Holiday Cheesecake Recipe

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
Provided by EatingWell.com


Serves
16
Prep Time
90 min.
Total Time
330 min.

A spectacular, graceful ending for a holiday feast or any elegant fall or winter meal.



INGREDIENTS

1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, (about 20 cookies)

1 tablespoon canola oil

20 ounces low-fat cottage cheese, (2 1/2 cups)

12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, (1 1/2 cups), softened

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoon cornstarch, divided

1 large egg

2 large egg whites, or 4 teaspoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions

8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream, (1 cup)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup unseasoned pumpkin puree

3 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves



COOKING DIRECTIONS

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan with a double thickness of foil.

Step 2
To prepare crust: Combine crumbs and oil in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan.

Step 3
To prepare filling & bake cheesecake: Puree cottage cheese in a food processor until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the workbowl once or twice. Add cream cheese, sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch; process until smooth. Add egg, egg whites, sour cream, vanilla and salt; blend well. Measure 3 1/2 cups of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in lemon juice. To the remaining filling, add pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch; blend well.

Step 4
Pour about 1 cup of the vanilla filling into the center of the crust. Then pour about 1 cup of the pumpkin filling into the center of the vanilla filling. Alternate the remaining fillings in the same manner; concentric circles will form as they spread. To create a marbled effect, gently swirl a knife or skewer through the fillings.

Step 5
Place the cheesecake in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2 inch up the side of the springform pan.

Step 6
Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles, about 50 minutes. Turn off the oven. Coat a knife with cooking spray and run it around the edge of the cake. Let stand in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Transfer from the water bath to a wire rack; remove foil. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled.



MAKE AHEAD TIP

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. | Equipment: 9-inch springform pan

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Fat Building Muscle

I know what you are thinking, I have finally lost it. There is no way there is any truth to the heading of this post. Can Fat really build muscle? Traditional thinking would tell us to increase protein if you are trying to build muscle mass. While protein is absolutely necessary to help build muscle mass, it is not the only nutrient we need.

A brand new study coming out in the next issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is showing promise with Essential Fatty Acids and protein synthesis. Essential Fatty Acids, such as Omega 3's, have been shown to be very helpful improving brain function, nerve tissue development, mood regulation, metabolism, and hormone production. This study however wanted to see the effects of Omega 3's on protein synthesis in older adults.

The researches compared Omega 3 with Corn Oil supplementation. They found that after 8 weeks of supplementation Omega 3 fatty acids stimulated muscle protein synthesis and may be useful for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging. This usually leads to weakness, fatigue, increase falls, and increase risk of bone fractures.

EFA's are essential for building anabolic hormones such as testosterone which build muscle mass. It seems that supplementation may help increase muscle synthesis or at least help in the prevention of muscle loss.

So yes it is true. Fat can actually build more muscle. But I hesitate to say this. Remember this study used EFA's, not saturated fat, which is found in most food in a Western Diet. Stick to foods high in EFA's such as salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts, sardines, and halibut. You can also take a EFA supplement if you are not a fan of fish.

Start getting some fat in your diet and build more muscle. And yes even if you are trying to lose weight building more muscle is a good thing, so don't avoid EFA's if you are trying to lose fat. You need it to function properly. Get rid of the other fat in your diet.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Best Fitness Gifts

Well it is that time of year already. As it always seems to do, the year has just flown by. I love shopping for the holidays when I know what I am getting. I can just run into a store and run right out and not have to deal with the crowds too much. When I don't know what I am getting it is a nightmare. Luckily I can do most of my shopping online now. I thought I would do you a huge favor and give you some great holiday gift ideas for the fitness enthusiast in your family. These are my top 5 favorite exercise tools that anyone can use. To return the favor please send me some other holiday gift ideas. I am really stumped this year.

If you click on the links you can actually take advantage of Perform Better's Annual Free Shipping sale, which is great for ordering kettlebells. Click on the pictures to learn more about each tool.

1. The TRX Suspension Trainer





Suspension Training is one of the hottest body weight training techniques in the fitness industry today. Personally I love using the TRX and use it with all of my clients. It is simple to set up and can be used anywhere. There are literally hundreds of exercises that can be performed with this piece of equipment, including some of my favorite and toughest ab exercises. It is no wonder that this product is being endorsed by some of the best athletes in the world, including Superbowl MVP Drew Brees.

2. Kettlebells





Again another personal favorite of mine. Kettlebells, like the TRX, can be used in a variety of ways and train multiple muscles and goals at the same time. Kettlebells are showing to be a very effective tool for fat burning workouts due to the ballistic nature of the exercises. If you are looking for fast paced, challenging workouts that will build strength and endurance at the same time, then this is your answer.

3. The Valslide





The Valslide is a lesser known piece of equipment. This unique tool can turn your flooring into an unstable surface. This piece of equipment uses friction training to improve muscular stability and strength. Use them to target multiple body parts such as your legs, inner thighs, and butt all at the same time. Or use them to stretch and tone your shoulders, chest and back. Some of the toughest core exercises I know use the Valslide.

4. The Power Wheel





No I don't mean Power Wheels that kids can ride around in. Although they should make those for adults. You can actually use the Power Wheel just like the Valslide but on surfaces that are not good for sliding. This is another very simple tool that can train all different parts of the body. The Power Wheel was designed to challenge the entire body to stabilize while moving. Because of its unique patented design, you can put your feet into the PW or your hands so you can perform unlimited core exercises. And because of the top level instructional booklet included, you will learn the best way to to get your core (abs, back and surrounding muscles) to its most powerful level ever!

5. The Gym Boss





If you have been reading this blog in the past I don't have to tell you how important interval training is for fat loss. The Gymboss Interval timer is the perfect tool to keep track of intervals. It is about the size of a beeper and can clip onto your waist band. Just set the work and rest time and hit start. You work as hard as you can until you hear the beep, then rest and repeat. Below you can actually see a video I made a while back using the Gymboss and Kettlebells.




There you have it. My 5 top holiday gift ideas. I highly recommend using the holiday free shipping deal going on, especially if you are purchasing Kettlebells.

Enjoy the holidays!

You Stay Healthy San Diego.

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator