Grocery food list Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Healthy Proteins List – New Food Pyramid

Healthy proteins belong on the new food pyramid. Starting 2026, it’s an inverted triangle funnel shape with a heightened focus on healthy proteins and dairy at the top.

This is a printable protein grocery list you can use for inspiration and good for anyone who is following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet.

One other food category that has been a constant is Vegetables & Fruits (healthy carbs). They’re still a top priority as nature’s produce in a garden.

V&F are also store affordable, and have a lot of value add to the body with all its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (to fight free radicals in cells).

Unlike packaged foods, V&F grocery labels are PLU stickers that need no list of ingredients to dilute. They are whole and healthy.

I remember the original food pyramid that started in the previous century from the New food pyramid. It was a controversial 23+ servings, coming from the 4 basic food groups.

In simpler times, the rectangular 4 basic food groups kept it inside-the-box basic. Dairy was already one of the main food groups. Meat was another that represented healthy proteins.

Plant-based proteins have been around since B.C. times, but hadn’t cropped up on the table scene for the Western diet yet (…and maybe why a food pyramid was built 😊).

But amino acids have been with us for for-EVER, even though it’s more technical…

And amino acid profiles give more protein details… where some surprising foods (besides meats and eggs) have all 9 essential amino acids that the body can’t make: foods such as amaranth, nutritional yeast, and buckwheat.

Those just happen to be a few of my food loves to subtly add-in, and they’re naturally gluten-free (and easier to digest).

A few ideas... you can easily sprinkle in nutritional yeast like a healthy spice. In case you haven’t discovered yet, nutritional yeast is a dairy-free cheesy alternative. It’s a flaky powder that doesn’t melt well, but is as good as a final zhugh topping to pastas (and any foods you want a cheesy umami taste). 🧀

And you can spread some cooked amaranth into the dough of a homemade whole grain roll that rolls fresh out of the oven.

You can also add a little dry buckwheat flour into your healthy baking, like in an easy buckwheat scone or buckwheat ginger cookie. 😋

And many dairy foods have healthy proteins. Like real cheeses, that are mostly made of water, milk fat, proteins (casein and whey), lactose (milk sugar), and minerals. You can easily add into a breakfast meal like with a cottage cheese blueberry peach smoothie.

Below is a list of healthy proteins and dairy (along with tips, ideas, and inspo) on how you can get more food value with more healthy proteins and combining (…2 proteins together?). This helps your body win healthy points, alongside a loose guideline-based diet like in the new food pyramid.

What healthy foods are high in protein for the new food pyramid and a healthy diet?

You can use a printable healthy protein source food list like this one to decide for yourself, or when you’re making choices grocery shopping:

Generally, women can loosely stick to eating about .7 to 1 gram (or slightly less) per pound of body weight. I use 1 gram for easy math. As an example, for a 135 pound woman, that’s 100-135 grams per day.

And to get those points, here are a few point-based healthy protein comparisons. Keep in mind different proteins have different types and amounts of amino acids that’s important. I learned this unconventionally and out of curiosity.

…Because I wondered why on occasion when I ate something that didn’t agree with me, why I always felt better eating beef than other sources of protein, after being on the simple to digest BRAT diet or not eating for a day or two. And it turns out, it’s more than just familiarity and that I grew up eating meals with beef.

It has a lot to do with the different and different amounts of amino acids that describe the differences in protein sources between say chicken, fish, and beef that affect the digestive system.

So like most healthy foods, it’s good to diversify and not put all your eggs in one basket… but starting with an eggs is not a bad idea either.

And a good place to start on here…

Eggs -There is more protein in egg whites, but 6-7 grams for a large egg in liquid form. Keep in mind grams change for wet and dry ingredients (and before or after cooking an egg).

Chicken breast, skinless – If you want to get to your daily protein grams count quicker, chicken is a good healthy proteins answer. It has 30-31 grams per 1/2 cup (100 grams/3.5 ounces). 2 liquid eggs is about 3.5 ounces, so that’s less than half the protein than chicken. Lunch recipe idea: try an easy chicken salad.

Lean beef – This was mentioned already… but f you’ve ever wondered why after you feel sick from something you ate, when you’re recovering and you eat ground beef and feel better, it’s because beef is specifically high in glutamine and glycine (amino acids). It also has more leucine (muscle building benefits). 100 grams or 3.5 cooked ounces that is used for comparison with all the proteins named here (in this article) have about 25-30 grams.

Sardines and anchovies – Using the same 3.5 ounces, a sardine can have about 18-20 grams. Anchovies can be even higher in the 30 grams range, but always check the labels.

Wild salmon – This is the healthy fish protein choice, but more known for the Omega-3 content that’s good on a healthy fat list especially for heart, anti-inflammation, and on a Mediterranean diet. You can also find about 20 grams of protein in salmon filet. A salad recipe to try!: salmon salad

Seafood – Mussels are one of the healthiest seafoods, and are so easy to cook without fail as they open up. They have about 12-24 protein grams in 3.5 ounces. You can double up on proteins with a mussels quinoa recipe. Or try other healthy seafood recipes: shrimp egg white omelet, squid salad, shrimp ceviche, and a scallops quinoa bowl.

Quinoa, btw, and other pseudo grains like amaranth and buckwheat (already mentioned) are complete proteins. Quinoa has about 4 grams per 100 grams, but is high in lysine amino acid, so it can be good to include for those who only eat plant-based proteins. Oh, and get this… black quinoa you don’t hear about as often, has a higher amount of 15-20 protein grams!

Rolling them into your cereal is a good idea along with a rolled oat bowl. Rolled oats is a good balanced protein with 13-17 grams. Sometimes I like to add my daily oats, just shy of a cup, to make a low-sugar oatmeal raisin cookie that’s also got Greek yogurt (with about 10 grams of protein per 100 grams/3.5 ounces).

How’s that’s for double healthy protein inspiration?

And, moving into plant-based protein sources:

Tofu – has about the 7-10 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce, closer to an egg. And like an egg, you can make a tofu scramble. I like to add some nuts and seeds to give some texture, and additional healthy proteins. Some other healthy recipe ideas to try: Tofu pepperoni and tofu chil.

Nuts – Peanuts have about 26 grams per 3.5 ounce/100 grams. And most nuts have about 18-25 grams. These days nuts are deemed healthy and a healthy handful makes a good snack.

Seeds – Seeds have 16-31 grams with pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds/hearts. We only see a few varieties in grocery stores but there are many thousands of seed types in the world. You can find more seeds in spice aisles such as celery, poppy, and sesame seeds.

Beans – Beans are another fascinating protein food with 7-9 grams per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cooked beans. Cooking dry beans is a great way to get into cooking, and make the beans easier to digest (removing the complex sugars – oligosaccharides). Try a turmeric soup with 15 beans or an Italian bean salad.

Lentils – about 9 grams per 100 cooked grams. And of lentils, green lentils win the fiber count. Most lentils cook quicker than beans. You can try an easy mushy green lentils peas.

And one healthy protein may not be familiar with is spirulina powder that’s off the charts, in the 50-70 grams range. You can make a healthy virgin blue curaçao beverage with the spirulina blue-green algae. You just need a smidge to get the ocean blue colors. It’s the wave of the future! 🌊

And finally we can look at healthy foods that have protein and dairy! Meat and plant proteins don’t have dairy, but most dairy have proteins.

On the new food pyramid, 3 servings of dairy are recommended that varies on the food. For yogurt a serving is about 1/2 cup, so that’s still around the 3.5 ounces (we used to compare proteins). Grams change by weight for wet and dry ingredients (or before or after cooked).

Greek yogurt – 7-10 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce (or a dairy serving). I can’t say enough about Greek yogurt as it can be used for desserts, a savory pita bread dip, and for many breakfas-y and even waffle brunch recipes.

Goat or sheep cheese – less processed has 21-22 grams of protein!

With cheeses, you can try a sheep’s cheese cheesecake or a goat cheese cheesecake. And double up with a yogurt based berry cheesecake. No need for cream cheese!

Buffalo mozzarella cheese – True buffalo mozzarella can even be eaten by some people who are dairy sensitive. Because the milk comes from water buffalo, that is lower in lactose than most cow milks. Buffalo mozzarella also has sirtuins (“longevity proteins”). I believe we’ll be hearing more about sirtuins in the future as helpers to cellular health, aging, and metabolism.

Buffalo mozzarella is very meltable and especially delicious on a Neapolitan-style pizza crust you can make from your home oven!

And last but not least…

Cottage cheese – Cottage cheese about 11-13 grams of protein, but check the labels as with all the other labelled foods. Cottage cheese is high in casein, that helps you feel full especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

You can make a no-boring cottage cheese tartar sauce for healthy fish & chips! Or turn it into a sweet treat with a cottage cheese cheesecake.

Looking for some healthy dessert recipes? I got you. Try these low-sugar dessert sweets. Some of them are no-added sugar (Greek yogurt) or could be made delicious with low or no sugar. 🍥

Cannoli Shell – Waffle Iron Machine Made Easy

Cannoli shell with a waffle iron machine makes life easy and delicious for brunch or a dessert. This is a low-sugar recipe where you won’t even miss the sugar. And you can skip any frying, even though the shell is sizzling!

It tastes like it was fried. But since it’s not, it’s healthier.

You can also more-healthy bake your cannoli shell if you don’t have a waffle iron maker… that you could even further roll up into an ice cream cone if that’s what you’re after.

But a waffle iron maker makes a cannoli shell with the bubbly look in easy minutes, a lot like a copycat fried street food cannoli shell dessert you would buy!

So to make this treat, this is what you will need…

Tools:

Waffle Iron Machine

Piece of aluminum foil

Magic Bullet blender (optional)

And if you’re wondering how you’ll make your cannoli shell on your waffle iron without waffle iron marks, I explain below how to make your easy flat irons with your waffl-y iron! 🧇

This reminds me of the wavy hair vs. flat iron… and if you like playing with your hair, you’ll love playing with your food iron this way. I do with mine!

Another easy way is using a Magic Bullet blender that will make this a 2-minute prep for a smooth cannoli shell batter. And a 30 second clean rinse if you’re short on time.

But first you gotta make the batter…

So start by frothing the egg white in a Magic Bullet or easy blender by pulsing a few times. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a whisk to whisk up the egg white(s). One egg white per cannoli shell.

Light fluffy egg white(s) are crucial for this recipe where you don’t need any granulated sugar! Whaaat?

So often sugar is used to help emulsify ingredients, and in most cannoli recipes you’ll find quite a bit of sugar, but this one you can use a little healthy honey only for the sweet taste (or substitute for maple syrup).

Honey, btw is a beautiful tasty-pairing duo with butter. Where you will add just a small pat of butter for each cannoli shell you will make. About 1 Tbsp per cannoli shell. A lot of butter isn’t essential (e.g. if you’re counting fat/calories or trying to be healthy). I used 1/2 Tbsp butter per shell and it worked just fine!

And if you prefer oil already in liquid form, or want to do this quicker or dairy-free, use 1 or 1.5 tsp of neutral olive oil (or oil of choice) instead. And then add about 1/4 tsp of water for a little steam like butter does when cooking (and add back a little more flour as needed to keep a thicker batter that won’t run off the waffle maker sides).

And if healthy are your desires for this cannoli shell, the final cannoli cream for your cannoli shell can be healthy Greek yogurt like what I use.

…Where you’ll want to find a thicker Greek yogurt you like, and you can check on the label if there’s no added sugar. The lactose in yogurt already has natural sugar. You can use plant-based (no dairy) yogurts too.

Then you can pipe into your cannoli shell. How fun!

Add a few sweet mini chocolate chips for a classic cannoli. This is a delicious bite, and probably even better than it looks! You can also drizzle ontop a little honey if you like, or pair with your favorite sweet breakfast foods.

So – ready to make this?

Make the cannoli batter (recipe and step-by-step waffle iron instruction below).

Make cannoli shell batter and add onto foil on waffle iron.

Reveal: After cooled, peel out the cannoli shell.

cannoli shell made easy with a waffle iron maker.

Cannoli Shell - Waffle Iron Made and Low-Sugar

This low-sugar recipe is for one cannoli shell so multiply the ingredients by how many cannolis you want to make that are regular size 4" long cannoli size.

Course brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Total Time 10

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

waffle iron machine
Magic Bullet (optional)

Ingredients

1 egg white
1/2 tsp raw honey
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp pinch of salt (optional)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

Melt butter in heat of choice, and set aside at room temperature.
Froth egg white with Magic Bullet blender or whisk in a bowl.
Make the batter: if using a blender, add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until fully combined. You can shake or use a spoon to ensure all the flour is added. Or combine in your mixing bowl.
Cook the cannoli: if you have a waffle iron with waffle grids (most do), cut two pieces of square aluminum foil that will cover the bottom and top waffle irons. Add one oil piece to the bottom iron and add the cannoli batter to the foil sitting on the iron. The batter should be slightly thicker (closer to a pancake batter) to hold a circle shape that does not run off the iron. Use a spoon to make a thin layer batter circle shape (it does not need to be perfect). Add the other piece of aluminum foil ontop of the circle and lightly close the waffle iron to not make waffle marks. Turn the iron on to medium heat (e.g. middle setting). Cook for about 3-5 minutes until browned all around after iron is heated (e.g. light turns green) and depending on your waffle iron. You can peek from time to time to lift up the aluminum foil.
Shape the cannoli shell while still hot (for best results): turn off waffle iron. While still hot, with a safe kitchen glove in hand, roll up the hot cannoli shell (like a burrito) in the one piece of aluminum foil it's sticking to. Let cool completely.
Reveal the cannoli: after cooled, slowly peel out the cannoli shell out of the foil. It should come out pretty easily after cooled. Be sure any small foil pieces sticking are discarded.

Notes

All-purpose flour works best but you can substitute with gluten-free all purpose blends (like a tsp of buckwheat flour will change the color). If your batter is too liquid runny, add a little more flour for a consistent smooth batter that won't run off the sides of the iron.

Hi-Hat Cupcakes (Low-Sugar)

Hi-hat cupcakes are one of my favorites. My eyes light up in delight. A 3-step cupcake has everything to be a quintessential dessert staple… chocolate, frosting, and a cup-cake layer.

Who doesn’t like being greeted with this type of hat? Hi-hat back atcha!

And while the white pillowy cloud of goodness is usually made with meringues or marshmallows… this one is not. Because that usually equals a generous amount of white granulated or powdered sugar… and that adds up to high sugar in the body.

…And when sugar is high, then you want more to eat. Both you and your body crave more.

And those “empty calorie” sugars do you no favors if you’re trying to be healthier, low-sugar, are pre-diabetic, or trying to lose weight.

But this hi-hat cupcake recipe version is not that high (sugar) way.

It’s also full of healthy ingredient goodness mixed in to a delicious low-sugar chocolate treat..

If you use the ingredients and technique below, then you’ll bypass the high-way negative effects.

…See what I did there? 😊

Low-Sugar Points:

And knowing all this, as an intentional anti-inflammatory food and low-sugar baker, I used a smidge of monk fruit sugar for the cupcakes that won’t spike blood sugar like regular white sugar does.

Monk fruit sweetener is also super sweet tasting on the tongue, so you don’t need much. For all those good reasons, it’s added to the cupcake and also helps the cake texture.

For the frosting, I decided to use the natural sugar already in Greek yogurt as the sweet ingredient.

Yogurt naturally has lactose that’s a natural form of sugar.

So there’s no added sugar… and when food shopping, you can look for those written Greek yogurt label confirming positives to see for your very own eyes.

A thicker yogurt (5% or whole milk) works consistently for a thick frosting, but 2% or reduced milk could work too from the many yogurt options out there.

The test is when you open your yogurt, if the yogurt slides off a spoon like most regular yogurts. If it’s thicker like many Greek yogurts, it won’t easily slide without your needing to prod it along.

And if it fails the spoon test, you likely will get an elegant mound cupcake hat (like a melting snowman or pill hat), but not a cone shape or an elf’s hat that you often see with hi-hats.

But either hat style will melt in your mouth or get gobbled up by someone. 😋

…And actually the less perfect it looks, the more likely that’ll happen quick… if you get my drift.

And I’m all about easy over perfection.

Then for the last part of melted chocolate, you have many options. Some chocolate morsels has monk fruit sugar as an ingredient if you want more healthy options. You can also choose dark cacao or regular dark chocolate morsels.

But now we’re getting ahead of ourselves…

Because.. first you have to make the cupcakes! And then you can assemble or put it all together.

And for planning, you can make the entire hi-hat cupcakes in under 2 hours, or in stages.

The cupcake itself from start to finish will take less than 30 minutes.

Ready?

To make the foolproof easy hi-hat cupcakes, these are the chocolate cake ingredients and steps:

-2 egg yolks

-1/2 cup milk + more (I usually add an extra few Tablespoons because that will yield a thinner batter… and that means more cupcake)

-1 Tbsp neutral oil or liquid form of coconut oil (if you want to use less healthy fat, then you can use 1/2 Tbsp and it will also work as cake is naturally a more dry texture to begin with)

-1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar for acidity

3/4 cup almond flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cacao (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/8-1/4 tsp monk fruit sugar

1/2 tsp coffee (optional)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt

Step 1: Measure your flour and dry ingredients and add to combining large bowl.

I have found gluten-free almond flour with a little all-purpose flour works best, and adds healthier vibes. So it’s the best choice all-around. But if you don’t have almond flour on hand, then you can also use full-on all-purpose flour.

I leave out the coffee for chocolate cakes but that’s a decision you make as some people love the pairing. For me, salt adds more of an impact in taste to a chocolate cake than coffee does. Another option is to add a little more cacao powder than the recipes call for to bring in more “chocolatey” vibes.

I like the dark, bitter unsweetened 100% cacao to be the star ingredient in the bake. But to each her own… you do you!

Then start adding liquid ingredients. Separate your eggs when they’re cold from the fridge (and you can save your egg whites for other recipes like baked cannoli shells).

Hand whip/loosen up egg yolks in a separate bowl (and reserve adding the egg until the end if you want to taste your batter before baking). But otherwise, you can add the egg yolks to one easy bowl along with all the other liquid ingredients. Use 1/2 cup of milk of choice

Oh, and if you don’t have milk on hand, you can make your own fresh homemade oat milk, pecan or any nut milks, or coconut milk.

Any taste-friendly liquid would work. Even a little water would work, but it would be a zero taste add (and less fat and protein for the cake texture), so I wouldn’t recommend.

Oh and btw, it doesn’t matter if you add dry to wet or wet to dry ingredients. And in happy nostalgia, that’s what my favorite baking teacher Martha Stewart has said before. Her teachings have encouraged my hi-hat and cupcake baking to name a few practical areas.

And in my small kitchen box, the reason I add wet to dry (or add dry ingredients first to the bowl) is because then I now know how much actual liquid I would need based on the batter texture consistency (e.g. all milks and flours are not exactly equal). I find it easier to pour a splash more liquid than to go back and have to measure out dry ingredients..

But either way, combine by hand the dry and wet ingredients. I recommend with a spoon instead of a classic baking whisk because batter-flour pieces tend to stick to a whisk and you can lose half a cupcake that way… and we want all the cupcakes! 🧁

Plus, you’re not as likely to over mix or over combine your batter with a spoon. There is such a thing as having to0 much fun mixing… but it doesn’t belong in a cake. 😀

Then after a few magic strokes, fill your cupcake holders to almost full. I use reusable silicone cupcake holders but you can use paper or foil ones too. You can also spray your baking cupcake tin, but be sure it’s the kind that isn’t potentially dusting off metal glitter over time that can end up in your cupcakes.

Bake the soon-to-be hi-hat cupcakes at 350°F/180°C for 20 minutes. Don’t over bake. The cakes should be on the paler side with a little golden glow.

Pull out of the oven when time is up. If you’re not sure, you can test with a toothpick if it comes out clean.

And while still warm, pull the cupcakes out from the cupcake tin that’s still warm. You want to stop the baking heat that’s still coming from the cupcake tin.

And you can easily do this with a metal spoon.

…maybe the one you rinsed off that you used for combining the ingredients in the batter? As you bake more, you naturally get more efficient. 😊

Place the cupcakes on a plate. Let the cupcakes cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes. If you don’t plan on finishing your hit-hat cupcakes in one sitting, then cover the cupcakes in the fridge (I recommend) or you can leave out covered overnight at room temperature.

Make the frosting for the hi-hat cupcakes frosting:

Again, you can find no added sugar because it’s Greek yogurt that has lactose natural sugar (and win body points 💯).

It’s about 5-6 tablespoons of thick yogurt per cupcake. You can add less if you want to.

Use a piping bag to pipe on frosting with a large round circle piping tip. You can also use a thick pastry-type bag, snip a bottom corner, and use that as the round opening.

Tip: If you discover you have the wrong yogurt type that won’t work for frosting after you’ve opened the yogurt container (…that has happened to me as someone who likes food experimenting!), then you can keep your cupcakes in the fridge covered (to prevent drying out) for up to a week, and still make the frosted hi-hats and melted chocolate. They’ll still be delicious… and from the get-go, you let-go and let melt away all of your hi-hat cupcake worries!

Then when you’re happy with your frosted cupcakes, refrigerate them to let the Greek yogurt frosting set.

Next, make the melted chocolate. You can use a coconut oil melted chocolate recipe. And for this hi-hat cupcakes recipe application, you can use about half of a third of the coconut oil. And then let the melted chocolate get back to about room temperature (so you don’t melt the frosting and it slides off like Frosty ☃️).

It’s a little like tempering dark chocolate without having to be so precise in degrees, to get a shine.

Hold the cupcake at the bottom and twirl in melted chocolate. You may lose a little frosting in the melted chocolate that you can easily add back on.

Then refrigerate the cupcakes for 2-3 minutes to let the chocolate set.

And then voila!… you’re done.

Enjoy… everyone will! 😋😋😋

Hi-Hat Cupcakes (Low-Sugar)

This is a moist chocolate cupcake with no-sugar added frosting and melted chocolate. If you make these for others, they will be a hi-hat-hit. This makes 4-5 regular size cupcakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, new york

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup milk of choice (plus more)
1/2 Tbsp neutral oil (light olive oil or liquid form coconut oil recommended)
1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa
1/8-1/2 tsp monk fruit sweetener (depending on how low-sugar you would like to make this)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8-1/4 tsp pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt
4-6 Tbsp Thick Greek yogurt per cupcake (no-added sugar recommended)
dark chocolate morsels (for melted chocolate)
coconut oil (for melted chocolate)

Instructions

Pull eggs out of refrigerator and separate the egg yolk and whites (save the whites). Whisk the egg yolks to combine to cupcake batter. If you will want to taste the cake batter, put egg yolks in a separate bowl, otherwise they can be added to the combining batter bowl.
Make the chocolate cupcake batter in one bowl. Gently combine dry and wet ingredients. Tip: use a spoon to combine. This will be a wet batter that you can pour and spoon into the cupcake holders/pan. Fill the cupcake to about 1/8" from the top.
Bake cupcakes at 350°F/180°C for 20 minutes. Let cool in refrigerator. This will make 4-5 full cupcakes depending on how much total liquid/milk you add.
Make the frosting with Greek yogurt. Add to a piping bag with a round or star tip. Hold straight up on cupcakes and press the piping bag a few times and then pull up. Refrigerate cupcakes while making the melted chocolate.
Make the melted chocolate (see the melted chocolate recipe). Hold the cupcake bottom and sides, and then dip each frosted cupcake into the melted chocolate. Refrigerate to let the chocolate cold set.
Enjoy! Cupcakes will last for several days covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Monk fruit sweetener is a healthy, anti-inflammatory sweetener. It is more sweet than granulated sugar, so you only need a little.

Easy Goat’s Cheesecake (Low-Sugar) – Cacao and Protein

Goat’s cheesecake is one that’s so easy to make! And you win body points with a more gut healthy cheesecake, using goat cheese. Oh, plus the healthy probiotic piped topping. See the full notes and recipe below…

…And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share the skinny on the healthy ingredients that make a healthy cheesecake difference.

…That’ll benefit your body and also help you be happy, feeding healthy vibes to your gut (where most happy hormones are made) and mouth (stirring up glee). 😋

With this cheesecake recipe, it starts with the ingredient choice of chevre or goat cheese, that’s higher in protein, calcium, and lower calories (about 25% less than regular cream cheese). Plus, healthy prebiotic notes as fermented cheese.

Despite a French name, chèvre is not to be confused with cheval that means horse in French. 🐐 Fun fact: Horses make milk too. 🐎

And goat cheese has a texture closer to cream cheese so it works great in a cheesecake.

Its calories and fat content is more like a Neufchâtel cheese, a reduced cream cheese, which is what I used to use for cheesecakes before I knew better. It’s French named after the town it comes from in Normandy…

But today, we have other available healthier options, like goat cheese…

And the Mediterranean region was one area of the world that put healthier (the real-deal) prebiotic goat cheese on the map 🗺️ straight from the farms, while cow’s cheese is still what dominates cheeses.

And we benefit with the arrival of goat cheese makers. Montchèvre is one organic brand made in the USA. Specific to Wisconsin, that’s also home to the Cheese Heads (America’s Dairyland).

Montchevre is the organic goat cheese used in this cheesecake recipe. It looks like a packaged small cheese log.

You can find it in many grocery stores that has a premium or specialty cheese section, like Harris Teeter or Trader Joe’s. So it’s easier to source.

…And even easier to find is a thick Greek yogurt for additional healthy probiotics (gut health), protein and B12 vitamins (good for energy), to name a few healthy body benefits.

All for the sake of being healthy (that’s a good cause)… and a tasty, nice textured smooth cheesecake.

Sheep’s cheese is another type of healthy protein cheese, like goat cheese, that is growing in common availability, thanks to places like Sardinia, Italy. The rural green pastures are known for the rustic and healthy cheese tradition.

And for cheesecakes, you can also make a delicious, high protein Basque-style sheep’s cheesecake. Keep in mind: sheep’s cheese 🐑 is generally more firm than goat’s cheese 🐐, so the sheep’s way makes a better rustic cheesecake shape.

But with Montchevre goat cheese in this recipe, you should get a smooth batter like mousse that makes a rounder shape. And this means you can use one piece of baking paper effectively (instead of cutting scrapbook strips like I did with sheep’s cheese in a cheesecake).

💡An idea for if you don’t have baking paper: if you use a small half-size 4″ springform pan where the cake pan sides pop off, then you can use one cupcake paper holder and it will fit perfectly at the bottom.🧁Flatten it out and that can be the baking paper you use.

And then to complete the goat’s cheesecake batter to pour into the cake pan:

Bring in the egg yolk that helps the structure in the recipe, and will add more protein/B12 healthy notes. But instead of probiotics (like in yogurt), it’s prebiotic to feed the healthy bacteria probiotics.

And for some FUN batter flavor variety, you can add easy flavors to your goat’s cheesecake like chocolate (via cacao powder).

…Or cherries and chocolate for a delightful pairing. That’s where the HAPPY dials up for me, but your flavors are up to you. You can also add in chocolate chip morsel bits for a little added crunch.

Then when you’re good with your batter in your pan, bake your cheesecake in the oven. It’s a timed event (and not one where you have to keep checking the oven).

After it’s well-baked, the goat’s cheesecake should come out of the cake pan pretty easily in one cake piece, after it’s cooled. The sides will shrink a little to help that effort, because a cheesecake usually sticks to the sides.

Tip: I have tested butter and oil directly on the bottom and sides of the pan before, and nothing seems to have worked better than baking paper and oil. Since this will be a smoother, less dense, and almost pudding-like batter you pour into the circle pan, you can use one piece of baking paper instead of little strips and pieces, and the shape of the cheese cake will remain close to a circle (without weird geometric angles for a rustic look).

And then for the final zhugh and topping (fun), I saved the best for last… where it’s thick Greek yogurt again!

Pipe away guilt-free. 💕 And add coconut oil melted chocolate on to your adult delight.

This chocolate cheesecake won’t last!

Easy Goat's Cheesecake - Protein and Low-Sugar Cacao Healthy

This will make a 4" size cheesecake about 2" high. Double the ingredient amounts for an 8" cake pan.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

springform or cake pan
baking paper

Ingredients

3/4 cup Greek yogurt, thicker portions (2% or higher/reduced fat milk)
1/4 cup chevre goat cheese
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp cacao, unsweetened or cocoa powder (for chocolate cheesecake)
1 Tbsp cherries, halves (optional)
1-2 tsp mini chocolate chips (optional)
1 Tbsp additional Greek yogurt (for piping on top)
1 Tbsp melted chocolate (optional)

Instructions

Make the cheesecake batter: combine goat cheese, yogurt, and egg yolk ingredients in a bowl. Add in any flavors like cacao powder.
Coat neutral oil to the bottom and sides of a springform pan. Add a rectangular cut piece of baking paper to the middle. Two opposing sides should reach the top. Tip: if you don't have baking paper, an easy trick is you can use paper cupcake holders. Flatten out and add to the bottom of your springform cake pan.
Pour-spoon cheesecake batter to the pan.
Bake at 350°F/180°C in the bottom oven rack for 55-60 minutes. The cheesecake sides should be a little darker and slightly pull away from the pan that will help you to pull out of the pan.
Let the cheesecake fully cool (and firm up) before removing from pan.
Pipe Greek yogurt and melted chocolate if desired. Rounded star tips work best to make a "diner whipped cream" topping look.

Low-Sugar Desserts Switch Daily Habits

Low-sugar desserts help a sweet tooth who wants to eat healthier and live a more healthy lifestyle. It’s a healthy habit that starts with a switch in mindset, decision, and sweet food ingredients.

It’s a small disruption in routine that pays off.

Because we know that too much sugar does the body no favors… where it creates inflammation and can exacerbate health conditions (that are fixable with better lifestyle changes).

The good news is… we’re more informed today than in the last century.

Today’s informed message is: when you eat less sugar, especially granulated or refined table sugar that looks like a drug, you crave less.

That’s the irrefutable message that research shows.

But fighting against a sugar craving is not the best way.

it’s an uphill battle.

Because willpower doesn’t work…

And you’re up against your body sending the craving signals…

Plus yourself whose eyes light up like a kid in a candy shop around sweets. It’s two against one.

We’re also built to enjoy (with our sweet taste buds) and be happy.

And as smarter adults, we can enjoy in moderation, food shop more sensibly with self-control, and make adjustments as we age.

Our body show us that it doesn’t want the same intake as when we started life. We started with milk and then solids. Then more protein and plant-based foods.

And as you grew up, you felt custom body changes.

And maybe some developed food allergies or sensitivities that are a new normal.

And some of us are born Vata (sweet tooth) bodies… 🙋🏻‍♀️

We can use less sweet taste buds to our healthier living.

That starts with our habits.

And having a reason to change helps.

For me, it started with wanting to take care of my teeth better. And we know that one of the many downfalls of sugar is it erodes the teeth enamel and can lead to cavities. As a child, that’s all we want to avoid so we don’t have to go through the drills of the dentist (literally!).

Then I noticed how it affected my skin. That helped me start making low-sugar desserts (where I eventually weaned out using refined table sugar as a regular baking ingredient).

Not having a bag of white sugar as a comfort crutch for my baking, I can tell you was a big victory… it means that I don’t need sugar in a pinch to create an enjoyable baked dessert for any occasion.

For meringues it’s all about sugar. As much as it is about egg whites.

It’s low-fat and protein, but overall not a healthy dessert.

So I stopped making them.

I will bake no-added sugar Greek yogurt instead, like these…

It won’t be the same texture as processed desserts or ones loaded with sugar, but that’s part of the conversation of making healthy changes.

Isn’t your health more important?

Without a willingness to make changes in food and recipe, then the body pays the price.

And a low-sugar switch doesn’t happen.

But being open to trying new recipes and adding in healthy ingredients makes sweet change possible.

It’s a journey… toward healthy living.

Another good switch is substituting and adding in more non-sugar, healthy drinks like tea and coffee.

That’s another refined sugar switch that supports cutting out sodas.

And never plan to look back. I made that change 5 few years ago on my journey on eating less sugar and managing sugar cravings.

And you can do the same to your healthy eating ways.

Another example is a matcha cookie is not something I would’ve turned to in the past. Most sweet tooth people don’t prefer bitter green tea, unless it’s got masking sugar or fruity tastes.

But one habit change over another, you can make that switch and not have it be a fight.

You keep working toward, and eventually you look back and you’re there… in a better and healthier place..

While you’re not reaching for something sweet all day or first thing (instead of vegetables or protein), like I used to do.

These days, I start with crudite (raw veggies) and ginger water. Then I move into cold brew coffee (not to be confused with iced coffee) that’s less acidic, so it doesn’t bother my stomach (that’s sensitive without a food pillow).

And from there I get into a protein meal for breakfast.

I like to take a mix of leftovers (that slow cook take over 30 minutes to make) and then add quick, fresh foods like veggies and make a new meal, combined.

It’s simple in routine. And yet such a healthy switch from a sweet pastry.

And when I’m out in the world with temptations, I’m genuinely not interested in eating sweets (like a non-sweet tooth person). I can appreciate and enjoy with my eyes.

I’m partially dreaming of a healthy smoothie, leaning into sweet variety foods that’s waiting for me at home.

And so I can sit in a bakery shop with all its sweet croissant-filled aromas and be perfectly happy without one.

And if I ever order a decadent sweet, I enjoy taking a bite and I savor the rest later… and often another day.

But I’m content either way.

That to me is self-control victory. It’s not fighting willpower.

…When both taste buds and the mind agree.

It’s a good feeling that sweets don’t have the upper hand.

…And I’m convinced anyone can get this similar upper hand (no matter how sweet tooth’d you think you are! 😊).

Start with simple recipe changes, and not adding table sugar to recipes or drinks.

I have many inspired healthy and healthier sweet recipes all over this site if you need an inspiration boost and habit change… and want to try a few easy sweet recipes.

You can do what I did… and not be a victim to sugar.

Cheers to your sugar victory self, as a pro-move toward your more healthy eating future and longevity. 🎉