happy national cheesecake day 2013!

I originally posted this on Tuesday, but I'm linking it over to Katherine & Angel for Thursday Favorite Things because, c'mon.... smoothie?  strawberries?  cheesecake!? rainbow sprinkles!!? It's pretty much all of my favorite things wrapped into one healthy treat! Thanks for hosting ladies. Can't wait to see some of your other followers' favorite things...

Did you know July 30th is National Cheesecake Day?? I didn't either until a little birdie told me this afternoon. I love a good piece of straight-from-the-refridgerator, super-moist, unbutton-my-pants cheesecake as much as, if not more than, the next person and I wanted to help celebrate this glorious day. One problem - I've never made a cheesecake in my life. So, running to the store and buying items to try and make a healthy version of cheesecake was bound to end in an epic failure. My solution? Cheesecake smoothie! Now wait, hear me out, this this was truly amazing!

I decided to toast the day with a post-workout "Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie." The name is deceiving. This thing was much more like strawberry cheesecake fro-yo than a protein shake (and I should know since I may have recently downed a cup of cheesecake fro-yo).  There may be a straw in there for the picture, but it's simply for aesthetic purposes.  I had to eat the creation with a spoon and I'm not complaining.

Here's how I make my super simple shake (or dessert?):

Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein 
1 tablespoon of dry sugar-free, fat-free cheesecake pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
stevia (to taste)
1 cup of almond milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I'm sure you could use soy milk, dairy milk, probably even water with little change in the taste/consistency) 
3/4 cup of frozen strawberries 

Add all the ingredients to a blender and and let the blender do its thing. 

Using frozen fruit instead of ice is what makes the consistency of this creamy and awesome. Another plus? Protein (whey) + a simple carb (strawberries) = the perfect post-workout food for your muscles.

And the rainbow sprinkles? Well, they're not exactly healthy, but rainbow sprinkles never hurt anyone... and this is a celebration after all!