A year ago, I was running. But then a weird fluke fall led to a hip break, and then a foot break, so I’ve been cross-training and strength training for several months. The one day I tried running again I fell over. Again. Yes, it’s definitely me. Can’t blame the even suburban terrain on this one!

So the other day I was just walking, heading calmly to my weekly voice lesson, and down I went. I gotta tell you, I was pretty embarrassed. Especially because I wiped out right in front of a whole group of ballet dancers. Nothing is more humiliating then falling over in front of a group of stick-thin, graceful women who have body coordination. So as soon as my lesson ended, I ran home and made this fro yo shake to recover my sense of equilibrium.

Okay, I just needed to pound some sugar. I admit it! But this shake is thick and creamy and it’s made from Greek frozen yogurt and skim milk, so it’s not a crazy Coldstone-style indulgence. It sure feels like one, though!

You may notice that it doesn’t look super pretty. That’s the result of blending peanut butter Oreos into the shake. So I kind of don’t care how it looks. It tastes incredible. Case closed.

This time around, I used Safeway brand vanilla toffee flavored Greek frozen yogurt. I love toffee with peanut butter, so it worked great. But any vanilla frozen yogurt will do, Greek or otherwise. However, the slight tartness of the Greek fro yo will play just a bit better against the sweet peanut butter Oreos. So if you can get that, go nuts!

Just a quick whirl of the blender, and there you are! Therapy in a glass. Perfect for those days when you fall down in the most theatrical way possible, or for any day that you need a pick-me-up.

And mind your step! It’s a dangerous world out there.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 scoops vanilla Greek frozen yogurt (low-fat works)
• 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups skim milk
• 4 peanut butter-flavored Oreos, broken into pieces

Instructions:

Place the ingredients above in a blender. Pulse until the Oreos have become liquefied with the milkshake.

Pour into a glass (or glasses) and serve. Can serve up to 2 people.

Note: for an extra peanut butter kick, feel free to add a spoonful of peanut butter to the blender!

1) Several epic fails while testing out recipes

2) Taking bad pictures of delicious food

3) Getting sticky residue on every available kitchen surface

4) Turning down a night out because you need to wait for dough to rise

5) Figuring out how to share all of your baked goods

6) Constantly thinking of new ideas for recipes

And, my challenge of the week:

7) Sharing a recipe when the subject (in this case, a cheesecake) was a gift to another person, thereby preventing me from taking pictures of a sliced version and making you drool.

To make a long story short, I baked this cheesecake for our amazing babysitter’s birthday. She’s been lovingly caring for my daughter and I figured the least I could do was send her home with a birthday treat. I’m so glad it turned out well!

How do I know it turned out well? She told me, for one. But I also got a sampling of the stuff that stuck to the side of the springform when I released the pan sides, and it was really awesome.

The white chocolate portion of the cheesecake has two sources. The sneakiest part is the white chocolate melted into the graham cracker crust, my favorite of all baking tricks. But I also melted white chocolate and spread it all over the top of the cake. Very simple!

For the cheesecake itself, I decided to keep it free of anything but cheesecake. White chocolate is very easy to overdo because of its overwhelming sweetness, so it’s better in this case to leave the tangier filling to stand on its own.

Everybody deserves a birthday cake, but especially the people who treasure your children as much as you do. So here’s to somebody amazing! And I’m totally okay with not having pictures of the slices. She’s worth it!

Cheesecake:

• 3 packages (24 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs

Crust:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Topping:

• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a springform pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and white chocolate chips for 45-55 seconds. Stir until smooth and combined. Add the brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs, mixing until the crumbs are moistened. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat again. Finally, add the eggs and beat until just incorporated.

Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust and bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking.

When the cheesecake is done, turn the oven off and crack the oven door. Remove the cheesecake once the oven is cool.

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave for about one minute and stir until smooth. Spread the melted white chocolate on top of the cheesecake, swirling with a knife or spatula.

Chill the cheesecake overnight. Cut into wedges and serve.

Cheesecake is exciting. I used to go to The Cheesecake Factory and inhale giant slices of peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake. It was really awesome until they stopped making it. Oh yeah, and until they posted their nutrition information. All of a sudden, I was horrified.

Okay, I know cheesecake is not a health food. Duh! So now and then, of course I’ll indulge. But I have to have cheesecake more often than “now and then,” so that’s why I decided to make this cheesecake!

It’s so pretty, isn’t it? All Oreo-tastic. I always feel happier when I see Oreos poking out of any dessert. And the fact that these Oreos are the reduced-fat variety is the icing on the cheesecake. You can enjoy all the wonderful cookies and cream goodness without feeling like you totally wrecked yourself.

The cheesecake batter uses reduced-fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt, which adds creaminess and a slightly tangier edge to the filling.  You’ll notice that the cake itself is a little, well, skinnier when compared to its heftier, less healthy counterpart. I could have produced a thicker result by making it into a cheesecake bar in an 8 x 8 pan, but I wanted this to be thinner. Each slice is still rich with all the sugar and Oreos and cream cheese, so it’s a decadent treat without being too insane.  However, if you want to make it into bars for a thicker cheesecake layer, feel free!

If not, be aware that the bottom crust is pretty thin as well. The idea is to have some cheesecake crust without having too much. More traditional cheesecakes have crust going up the sides of the cake. Here you get a good dose of crumbly Oreo base, but the cheesecake filling is predominant.

It’s so nice and light that you can even have a second slice without feeling like you’re about to burst. You won’t believe how creamy this is. For you Oreo lovers out there, this recipe provides a great way to have your cheesecake and enjoy those crunchy Oreos without any of the usual (and totally pointless) guilt. After all, with the cream cheese and yogurt, this thing is practically a protein bar, right? Talk about a win-win!

Find some Oreos and get your cookies and cream on. It’s cheesecake time!

Crust:

• 1/2 package reduced-fat Oreos
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

• 16 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (you can also use plain)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 package reduced-fat Oreos

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9″ spring form pan with cooking spray.

Using a food processor, pulse the Oreos until finely crushed. Add the Oreo crumbs to the butter and stir until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs thinly onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes to set and then remove from the oven.

In the meantime, beat the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add the egg whites, egg, yogurt, vanilla and lemon juice and beat once more until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reserve a few Oreos (4-5). Take the rest and, using your fingers, crumble the Oreos into the cheesecake batter, making large chunks. Fold the chunks gently into the batter.

Pour the filling into the crust and top the batter with the reserved Oreos, crumbling them once again with your fingers.

Put the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the edges are browned and the cheesecake is set. Cool completely.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Cut into slices and indulge away!