Instant Pot Cheesecake

Valentine's Day and since we don't really buy anything for it since what's the point of inflated prices and cheap chocolate.  I decided to make My Mum's Brownies and a cheesecake.  So here goes.

In a 7 inch Daddio lose bottom pan. Line the bottom on parchment.

Have all ingredients as room temp as you can possibly get.  For me that is maybe remembering to removed the cream cheese from the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before construction.

Crust

-Preheat oven to 350°

1/2 box of ginger cookies, broken up finely.  Or use Graham cracker crumbs.

1/4 cup of melted butter

Mix together.  Then put it in the pan, pushing down and you the sides if you'd like. It isn't fussy, just compress it a bit.  Them bake 10minites to firm up.

Filling

-in a food processor or blender or in a bowl with a spoon mix together, until smooth:

- 2 blocks reduced fat cream cheese (for all that is holy, do not use fat free cream cheese, that isn't cream cheese)

- 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

- 1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- zest of 1 lemon

-1 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Pour cheese mixture into crust and wrap tightly in 2 layers of tin foil.  Tie a sting around it or use silicone bands to make a handle so make it easier to removed from the Instant Pot 

In you instant Pot add 1 1/2 cup water and the rack. Place the cheese cake into the Instant Pot, put on the lid and turn the vent to sealing.  Put it on High pressure for 37 minutes.  Once it has come up to temp and counted down the 37 minutes leave it there on "keep warm" for at least 25 minutes.  Then you can remove it from the Instant Pot and place it on the counter for at least 3 hours before choosing it overnight.

Then enjoy this super creamy, slightly lemony, cheesecake.

Sheet Pan Ratatouille

Sheet Pan Ratatouille is a great side for chicken or golden halloumi and garlic bread.

This serves 2, double for 4 servings

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 zucchini, cut into ½" medallions.

1 medium red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

Bunch thyme, approximately 4 tsp of leaves stripped off the stem.

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp honey

4 cloves garlic, peeled whole

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

2 chicken breasts -or- 200g halloumi

- Preheat oven to 450°

- Line a sheet Pan with parchment.  

- Toss the peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, thyme and garlic with 1 tbsp or less of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put in the middle oven rack, stirring halfway through cooking. 14-16 minutes.  Until the tomatoes burst.

- Cook protein of your choice. *CHICKEN* season with salt and pepper, brown in oiled pan 2 - 3 minutes a side and then add to the sheet pan.  *HALLOUMI* cut into 4 pieces, rince halloumi and dry with paper towel.  Heat a non stick pan over medium and dry fry until golden, 2 - 3 minutes a side.

- In a bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil, honey, and white wine vinegar, mash the roasted garlic add salt and pepper.  Toss the roast veggies in the dressing.  Serve with the protein.

- Enjoy!

Leek and Potato Soup

It is soup season.  This soup came around from finding some huge leeks at a market.

Leek and Potato Soup

2 large leeks or 4 regular leeks

6 russet potato or any other starchy potato

1 tbsp+ chicken better than bouillon

Enough water to cover potatoes

6 rashers bacon

1 to 2 tbsp butter

1 cup grated gouda

Salt and pepper

- Remove dark green leek top and slice lengthwise.  Since the leek and shake off the water.  Cut each half lengthwise again and then slice across the leek.

- Peel potatoes and chop into small cubes. Set aside.

- Cut the bacon rashers into small pieces.  Place in a heavy bottom pot and render the fat out and the pieces are lightly golden. Remove bacon from pan. 

- Add 1 to 2 tbsp of butter to pot and all the sliced up leeks.  Sweat the leeks moving around until they are all started to cook.  Cover for 2 to 4 minutes until the leeks are nice and tender.  Add better than bouillon.

- Add potatoes and enough water until all the potatoes are covered.  Cook until potatoes are soft and mashable.

-Mash potatoes, add cheese and salt and pepper to taste 

- Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Sage Ravioli

Buternut Squash Sage Ravioli

500g butternut squash ravioli fresh pasta

400g butternut squash, cubed

120 g onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely grated.

1 cup sour cream

50g goat cheese

1/4 cup sage, finely chopped not packed

3 tbsp chives, chopped

50g pepitas

2 tsp better then bouillon, chicken or veggie

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

-Preheat oven to 425° and put a 10 cups of water on to boil, adding 2+ tap of salt to the water.

- Cube butternut squash and place on baking tray, toss in olive oil, 1 tbsp sage, salt and pepper.  Bake for 22-24 minutes or until squash gets golden around the edges.

- In a small bowl combine goat cheese and half of the chives, set aside.

- Add ravioli to the boiling water and cook according to the package.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.

- In a non stick pan, toast pepitas and set aside.  Be careful not to burn.

- in the same pan add butter, remaining sage and onions and sweat 2 to 3 minutes, add garlic and cook another 1 minute.

-Add broth concentrate, cooking another 2 minutes then remove from heat and mix in the sour cream (it helps if you let the sour cream warm up a bit before adding.). Season with salt and pepper

-Add pasta and cooked squash to the sauce, then pour into a large serving bowl.  Top with goat cheese and chives, sprinkle pepitas on top or serve on the side.

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This might seem like a copy of my last cookies but I keep trying new things and this is my latest creation.  

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

235 g butter 

200g white sugar

100g brown sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

260g unsweetened peanut butter (I used a processed unsweetened PB, it doesn't separate like natural PB, not sure how the recipe would work with natural PB)

180 g flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

180g quick oats

350g chocolate chips or chunked chocolate. (I added 450g and it was way too much.  Some cookies were more chocolate chips than cookie)

Salt for sprinkling

Brown Butter

Browning the butter is best done in advance to give the butter time to cool.

-In a small light coloured pan, add butter and cook over medium-low heat until it takes on a brown nutty appearance.  I find it is best to stir it frequently so it doesn't splatter as much and it is harder to walk away and let it burn.  Once it has achieved a night dark appearance, removed from heat and set aside to cool.  You can use it as soon as it comes to body temp or even solidifies.

Cookie

-Cream browned butter and sugars together until it is slightly fluffy, add eggs 1 at a time, add vanilla and peanut butter until well combined.

-In small bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

-Scrape down the sides of the butter bowl and fold in the dry ingredients.

-Fold in the oats and chocolate

-Cover and chill 1 hour. 

-Roll into balls of about 2 tbsp and top with a bit of salt.

Preheat over the 350° bake cook for about 12 minutes 

Browned Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
by me

5 oz browned butter (I started with 165g of butter)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Make browned butter by gently simmering butter and letting the solids slightly brown.  Then let solidify.

Cream together butter and sugars, scraping the sides down.
Add egg, mix.
Add vanilla and molasses, mix.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, mix.
Add quick oats, mix
Add chocolate chips, mix with spoon.

Chill 30+ minutes.
Scoop and bake at 350 for 10 minutes until cookie is set but the bottom hasn't taken much colour.

Chicken Cherry Pie 🍒

This pie is an adaptation from a medieval text Platina Book 6.  Another Crust with Tame Creatures is a strangely delicious recipe which features both canned sour cherries, chicken and herbs in a quiche like structure.

Chicken Cherry Pie
Makes 2 pies

1 roast Chicken or 3 chicken breast cooked
2  9" pie crusts
1 cup or so or drained cherries
8 eggs
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
4 tsp finely chopped mint
Salt and pepper

Line the bottom of the pie crust with cherries, chicken and herbs.

In a pot, combine eggs, vinegar, broth, salt and pepper cook over low until thickened.  Once thickened, poor over other ingredients. 

Bake 400° for 15 min and then 350° for 25 minutes. Bake until the egg mixture is set.

Kick in the pants

Ok, this has taken me a few days to write.

A few nights ago I had a pretty scary night, but I didn't do anything about it.  I lay in bed with my heart pounding and thumping but all I did was fret.  I decided that I need to take my heart health seriously.  I need to cut put coffee and sugar and lose the weight.  I need to get more exercise.  My resting heart rate was high when I was at the doctor's on Thursday, although my blood pressure was low normal which is normal for me. 

OMG, I love coffee and I currently have a coffee withdrawal headache.  For now I plan to drink the occasional decaf, or decaf tea.  I think this will be easier said then done since I love a warm mug of a hot milky beverage.  

Since this occurred, I have managed to cut out the coffee, although I did have a decaf yesterday.  

 This is my favourite breakfast.  I take a frozen berry mix, this one contains, blueberries, sweet cherries, sour cherries, and blackberries.  I stick them in the microwave for 1 minutes to thaw them. Then top with plain 0% greek yogurt and 1/3 cup of Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch (2 points)

As you can see I mix it up to make a gorgeous purple mess. 

The coffee was my one cup of decaf made in to an americano misto.  I  used my Nespresso machine.  So it is one pod, put through on the longer setting and one shot of water on the longer setting and then topped with hot whipped 1% milk.


Definitely my breakfast of champions.

I am definitely a work in progress. 

Day 1

I wore a onesie to work today.  I mean it was really a Romper but it was made of jersey and it was my I don't want to wear real clothes.  When I bought this outfit, it was meant to wear around the house as lounge clothes.   

Because today is a Tuesday that is really really feels like a Monday and everything has been a shamozzle.

I neglected to take pictures of Breakfast and Lunch.  At least I had a plan to take pictures which I forgot until after lunch.  I do have a plan for dinner which is good since I found out that I am single parenting from tomorrow mid day to Monday evening.  Blargh,  my kids work better with a team working them toward their goals or splitting them up.  

Breakfast this morning was a 2 ingredient bagel with 2 over easy eggs and coffee (I had that at work.)  Total 5 points

Water 1 cup

Lunch, a Burrito salad.  Essentially it was a burrito at my favourite burrito joint without a tortilla.  It did come with 3 4" corn tortillas.  It was tasty but a bit expensive on points. 12 points

Water 5 cups.

I have planned for a pear and water for my afternoon snack

Dinner tonight will be a family favourite.  

Kale, Sweet Potato and Turkey Sausage Soup

The nice thing with the soup, I can (knock on wood) guarantee that my kids will all eat some.  3 points for 1/10 of this huge pot.

New Start

Wow! It has been a while since I posted anything here on my blog.  I think I need to change that.

I have been working on losing weight for ever and it hasn't really gone any where, so I need to kick my own ass.  I am getting older and my weight is getting in the way of living my life to the fullest.  I am tired and I worry about my heart, that likes to skip a beat more often recently.  In order to keep myself going I need to come up with a plan that works for me.  I have been paying for WW for years and it works but only if I work it.  I have not been doing that for the last year and I had gained all the weight back.  So I am going to try meal planning to see if I can get back into the swing of things.  

I have a terrible sweet tooth and I have been pulling the I don't care, snacking.  So that is way out of hand.  I need to find an alternative to snacking that helps.

Another thing I am going to try to incorporate is walking the kids to school.  I might need to get Kid 2 a rain coat since she doesn't seem to have one anywhere.  It is a 20 minute walk, so it is about 1 mile.  We could ride that in about 6 minutes if it were not for the youngest who is still riding a 1 gear bike, so not that fast.

Breakfasts

2 points

Berries Yoghurt and cereal

1 cup frozen berries, thawed 1 minutes in microwave

3/4 cup 0% greek yogurt

1/3 cup Nature's Path Pumpkin raisin crunch cereal

3 Points

Bagel and eggs

1, 2 ingredient Bagel

2 eggs

Pam

I think I need to look into other options for breakfast.  I know that I need to reduce my coffee intake, it has been getting kind of out of hand.  I think I need to look at some office snack that would be healthy.  Susan at our office, brings in veggie trays for her snack and lunch.  I might need to start doing that.  Or maybe just making my lunches the night before.  I spend a lot of time eating out so I need to figure out some tricks for that too.  

I think I need to up my baked goods game as well.  I like baked goods but I don't do fake sugar, so that limits the amount of "diet stuff" I consume.  I will see if I can take some fixings for microwave oatmeal muffins.

3 Point 
Microwave Muffins

1 container WW oatmeal

1 banana, mushed up 

1 egg, beaten

fruit or veggies (such as blueberries or grated carrots)

Spices

Mix all ingredients together and microwave 3 minutes.

We will see how tomorrow goes.