Just a quick reminder about the eBooks giveaway for The New Green Smoothie Diet: if you’d like to enter to win a copy, simply leave a comment on this post! Giveaway ends Monday, March 12th at 12pm EST, and two winners will be chosen randomly.
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Today marks day 5 of the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse. And so far? I’m really liking it. I’ve felt this surge of energy, particularly on day 1, which I mostly attribute to the tons of raw vegetables I’m eating throughout the day. Since cutting out nearly all processed foods and gluten, I’ve noticed that I feel much less bloated after meals. I don’t think I have any gluten sensitivities, but I figured it was worth a try to nix it for a few weeks and see what happens.
No color corrections here - the juice was actually this shade of green.
For the most part, I’m also feeling really satisfied with eating only whole foods and don’t have much trouble sticking to the plan during the day. The times when I find that I have the most desire to stray are right after I get home from the gym, which is just before dinner. It depends on the workout, but BodyPump classes, for example, make me want to eat my arm. I’m trying to get in the habit of snacking on a few raw veggies (celery, peppers, etc) while I make dinner to tide me over, and that’s been helping. Also, nearly everything we have in our fridge and pantry right now is on-plan, so even if I wanted to eat a cookie (or ten), I can’t. I think this is key for setting myself up to succeed, at least for now.
The one time where I really have to reign in a craving is right after dinner, when I almost always want something sweet. The other night, I was making some trail mix for Aaron to take to work, and opened a bag of chocolate chips. I literally stopped for a second to smell the roses chocolate – not eat, just breathe it in. And in my moment of crazy, I decided it was definitely time to make a dessert that I could enjoy, for fear of being that girl who regularly smells a bag of chocolate chips. Who does that?!
I looked to Finding Vegan for inspiration and immediately fell in love with a recipe for a nearly raw, vegan lemon raspberry cheesecake from Life {and Running} in Iowa. It was my first time making a cashew-based cheese, and I followed the recipe exactly, but subbed in agave instead of honey, and used a tart pan instead of an 8×8 inch pan. I love the pretty edges that the tart pan created, although next time I’ll probably stick with the smaller pan so I can make thicker slices.
Now, I haven’t had a piece of real cheesecake in a long time, but I think the filling could potentially fool even a die-hard cheesecake lover. The crust is also outstanding, and uses a combination of walnuts, almonds, and dates – similar to a Larabar.
It’s just decadent and rich enough, with a bright raspberry topping that I could happily eat all by itself. Sure, there was no chocolate involved, but honestly? I didn’t even miss it.
So, here’s to hoping this dessert will keep my nose out of that bag of chocolate chips…
Happy Friday!
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
So glad you like it! And your photos are absolutely delicious…I think I want to make this dessert again today!!
I LOVE this dessert! I was so impressed with the texture of the filling, and I love the strong lemon flavor!
Oh, that cheesecake recipe looks unreal! I never have the patience to make anything with cashew cream, even though I know how great it tastes.
I’m curious about your cleanse- would you consider doing a post of everything that you eat in a day so we can see? Pretty please?
Sure! I’ll plan on doing that next week.
WOW girl…you went all out on the cleanse. I feel like a bit of a slacker now! I had a piece of dark chocolate on day 5 and it was HEEEEEAAAAVENLY. I literally let it melt in my tongue and was like, “YES I need to do this more often” (this being go many days without dessert).
Glad it is going so well for you!
Please do not feel like a slacker! I’ve seen your meals on your blog – those are all super healthy. I’m trying to be kind of strict for a few weeks just to see how I feel, but I will most certainly be eating chocolate soon enough. My plan is to re-introduce it, along with gluten and whatever else, one at a time so I can take note of how my body reacts.
I dealt with so many emotional detox symptoms…it was tough some days. We’re doing a week long one on April 1 so I’m hoping I’ll be able to do the GF then too. I have a “conclusion” post coming up next week and I am proud of the progress I made…and my rekindled love affair with salad!
that cheesecake looks amazing, good job on sticking with your cleanse!!
Thanks, Rhonda!
I;m not even a fan of cheesecake but oh my word this looks decadent and heavenly. The berry/ cheese combo is a winner and this would ward off any sweets craving I had for weeks. Lovely!
How beautiful is that cheesecake?? I’ve been lovin’ all over the soaked cashew thing so much lately. I just made a savory dilled “cheese” spread with them. LOVE!
That cheesecake looks fantastic! And your pictures are phenomenal. What beautiful colors!
Thanks, Andrea! The raspberries are phenomenal as a topping. I think I need to set aside more of my grocery budget for berries!
That looks amazing! I’m definitely going to make it this week. As someone who suffers from a major sweet tooth, I need an arsenal of healthy sweet treats that I can eat to satisfy my cravings. I have a feeling this is going to do the trick. I totally laughed out loud and nodded in agreement when you talked about smelling the chocolate chips. I just participated in a week long Clean Food Challenge and found myself doing the exact same thing two different times. So, no, you’re not the only one. Good luck with the cleanse.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one smelling chocolate chips! I’m just waiting for my husband to walk in and see me doing that. haha
oh.wow. that looks to die for. I’ve never made a cashew crust kind of dessert either but have been wanting to for some time. I’m not restricting myself from chocolate right now but I’d certainly take that over it looking at those pictures. seriously gorgeous!
Great post! I can’t wait to try this “cheesecake”.
This cheesecake is so vibrant! I really need to start experimenting and being more creative with my vegan desserts, I can’t believe the filling is mostly cashews and coconut cream.
The filling is so good! I only recently started using full fat coconut milk and it’s pretty incredible in vegan desserts or just as a whipped topping.
looks amazing! I am a huge fan of these date nut dessert things and I’ve been itching to try something new, thanks for the inspiration!
Looks absolutely delicious! I want to try that cleanse too.
I get that after-dinner sweet craving as well, and I’ve found that having a cup of hot tea usually quells the craving. Thought you might like to know.
Thanks, Beth! I bought some peppermint tea today and I think that could be the perfect after-dinner treat! Going to give your suggestion a try.
This looks fantastic! I think you’ll love the cleanse. I did the clean program cleanse for 21 days and loved it and also have kris’ book and think I’ll give her cleanse a try as well. After work and after dinner were also the most difficult times for me, especially with how much I LOVE cooking dessert
I know what you mean about cooking dessert – I love baking! There’s a lot of time in the kitchen with this cleanse, but not much actual cooking. It’s a nice change though!
Those are some crazy sexy recipes! Who does that? I do. I smell everything. It’s an obsession. The olafactory senses can take you there. No reason to deny yourself all sense of pleasure. Example, coffee. I can’t have caffeine, so rather than cut all the pleasures of coffee beans completely out of my life…I simply huff a bag of beans from time to time. Done properly, with high quality beans, this can be a meditative exercise in euphoria. Stretch the brain. Practice gratefulness. My body no longer needs to ingest coffee (and all it’s evil caffeine) to enjoy!
I just suddenly got the urge to smell some coffee beans. Even though I’ve never really been a coffee drinker (I prefer tea), the smell is incredible!
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