D'lectable Vegan Cheesecake

I was wondering yesterday how I could make a cheesecake without my food processor :( and I decided not to give up no matter what. I was going to make my cheesecake, food processor or not! I definitely couldn't make a Raw Cheesecake because I had to grind my cashews but then I remembered that I had some Tofutti better than cream cheese in the fridge...ding, ding, ding IDEA!!! I wanted a raw crust and obviously could not make my regular raw crust without my 'S' blade food processor so I came up with a cool recipe that worked, talk about DETERMINATION!


D' lectable Coconut Cheesecake (Vegan)

Raw Crust

Before it went into the oven. Nina came up with the idea of decorating it like this :)

You want to lick the computer screen don't you?

That warm chocolate sauce added another kick to it, YUMMMY

Next time I will use a smaller pan so the 'cheesecake' part of it can be thicker

I got my fix, you can have yours too :) This should keep me good for the next few weeks;)

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut macaroons
pinch of salt
6 Tbsp organic maple syrup (I use the organic grade B maple syrup)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until sticky and starts to formed a dough. Press dough into an 8' pan and set aside.

Cheesecake Filling:

2, 8oz containers of Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients very well in a bowl. Set aside for about 5 minutes to let flavors and sugar set in. Mix again for another 2 minutes or so and then pour over crust.
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and put in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour.
Serve with warm chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 Tbsp cacao powder
1 Tbsp organic grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Okay, I came up with this recipe on the spot and the whole time I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it tastes half decent enough to eat and not waste--If it was horrible.

VERDICT: I LOVE IT!!!

Now I can make different variations out of this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also, I warmed my chocolate sauce just a touch before drizzling it over my cheesecake, the contrast between the warm chocolate and the cold cheesecake was MOUTH WATERING!!! YUUUUUUMMMMYYY!!!

I did my hair on the eve of Christmas, took me only  5 hours

These are called 'Urban Twists'

This hairdo is so 'me': trendy

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU"LL THANK ME LATER!

FYR™ Swimsuit Reveal is ON!

Are you ready for the Forever Young Revolution™ to be the solution in your resolution this year?
It is often easier to show love to others than to ourselves, so this year I’m challenging you to spread that love to you, too. For me, it is getting a gorgeous swimsuit(s). All my life,  I have always avoided wearing swimsuits, mostly because I was shy and partly because I was insecure about how I would look in them. So here I am, 32 years old, two children later and I can't wait to buy and wear my very first swimsuit...  What about you?  Have you lived your life shying away from them, too?  

I already have my eye on quite a few red-hot-on-fire designs. But, I’d rather not be doing this alone, so I am sending this message to all who want to join me on this exciting ride.  It’s the FYR™ Swimsuit Reveal. All you have to do is ‘follow’ my blog, get your copies of the FYR™ eBooks and join The Revolution. I’m betting you’ll love yourself a little differently if you do.  Everyone who hops aboard must send me an email telling me about themselves and why they want to join in the fun. You must also include a current photo, and then, another photo of the new you, so that on July15, 2011 the reveals can take place:  

All of us will reveal ourselves in our bathing suits. The excitement doesn’t stop there, for twelve lucky people will get the chance to be featured in the very first FYR™ Calendar. All profits, of which, will go to support a worthy charity. How about it? Love yourself a little differently and help feed the hungry? I can’t wait to stand by all you healthy bathing beauties at the event. To purchase your copies of the FYR™ eBooks just look to the right side of this blog and click 'Add to cart' and your e-books can be downloaded in seconds.
May I solicit your help in choosing the best swimsuit for me? Anyway, as you all know I just had my second child 6 months ago, and here's how I look now after the FYR™ program:

V is for VICTORY!

okay here are a few of some of the swimsuits I've been checking out, I will number them so anyone who'd like to leave a comment can tell me which is their favorite. If I could buy them all I would :)

1

2

3

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5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

I like them all, but I have to choose at least three or four Hmmmmmm, the search is on. Join me, it's not too late to get to your goal before or by summertime.

Remember to drink and eat to your health, you'll thank me later!

Exercise & Breastfeeding

THIS PICTURE SHOULD BE THE POSTER FOR 'BREASTFEEDING FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN & MOTHERS'

How beautiful is the girl you see above? This picture got my attention because what she's doing is just incredible: in the middle of a busy beach, Mother of three, Pauline Thomas stops to breastfeed her baby. I have always been a big advocate of breastfeeding because I know the benefits to Mother and Child. Also, that's all I knew growing up: I watched my Mom breastfeed all my siblings and I was determined to do my best to follow that example. I believe any amount of breastfeeding is better than none at all. My hats off to those women who go all the way till baby is 12 months and beyond!

With my first daughter, I woke up every 20 minutes to breastfeed and I thought I was going to lose my mind. But later when I watched her grow with little or no health issues, I was glad that I did. It was also very easy to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I waited till I was done nursing (six months later) before starting any form of exercise, partly because I was tired all the time but mostly because I was just lazy. But after 3 months of diet and exercise I surpassed my goals and went down to a size 4 (I was a size 6 when I got pregnant and ended up a size 10 by the time I had her). Breastfeeding had helped me burn alot of calories to begin with, I guess the late night feedings were worth it, LOL.

Anyway, my point today is that I now have my second child and I wanted to start exercising while I was still breastfeeding and was not sure if it would affect the quality and quantity of my breastmilk. After some research, I was inspired to go ahead and start exercising. I must say I've had no adverse reactions from baby so far, plus I realized that I produce more milk as well. I eat a healthy diet and the recommended 500 more calories you should eat while breastfeeding and I still feel like a million dollars :-) Mommy is happy and baby is, too.

My daily routine is hectic but who says mommies don't have the hardest/best jobs? I wake up before everyone and drink a big glass of water, baby usually wakes up soon after. I had asked my friend Pauline (pictured above) what to do with all the leakage during exercise and she had told me she pumps first.

I must say breast pumps and I have issues, for some reason they hurt for me (my nipples to be precise), so what works for me is that I nurse the baby on both sides and when he goes to bed, which is usually soon after, I use some breast pads and I hit the floor and start my exercise routine. I make my healthy shake for breakfast, make coffee for hubby and get Nina ready for homeschool(brush teeth, bathing, breakfast etc)I do a marathon shower before baby wakes up and then my busy day really begins. Now I am accustomed to the schedule and it works just great.

I would like to know about your experiences with breastfeeding and exercise and how you make it work for you.


Mother of 3, Pauline Thomas, looking like she's just 16! BTW, the picture to your right was taken barely three months after she had her third baby, and she's a full-time working mom too, wao!

Thank you Pauline for your love and support and Merry Christmas to you, Rere and your beautiful children, Cynthia, Chris and baby Ntu :-)

For more on Breastfeeding visit lalecheleague.com they are just wonderful.

Drink & eat to your health, you'll thank me later!

B