recipe will assist you with sticking to your Zone proportions. If you try it, please give me some feedback!
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