somedays, life just gets away from you. you wake up in the morning with a plan, and at the end of the day, everything you wanted to accomplish is in shambles. 

that pretty much sums up the day of my birthday party. i had all these pretty and delicious cakes planned, but life was not cooperating and time got away from me and i of course ended up an emotional mess.

no surprise, all my friends and family are amazing and they all came and made the day extra special. but i learned a valuable lesson. when in doubt, go with a staple. 

you know what i mean. that tried, true go to. and my dessert staple is cheesecake. these bites are great because they are easy to make, easy on the eyes, and easy to make disappear. the best part is you can make them seasonal with any of your favorite fruits and you can enhance colors with just a drop or two of food color. 

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time:30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. 

use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. 

pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. 

bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. 

in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. 

reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. 

once your crust is out pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. 

combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. 

using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. 

then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. 

bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. 

when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. 

then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

xo, a

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. once your crust is out. pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

it's no secret that i'm more of an everything in moderation type of cook and less of a healthy, animal free, gluten free, paleo, atkins, juice cleanse kind of cook. 

i mean, do you. but i never met a carb i didn't like, beef gives me life (literally & figuratively) and i can't go more than a few hours with out solid food.
but now that i'm teaching yoga pretty regularly, i'm definitely becoming more sensitive to the food needs of others. 

my good friends and yoga teachers recently relocated and relaunched their studio and this weekend they celebrated with a fabulous wellness fair serving their clients and community. i did a little food drop off for the event since i wasn't able to attend for long, and these tasty, energizing treats were the bell of the ball. 

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 

pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.

when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 

lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 

remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp. 

xo, a

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 
pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.
when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 
lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 
remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp.