Finding Balance With A No Bake Cheesecake

This week I am going to share how Chris and I stay balanced. And I am going to share this with you by giving you my awesome no bake cheesecake recipe! I absolutely love this recipe because of how easy and versatile it is. It isn’t my healthiest dessert creation but it is one of my yummiest.

Everything we do in our lives is a balancing act. Friends, family, food, work, it all needs attention but we only have so many hours in a day. If you work 80 hours a week you might be first in line for that promotion but don’t be surprised if your relationship suffers. You may love eating pizza and drinking beers with your friends a few nights a week, but don’t be surprised when your health starts declining and your waist expands. These examples are exactly why we need balance in our lives.

Chris and I have been trying to find our perfect balance for the past few years. Finding that happy spot is always ongoing and it changes as we age and evolve. When you are young your balance might mean putting more time into your work than your family. As you get older you may decide you need more family time and change your focus.

Chris and I used to have full time, well paying jobs that kept us financially stable and left us with enough money to go out and enjoy ourselves occasionally. We were happy with this balance for awhile, but things changed. We decided together that having more time to travel the world, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying each others company was more important than money.

We look at health, fitness, and food the same way. When we were younger we ate unhealthily and did minimal physical activity. As we grew older we realized the importance of staying healthy and active, so we changed our lifestyles. We have been staying fit and eating healthy for over 2 years now. Do we have 6 packs and eat paleo? No we don’t, because our happy balance means enjoying pasta, eating dessert, and skipping leg day from time to time. We have found that spot between being healthy and fit, while still enjoying food we love.

Satisfy Your Cravings With This Amazing No Bake Cheesecake Recipe!

That is why this week I made cheesecake! We love cheesecake but it is a super rich and calorie heavy dessert so normally we steer clear of it unless it’s a special occasion, but my cravings won out and I couldn’t help myself. Chris didn’t mind! This is a no bake recipe which means it’s super simple. It is also a great base recipe to add whatever flavours you want.

I made 3 types of cheesecake; classic with a graham cracker crust and a blueberry topping, coffee with an oreo crust and chocolate chip topping, and lemon with a coconut wafer crust and coconut topping. I used mini mason jars so that I could fulfill my cravings while not overdoing it and it just looks freaking adorable. Check out the recipe below and share some of your favorite ways to spruce up a simple cheesecake recipe.

No Bake Basic Cheesecake Recipe 3 Ways (Makes 12 mini cheesecakes)

Ingredients:

Crust: (Crust is always ½ cup crushed cookie mixed with 2 tbsps butter)

10 oreo cookies crushed (No need for adding butter if you crush with the oreo filling)
10 coconut wafer cookies crushed
10 graham crackers
4 tbsps butter

CheeseCake:
8 oz Cream Cheese (1 package)
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsps cold espresso (for coffee flavour)
2 tsps lemon rind (for lemon flavour)

Blueberry Topping:
1 cup blueberries
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cornstarch

Garnish:
Unsweetened coconut flakes (for lemon flavour)
Mini chocolate chips (for coffee flavour)

Instructions:

1. Seperately crush oreos, coconut wafers, and graham crackers and place in 3 separate bowls.
2. Add 2 tbsps of butter to coconut wafers and mix together.
3. Add 2 tbsps of butter to the crushed graham crackers and mix together.
4. Press crust into base of mini mason jars or shot glasses (4-5 jars for each crust)
5. Place in fridge to set
6. Mix together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and no longer grainy.
7. Add the vanilla.
8. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
9. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined.
10. Separate the mixture into 3 equal parts
11. Add cold espresso to ⅓ of the mixture
12. Add grated lemon to 1/3 of the mixture
13. Spoon or pipe plain cheesecake over graham crust, coffee cheesecake over oreo crust, and lemon cheesecake over coconut crust
14. Place in fridge to set for at least 6 hours
15. Garnish with blueberry filling, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips.
16. Keep Refrigerated

To make the blueberry topping:

1. Add blueberries, sugar, butter, cornstarch, and vanilla to a small saucepan.
2. Heat on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
3. Remove from heat when mixture is thick and ¾ of the berries have popped open.
4. Allow to cool completely before putting on cheesecake.

***Remember this no bake cheesecake recipe is super versatile. Use different cookies for the crust to change up your flavour. Add orange zest or mint to your cheesecake filling. Use different berries or garnishes as your topping. The world is your cheesecake, go crazy!