You need just 3 ingredients to make these skinny cheesecake parfaits! Low fat, and just 2 points on the WW blue and purple plans, these easy yogurt and fruit parfaits are a simple, healthy, no bake dessert.
You won’t often see the word “skinny” attached to recipes on my site. I love butter, full-fat desserts, and cheese as much as anyone, but I also believe in balance. And sometimes, that means looking for lighter dessert options, like these skinny cheesecake parfaits. And since it’s the season for resolutions, I think it’s time to share this recipe, and my personal story finding balance in my eating habits. Because I absolutely eat every. single. thing. posted on this blog. Multiple times with testing and then making again as requested by family. Real food, no guilt, balance.
And just so you know… anything said here is my opinion, not sponsored, and I am in no way affiliated with WW other than as a paying customer. I’m not a health professional, this is just a blogger talking about her own experiences. That’s it.
If you’d like to skip the personal bit and get to the recipe chatter, CLICK HERE. <3
My personal wellness journey and finding balance…
Coming from a family of emotional eaters and feeders doesn’t really help one develop a good relationship with food. And of course, I struggle a lot with body image too. I was raised learning about “good” and “bad” foods, with lots of guilt attached to eating “bad” foods and not much in the way of balance. It’s not a good combination when unchecked. At my highest weight after a horrible relationship in college, I was over 200 pounds. I don’t know how bad it was, I wouldn’t step on a scale.
I joined WW online thanks to my mother, told no one, and lost 50ish lbs. The first time I stepped on a scale was about a week and a half in to the program. But then I quit, and basically cycled up and down 10ish pounds for years. I tried every fad diet, calorie counting, some rather not healthy behaviors, all of it. And then I got pregnant with my first daughter. I gained a lot that pregnancy, and afterwards didn’t know how to take it off AND keep it off. Changing my eating habits to find something I could follow for life wasn’t happening. I lost some weight, but wasn’t at pre-pregnancy weight at all.
What I started though was unpacking the baggage I carried after years of unhealthy relationships with food and my body. If you’ve struggled with this, you know how hard it is. Food guilt is such a vicious cycle, and what the diet industry is just built upon (in my totally not professional opinion). You eat something “bad”, by extension feel you are “bad”, binge, purge, restrict, fall off the wagon, repeat. You can’t look in the mirror without hating what you see.
But I knew things had to change. I didn’t want to pass along my unhealthy body image and food issues to my little girl. I made baby steps towards acceptance. Think 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Slow, but steady. Then I had baby #2, and it took me a year to be emotionally ready to stop trying and failing at fads and restrictions and fix my relationship with food.
When ready, I went back to the only thing that had worked before… Weight Watchers. I signed up online, told no one except the Godfather, then joined meetings to achieve lifetime. This past December marked my 2 year WW-anniversary and have been maintaining at goal for just over 1 1/2 years now. I bake all the time, we eat a wide variety of foods, and I refuse to eat fat free cheese, because gross.
Best of all, my girls don’t have the word “diet” in their vocabulary. They know about balance, and choosing nutritional food over treats, and the value of good chocolate. There’s no food guilt, nothing is “bad”, it’s just food. And that’s sustainable. Because a mindset of food restriction for life isn’t living. Make wise choices, and everything can be enjoyed in moderation. Life is about balance, darlings. I hope that if you’re making weight-related resolutions this year, you find your healthy happy place.
Sometimes balance means allowing for more indulgences, and sometimes, it’s finding alternatives to traditional treats, like these Greek yogurt cheesecake parfaits. So let’s talk about this recipe and why it’s so good…
How to Make Easy Skinny Cheesecake Parfaits
Dessert from scratch is kind of my thing most of the time, but I am 100% in favor of a shortcut for this recipe. To make the Greek yogurt taste like cheesecake without adding a lot of extra calories, I use instant cheesecake flavored pudding! Because I’m not a fan of the fake sugars in the sugar free version, I use the regular instant cheesecake pudding powder with sugar. This is where the 2 points come in. In my opinion, it’s totally worth it to give you a stronger “cheesecake” flavor. If you’d prefer to use the sugar free version, go for it, just update whatever nutritional tracker you are using for the new values.
How many WW points in these skinny cheesecake parfaits?
If you are following the myWW points plans, these cheesecake parfaits are 2 SP each on the purple and blue plans because fat free Greek yogurt is a 0 SP food. If you are following the green plan, you’ll need to calculate the points for the brand of Greek yogurt you are using. It shouldn’t add more than 2 points based on the brands I’ve checked. I don’t work for WW, nor am I affiliated with them, so values may change at any time. Please always double check in your tracker.
How many calories are in the skinny cheesecake parfaits?
This one is a little more complicated to answer because different fruits have different caloric values. Mango has more calories than blueberries. For simplicity, I would recommend finding the caloric value for the yogurt and the cheesecake jell-o mix, then adding the fruit separately. That way you can adjust based on what you are eating that day.
Can I use frozen fruit?
Yes! In fact, the mango is thawed frozen mango. Just thaw your fruit of choice, drain any excess liquid and use! When using frozen fruit or juicy cut fruit, the parfaits are prettiest when consumed the day they are made. Those made with fruits like blueberries that you don’t cut will look lovely up to 3 days.
Do you have any other resolution-friendly recipes?
Of course I do! Not all are WW related since many were prepared before that time, but you might find some inspiration with the following:
- Low Carb Jicama Skillet
- Spicy Tuna Wrap
- Tarragon Chicken Salad (make with Greek yogurt or a lighter mayo to save calories if desired)
- Chocolate Cherry Banana Ice Cream
- Butternut Squash Soup
ouI hope you enjoy this skinny cheesecake parfait recipe, darlings. <3
Skinny Cheesecake Parfaits
You need just 3 ingredients to make these skinny cheesecake parfaits! Low fat, and just 2 points on the WW blue and purple plans, these easy yogurt and fruit parfaits are a simple, healthy, no bake dessert.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt
- 10 grams Instant Pudding and Pie Filling, Cheesecake Flavor
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit, washed, dried, chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the instant cheesecake pudding mix and the Greek yogurt.
- Layer with the fruit in a jar and enjoy!
Notes
- When using frozen fruit, thaw the fruit first in the microwave. Then drain the extra liquid and continue with the recipe.
- If you're looking to eliminate steps, just add the fruit on top of your cheesecake mixture in the bowl. You won't get the layered look, but you still get a delicious dessert for one!
- Scale the recipe as desired to make the number of parfaits you'd like. Please read the blog post for details regarding which fruits hold up best when making ahead.
- If you'd like to make this into a tasty breakfast... stir in a bit of unflavored protein powder or collagen! I've stirred in some unflavored collagen powder and made this into a rather satisfying small breakfast. The texture will change slightly, but it still tastes good. I usually add a little vanilla extract to help smooth out the powder.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
