Saturday, March 31, 2012

Primal Chocolate Cheesecake To Sooth My Millionaire Dreams


I'm a little put out this morning.
I've had to cancel my bid on the 600 acres of land in Hawaii I was hoping to buy.
We didn't win the lottery...this time!
It was a fun week envisioning all of the travel we would do, college tuitions covered, and new cars...oh boy...would I love a new car!
I also envisioned all the people we would help...secretly...you do not want anyone to know you won half of a billion dollars.
Those dreams are put on hold until the next big lottery I guess.
Then I will pull them out, dust them off, and get geeked all over again.
I have a confession to make.
I cheated last night.
Carbs.
It was so beautiful outside and with my husband acting in an Easter play at church, I dragged my daughter out of  the hidey hole in her room to a restaurant that has outdoor tables.
A Mexican restaurant.
Sigh...
I had chips and salsa plus my old standard favorite...chicken chimichunga...with beans.
Sigh...
It did taste wonderful going down, and my daughter was lovely company.
The three tiny birds we threw chip crumbs to were entertaining, the sunset colorful, and the weather was perfect.
That being said...
I had a horrible nights sleep. My hips ached, my ankles and feet hurt, I could not get comfortable, and there were some other side affects which NO ONE wants to know.
Was it worth it? Yes and no.
The time spent with my teenage daughter...priceless.
The terrible night and health repercussions? No.
I am sure there were better choices on that menu, I chose not to look for them, charging straight into an old habit.
Sigh...
It has been easier to resist the foods that I know will make me feel bad.
I enjoy each day more because I feel so good, that aches and pains are almost non existent, and the fact that my day is full of energy!
I regret eating like that mostly because I was too bloated and full to eat the dessert I had made for my husband and kids.
Primal Chocolate Cheesecake!
It looked yummy and my husband said it tasted great...but man!
It is going to be a while before I can look at anything but a protein and a big plate of spinach salad.
Mmmmm...spinach salad...stomach quieting goodness...

Primal Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake base:
  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 Tbsp cocoa
  • 1 Tbsp sugar or sugar substitute of your choice
  • Dash of salt (if almonds and butter are unsalted)
Cheesecake filling:
  • 8 ounces of very dark or even unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 16 ounces of cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon cocoa, dissolved in 1 Tbsp hot water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Mix the almond meal, cocoa powder, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate in the cream in a double boiler.
  3. Cream the cream cheese.
  4. Mix in the honey, chocolate, cocoa, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
  5. Pour the mixture into the spring form pan.
  6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 60 minutes, with a pan of water for moisture.
  7. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 60 minutes.
  8. Let it cool completely.
  9. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.

I hope you try this Primal recipe and enjoy it too.

10 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it. Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I just found your blog and spent the last hour reading through some of your older posts. I'm so happy for you! And who needs to win the lottery? You made a change for a longer, healthier, happier life! Multimillionaires can't buy that! (I know, kind of cheesy, but I believe it-- I'd rather have my health than money... but both? Well, both would be great too). Thanks for writing this blog, your recipes look great, I'm sure I'll be cooking them soon.

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    1. Thank you for reading!
      I agree I would rather have health than money anyday...but both would be spectacular :)
      I think it is neat that there are people out there reading the blog.
      I started it so that my mom could find the recipes I was trying. She still has dial up (lives in the country) and has a hard time making Pinterest work for her.
      Thank you for your kind words, and hope to talk to you again soon.

      Sarah

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  2. We love going out to our local mexican restaurant. They make wonderful carne asada with guacamole, which I often get. They also make great scrambled eggs with either chorizo or picadillo (shredded beef). My husband always orders "no rice/no beans" so he won't be tempted. I let them bring mine so I can have two bites of each, then I box up the rest with all the extra tortillas and my Dad (who can eat carbs) takes them home to make a burrito for his lunch the next day.

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    Replies
    1. Nancy,
      The scrambled eggs with picadillo sounds amazing!
      I am going to have to make that for my meal one day.
      I have found that for me right now, not going out at all is better.
      I am happy with the food I eat for my meal at home.
      I have been eating to stay alive...not for the pleasure, which is all I lived for in the past.
      What freedom to spend my day on other pursuits than just food planning and preparation!
      Thank you again for reading :)

      Sarah

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  4. Heavy cream, cream cheese and sour cream are not on the primal diet.

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  5. They aren't in the PALEO diet. This is primal and dairy is allowed.

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  6. Thanks Megan!
    It is true that on the Primal Way Of Life dairy is allowed. I try for my daily food to be 80/20 but in the way that 80% is from protein, veggies, and fruit with the 20% being from dairy (as in the heavy cream in my coffee or a bit of organic cheese) most days my percent is more like 5%.
    I understand that people with a sensitivity to dairy are better living in the Paleo world than the Primal, but I live in the middle of those two eating ideas so my posts might have both in them.
    Thank you for all the comments :)
    Sarah

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  7. Thank you so much for the recipe. This is the fourth year I've been making this cheesecake for my husband's birthday. He eats paleo/primal and it's his favorite thing in the world.

    The recipe makes a huge cheesecake and it is incredibly rich, so we cut it into fourths and freeze three of them to eat later. It freezes very well and tastes just as good after being defrosted as it does when it is first made.

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