Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

trainer-approved recipes

- Beth Beauchemin (Read About Beth)

It's time to eat!

Wow!  Who can believe that the leaves are changing, pumpkins are out, and another long weekend is upon us.  It feels like only yesterday that Max and I were still bouncing out the door in shorts and t-shirts and now its sweaters and jeans!  I love fall – and not just because it’s my birthday season!

My favourite fall activity is Thanksgiving dinner.  Yes, my FAVORITE thing to do is eat! Growing up on a farm, this weekend was symbolic of many things: it was (normally) the end of harvest for my dad and uncle; it meant Halloween wasn’t far away; it meant a big family get together with all the aunts and uncles; it meant we were all getting presents from Grandma since over half the people in my extended family have birthdays in September, October, and November – in short, Thanksgiving was practically better than Christmas! (practically… but not quite!)

A sweet tooth runs in our family… my mom is “lucky” enough to be satisfied with salty things, but for the rest of us, we absolutely crave a bit of sugar after a meal.  Hmmm… is there anything better than a slice of cheesecake or a few pieces of chocolate… I’m in heaven just thinking about it!  Yes, I know fatty, sugary items aren’t supposed to be on a “healthy’ diet, but I’m a staunch believer in keeping a few “yummies” on the menu.

Why?  For me, there are 2 main reasons.  First off, I can control my appetite 80% of the time MUCH better knowing that it’s ok to enjoy my treats the other 20%.  I eat well, I work out often (well, as often as I can!), I’m a generally active person… there are many reasons why I can indulge in a little sweet every now and then.  However, that is the KEY POINT. Every now and then.  One reason to indulge is it helps with self-control; as I mentioned above, a good rule of thumb is 80% healthy, 20% not so healthy!  The other reason is very simple.  Can you imagine life without dessert????  I can handle grey skies and rainy days…. No dessert?  Now that is a depressing thought!

The Belly Bootcamp moms and I worked exceptionally hard this morning, just so that we can all indulge this weekend without feeling guilty.  Cardio training for our hearts and resistance training for our bodies… we fit in a full workout so I feel completely at ease sharing my favourite Thanksgiving dessert with you.  Enjoy, and have a wonderful long weekend!

Beth’s Not-So-Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yields 10-12 servings

• 1 cup vanilla or graham wafer crumbs
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup icing sugar
• ¼ cup butter, melted (NOT margarine)
• 3  8oz packages cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350F.  2. In a medium bowl, stir together crumbs, cocoa, and powdered sugar; stir in butter. 3. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom and 1/2 inch up side of a springform pan. 4. Bake crust 8min, and remove from oven.  5. Increase oven temperature to 400F. 6. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and spice until well blended.  7. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until well blended.  8. Stir in chocolate chips; pour batter into prepared crust.  9. Bake 10min. and reduce oven temperature to 250F; continue baking for another 50min.  10. Remove from oven to wire rack.  With knife, loosen cake from sides of pan.  11. Cool completely, and then remove side of pan.

Refrigerate before serving, then dive in!

Nutrition Information: Do you really want to know?