"Un" Cheesecake

Hello Everyone!

Last week we celebrated Father's Day and Jason's Birthday. One of his favorite desserts is cheesecake. I can eat some good cheesecake, also, but for him, it is the best dessert ever! Most cheesecake recipes have a lot of fat and sugar in them, so they don't fit into the ideal of what Jason needs to eat, but because there are two special days so close together, I wanted to make him something special. I wondered if there is some way to up the protein content of cheesecake. I found it!! I was so thrilled! Instead of using cream cheese, this cheesecake uses plain greek yogurt. It calls for sugar, but I substituted sucanat. Sucanat is unrefined crystallized cane juice. It doesn't bother Jason's blood-sugar levels like regular white or even brown sugars do.

I used this recipe from A Baking Girl. (I will include it below with the nutritional information) I think I may have whipped it too long in the food processor so it had a texture more like a custard than creamy cheese cake, but the flavor was amazing! It wasn't tart or too "greek" tasting. I want to try it again and see if I can make it creamier.

For on top, we had some fresh strawberries we purchased a couple weeks ago. Strawberries go out of season here just about 2 weeks before Jason's birthday, so I froze some. I simply washed them, sliced them and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. The day before, I took them out of the freezer and set them in the fridge to thaw. They created their own juice and were tender and sweet tasting on top of our cheesecake! Mmmm.... So very good! And no sugar added! Woo hoo!


Un-Cheesecake Recipe
(Thanks to A Baking Girl! Slightly adapted for our needs.)

**Please note that this is the exact recipe as found at A Baking Girl. I have made notes in italics that have helped me and I thought might help others. The changes I made to the recipe have been noted in italics**


2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt1/2 cup sugar (I used sucanat instead....1:1 ratio)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out)
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch
optional: sliced strawberries for garnish (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Blend until smooth, then add cornstarch and pinch of salt and blend again. Pour filling into a 10 inch springform pan, and bake for 35 minutes. (I used a pie plate with some non-stick aluminum foil shaped to the pan. It worked just fine. I chose not to include a crust, though I am working on finding another crust that would work.)

When the cheesecake is done, it will still be jiggly in the center but will have a “done” look to it. The edges of the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Make sure you don’t overbake. It will continue to set up as it cools.

Let cool then chill for 2-3 hours in the fridge before releasing springform. (At this point, I turned the pie plate over and let the aluminum foil and cheesecake fall gently onto a plate. I then gently removed the foil. It stuck a few places, but generally came out beautifully!)

Arrange the sliced strawberries over top of the cooled cheesecake and serve. It will easily serve 8-10 people. This is a rather thin cheesecake at only about 1/2", but it is delicious and I didn't miss the extra thickness.

ENJOY!! :-) 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 95.3

• Total Fat: 1.2 g
• Cholesterol: 46.5 mg
• Sodium: 44.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 7.3 g

Jianna's newest things and summer time fun

Hello again!

Jianna started singing this morning and it was precious! Recently she has started singing more and more. She sings her ABC's (A B C C E F E) :-) and she tries to count (two tree fo five eight nine). It is so amazing to hear her learning and putting into practice what she is learning. She has started counting more especially when I am crocheting, because I will count aloud so that I can keep the pattern the same.

This summer we are participating in the reading program at the library. Jianna has already earned a free pass to the Children's Discovery Museum. I can't wait to use it soon and see her responses to all the cool stuff they have!

Another thing she really enjoys is wading and just playing outside. It is so much fun to see her enjoy the outdoors!

Are there any fun things to do in the summer that are free or inexpensive that you would suggest?

Running Funny...

Hey Everyone!

Dusky-dark + running + thunking a frog with my foot = "what was that!?" response. :-)

Yes, that really did happen to me... I was in the middle of the city, too! Sometimes what we can't see coming can startle us the most. But then we laugh because we weren't expecting it and it changed our focus, even for just a second. And it was a good thing. :-)

Has there been a good surprise dropped in your lap recently? Has something startled you with a change in focus, but been a good thing after all?

Can a Christian Have Joy?

Hey all!

Recently, I have been thinking about how legalism tends to sneak into my life and actions. I don't want it to, I don't intend for it to, but it does. I was watching a mini series from our pastor that brought the subject to the front of my mind, though I had been wondering about it for a while.

The sermon/lesson was titled "How To Have Joy Even Though You Are A Christian (parts I and II)" (I am not going to repeat everything he said, because he said it much better than I can, but if you get a chance to follow the links, the lessons are great!) I've realized that the legalism that I have allowed into my life is stealing my joy and I don't like it one bit! Pastor's sermons helped me identify some of the things that I need God to help me change to not continue down the path of legalism... to get my joy back. That's what I want.

Is there something you have recently learned, heard or thought about that was a light-bulb moment?

Alfredo, Healthy-fied (is that a word?) :-)

Welcome! Here is another of my Foodie Friday entries just for my own records. I hope you are enjoying seeing some of these as much as I am enjoying sharing them with other people!

One of my favorite dishes of all time is Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. I think of it as comfort food! The only problem is that Jason's body can't handle Alfredo sauces that I would get out of the store or in restaurants. So I was searching for another way to use spaghetti one day and I found this recipe. I knew that some of the original ingredients might not work for Jason, but that I could tweak it to meet our needs. I was thrilled!

This is my variation of Rocco's Alfredo Sauce:

Prep. Time:  3 minutes      Cook Time: 20 minutes    Serves: 4 meal-sized portions

Ingredients:
1/2 pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. corn starch (or 2 Tbsp. flour, if you don't have corn starch)
1/2 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth 
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves fresh crushed garlic (more if needed. I also substitute 1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder, and it tastes just as good!)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; plus more for on top
6-oz. plain greek yogurt

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the thin spaghetti. Boil until desired tenderness is reached, then drain the water off.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil and the corn starch in a pan over low heat. Stir continuously while adding the broth a little bit at a time, until a nice sauce consistency has been reached. (You can use more or less broth, as you need to.) Stir in the spices (add any others that you like! Sometimes I add diced onion. It just tastes great!) Add the cheese and mix until completely incorporated and melted. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fold in the yogurt until well incorporated. Dish up the spaghetti and spoon the alfredo sauce over top. Serve and enjoy!

What is your favorite pasta recipe?

According to the Spark People Recipe Calculator, this recipe has:

Calories		546.0
Total Fat		10.9 g
	Saturated Fat	5.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.7 g
Cholesterol		19.8 mg
Sodium		557.1 mg
Potassium		26.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		6.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.0 g
	Sugars	1.9 g
Protein		15.3 g

Vitamin A	3.5 %
Vitamin B-12	5.8 %
Vitamin B-6	1.3 %
Vitamin C	0.0 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	3.1 %
Calcium	39.4 %
Copper	0.5 %
Folate	0.5 %
Iron	1.5 %
Magnesium	3.2 %
Manganese	0.3 %
Niacin	0.4 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.3 %
Phosphorus	20.2 %
Riboflavin	5.7 %
Selenium	9.4 %
Thiamin	0.8 %
Zinc	5.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Baking Soda In The Bathroom

Hello again!

Last Wednesday I shared how I clean the kitchen with baking soda and vinegar. Today I want to share the cleaning power in the bathroom. I love to use it in my tub/shower, sinks and even the toilets! It is a simple cleaner that I don't necessarily have to open all the windows to allow the fumes to escape.

Bathroom:

• Tub/Shower:  I sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the tub and wet it with vinegar. Allow it to fizz and then spread it around with a sponge or a rag. Sometimes, I scrub it a little bit, just for good measure. I leave it about 5 or 10 minutes and when I come back it is ready to rinse! I rinse it well with water and no water spots or rings remain! I like to also use this on the walls of my shower. It rinses clean and doesn't leave my walls feeling gritty. I put some baking soda on my sponge and use vinegar in a spray bottle to activate it. Scrub it around, then I rinse like normal. I give this a 98% on effectiveness.
• Sink: Same process as the tub, just on a smaller scale. I love the quickness and the simplicity of it. 
• On the faucets and mirror, I just rub a bit of the activated solution around, rinse thoroughly and dry with a dry towel. Works like a charm!
• Toilets: The toilets can be the trickiest part for me to clean. I flush the toilet when I first get in the bathroom, sprinkle baking soda on the tub and sink, then sprinkle the bowl of the toilet with some baking soda. I spray vinegar on the baking soda to activate it, spread it with a toilet bowl brush and let it sit about 10-15 minutes. I like to make certain all the dirt, germs and everything else are killed. :) Once that is done, I give it another scrub, use some of the solution on the seat and rim and rinse well. 

Now, that the kitchen and bathrooms are clean, I think I'll show you the powers of baking soda on carpets and soft surfaces next week. Have you all used baking soda, vinegar or any other natural products to clean your house? How have they worked? Do you have any tips or tricks or suggestions to make cleaning easier?

Slinky Living vs. Linear Living

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to share a lesson I have been learning recently. A couple weeks ago, I watched a vlog by Beth Moore about the cycles we can get stuck in during this thing called life. She explained that God has ideas about where we need to go and builds hard things into our lives to help us learn to be humble. Sometimes we handle the lessons in a cycle, other times we learn from the lessons more in a line... In other words, sometimes we are broken by a situation, and we respond to the brokenness with offense, insecurity or devastation, but we don't look up for a while to allow God to restore and heal us. Other times, we will encounter a situation that is meant to humble us and we will be humbled and look to God. He will then set us on our feet and make us powerful and anointed by him, because we have died to ourselves.

I've realized that I will be doing OK for a while, going along in a straight line, when I'll be hit by something and I'll fall into the spiral or slinky of doing the same thing over and over again. I'll repeat the same lines of complaining and moaning about how my life shouldn't be affected by these things that I am experiencing. After a while, I get so fed up with my own moaning and groaning and I'll ask God to help me change. When I ask, He helps me immediately. I may not see results I want to see, but He is there. I don't want to live life in a slinky. God has too much to teach me to try to relearn the same lessons over and over again. I want to learn the lessons and move on.

I am so grateful that God doesn't throw me to the side when I don't get the lessons right! God is good!

Jason's Breakfast

Good Morning Everyone!!

I thought I would share Jason's filling breakfast with you. I know that many people have heard that oatmeal is a fabulous breakfast, but it is one of the best breakfasts for my husband. It gives him sustained energy to accomplish what he needs to during the morning hours. He eats it every morning.

Jason's Oatmeal

1 1/2 serving of oatmeal, cooked according to the directions (this could be quick oats, old-fashioned oats or steel-cut oats)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (we use smucker's natural because it is sugar free and only has peanuts and less than 1% salt)
2-3 teaspoons raw honey, to taste (we prefer an all-natural, raw honey sourced from local keepers if we can get it.)
dash of milk (to cool everything off and make it not quite so thick.)

He stirs everything in as soon as the oatmeal comes off the stove, so that it doesn't thicken too much, then eats it with fruit or applesauce. It is filling!

If I am eating of a morning, he will make 2 servings and just heap the peanut butter on the spoon. On active, busy mornings, it will keep me going for a good 4 hours or so before I start feeling hungry again!

Baking Soda As A Kitchen Cleaner

Hello again everyone!

Last week I talked about using baking soda to deter ants from entering the house. Today I want to show some of the cleaning powers of baking soda. Like I said last week, I try to use more natural cleaners. I use them more because I don't want to endanger Jianna and the boy I babysit than any other reason. I feel like if I use cleaners that can be found in a kitchen cabinet, if the kids happen to ingest a little bit it won't harm them as much as some of the chemicals we used before we became parents.

So baking soda as a cleaner... hmm. does it work? I will only share the things that I know work from experience. I will also share how effective I believe it to be. I love to use baking soda in the kitchen, bathrooms and even on carpeted areas. Today, I'll share my favorite kitchen uses.

In the Kitchen

• Bake-ware/pots and pans: I make a baking soda paste with a little bit of water and a dot of dish detergent and spread it on burned/baked on food. Let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes, although an hour or even a day works well, too. :-) It may not work if the pot is completely scorched (like if you forget about the rice you're cooking - not once, but several different days - and the bottom becomes a completely black surface more than once. Yes, that really did happen to me.) :-) , but it works pretty well on things that would be rather difficult to get off without using a lot of elbow grease. I grade this one as 85% effective.
• Stove/Oven: For an oven that just needs a little bit of a touch up or on the stove top it works well. On an oven that has seen better days, it doesn't work so well. I think it still works, but it isn't as effective as a store-bought oven cleaner. Make a paste and rub it over the eye,  stove or oven surface. For the oven, I scrub the baking soda mix into the grimiest parts of the oven. Then, I pour just a bit of vinegar onto the baking soda mix to amp up the cleaning power. The chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda makes it bubble and fizz. Then, I let it sit for a while (normally on the oven 1 1/2-2 hours). At this point I scrub the oven some more and see how clean it is by using a sponge to sop up the extra. If it isn't clean enough for my tastes, I rinse and repeat until it is nice and clean. It leaves a streak-free shine! I would rate this as 90% effective on a lightly soiled oven and on just about any stove top. 
• Clean That Sink!: Again making a paste of water and soda, I use a sponge or wash cloth to scrub the sink. I add a bit of vinegar, and it is disinfected. I wipe down the faucet and fixtures and then I rinse it all. Shine up the faucet with a dry cloth, towel or paper towel and no water spots! This one comes out at 95% effective. An added benefit of this is that any baking soda that "happens" to fall down the drain will also help unclog your drain when the vinegar is poured down it! :) Double duty!

Well, that's how I use baking soda in the kitchen. Do you have any other uses for baking soda that you have tried? What is your favorite kitchen cleaner?

Running Part II... a continuation of the story

After the first 3 or so months of running, Jason and I began to interact with a local running group that ran on Saturday mornings. We would join up with them and run whatever distance we wanted to at a pace we were comfortable with. It really encouraged me to keep on running, run farther, run longer and even learn how to pace myself.

Then we went back to Romania. We went to a new city and I didn't know the safe routes. So I stayed home and used cardio exercise videos. Several months later I found out I was pregnant, so I tried to keep up the exercising after my doctor okayed it. Once winter set in, we got a gym membership at a small local gym and I would walk and lift light weights. I tried running a few times, but as I grew, it became uncomfortable, so I power walked.

We decided to return to the States and I continued power walking several days a week, with the approval of my doctor. Towards the end of my seventh month of pregnancy, I walked a local 5k (3.1 miles) race. It was the first race Jianna did, even though she won't remember it. :-) It was also a week before she would decide to make her surprise appearance.

After Jianna was born, finding time to run became more difficult. For the first 3 or 4 weeks, I didn't exercise at all. Then, we were able to time our schedule to fit a walk in. She loved the stroller, so we went again the next week... and the next... and the next. Working around her schedule became easier over time. As her feedings became more spaced out, it became even easier.

Once I was able to walk a slightly longer distance (2 miles) and my doctor cleared me, I started running short distances again. I remember getting so excited that I was able to get a full 2 miles in before she started fussing! Then, the distances I was able to accomplish began to get longer and longer. I was able to get 4 miles in running and walking before winter set in. Even with mild winters, we decided not to get Jianna out too much in it. We did bundle her up a couple times when it was 40-45 degrees and ran anyway. It was so refreshing!! Once spring came, we were set and ran through the summer as much as we could. Last winter was hard, since it was again cold. But now, we are running again 3 times a week and enjoying every minute of it.

What is your story? How did having children change your schedule? Are there other things in life that have had an impact on your schedule?

Favorite Breakfast... Whole Grain Pancakes!!

Hello all!

I am going to try to share my favorite recipes on Fridays.This will provide others with an idea of how we eat, but it may also help others who struggle with hypoglycemia to find options that work for them. This pancake recipe is not mine. I found it in a Reader's Digest cook book called Magic Foods For Better Blood Sugar and have adapted it for our family's tastes and needs. I like to make 1-2 batches at a time and put the extras in the freezer to pull out for a quick, easy breakfast. Jianna really enjoys these, also. So, without further comment, here is the recipe for our favorite breakfast.

Prep. Time: 20 minutes           Cook Time: 15-20 minutes         Makes: 8 servings of 2 pancakes each

Ingredients:
2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (When I make this for Jason, we omit the cinnamon. It drops bloodsugar levels.)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer to use Sucanat 1:1 ratio, if at all possible. It is crystalized sugar cane juice. It doesn't interact with Jason's bloodsugar. Another option is to half the amount and use that much honey. Here, it would be 2 Tablespoons.)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside 15 minutes to soften the oats.
2. Whisk the whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Add the buttermilk mix and stir to incorporate. Add a little bit at a time to the flour mixture and whisk so that no lumps form. Add the rest of the liquids and mix the batter together well.
4. Heat up a lightly greased skillet or waffle iron over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated surface. Cook until it looks dry around the edges (it will look wet in the center still, but dull around the edges) and bubbles have burst on the surface of the pancake. Turn over and cook until lightly browned on other side. Remove from heat and either serve imediately or cool to freeze.

Served with pancake syrup, fruit and maybe yogurt or sausage, this is an amazing breakfast!

Nutritional information:
292 calories
8 g. protein
60 g. carbohydrates
3 g. fiber
3 g. total fat
     1 g. saturated fat
56 mg. cholesterol
331 mg. sodium

Like they say in Romania, "Pofta buna!" (translation: Enjoy your meal!)

Homemade Ant Deterrent

Hey Everyone!

On Wednesdays, I am going to try to share some of the things that work for us. I won't be linking up to Works For Me Wednesdays right now, but you can check them out and see some of the cool stuff that everyone else comes up with.

Because two little ones hang out in our house most days of the week, I wanted to find more natural ways to handle most household cleaning. One of those jobs is getting rid of ants. I don't like the ants marching one-by-one, or two-by-two, or any other way in my kitchen! (Do you know this childhood song?)

Ants tend to make a dash inside in the spring and then again in the fall here The ants I have seen are the tiny little ones that are more anoying than dangerous. I try to keep a pretty clean kitchen, but I have found two things that work together to keep the ants outside and to kill the ones I see inside. And they are both baby-safe! I use a barrier about 1/4-1/2 inch wide of baking soda (the normal, everyday baking soda, found in the baking section at the store) spread all the way across the window ledges and door ledges that the ants tend to use the most. If I find any in the house, like if I forgot to put down the baking soda and the ants found their way inside (oh, yes, it has happened!), I spray a bit of lemon juice (not dilluted at all, just straight 100% juice) on them and they die soon after.

I found this idea on a blog, unfortunately I don't remember which one. But I do know that it works!!

How do you get rid of pests at your house?

Running. Running? Running!!

Running is one of those things I never thought I would do. I was an awkward teen with legs too long and a wierd gate when I ran... Me?? Run?!? Not on your life! Then came that year... The one that I was 40 pounds over my target weight and I was walking to beat the band, but it just wasn't raising my heart-rate enough. Now what do I do? (*Note* I know that 40 pounds may not be a lot for some people, or it may be a huge amount for other people. This is just where I was.)

So I figured, well, I'll run from where I am to that sign. I did it! That felt great! Let's try from the next sign to that stand of trees. And that felt even better! I finished exercising that day in the same way and thought, "Well, now what? I guess you're a runner, after all." I thought I knew what I could do, but I didn't realize that I could do more than I dreamed.

I have continued to try to run. As I have worked on it, I have gotten to where I'm able to run a 10-12 minute per mile with a stroller instead of a 16 minute per mile walk/run without a stroller. It is my favorite form of exercise. I am able to get out and not think about what my house looks like, what I need to do for the rest of the day or anything else that might bother me. Running is my reset button... my "pause, pray, think, try again" button.

Is there something that you never thought you would be able to do that you were able to accomplish? Is there something you would like to try to accomplish that in the past you thought you couldn't do? What is your reset button for life?