Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake...Made Organic!!

Ok...first of all...for all the organic haters (ah-hem...my husband ;)...substituting with organic products does not = tasteless. I repeat...organic does not equal tasteless! Too many people think that if you're buying organic products then they probably taste like cardboard--which is simply untrue! First off...a fat is a fat is a fat! It still gives your mid-section some jiggle if you eat too much of it, and it still comes from the same part of a plant or animal that organic fat comes from. Whether it's an 'organic' fat or not, it is still a fat. Same goes for carbohydrates...sugar is sugar (only better tasting when it's organic!). You will find that there are no hydrogenated oils/fats in organic foods, though, because these fats are totally different...not natural (more on this later). What I'm saying is, just because something is labeled 'organic' doesn't mean that the fats and carbohydrates have been eliminated and it has no flavor. Quite the contrary, my friends. Portion control is still necessary with organic foods though, don't think that because it says 'organic' that you can eat as much as you want of the product because it's 'healthy'.

So, I made this cheesecake the other night...using all organic or all natural products (yep, even the 'cool whip' was organic!) and started a discussion with my husband about why I feel so strongly about feeding my family the most natural and organic foods possible. He was like, "you're making cheesecake...with organic ingredients...aren't you totally contradicting your reasoning for using organic ingredients by putting them in a cheesecake? It's like an oxymoron. 'Organic' Cheesecake." Oooooooh, he must be under the impression that I use organic to cut down on my calorie intake or something...ooooh, honey, have I got some 'splaining to do for you! Although, at one time, I was sure that he was clear on my reasoning for removing most over-processed, conventional foods from our diet...but apparently not. As he picked up the tub of  TruWhip (aka, 'cool whip'), he read "no hydrogenated oils" across the top. "See, I mean, what does all this mean anyway...'no hydrogenated oils' (and bless his heart for trying so hard to pronounce the word hydrogenated), that means nothing to me." I gasped, "What!? Means nothing to you!? Oh my...." Okay, time to teach my diabetic husband a thing or two about nutrition (by the way, nutrition classes should be required for all diabetics. It's nearly impossible to change your carb-loving eating habits if you don't understand why you have to change them...but I digress :) So, I take this golden opportunity to explain how partially hydrogenated oils are equal to trans fats...these are man-engineered poisons, they do not exist in nature...and they are nasty, disgusting, processed fats that stick to the walls of your arteries like wax and cause build-up, which over a period of time leads to high blood pressure, clogged arteries, heart disease, strokes, which ultimately could lead to medical interventions like heart stent placement, coronary bypass surgery, being placed on more medications, and so on and so forth. And then he asked the question that made my heart flutter and my eyes twinkle-- "Oh....well....if this stuff is so bad for you, then why isn't it illegal to put this stuff in food?" TAA-DAAA! Bingo, my man!!!! This just reinforced to me why not everyone feels the same way I do about natural & organic...because they just don't understand it yet. So, why IS it legal to drowned our daily nourishment in disgusting poisons that are killing us!?!? Because it's cheap...because someone discovered how to do it and thought he was a genius...and because our society has developed an addiction to this type of taste. So, I'm here on my soapbox, urging everyone to pay close attention to the hydrogenated fats that you're including in your diet. You really will feel aaaamazing when you eliminate these toxins from your life! If you're craving some fat in your diet, at least aim for the natural kind!


Since we're on the topic of fats, I'll pass along this natural fat recipe for some cheesecake I made the other night. By no means are these fats 'good for you', so remember moderation. This cheesecake is so amazing...and yes...absolutely 100% filled with fat!! I am such a sucker for cheesecake!! BUT, I guarantee there are NO trans fats in my cheesecake!

Give this one a try--

40 Vanilla Wafers (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
4 pkg (8 oz ea) organic cream cheese, softened, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla, divided
3 eggs
1 tub TruWhip (organic cool whip), thawed

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
Beat 3 pkg cream cheese, 3/4 cups sugar, and 1 Tbsp vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely in pan.
Beat remaining cream cheese, sugar and vailla with mixer in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in TruWhip; spread over sheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Remove rim of pan before serving cheesecake. Serve with fresh berries or alone--either way it's delicious!!



I took the exerpt below from a website I was browsing that I can't remember the name of, but I believe it's reliable information on hydrogenated oils/fats. I know many people who don't care about the chemicals they put into their bodies, with the mentality of "Hey, I feel just fine eating the foods I eat." Just think of how much better you could feel if you didn't ingest these toxins! We all complain about being tired all the time...or can't sleep well at night....or just don't have any energy...or our memory is terrible...the list goes on and on. Our bodies are in a constant state of inflammation. I am determined it's diet related. Enjoy the read!

Why not consume partially hydrogenated fats or oils? Because by the definition of "poison," partially hydrogenated fats and oils are poisons. Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines "poison" as "any substance which, when relatively small amounts are ingested ... has chemical action that may cause damage to structure or disturbance of function, producing symptomatology, illness, or death." (1) Partially hydrogenated oils do not exist in nature. Partially hydrogenated fats and oils are processed versions of naturally occurring fats and oils. In nature, most dietary fats and oils exist in a structural form which is called the "cis" form. When these natural cis form fats are processed by bubbling hydrogen gas through them at high temperatures, they become partially hydrogenated which changes their structure to the "trans" form. The natural cis fat has a bend and the processed trans fat is a straight molecule. See figure 1. This difference in cis and trans shapes is of major significance. When eaten, fats and oils are incorporated into cell membranes altering the composition of these delicate structures. When they interact with normal fat metabolism, they disturb function in a most deleterious manner. Hence, these substances meet the definition of a poison." Trans fats interfere with important, normal functions by inhibiting enzymes which are necessary for the body's normal metabolism of fats and they keep doing it for a long time.

When you eat normal cis fats, the body metabolizes half of them in 18 days. When you eat trans fats the body requires 51 days to metabolize half of them. This means that half of the trans fats you eat today will still be inhibiting essential enzyme systems in your body 51 days from now.