Updated – Let’s talk sweet tooth.
I love sweet things. If I had to choose sweet, salty or savory – sweet will always win out. When I think of creating balance with my sweet tooth sometimes it’s incorporating it into my typical routine like having dessert most nights. Sometimes it’s finding ways to change up traditional recipes like this one.
There are some things that can’t and shouldn’t be replaced. Trust me, I’ve experimented. Sometimes are better left they way they are.
As an athlete or for someone who is trying to incorporate more protein into their diet it can be tough to find ways to do it that are satisfying. That’s how this recipe came to be.
There are TONS of protein cheesecake recipes out there. I’ve tried a bunch of them, but as I’ve learned more about nutrition overall and become more comfortable in the kitchen, I realized some things can’t be completely left out like fat.
Anyway, fat is delicious and our bodies need it.
Last week, I experiment with a new whey protein powder I bought. Whey isolate, is different than a blend. For one, it’s thinner when mixed with water or milk, but it also doesn’t add thickness like a casein blend does when mixed with things like oats or yogurt.
To make this cheesecake filling no- bake, I left out whole eggs, however, I knew I needed to incorporate fat some how otherwise the texture could be spongey.
Also, having lactose intolerance has been interesting as I’ve figured out which dairy sources cause issues for me. Because of that, my fat source was light cream cheese, enough fat to have flavor and texture, but doesn’t cause any GI issues for me – total win!
What happened in the kitchen was magical, so here it is.
What You’ll Need
- 8 ounces of cream cheese (store brand’s light cream cheese)
- Vanilla extract to taste
- 1 tablespoon Splenda (or any sweetener)
- 3 tablespoons of egg whites (2 egg whites separated from a whole egg)
- 2 scoops of protein powder – I used whey isolate
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt – I used 0% to bring the overall fat content down
- Keebler graham cracker crust pieces
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese. Put in the microwave to soften. Heat for 20-30 seconds at a time. I needed about a minute and 20 seconds.
- With a hand blender, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add yogurt and blend. You don’t need to use 0%, but if you’re trying to keep the total fat content down then it’s highly suggested.
- When thoroughly mixed add vanilla extract. I used 2 teaspoons, but this is completely on preference. Blend until smooth.
- Add in egg whites and 1 tablespoon of Splenda. At this point it should taste like cheesecake, this is the basic form.
- Pick your protein and add it slowly while blending with the hand mixer and scraping the sides as needed. I used a whey isolate, using a casein blend may make it thicker – if that’s the case a little almond milk or water may help with consistency.
- I divided the filling into 4 mason jars for easy storage and travel. I let them sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours before consuming.
- I topped the cheesecake filling with 1 tablespoon of crushed graham cracker from Keebler. You could also use the mini pie shells Keebler makes or Goldfish grahams.
Try it out and let me know how it goes! What protein do you think you would want to try using for your filling?
<3 Cristina
