Mini White Chocolate Cheesecake

This post is WAY overdue. And although I wanted to have more step by step photos for my first recipe post, with how this pregnancy has been (those that follow me on social media know the deal!), who knows when I will be able to make that happen. 

And I definitely wanted to get this out to you ASAP!

When I had my home baking business, Eat Bake Love, cheesecakes were something I always wanted to add to the menu. But due to at-home ingredients restrictions, it was not a possibility. However, these bad boys were a HIT at every single party we had or gatherings we brought them to. 

And today, this holiday season, I wanted to give the inside scoop so that YOU can make them for all of your parties, gatherings and favorite people!

There are two ways I have made them over the years: one is with silicone molds and the other is with good old fashioned cupcake liners and cupcake pans. The latter proved to be the easiest and gave me a more consistent outcome each time, but I will share both techniques anyway.

Feel free to skip down to the recipe.

SILICONE MOLDS:

Some cheesecakes using the silicone molds. Look at those flowers! Hearts were a favorite too!

I have used a few different kinds of silicone molds, depending on how I want them to look. I've used these round ones , heart shaped ones, and flower shaped ones and you can easily get them from Amazon.com. With this method, I did use roasting pans and filled them with water to get a softer, creamier texture with the cheesecakes. I already had this one from my mom for when she makes turkey for Thanksgiving. But this would suffice too.

This technique, like I mentioned, was the harder way. Adding the water did give a more creamier texture; however, it was hard to pinpoint the proper timing for each mold to make sure it didn't overcook (hard and grainy) or undercook (too creamy and more like leche flan than cheesecake!)

And it wouldn't be the same each time! SO frustrating. It may have been my oven, it may have been that particular day of mixing, it may have been the amount of water I used...I don't know. All I know is that, I didn't have the time or energy to figure out what was making it so inconsistent. And when it would turn out over or undercooked...I'd get SO sad and frustrated because I spent the money, time and energy and did not have the time to make a new batch.

BUT, they looked absolutely stunning to not have any liners around it, and the fun shapes were, well, FUN! And CUTE! 

So if you have the time to experiment and find what works best for you, go ahead and use this method.

My times always ranged from 31-45 minutes depending on the mold (crazy range, right?!), and I would use the method of "open the oven partially" around the 20 minute mark to again, increase the chances of getting that creamy texture and gauged if they were done depending on if the middle of the cheesecake was firm.  

CUPCAKE PANS & LINERS (my now preferred method):

With this being the most consistent and easier method, I now use this one all the time. I can't do the fun shapes like before, but you can definitely customize with plain cupcake foil liners or more decorative ones like these. Just note that non-foil liners tend to lose the design a bit from the mix after they are baked.

Using my regular cupcake pan is so much easier now. You can use the same recipe below, and the time it takes me is 13 minutes, then I open and flip both pans and bake for another 12 more minutes, for a total of 25 minutes.

CUSTOMIZING CHEESECAKES:

For Hubby's Warrior Themed Birthday using the long toothpicks when I should have used the smaller ones

Another way you can customize is by sticking things onto the cheesecake like I did for the hubby's Warrior themed birthday above.

Of course, in hindsight, I probably should've used the shorter toothpicks and not the sandwich ones, because they were super tall! Lesson learned.

If customizing it that way is not something you want to do, you can always just use the colors of your party like I did with this photo below: blue and gold foil liners. 

For another gathering that was Warrior Themed

Side note, sometimes the batter or the crust mix make more than the 24 cupcake-sized cheesecakes. In these cases, I use a mini cupcake pan and bake the remaining like the one pictured. They make for great cheesecake bites!

Okay, now finally on to the recipe!

Hope you enjoy! Drop a comment below and let me know if you make them or feel free to email me with any questions you may have!

Lots of Love,

Phoebe Grace

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MINI WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

For a printable version, click here. 
*This crust, timing, and number of servings is for the cupcake pan and liner method

CRUST:

• 1/2 Cup of butter

• 2-3 rows of oreo cookie (About 306 grams)
  **You can use honey graham crackers instead and add 1tsp of cinnamon if you prefer that flavor of crust.

Superbowl Sunday treats I did for our church a few years ago. Simple liners. You can get the cupcake pan by clicking on the photo.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE:

• 24 oz of cream cheese (I use Kraft Philadelphia brand)

• 3/4 Cup of sugar

• 3 Tbsp of flour

• 3 Eggs at room temperature

• 8 oz of white chocolate (NOTE: I have experimented with other brands, and Nestle's turns out to have the best white chocolate flavor for this particular recipe.)

• 1/3 Cup of sour cream (I use Daisy brand)

• 1 Tsp of vanilla extract

• 1/4 Tsp of salt

(Optional) Extra oreo and fresh strawberries for toppings

GANACHE (for topping):

• 1/2 cup of heavy cream

• 3 oz of milk chocolate morsels

• 2 oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

DIRECTIONS:

For Crust:
1. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.

2. Crush the oreo with a food processor until it is all smooth with no more cookie lumps.

3. Add to butter bowl and mix well.

4. Add 1.5 tablespoons into each liner (or adjust to your liking).

For Cheesecake:
1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Place together the cream cheese, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl and mix until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Once egg is mixed, it is important to stop mixing. You don't want to over mix. Scrape bowl as needed.

4. Melt 8 ounces of white chocolate. If chocolate is older and doesn't melt as easily, you may have to add oil to give it a more runnier consistency. After melted, mix into cream cheese mixture on low. 

5. Continuing on low, mix in the vanilla, sour cream and salt. Scrape bowl as needed.

6. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to place into each liner.

7. Bake according to whichever method you choose from above- silicone or cupcake liner. Cupcake liner method is 13 minutes, flip both pans to maximize even baking, then bake for another 12 minutes. Remember, all ovens are different so you may have to experiment a bit and find what works best for you.

8. After it is baked, allow 1 hour to cool before placing in the fridge to chill for a few hours before serving. When you are ready to serve, allow cheesecakes to sit for at least 10 minutes to maximize creaminess. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: This recipe makes about 24 cupcake sized cheesecakes with sometimes a bit extra you can use to make mini bite sized cheesecakes. With each ingredient you are adding, be sure to not over mix and immediately stop once ingredients are incorporated well together.

For Ganache:
1. Add water to a small sauce pan on high heat and bring to a boil. 

2. Place the chocolate and cream into a glass bowl. 

3. Once pan is boiled, turn heat down to medium and place glass bowl on top so chocolate will begin to melt. (If it gets too hot, turn it lower.)

4. Continue stirring until chocolate is melted completely.

5. Let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes for a thicker consistency. Then you can add it to a piping bag or ziplock bag, snip the bottom, and decorate the cheesecakes as you like with strawberries, crushed or mini oreos or whatever other toppings you like!

Lies from Getting Healthy

Getting healthy has been a struggle for me for such a long time. With all the health issues I have from top to bottom, one would think it would behoove me to make better decisions. I have a neurological condition that I had brain surgery for, heart issues, various gynecological issues, to include needing surgery for one of them, infertility issues, abnormal bleeding that has prompted multiple procedures, pre-cancerous in a few areas, pre-diabetic/gestational diabetes, seasonal asthma, and just recently, I discovered I have a malformation in my back and osteoarthritis. That's only the physical stuff. I honestly would not be surprised if I forgot something in that list because I have almost gotten desensitized when it comes to my health. I share this list with you not to gain pity or attention, but to give you a better picture of how much I really struggled with taking the steps to living a better way, despite knowing what was at stake. 

As I reflected on why, I realized, that I was believing a lot of small and big lies. Some of these lies were half-truths, and some were flat out wrong. Nonetheless, they were all keeping me from a happier and healthier lifestyle. They are in no particular order, and I have to preface again that these were lies and truths that I felt applied to me and ones that I personally needed to realize and learn. Yours may look a little different. Here we go!

Lie #1: I don't have time. 
Truth: Everyone has the same 24 hours.  Some of the most successful, wealthiest, busiest and inspirational people in the world, ALL have the same 24 hours. These same people work crazy hours, make impacts, have families, etc. but still make the time to be healthy because they know and understand the value and importance of investing in themselves. This was hard for me, because my to-do lists are often never ending, work projects keep popping up,  and mommy and wife duties keep going, that sometimes it's hard to catch a break just for myself. The last thing I wanted to do was work out. But, I swallowed the hard truth that we MAKE time for the things we want to prioritize. 

Lie #2: I'm so tired. 
Truth: You are tired from all the things you are doing; swap one of those things for your heart and body. I was really tired, and chronic fatigue is a symptom of one of my conditions. But the reality was, that I could re-evaluate and re-prioritize my schedule to fit exercise in. The other truth to this is that we may be too tired to work out or prepare healthier stuff in the kitchen in the beginning, but in the long run, we will get more energy from doing so consistently.

Lie #3: I need my sleep.
Truth: We do need our sleep, but I was using this as an excuse to NOT work out. I could have spared 30 minutes of watching tv, resting,  procrastinating, social media time, or another thing elsewhere to prioritize my health, so that I could have better energy and health to do all the things I do need to do. Have you ever seen the rocks demonstration?! If I was honest with myself, I could work out AND sleep.   

Lie #4: I can't because of health. 
Truth: Exercising was causing pain and flare ups, but I was either discouraged or using it as an excuse to not do what I was allowed and capable of doing. This lie I was scared of for so long. After my brain surgery, I struggled with many exercises. I could only do low impact things like walking, swimming and the elliptical, but even then I had to stop after 7 minutes on the elliptical while other people next to me were 20 minutes and going strong! Regardless of what exercises I tried, if pain ever flared up, I would be afraid that my conditions would get worse, potentially leading to more surgeries. That fear paralyzed me from making healthier decisions that could decrease my pain flare ups in the long run. Even if I struggled with getting to a swimming pool, or financially couldn't get a gym membership to use an elliptical, walking was the easiest and most accessible thing to do. Although that was the case, I could never be consistent with it. I would start, then stop. I just was not motivated to do it, which leads to the next lie. 

Lie #5: I need to be motivated to do it. 
Truth: Motivation helps, but it is not needed. Does it help to be motivated to workout, make a hard relationship work, go to a tough job, etc.? Of course it helps. But if we viewed situations with a sense of urgency or changed the purpose of our actions, we could do so much more without that kind of motivation. If you needed to raise money for your sick child and were given the option to work overtime, would you care if you liked your job or not? If you knew that your health issues would take away your ability to do many things with your children, but were given the chance to change that, would you take it? I needed to be motivated by a desire, urgency and value of my future (1 Corinthians 6:19; Matthew 6:33)...not by some warm, fuzzy feelings. 

Lie #6: It's not really going to help.
Truth: Every bit helps. I told myself that walking 10 minutes is so little; it was barely going to make a dent. Whether some believe that to be true or not, 10 minutes of walking is still 10 more minutes that I was not doing anything physical for myself. Then eventually, that 10 minutes will turn into 15, then to 20.... You get the picture. Whether you take baby steps or giant leaps, you are still moving forward in a direction toward a healthier life. 

Lie #7: I tried before and nothing happened.
Truth: It takes time to see results. I know there are some people who can shed the weight and inches so easily. (Grrr, I mean, grrreat for those people!) But let's face it. Many of us fall into the category of the fact that it takes time, especially as we get older. Yipee! Many of us will not shed a large amount of weight in just days or a few weeks that took months or years to gain. I am not saying that it is not possible, because there are so many programs out there. All I am saying, is that I would start a physical plan, then be disappointed after a week or two of barely seeing any progress. It made me feel like my efforts were for nothing, and that I could use my time doing something else.  I needed to be patient and trust the process. 

Lie #8: It's not fair.
Truth: Life is not fair and everyone has a different story and purpose in their lives. I would feel discouraged, frustrated or depressed even, when I would see how others, who live such unhealthy lifestyles, not  having long lists of health issues, could get pregnant easily (or so it seemed), or did not gain a lot of weight. Playing the comparison game was not healthy or constructive for anyone, including myself. The truth is that we all have our own paths and that we only have control over the decisions we make.   

Lie #9: My past will come back.
Truth: My past is behind me. This was a really hard one for me that I did not realize affected me so gravely. It was so paralyzing, where I could be staring at the elliptical and tell myself, "Okay, just do 5 minutes today, or even 1 minute," and then not be able to. I was afraid that the horrible things that happened to me and/or the horrible decisions I made when I was thinner, would return when I inevitably lost the weight from being healthier. I will save the details for another time, but let's just say it is a long history of pain that I am still healing from. In believing this lie, I was admitting that I would rather stay unhealthy, and have potentially life threatening diseases and conditions, than to have history repeat itself. In believing this lie, I was admitting that I didn't believe God was/is in control or that He was powerful enough. But the truth is, He is! I did not realize that I was doubting and in denial right away. Of course I believed that God is sovereign, and of course I believed that God is powerful. But when I was able to sit back, reflect, and admit that these were my thoughts and feelings, I was able to see I was believing it in only certain areas of my life. I needed to overflow those beliefs to this. And when I did, it set me free. (John 8:36) 

Those were the lies! There may be more, but those were the frequent ones. I still struggle with all of them from time to time, but it is way better than what it was. These past few years have been a roller coaster with my health, but God is faithful and never gave up on me! With some baby steps, giant leaps, and most importantly, some deep, honest reflection times, God opened my eyes and my heart to trust Him in this area of my life. He reminded me of one of my favorite verses, 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." I knew that I could take on the challenge and the fears because He was with me, and He is greater than anything in this world. I went from walking and low impact exercises, to doing some awesome 30 minute, sore-muscle-inducing workouts! My health has been the best it has ever been. I have had less pain flare ups, some issues resolved, and I met my end of the year goal even before the year ended! I am so excited for what 2016 has in store. I hope and pray God will continue to strengthen me, guide me and keep me focused on those big rocks to keep moving forward with my health journey!

What lies do you struggle with when it comes to getting healthier? Some of my same ones? New ones? 

Let's combat these lies together and be the healthiest we have ever been in 2016!

Lots of Love,
Phoebe Grace 

**Please be sure to consult with your doctor before starting any health plan**

Power of Words & Thoughts

Your tongue has great power. Your mind has great power. The little I know of the two already amaze me with its complexity, functionality and intelligence. The big question today is whether you are using your tongue and mind for divine things or destructive things. 

I normally see my chiropractor twice a week to manage my newly discovered back diagnoses and pain. When our 3 week Philippines vacation was quickly approaching, I began to wonder what my level of pain and capacity would be like going without any adjustments. After less than a week of bumpy roads, long car rides and sleeping in different beds, my back was beginning to feel the high levels of pain.

Beautiful Greenery in Ilocos Norte. Lots of bumpy roads to get to this beauty!

I began to research chiropractors in the Philippines and stumbled upon Dr. Jon Motley, who owns Lighthouse Chiropractic and Applied Kinesiology Center. His chiropractic practice is unique in that he also specializes in applied kinesiology. There seemed to be a lot of science to it, but the gist of what I understood was that he discovers which areas of your body are not working properly through muscle testing, and corrects or resets them on top of adjusting patients. This method, he explained, goes deeper into the root causes and also provides longer relief. (Which I could attest to, since I went the remaining 2 weeks of my vacation medicine free without being adjusted again!)

What baffled me most about my visit with him, was the part where we started tying in emotions to our bodies. It was no surprise to me when he was explaining that what we eat and our emotions highly affect our physical body and are all intertwined. What I didn’t realize was how much it did, even in its simplest, unintentional form.

Let me explain.

Dr. Motley checked all areas of my body to see how well my muscles were working. When it came to the emotional aspect, he tested it through my upper body strength. He asked me to say phrases like “I am alive,” and “I want to be healthy,” etc. Positive phrases. After each phrase, he would test my strength, probably to see if there were any signs of weakness. I asked him why I had to say those things. He then instructed me to say the opposite: “I am not alive.” And then he tested my muscle strength: significantly weaker! I laughed!!! I was so amazed at how even reciting the negative without me being sad, emotional or even wanting to mean it (or it being true for that matter) had such an impact on my strength. What more if I actually believed and felt some negative phrases, which is something I often struggle with. Hence, our words have great power.

Dr. Motley then proceeded to do something similar with my thoughts. He had me think of different things (work, finances, home and family) and tested my strength after each one. First one up: work. For the record, I absolutely love my job, the company I work for and the people I work with. It is an awesome place to be and I am so thankful to be working for the best boss and have such amazing co-workers! Nevertheless, I guess I didn’t realize how stressed I was because my strength was significantly weaker compared to some of the other categories. Dr. Motley even repeated some just to make sure I wasn’t growing tired and got the same results. Again, I was seriously amazed! I couldn’t help but laugh! I didn’t realize how certain things were really stressing me out, that even thinking about one tiny aspect of a project at work made my body so much weaker. What more if I thought of bigger projects, or how about when I dwell on certain thoughts? Hence, our thoughts have great power.

The two that get "my worst" when I'm stressed or having a bad day...my boys!
On the boat in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

Visiting Dr. Motley’s practice was not only an answered prayer for my back pain, but one for emotional, mental and spiritual.

I intentionally put this blog post in the family category because let’s face it; the people that we are closest to- our spouse, kids, siblings, and parents- are the very people that we have no problem unleashing negativity on when it comes to our words and thoughts.

We all know that hurtful words can destroy relationships and a person. We all know that hurtful thoughts toward someone can bring anger and resentment so deep, that reconciliation seems hopeless in the darkness. What this visit with Dr. Motley showed me, is that it doesn’t just destroy the person you say things to or think certain things about. Friends, it destroys you.

My body was so much weaker even in the simplest, unintentional form of saying negative phrases that weren't true and thinking of simple, stressful thoughts. How much more are our bodies affected when we repetitively, and intentionally say or think hopeless, angry, stressful, bitter, and discouraging things?

With more than two weeks of the vacation left, I knew I needed to remind myself of this new realization...and let me tell you it was hard! The heat and humidity were enough to get both my thoughts and my words going toward anger and irritation at my two boys. The heat also was not helping my husband’s attitude or capacity to function, so that upset me even more at times.

Me and my hubby on one of the HOTTEST days during our vacation

So how did I combat it?

First off, I had to admit and remember that I could not do it on my own. If I left it up to me, the cycle of frustration, anger, disappointment and irritability would just go on and on. I knew I needed to turn to God, who is greater than anything in this world- I mean, He created it! He has the power to break any chain, and these were some that needed breaking, not just for this vacation, but even at home.

Secondly, I had to preach Truths to myself repeatedly. It wasn’t enough to admit and be reminded of it. Instead of filling my thoughts and my mouth with destructive and dark things that would hurt myself and others, I needed to intentionally fill it with divine Scripture that gave Light. As my visit with Dr. Motley helped me realize, even if I don’t mean something, my words still had a great effect on my body. So friends, start saying things that have positive effects and implications, even if you don’t mean it or believe it. Even if you don’t believe that you can be patient with your kids and spouse, even if you don’t believe you can say “no” to something that will bring you down, or whatever other seemingly impossible task is ahead of you…just say it. Tell yourself you can overcome; God will overcome. You’d be surprised what will follow in the future.

Thirdly, I had to believe. Wait, didn’t I just say to speak things even if you don’t believe it? Well, yes. Believing will come the more you tell yourself something. So believe in the CAN’S. Believe in the WILL’S. Believe in Hope, Faith and Love.  I had to (and continue to have to) believe Truths and believe that my thoughts and my words can change. God can heal our minds and our words, which in turn will heal our relationships and our lives.

The next time you tell yourself you can’t do something – be it career, school, an illness, be loving and patient in a tough marriage where it’s not reciprocated, be loving and patient to your family, be respectful and show kindness to your co-workers, or neighbors, whatever it may be- be prepared to also say that God isn’t big enough. Be prepared for a more stressed and weaker body. God has been putting these two words on my heart lately for different aspects of my life:

How long?

How long? How long will you allow your mind and body to go through this? How long do you want to be exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, burdened? How long will it take for you to believe that God is able? And that He wants more for you? How long will it take for you to trust in His plans and power? Don’t stand in the middle of having the more freeing life that God has for you. Remember, repeat and believe with me today.

Lots of Love,
Phoebe Grace