Cheesecake the easy way

I love cheesecake. I would eat it every month if it was healthier but alas a desert made out of cream cheese and whipping cream can't really turn healthy so it'll remain a couple times a year treat for me. There are only two ways I will make cheesecake. The very time consuming, very precise new york style (that isn't even guaranteed to turn out the same each time) or the never fail, wonderfully creamy easy cheesecake. It's delightful plain or with fruit topping. I like to use canned cherry pie filling on my piece :)  So when that next bbq comes around and you want a lick the plate delicious desert to bring whip up this bad boy!

Graham cracker crust
smash one package graham crackers in large baggie using a rolling pin until fine crumbs
add
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup melted butter
mix well
press into 9 inch pie pan

Cheesecake filling
1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar

in a separate bowl whip until stiff
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla after it's pretty thick
mix together and pour into crust
refrigerate until served

Slice into 8 pieces and top with anything you like! Cherries, strawberries, chocolate candy pieces the options are endless.

Granola and Trail Mix

I did something I never really thought I'd do. Not because it seemed hard our time consuming but just because I never saw the point before. Granola was never my favorite thing to munch on but with all the nutritional reading I've been doing lately, all the raw food/whole food diet stuff, figuring out how best to compile a diet for my family to grow up healthy and the "how to cook everything" book by mark bittman that my hubby gave me for my birthday I decided to give it a shot.
Not onl is it super easy but its pretty tasty if do say so myself. And its 100% natural. I started out doing a small batch but the hubs has been eating it with milk in the morning so I'm going to make a biggerbatch this morning so he can have it for breakfast and I can eat my trail mix. Maybe ill even turn it into granola bars sometime. I'll let you know.

Granola

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray then combine
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4c  flax meal (for added nutriunts and fiber but if you want to mke it without a trip to the bulk food isle it still works fantastic if you omit it)
A pinch of salt (1/8 to 1/4 tsp)

Then add
4Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp maple syrup (it must be REAL maple syrup not that icky fake stuff)
1/4 cup apple juice (i've also used orange juice cuz I didnt have apple and it was still good just a different flavor)

Stir untill it is all evenly combine and bake at 325for 15 minutes. Stir once breaking up any large clumps and bake for another 8 minutes so its all nice and dried out again.

This will store indefinently in the fridge or (im told) for a few months in the pantry. It is enough to fill a quart sized baggie.



Trail Mix

Take your granola and separate into two quart size bags (after its fully cooled). In one bag add a heaping 1/4 cup scoop on each peanuts, and dried cherries, and a handful of chocolate chips, m&m's or chocolate covered rasins.
In the other bag add 1/4 cup of crasins and almond slices (if you toast the almonds in a skillet over med-hi heat for about 45 seconds, just till they are fregrant it adds a nice flavor).
Then all you have to do is shake up each bag a bit and you're good to go.
The almond one is really good as cereal. :)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!