Nature Box + Other Healthy Food

Last year around this time I lost around 15-20 lbs. I dont consider myself fat or anything but it would be nice to tone back up. Since I moved back in August, it has been hard for me to find some kind of balance. I went from living with my mom and boyfriend to living with my dad and paying all the utilities. Since then, besides my job, my life has been different. I even started doing YouTube videos over blogging. Observing all of the conscious and sub-conscience changes is weird, actually. All of that aside, I am really trying lose weight again and tone back up!

I am a sucker for monthly subscription boxes. When I found out I could the Nature Box for $10 the first month as opposed to the normal $20, I decided to give it a shot! In the video I talk about my thoughts on it and taste all of the food.

Nature Box is kind of like Birch Box or the Glam Bag except in healthy food form. The thing that separates them {besides the fact you get food} is that you can actually pick out your snacks every month. It is nice to get some healthy snacks delivered to me. The more healthy snacks, the better in my opinion. I give the jest of it in the video, but I have a link for you guys to use in case you wanna try out the Nature Box for $10 the first month too!  Remember that you can cancel after the first month, which what I think I am going to do. It isnt because the snacks weren't tasty or unhealthy or anything like that. It's just that I have been dying to try Tera's Whey Protein Powder for over a year now and it is $20. That's where my "healthy food not from the grocery store fund" is going for April.

 

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Try out the Nature Box yourself for $10 the first month here.

Since I have had this blog for over 3 years {it sounds crazy}, I figure I could feature some of my favorite healthy blog post's here to go with the video

Breakfast Smoothies and Meal Prepping {feat the Green Banana Split Smoothie}


Love Pink Skinny Cheesecake Bites 

Skinny Fun-Fetti Cheesecake Dip


Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Pops
 

Anti-Aging Weight Loss Beverage


I just realized that the majority of my healthy food blog post's have to do with cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

Have you guys tried the Nature Box?

Are any of you health food enthusiasts?

What is your favorite subscription box to get every month?


thanx for reading!
<3
Erica

Favorite Healthy Meal Bars

I love taking Luna Bars to work with me. I have breakfast when I wake up {which is in the form of protein} and meal 2 is always made right when I am running out the door. I bought myself a cute to go tumbler to take it with me to work. By 1pm, I am still at my job. A pizza and wing restaurant. If I don't grab a bar to eat around this hour, I will cave and go for a flat bread or burger. Bars are perfect to throw in my bag and take with me so I don't do that. Here's some I currently have {had} lying around.

Luna Bars:

are anywhere from 200-300 calories.{?} They do fill me up and are equal to a full meal for me. I never really finish a whole bar. Unless I am really hungry.

Caramel Nut Brownie Luna Bar:

This is my favorite Luna bar. It does kinda have that meal bar taste/texture, but it is the closest healthy thing I have had to a brownie. It is so rich and dense, like a brownie would be. There is a layer of caramel on the top of the bar and that part is perfection. It is just caramel perfection.I found this flavor at Wal-Mart for $1 near the vitamins.

White Chocolate Macadamia Luna Bar:

Before I discovered the Caramel Nut Brownie Luna Bar, this one was my favorite. This has white chocolate coating on the bottom, like the bottom was dipped in white chocolate. It is delicious. It reminds me more of a dense granola bar

Peanut Honey Pretzel Luna Bar:

I was expecting to find pieces of pretzel in the bar but I didn't find any. It does mix sweet and salty, however. It has a peanut butter type of coating on the bottom, like the white chocolate in the macadamia bar. The texture is also a type of dense granola bar. This one was pretty good.

Perfectly Simple Bar:

This reminds me of a plain Lara Bar. The texture and mixture is the same. I can't say it tasted like coconut cream or coconut for that matter. It has very few ingredients, all good ones. There was only one ingredient that was different from the Lara Bars. Evaporated Cane Sugar. I personally don't mind a little sugar. These were on sale last week at Target for 80 cents.

Coconut Cream Lara Bar:

This on the other hand was not a plain Lara Bar. It really tasted like coconut cream. Lara Bars are known for their very few ingredients and all this had was dates, almonds, coconut, coconut oil, and maybe I am missing a couple nuts or or something. The texture of these if you didn't know are a little firmer than a no bake cookie.

Other Delicious Bars:

Home Made Fudge Brownie Lara Bar:

If you have never been to Chocolate Covered Katie and you love Lara Bars, you need to check her out. She is where I get all of my Lara Bar recipes/ideas. She calls them Fudge Babies. Damy also has some good Lara Bar recipes too. You can make your own Lara Bars with whole, healthy ingredients. Nuts. Seeds. Spices. Oats. Dates. Raisins. Coconut. Awhile back, I posted a recipe for a Lara Bar called Fudge Brownie Balls.

{the rest of the photos were taken with my iPhone}

 Kind Bars:

These were recent discoveries and can I tell you about the Coconut + Almond one? OMG it was like eating a gooey coconut macaroon! This was my favorite bar I have had. I am serving these next Christmas instead of my coconut macaroons. Nobody would know the difference. The Blueberry + Pecan one was pretty good too. I know the Kind bars are not as filling as a Luna Bar but they do hold me over.

Odwalla Bars:

Another new discovery. I get these at Wal-Mart. These are also pretty filling but nothing is as ever as filling as a Luna Bar. those babies are dense.

White Chocolate Macadamia:

This one just looks so yummy and it was pretty good. This is more of a chewy bar.

Banana Nut:

This was my favorite of the 2 Odwalla bars. It's even chewier than the White Chocolate Macadamia and has little chunks of nuts or oats or something. It was delicious. It will be my new every day bar.

 There will be more to come on my workout routine, diet, meals, grocery lists, organization, and other ways I stay on track soon enough if I thought that's what you wanted. Let me know if any of that intrigues you.

<3

Erica

Love Pink Skinny Cheesecake Bites

Throw everything you know about cheesecakes out the window because I am going to introduce you to the most delicious, healthy cheesecake you have ever had! I of course cannot take credit for this recipe, it got from Damy Health. She has an array of healthy recipes on her site (including a vegan version of this). I have tried a few but this one far exceeded my expectations, + I took some good pictures so I am exited to share it with you.

 

Cheesecake Center

• 1/4 Cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 Cup Neufchâtel Cheese (healthier version of cream cheese)
• 2-3 Tbsp Agave or Honey. I used a mix of both. Or you can use Stevia
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1-2 Drops Red Food Coloring 

Chocolate Covered Shell

*** I used 1/4 cup of everything and as you may be able to tell from the picture, the coating is a little thin. Because of this, they were a little bit tougher to get out of the ice cube tray. The original recipe calls for 1 cup of each ingredient, explaining that there will be left over chocolate. I would go with 1/2 cup.

• 1/2 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup, Honey or Agave. I used a mix of the last 2

The Directions:

1. Set out the Neufchâtel Cheese 15-20 minutes before you start to soften it a little bit
2. Blend Cheesecake ingredients until smooth in a blender. 
3. If you live in a cooler climate, melt your Coconut Oil in a bowl in the microwave before mix it. It needs to be a liquid.
4. In a separate bowl, blend Chocolate Coating ingredients until smooth.
5. Spray a pre-chilled, clean ice cube tray with cooking spray.
6. Using a spoon, pour the Chocolate into each ice cube mold to coat the full bottom.
7. Tipping the Ice Cube Tray from side to side, coat the sides of each ice cube mold. Make sure the molds are completely coated.
8. Add a dollop of Cheesecake filling into each mold
9. Top it off with the rest of your Chocolate
10. Freeze it for a few hours.
11. When your ready to serve/eat it, let it thaw for like 5 minutes
12. Twist the ice cube tray, (like you would to remove ice cubes) to remove each cheesecake bite.
13. If that doesn't work (I needed more man power) set the ice cube tray upside down on the counter, grab a utensil and smack the hell out of the bottom of each mold until it comes out.

These are so delicious! Once it is frozen, it is even better! The chocolate around it just melts in your mouth and makes the cheesecake bites that much better. I promise these do not taste like yogurt. They taste like cheesecake! They don't even taste healthy. The chocolate covered coating is.....to die for! If your not a fan of coconut, don't worry because you can't taste it.  The chocolate covered coating just melts in your mouth (realistically and scientifically) 

thank you to Damy for the original recipe!

try em'!

xoxo

Erica

January Birchbox Review

Hey guys! So if your new and wondering why I am talking about last month's Birchbox, I will fill you in. I was a little tired of just hauling the boxes that I thought I could do more of a review and be much more beneficial to the blogging world. Instead of me talking about my expectations for the things in my box, I would have had enough time to try them out to see what I think. This is also a motivating factor for me to actually try everything in my box and use it to the last drop. Let's get started, shall we?

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray: ($20) Stila is quickly becoming my favorite high end brand and this product did not disappoint! The only color liner I use is black- for the most part, anyway.. I really don't like brown and I will try purple every once in a while on my lid but my waterline is always black. This liner is really unique. A really dark greenish color with green specks of glitter in it. I find it is a great alternative to brown for me. When im in the mood for something different, this has been fitting the bill. I do find that it can start to smudge off of the water line after a few hours.  It goes on smoothly on the lid, and doesn't really budge there once applied.

However, I do have one complaint! It is really hard to twist up and once it is twisted up, you cannot put it back down. When I first received it, I immediately called Birchbox to let them know I got the liner tube and package, but no liner. I felt really stupid even admitting it to the B-box rep. She then made me feel better telling me they had the issue of twisting the liner up and even went so far to tell me they had to call Stila to ask how to use the liner. Was she just trying to be nice? I don't think so......maybe? Whatever, once I figured out how to use it, it was good to go from there. It can be a pain from time to time though.

Jouer Body Butter: ($32) I think if anybody were to own this body butter, it would be Lisa Vanderpump. It is extremely luxurious considering it's nice frosted glass packaging, extremely creamy consistency, and light, floral scent. I think this was nice to sample because I am so used to my overbearing, so-good-you-can-eat-it Bath & Body Works butters (which I love) I never really go for anything else. I probably will not be re-purchasing it because B&BW is easier to access and easier on the wallet. I do feel rich when I have Jouer's on though. I am probably not making any sense. These are my weird thoughts. If I can help just person with this paragraph, I have done my duty (: On a more mature note, I do want to mention that, out of any body butter's I have ever tried, this one is the least bit greasy. It is actually not greasy at all, as some butter's can be. I really love that the most about it. I don't get my keyboard all messy a minute or 2 after putting it on. It is just straight moisture. Im giving it a 5/5 because of that. It's just that price. ouch.

Borghese Curaforte Moisture Intensifier: ($67) I got my Birchbox around the same time my Proactiv Face Brush came and I started using them both and after a week or so, my skin wasn't reacting well. It just seemed red and irritated so I back off of both the Borghese Curaforte and the Face Brush for a day or so for my skin to go back to normal. When I brought both back in, my skin actually got better then before both of them and I was really pleased!

This stuff is not only meant to moisturize your skin,  "it also helps your other products sink in more deeply so that active ingredients can perform more effectively. As if that weren’t enough, the lightweight formula boosts skin smoothness and clarity." (birchbox.com)

So I have been putting this on after my Revitalizing Toner (Step 2) & Before my Repairing Treatment (Step 3) following the rule of applying the light product first, and heavier products after. The consistency of the Borghese Curaforte is a very runny serum. I found out that applying them in this order really made this stuff work 10x better! (Before hand I was apply the serum after all 3steps and I didn't notice much of a difference) First off, it really made my skin extremely soft. What I mean by soft is I used to have very small pimples that would never go away and it has smoothed them out to what are becoming non-existent. I also do think it is helping my other products (Proactiv, esp. step 3) work even more effectively. I do have acne prone skin and Proactiv has always made my skin manageable, but with this added in my skin is even better. I have really liked this stuff.

Here's an awesome article about How To Layer Skin Care I found on Birchbox.com



LaraBar in Chocolate Peanut Butter: I like Larabar's, but don't love them. I am not a fan of alot of nuts and such. This bar was the best bar I have ever had! I ate it in the middle of the night and the next day went to my local health food store to see if they had any of the flavor in stock...they didn't. They asked if I wanted to buy a whole box of the flavor for $30 (16 bars) that they would order for me. I can't spend $30 on freaking Larabars, but wish I could have. I don't have an original picture to show you, I hope this one will do. credit

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy: I thought it was a really nice fragrance. This is right up my alley. If you guys like a fresh summer time scent, you'll love it. I am just going to read right off of the package for the description:

~

Wild Berries & Mandarin.

Honeysuckle, Gardenia, & Jasmine.  

(^^would go perfect with Jouer body butter!^^)

Amber, Caramel, Vanilla,

Sandalwood, & Praline.

~

There's my birchbox from Jan in review form. I do hope you guys like this type of take on it. For the most part, I usually love everything in my birchbox. Maybe not everything is a total hit but I usually like the majority of my box. Last month I really loved everything. be on the look out for this months (feb) birchbox post, next month! So far, im not really impressed but I will fill you in soon enough!

Have you guys had a chance to try everything in your box? What do you think? 

thank you guys for reading!

yours truly,

Erica

January Favorites

So much good stuff this month! I couldn't narrow it down because I am crazy pants (Snookie reference) and I have beauty/fashion/fragrance/bath: the works! I am going to be doing a separate fashion faves in a fews days so BOLO for that. I guess with all my Christmas stuff and all of the after holiday sales, I out did myself. Wanna see my favorites? k!

Be Enchanted body spray from Bath&Body Works. I haven't been this obsessed with any of B&BW scents (excluding candles) since I purchased Dark Kiss. This actually is really similar to Dark Kiss but this one is more fruity. I can tell you that Be Enchanted is more of a spring scent in comparison to Dark Kiss. If you like Dark Kiss, try this. Bath & Body Works scent description:

"Frosted florals sweetened with sparkling, sugared pomegranate inspired by all that glitters"

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Nuxe Dry Oil: I got this in my December Birchbox and recently reviewed it here with a little more detail. But I really love it as a highlight for my face. It doesn't irritate my skin at all and that has something to do with the "dry" part. You shake it up before you use it. Look how neat it looks before you do so:

Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten: There is a lot of hype around this eyeshadow, and when Stila was having their sale in December, I grabbed this for $4! Obviously it came broken and I just got my new unbroken one in the mail like 2 days ago. They forgot about me until I emailed them again. Oh well, the point is that it is just so pretty. It goes with any color, honestly! I love using this as my highlighting color. Extremely pigmented. *Love*

 Swatches 

they actually match, don't they?

Top: Nuxe Dry Oil Bottom: Stila's Kitten

no flash

with flash

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China Glaze Lorilei's Tiara: I did a NOTW about this polish. It is so pretty! It caught my eye as soon as I walked into the store. It has small silver glitters with bigger blue glitters every now and again. The best thing about this polish? I can get away with one coat! It covers my whole nail! I always do 2 coats, yah no, just in case. If im in a hurry, im good with one. I also love it because dry time is like 1 minute or 2.

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac in Chocolate Chip Cookie Lunch Box Edition: I got this for 25 cents during their Hello Yellow sale after Christmas and I wanted to grab all of their "lunch box" ones. They had juice box, PB&J sandwich, and a couple others and I am actually not sure why I didn't but this one was different then those ones because it was chocolate and I do not how they do it but it smells like freaking chocolate chip cookies! Just like a chocolate chip cookie. it has the bakery cookie smell along with a little bit of chocolate- it's too cool. I can't get over it. With a candle, I can kinda see how they make the scent exact but with antibacterial, I don't get it.

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Bodycology Body Scrub in Hazelnut: What drew me to it was the way it smelled. I am usually not a fan of nut scents or even hazelnut for that matter. When I opened this up in the store my nose went hay wire! It smells so delicious- like a breakfast pastry on steroids. The smell alone will make this a monthly favorite but that is just the start of it. I have been using this every time in the shower and it just really makes my skin so smooth. I love exfoliates and I wanna go as far to say I cant live without them, but honestly, I can live without them I just really love them. This one smells exceptionally good and I think I actually like it better then my expensive C.O. Bigelow scrub. Just throwing that out there.

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Slatkin & Co Candle in Hot Chocolate: You guys know I love candles and I have a new favorite every month and this month it is definitely Hot Chocolate. It's funny because it does smell like chocolate and I usually do not like chocolate candles but this one is just so delicious! It smells very up scale, bakery like. I don't want them to do away with it for the summer! here's the scent description, which is spot on:

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Other Favorites:

Food:
please excuse my unoriginal picture as my bf ate all my Krave! They are that good!

Have you guys tried this Krave cereal? It's amazing! It is a crunchy shell but then has creamy chocolate in the middle. Since I am back on my healthy track, I needed something that was delicious, but also good for me. This is loaded with vitamins and the like and is a whole grain cereal. It even has more nutrient's then my Kashi Vanilla Island cereal which I found really surprising.Ill be doing a food type of blog post soon, showing everything I have been eating and <3ing for my healthy diet, along with nutrition facts.


Celestial Seasoning's Herbal Tea Sampler

I have been drinking sleepy time tea for years now & I will drink it any time of day because it is so delicious. It's taste's like peppermint and chamomile. Fruity tea's are ok, I make them every once and awhile, but all of these tea's in the Herbal Sampler are right up my alley. I really like every single one of them. Now, I don't have to drink Sleepy Time tea in the day time. I also really like mixing these in with just regular tea bags to boil a big pot and then chill it for a delicious iced tea.


Television

New season's of my favorite shows are on! I am just going to name a couple and not speak on them too much because it seems like me and the rest of the beauty community are on different wavelengths when it comes to tv. I really am not a fan of any of those CW shows. I dunno I cant get into them! I love reality shows things like Forensic Files and Lockup- docudrama's. Real stories. But I hate shows like CSI- the scripted drama's I do not like at all. Tell me if you love any of these shows:

RW/RR Challenge Battle of the Exes: My favorite team is CT & Diem - do you guys remember Diem? I love her! and CT too...he's pretty hot. Lemme know in the comments if you guys are exited for the new season!

Little People Big World: This show hasn't been on in a couple years and they just started back up again. I love that show im so happy it's back on! They are just such a good family with excellent moral's and values.

Dog The Bounty Hunter: I know! Everyone makes fun of me for watching Dog but seriously I love that show. And there is lots of family drama this season which is usually not included in the previous season's.

Kardashians: I know all you guys love them. I did a blog on Kardashian's a while back and it is the most read blog post on my blog. Out of the 11,196 visit's I have had on my blog, 743 of those are coming to read my Kardashian's post! isn't that crazy? So in that post I mentioned how I am not loving Khloe one bit and Kim was my favorite. In fact I didn't even really watch Khloe & Lamar. 

This season of K&KTNYC (season 2) I do love Kim but she has been a bitch lately. I know she hates her husband or whatever but I have been with my boyfriend for 2 1/2 years and we are still not ready for marriage. Even though were not married, we try our best to meet in the middle with dis-agreements. I still feel like I have a commitment to him even when we aren't getting along so well. After 2-3 months, she decided it isnt going to work (which is fine, that's her choice and im not knocking her for that) what makes me mad is her attitude about it. anyway, Khloe has been my favorite for this season and they are doing another season of K&L so I am actually exited to watch it. 

I also thought I liked Kris H. before this season in NYC but since watching this, he is wayy too immature for Kim and doesn't deserve her....but if your going to get married I feel like you loved that person enough to try and make it work. Blech, Kris reminds me of this annoying kid I used to date when I 18....yeah, he's, well IDK how old he is, but certainly not 18!

Youtube:  

I have my absolute favorites which I mentioned a couple favorites ago, but I recently discovered a new (for me) channel that is quickly becoming one of the first videos I click on in my YT feed. I have always read their blog and just never watched the videos. Her Late Night Cravings is so much fun to watch and what I love about them is that they are always hauling and talking about different things then I usually see. That is something I really love about them- they are really easy to watch and to get into. Check them out!

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As you can see, I have a million faves for the month but whatareyougunnado - Hopefully you guys got some good idea's to try some of the things I have been loving or have even been inspired to do your own favorites post. Also, I hope someone loves the Challenge's as much as I do because I need to talk about it!

xoxo

Erica J

Candy Bars....that are Healthy?! -Grocery Shopping Ideas

Do you love sweets? candy? chocolate? ice cream? but you wanna fit into that bikini on monday, don't you?  so what should you do? cave and go crazy on junk? or should you eat healthy food and skip the sweets? You don't have to choose anymore....I have found the ultimate junk food/good for you list! Some of you may know if you visit my blog regularly, as of about 4 months ago I started trying to eat alot healthier and exercising on a daily basis I have really found some great foods- a lot of these are even better than any other dessert...without A Million Calories!

• Oreo Dipped Delight Bars- I usually dont really care for Oreo's but these could be mistaken for a candy bar that would rival a Snicker's any day...they are literally delicious about only 100 calories! Ok so not exactly an actual candy bar but if I fed you this along with a milky way you wouldn't know the difference! The cream in it isnt reminiscent of the original Oreo- it is much gooey-er and hits my sweet tooth harder *and* did I mention only 100 calories? where can you find these? I find them in my diet/health food section

**Please dont mind my un-personal images! my mom took the camera, so I found these online! Boo!**

• Cheesecake bars- Wow! they are hard to explain, but they are really delicious. It does remind me of cheesecake! - again only 100 calories with these. where can you find these? I find them in my diet/health food section. Usually they have a deal like 2 for $5 so you can grab these and the Oreo bars together.

• Skinny Cow Truffle Bars- although these are expensive at around $6-7 and if you like Italian gelato and would pay that much for it then I suggest you try these out. The hard chocolate that is drizzled on the bar melts in your mouth- they are much creamier than ice cream- My favorite on the list are these! where can you find these? I can only find these in half of the grocery stores I go to, but I have seen them in many Wal-Green's- so that much is true! and trust me guys, they are worth the hunt

• Another delicious snack is Cottage Cheese and throw some Peaches on your Cottage Cheese- I am not talking about that cottage cheese that grows on the legs (trust me I have plenty of it!) who dosen't like Peaches and Cream? and yah never know the more cottage cheese you eat, the less you will have growing off of your body!

• Gushers- Love these & im sure you all know what they are but instead of the starburst with no nutritional value, Gusher's are a low calorie treat, low fat, and are actually high in Vitamin C. you know that stuff that gushes out? that is actually fruit juice concentrated from pears!

• Angel Food Cake- there are 0 grams trans fat in Angel Food cake plus it is delicious especially with fruit of your choice on top. I think Strawberries go great with Angel Food Cake!

• String Cheese! yum! nothing like a string cheese to make my day a little more whimsical and make me feel like a kid! There are 80 calories in each stick but the calories from fat are around 50...not a good look for string cheese but you do need dairy daily! so honestly, its better than a cheese steak! right?

• Edy's Creamy Coconut Bars- 120 calories per bar with 25 calories from fat also have 3 (mg) protein and %8 calcium...after all of the boring stats about the coconut bars I need to tell you that is you like coconut..and creamy goodness...these are going to be your new bestie!

• Lastly, I love banana's I usually eat one a day and I found this nice good for you snack along with recipe: 

• Break 1 graham cracker square into 2 rectangles.Top each piece with 1/4 teaspoon Nutella. (Nutella is a hazelnut spread made out of natural ingredients.) Then slice a banana and sprinkle toasted shredded coconut. Makes: 1 serving Per serving: 71 calories. What you get: Potassium.

• While hunting for these pictures online I found a blog that offers a Clean Eating Recipe Index wow this list is long and has food for every and any body! If your on a healthy journey like me..click that link!

Great Gulit Free Dessert!

Did You Know? If you walk for at least 15 minutes a day, that will work off about 100 calories, which in turn can keep off 10 lbs. a year!

                        Chocolate Crusted Cheesecake

• ¾ cup dark chocolate wafer crumbs
• 8 ounce package fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
•  ½ cup Truvia No Calorie, All Natural Sweetener, Granulated
•  3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 ounce container fresh raspberries   
•  Topping:
• ½ cup fat-free sour cream
• Another 1 tbsp Truvia No Calorie, All Natural Sweetener, Granulated
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 3 (12-cup) miniature muffin tins with vegetable cooking spray. Sprinkle each muffin cup with 1 teaspoon dark chocolate wafer crumbs. Turn pans upside down, and discard excess. Set aside.

2. Beat cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add ½ cup Truvia Granulated Sweetener, and beat until at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 or until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat at low speed just until blended.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture; spoon into prepared pans.

4. Bake 15; spoon about ½ teaspoon topping on each cheesecake. Bake 5 additional. Remove to wire racks to cool. Chill thoroughly before removing from pan. Garnish, if desired.

5. Topping directions: COMBINE sour cream, 1 tablespoons Truvia Granulated Sweetener, and vanilla extract.

How To make: Sogno From Carrabba's

If you have a Carrabba's near you, you would know what a Sogno De Chocolate is. If you dont have a Carrabba's near you a Sogno De Chocolate (or just Sogno for short) is a bownie, layered with chocolate mousse, layered with whipped cream a.k.a. heaven... I think it actually is what heaven is-- i mean, i has to be because it is to die for! (no pun intended). When i quit working there I didnt get %50 off anymore and like I always say i am one broke bee-otch. I decided, being the little chocolatier i am, that i could def. make this myself. & guess what? success! I use the Ghiradelli brownie mix bc like the Sogno, it has little chocolate bits in it. Tip for brownie making. If your brownies dont look done- I bet you there are! and what i mean by that is the top should look a little gooey i guess the word is for the perfect brownie. If your not sure if they are done or not jusy pop em out and let 'em cool if they really aren't dont you can simply just pop em back in for a minute or 2. Secondly for the mousse I used Gorant's chocolate & if you dont live in the tri-state area (Youngstown, Ohio) your will have to order off line and trust me it is worth it! If not, you can always go to your go-to chocolate company in your area but im telling you, spend the $5 bucks on 5oz. that is truly the secret. So in a double boiler i threw in the %60 chocolate bits and 2 tblspoons of butter. stir until you see melted. or you can always pop the chocolate in a microwave- works just the same. Let cool before adding the 3 egg yolks! (unless you like chocolate scrambled eggs)and 1 tblspoon of vanilla. Next whip your own cream! Trust me, it makes for a better mousse! Using heavy whipping cream (1 cup) whip with a mixer until about half way and then add sugar to your liking- i use about 2 tablspoons. Then continue mixing with sugar in heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Take about 1/5 of the whipped cream and mix it into the chocolate until you get a softer consistency and once you do make sure to fold in the rest! very important! afterward, take the 3 egg whites left from the yolks and mix that with a mixer on the "whip" setting (thats the highest setting) then agian about half way thru that throw in a pinch or 2 of salt and then whip the white until soft peaks form on those. FOLD that into the chocolate as well. Even tho your mixture feels a little jiggly and not so mousse-y dont sweat it needs to chill for a couple hours in the fridge anyways so do that over night or for a couple hours at least. Then just like you did the whipped cream do that again. Then what I like to do (since the Sogno is layered 2x) cut the brownie down the middle and then on top of 1 piece put on the chocolate mousse & then the whipped cream on top. Then gracefully put on the borwnie on top of the layered brownie and then the mousse and then the whipped cream. all done! keep in the fridge. But make sure not to tell or show anyone unless you wanna share cuz im positive they will go banana's! Good Luck babes!