Classic “Cheesecake” Parfait Recipe

Hey guys! Sorry it’s been quite a while since my last post. Summer’s been flying by so quickly I can’t seem to catch it.  With the blink of an eye, school is just over 3 weeks away now…

On a side note, I’ve just finished my internship at a sensory science research center in Singapore called MMR. It’s been really eye-opening, especially about opening my eyes to the realities of working… let me just say it’s not as cool as it seems. But I’ll save that for another post!

Thankfully, summer has also given me time to try out many new recipes of my own and also experiment in the kitchen. And with the immense sweet tooth that I have, it’s not a surprise that I’ve been trying to find ways to put just a slightly healthier spin on the delectable, indulgent, and almost sinful desserts.

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All the ingredients for the filling!

One of my all time favorite desserts of all-time is a classic cheesecake. Creamy, cheesy, smooth, with an equally delicious and crunchy base makes for the best experience. Ughhhh, thinking about this right now is making me drool.

 

The one downside is, though, that cheesecake is possibly on the other side of the spectrum in terms of how good it is for you. Loads of sugar, cheese, milk, butter, cream — yeah, let’s just say too much of it is not that good for you. That’s why I wanted to try my hand at putting a healthier spin on it (and also easier to make!)

 

Toasted Oats 🙂

For the base, I knew I needed something that was both crumbly and crunchy but also tasty and also slightly buttery. That’s why I decided to use granola and crush it up to get that cookie like consistency, and adding some melted coconut oil helped it stay moist and delicious.

Next, came the hardest part, the filling. How are you supposed to maintain the creamy and smooth texture, cheesy yet sweet flavor, without all the loaded fats? Tofu came to mind. Tofu is basically a soybean-based thing that comes in different textures. Silken tofu, which is normally used in soups, is very creamy and delicious (in my opinion). The texture is also quite similar to that of a very delicate cheesecake. Though the tofu taste is not that strong, I had to use something to mask the soybean taste. I knew that greek yoghurt and instant vanilla pudding mix tastes really close to cheesecake. Paired together, this filling results in a light, fluffy, “cheesecake” mixture.

“Cheesecake” Filling

To add a touch of color and flavor (and to keep this classic!), I made a strawberry jam-like topping. It’s really simple (I literally threw a few frozen strawberries in a pan and reduced it with some cornstarch and natural sweetener) it really adds to the flavor and makes the dessert come full circle.

Look at the color…..

I’ll admit that this is not exactly like cheesecake (nothing beats the real thing), but it is a great alternative when you are craving something sweet. It also makes for really cute and easy desserts for bringing to dinner/lunch parties or gatherings!

 

Layered 'Cheesecake' Parfait

• Servings: 6 cheesecake trifles/pots
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Difficulty: easy/medium
• Print

Ingredients

Filling

• 100g silken tofu
• ¾ cup Greek yoghurt
• 2 heaped teaspoon instant cheesecake pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Base

• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

Strawberry Topping

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1-2 tablespoons maple/agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celcius (375 degrees Fahrenheit)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tofu, Greek yoghurt, instant pudding mix, and vanilla extract. Cover with cling wrap and set aside in fridge to chill.
3. Next, combine the ¾ cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons honey, and dash of cinnamon in a bowl. Mix it so that the honey in equally distributed around the rolled oats. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, or until oats are toasted.
4. Meanwhile, place 1 cup frozen strawberries in a pan over medium heat, and use spatula to break it up (until it is a bit jam like). Stir in the maple/agave syrup, 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on how sweet you like it to be. Add in the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up. Simmer for a few minutes till the sauce is slightly thick and “jam” like.
5. Take it off the heat, then mix in the chia seeds, and let it cool.
6. Once you have taken your oats out of the oven, pulse the oats in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. Combine 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of honey in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the toasted oats and spread thoroughly. Bake in the oven for another 5-10 minutes at 165 degrees (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until toasted.
7. Once everything is cool and you are ready to serve (and eat!), start layering. You can do this however you like, but I like to start with a base of the granola “cookie” crumbs, filling, then more crumbs, then more filling, then add the strawberries on the top.
8. Eat immediately! This doesn’t taste exactly like the decadent cheesecake, but it comes very close when you want something sweet, silky, and creamy, and helps quell those cravings from time to time. It’s also really cute for serving at a dinner party/gathering.

Nutritional Info:

Hope you enjoy!

Haakon Superfoods and Juice Review

Haakon Café is a Scandinavian Superfoods and Juice Cafe in SG, serving up a variety of food from acai to salad and grain bowls. They cater to various dietary needs, supplying low carb, vegan, or paleo-friendly dishes.

According to their website, their mission is to “help everyone be empowered, strong and properly nourished through serving unique, incredibly delicious & healthy food while providing a warm and welcome environment to enjoy it in.”

I’ve personally eaten here multiple times before, but they since then they’ve revamped their menu to include many new dishes. So on a casual Saturday night after a run, me and my sister decided to try it out.

At first look, Haakon café at Somerset 313 (the branch we went to) has a very inviting look, with a very rustic and slightly hipster vibe, with wooden tables paired with green plants.

First glance at the menu provided a splendid array of options from us to choose from: smoothies, Smoothie bowls, Specialty bowls, Salads and Zoodles, All day brunch, and even a Norwegian speciality “Smorrebrod”. Everything looked and sounded quite delicious, but but unfortunately, we were only 2 people.

Me and my sister each settled for one main and one smoothie bowl.

Cacao Bliss Bowl ($7.90, $12.90) is a superfood bowl with a base chia seed pudding, paired with a creamy blend of Banana, Acai, and pure cacao, and topped seasonal fruits, granola, almonds and cashews, and cacao nibs.

The small size came in a cup, and it was very  aesthetically pleasing and dare I say instagram-worthy. However it was a bit hard to mix in the fruits (because of the cup size) and I had to eat most of the fruits off the top first. The taste of the Acai was spot on, very much like a rich chocolate gelato. However, the consistency could do with a bit of improvement; while most of it was quite creamy, there were still some icy chunks that needed additional blending. The chia seed pudding at the bottom yields for a different texture and creates a unique pairing. Nevertheless, I devoured this entire cup quite easily!

Haakon’s Bibimbap ($10.90) is a brown rice bowl topped with curry yoghurt cauliflower, pickled radish and pumpkin, shredded carrots, onsen egg, mushroom medley, coleslaw, and furikake. A vegetarian dish, this bowl packed a real punch. Each component of the dish was packed with lots of flavor, and it had an even more unique taste when mixed together. The contrast of textures of creamy and crunchy complemented each other well. If you like the taste of pickled vegetables (slightly sweet, slightly sour, quite refreshing), this dish is one to try.

The Salmon Poké Bowl ($15.90) is a brown rice bowl topped with Salmon Sashimi, Mentaiko Mayo, fish roe, Avocado, Onsen egg, shredded carrots, mango, sage dressing, and furikake. The serving size of the salmon was pretty generous, with big cubes of fresh salmon sashimi. The interesting addition of a mango cubes added a slightly sweet flavor profile to the bowl. Overall, quite delicious, but slightly hard to distinguish from other Poke bowls out there.

Overall, Haakon Café is a great place to eat for health-conscious individuals looking for a variety of foods to try. Though on the slightly pricier side, it really does change the way you look at ‘healthy food’ – it can be delicious too!

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Price per pax: $10-20

Locations: 

313 Somerset: 313 Orchard Road, #B2-14

Holland Village: Raffles @ Holland V, 118 Hollands Ave, #01-03

One Raffles Place: 1 Raffles Place, #01-11/12

One KM Shopping Centre: 11 Tanjong Katong, #02-K3, Singapore 437157

Website: https://www.haakon.com.sg/ 

 

Summer XC Running Tips + Sample Schedule

Hey guys! Sorry, but I’ve been super busy with my internship + other busy work that I haven’t had real time to sit down and just write. Thankfully, I managed to carve out a bit of time today to sit down a jot a bit of my thoughts down.

Firstly, I can’t believe a month of summer has already gone by! It seems like just days ago I got off on summer break. Admittedly, I don’t feel like I spent my month as productively as I could’ve, but I guess that’s why it’s called summer break, right?  

At least my summer running has been going pretty well! Having gotten injured last summer in preparation for XC and also this past track season (which is so dreadful), I knew I did not want to risk any injury this summer. So, I decided to be super careful with my buildup, and make the effort to track all my runs (miles, workout, comments) in a google spreadsheet to track my weekly progress and see how I was feeling. Surprisingly, it has worked really well for me so far (crossing my fingers) and though I’m nowhere near optimal shape/speed for XC season yet, I’m getting there slowly but surely.

I wanted to share a few of my key workouts/runs I do each week, and also a brief sample/overview of my current training schedule. Everyone’s running fitness and level is different, but I hope this can give you just a little glimpse and inspiration!

Here are some of the more major workouts/runs I’ve been doing, and that you can try out too:

#1) Fartlek Workout

Fartlek, the swedish word for “speed play”, is just like what it sounds like: it’s basically a continuous run where you vary your speed in between, interchanging between running hard and running easy. Fartlek workouts are great for people of any fitness level because you can make it as easy or as hard as you want, depending on your current shape/how you’re feeling that day. Fartleks are usually run outside on a trail/route, preferably with some rolling hills. These runs are great because they are challenging, but you finish feeling refreshed rather than fatigued.

A sample of some fartlek workout ideas are:

• Hilly Route: Run hard uphill, easy run on flats, run hard on downhills
• 4 mins “on” (faster pace, I usually run it at tempo pace, a pace I can hold for around 40 minutes) , 2 mins “off” ( recovery pace) x 4 times  + warmup and cooldown
• 3 mins “on”, 2 mins “off” x5 + warmup and cooldown
• Song: During the chorus, run hard, during the other parts, run slow

 

The great thing about this is that you can really adjust it to your own level. For some people, the “on” part may be a jog/run and “off” a simple walk, while for others the “on” would be run at 5k/tempo pace and “off” at recovery pace. You can also vary the number of times you run the fartlek ( thus adjusting the number of minutes you run). This run is especially great for cross country runners because during a race, you don’t know how far you’ve gone, so you really have to rely on feel for judgement.

 

#2) Tempo Run / Tempo Intervals

Tempo runs are one of the most important runs for cross country training. A tempo run is basically a steady effort/pace, usually somewhere around 10k pace or a bit slower. Tempo runs are great for developing your Lactate Threshold (LT), which basically determines how fast your body can clear lactic acid from your muscles. Tempo runs are great for developing strength, speed, and also stamina and mentality, as it really is learning to be comfortable in the “uncomfortable”. You should feel that the run is “comfortably hard”.

 

I like to run my tempo runs in 2 variations: sustained tempo runs or tempo intervals. Sustained tempo runs are anywhere from 15-30 minutes long at a tempo effort, while tempo intervals are interval runs at a tempo pace (or slightly faster). Depending on where your fitness level is, it’s easy to build up your tempo runs to a greater mileage/faster pace.

 

Some Tempo Run Ideas are:

• 10 mins warm up, 20 mins sustained tempo, 10 mins cooldown
• 10 mins warm up, gradual tempo (increasing pace), 10 mins cooldown
• Warmup + 4x 1000m at Tempo Pace + Cooldown
• Warmup + 3x1500m at Tempo Pace + Cooldown
• Warmup + 4x1000m at increasing pace, slower than faster (start slightly slower than tempo pace, finish slightly faster than tempo pace) + Cooldown

 

I like to run my tempo runs either on a trail outside or sometimes even on the treadmill, as it is easier to determine my pace and keep my pace. Tempo runs take lots of mental toughness, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get to where you want on your first try. Remember, gradual buildup is key.

#3) Long Run

The long run is arguably the most important run for a cross country runner (and even more so for half marathon/marathon runners). Long runs are what they sound like: runs that are long. This varies from person to person, of course, but long runs are normally 1.25 – 1.5 times of your normal recovery run length. For example, I run an average of 8 km per day, and my long run is usually around 11-12km (1.35-1.5 times). These runs can be run at a sustained tempo pace (a bit harder) or at a recovery pace. I usually run my runs at the pace I would run a easy run, as I know that the length of the run is enough of a challenge for me.

For some elites, long runs can go up to 2 hours long or more, but I would say for high school cross country, your long runs should definitely by under 1 and a half hours, but that’s just me. Long runs are crucial for building endurance (duh) and not to mention increases your capillary growth, number of mitochondria (which produces ATP!), myoglobin concentration, maximum VO2, and a lot more.

Sample Long Run:

• 1 hour at easy pace, preferably on trails or course with hills
• Progression Long Run: Start a conversation pace and finish at tempo pace
• Tempo Long Run: Run the entire course at a sustained pace, not as fast as tempo but you should finish quite tired.

It is crucial that you don’t increase your long run length too much every week. The maximum increase should be about 10%, so if you ran 10km last week, the longest run this week should be 11km.

 

#4) Hill Repeats/ Hill Sprints

One of my most dreaded workouts is hills. Hill repeats/hill sprints basically fill my legs up with so much lactic acid and I always feel like quitting in the middle. But, hills are a very important part of cross country training, and many race courses contain at least 1 big hill or various rolling hills. Hill workouts are important because they act as speed workouts, help improve your form, and have a lower risk of injury than speed workouts.

There are 2 types of hill workouts: Longer hill repeats or short hill sprints. While the longer hill repeats are usually run at a tempo pace and help improve your lactate threshold, hill sprints are key in improving your fast twitch muscle fibers. Both are important for you to power through your race!

Sample Hill Workouts:

• 8 x 200m Longer Hills, 6 x 50m hill sprints
• 8 x 1 min hill repeats, 3 min recovery jog
• 30 min run + 8 x 15 second hill sprints
• Continuous hill run

 

So here is a sample of my week of summer training:

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wed	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
40 mins easy	4 mins on, 2 mins off x 4 fartlek + 6 x 30 second strides	45 minute recovery Run	3 x 1500m Tempo Pace	45 minute Recovery run	7 mile (11.2km) Long Run	Rest

Hope you enjoyed my post and learned something new. If you guys have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email at christinay1213@gmail.com. I would love to help out! Let’s all get after it! After all, cross country champions are made in the summer 🙂 

Pic Creds: Mark Callon 

Have a great rest of the week. Peace out!