Hazelnut Cheesecake Dessert--Comfort When You Need Some Love?

I have to be honest. I have needed some comfort food lately. My life has been in a tailspin like never before, and I have just not been able to bring myself to blog. I am barely even cooking. I will spare you the details, but we can just leave it with my latest insights: relationships are hard, even with the best of intentions. Families are complicated, especially sharing a business. And when you really try to do something significant to change lives, you will have opposition.

So continuing with my honesty, I have really slipped up the last few weeks. My old comfort foods, barbecue potato chips and french fries found there way into my mouth. It is what it is. With my stomach in knots and my life in turmoil, even with healthy food within reach (that is what planning gets you--no excuses) I chose the treats. Somehow I needed to be bad. Someone might know the psychological reasoning for this behavior; as I am sure there is one. I just wanted to fess up in case you go there too sometimes.

The thing is, guilt later just adds to the problem.  Feeling like a failure in every part of my life, one evening, I made this treat. It fits in my eating plan, so no guilt.  It was yummy and my boy at home really liked it too. The thing is, neither the bad-for-me-food nor the healthier substitute really brought me comfort. A lot of us have used food for reward, for comfort, for protection. It is not that great a friend though, because it still doesn't feel like love. Only hugs from those who love you and the touch of God's unconditional love can do that. So that is my lesson for this time in my life.

Here is my recipe. Even easy enough to make while heartbroken. Sorry for the not so great photo--it was getting dark and I just didn't have any creative juices going. I am back on track from my crisis potato chips, btw. They just didn't help.

Hazelnut Cheesecake Dessert

8 oz neufchatel or cream cheese

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup hazelnut sugarfree syrup

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp powdered Swerve

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Pour into 4 dessert glasses and chill.

With neufchatel cheese, each serving has:   74 calories     2 carbs      6 g fat   5 g protein

So lets keep this true confessions theme going. I thought Pearson had finished this dessert off the night I made it. As I headed into turn the lights off in the kitchen and head to bed, I saw there was still a serving left. Still in the bowl of the food processor. With the kind of attitude that comes only with true weariness, I just dumped it back into my dirty punch cup and placed it in the fridge. Under the mushroom leftovers. It sat there three days without so much as a piece of plastic wrap to cover it. Yup. Before writing this post, I went to find it. Still there. Oh my, this is still so good! Despite all my gloominess about food not fixing your problems, please do try this. If you are already in a good mood, then it will bring a smile to your face!

Now on with my story, because this much could involve you just a little. As most of you know, cooking and blogging are not my calling. I teach. I seek out kids who are crashing in the traditional classroom. In my program, it is not all about grades and arbitrary standards of success. Instead of experiencing a hundred little failures a day, they get to learn in an atmosphere where they can learn but not fail. We focus on the ways they learn best. This requires a lot of one on one instruction and will only work in a small school setting. Think one of a kind artisanship instead of mass production. That's is what my school is about. This past week, I have been facing closure. Financially we are not making it. Most of our teens need scholarships. We never turn a student away. This week, I lost both of my young directors, one of whom is my son. One leaves on good terms and the other, not so much. Without a volunteer staff, I have no idea how to carry on. But several of my incredible teens have begged me not to give up. See my gift from one of my students?

To pull together a restart, I need to find more volunteers. I cannot run a full summer program without more adults. At this point, I don't have enough money to get the summer rent paid. Every penny I earn through my cookbook sales goes to our school. Not just a percentage. All of it helps provide for these kids. So, If you want to help us out, buy some books and you will be a winner too. Either my e-book or any of the Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks if you order through my page. http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

If you would like to know more about our educational model, check out our webpage. www.elementeducation.org 

We take donations via paypal, so if you have all our books, any donation would mean a lot to our teens...and me. And maybe once the financial crisis is over, I will find more time for blogging and recipes.

Get more great recipes at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page:               https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Proceeds from my book sales go entirely to support my educational program. Your purchase makes a difference to the teens I teach.