:thankstable: Normally, when you think about the feast that is Thanksgiving, healthy does not come to mind. But this year, I’m going to try and do my best not to over-indulge on the high-calorie, super-fattening stuff. Over the past three months, I’ve lost 25 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and I don’t want to “go off the wagon” (so to speak) on Thanksgiving Day.
One of my most favorite things about Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie, and anything “pumpkin” related. While I was at my Weight Watcher’s meeting last week, we talked about how many points were in a small slice of pumpkin pie. FYI — for those of you who don’t know much about Weight Watchers, they go by a “point system”, rather than calories. In a day’s time, I can eat 
about 26 points, and when those points are spent wisely on food items, it can be very, very filling. But traditional pumpkin pie is not a wise food choice, and when I found out that one small slice is NINE POINTS, I pretty much resigned myself to NOT eating any pumpkin pie this year. Point wise, it just didn’t seem worth it to me, until I found a Weight Watcher’s friendly recipe for “Crustless Pumpkin Pie”. I gave it a try, and it was truly AWESOME! I’m not a big crust person, so just being able to eat the middle part of the pumpkin pie with a dallop of whipped cream tasted SO good! And the best part is, it’s only ONE POINT!
So for those who are opting for a healthier Thanksgiving this year, I’d like to share two delicious pumpkin pie alternatives!
CRUSTLESS PUMPKIN PIE
15 oz. Can Pumpkin
12 oz. Can Fat-Free Evaporated Milk
1/2 Cup Egg Beaters
3/4 Cup Splenda
2 Tbls. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
Pour into 9″ pie plate (sprayed with Pam) or 12 cupcake tins (no liners). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 45-50 minutes. 1 Point per cupcake or 1 point for 1/8 of pie.
:gobbler:
PUMPKIN MOUSSE
15 oz. Can Pumpkin Puree (unsweetened)
1.5 oz. Fat-Free Vanilla Pudding
8 oz. Cool Whip Free
1/8 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans (Optional)
In Large Bowl mix pumpkin puree and vanilla pudding together. Gently Stir in Cool Whip Free. Spoon into four separate serving dishes. 3 points each.
If anyone else has any healthier, lighter Thanksgiving recipes they’d like to share, feel free to post them here. I’d love to give them a try!
*****
Because we posted Melissa Senate’s winners late yesterday, we’re reposting in case you missed it!
And the three winners of Melissa Senate’s The Secret of Joy are:
#3 Patsy Roberts
#12 Elisa V
#20 Talina
The link above is to the book’s amazon page so you can check it out too!
Please email Melissa directly at: Melissa @ melissasenate . com (no spaces) with your info!
Congratulations to all the winners!
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 25 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 45 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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I attended a cooking “light” class the other night and one of the dishes we made was this Pumpkin whip.
1 small pkg of Jello sugar free instant butterscotch pudding
1-1/2 cups of 1% milk
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cups of whipped topping (we used sugar free Dream Whip)
1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat together pudding mix & milk until thick
Stir in pumpkin puree, spice and vanilla
Fold in whipped topping
Refrigerate for at least two hours
Per serving: 81 cal, 4 g fat, 3 g protein, 11 g carbs
Makes 6 servings
This receipe was very pumpkiny…yum!
Tami B. :turkkey:
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Tami — Sounds like a YUMMY recipe. Thanks!!!
ilgrim:
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Yummy sounding, I’m going to try this, too!
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I have been doing weight watchers for the past six weeks (about 10 pounds lost, I am a little slow). I did a ‘test run’ of a thanksgiving dinner (my cousin’s wedding had Thanksgiving food) and found out you could eat a lot…it’s all about figuring out what to eat the rest of the day.
I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, so I can’t help you there. I am probably going to sneak a piece (seriously, a sliver!!!) of pecan pie, though. I will walk earlier in the day to help out my diet. Isn’t that what the ‘cheat points’ are for? WW is all about lifestyle change, too.
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Katie — 10 lbs. in six weeks is GREAT. And yes, it’s nice to have those extra Weight Watcher points for weeks like this! :givethanks:
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I’m starting “bootcamp” today and now I’m excited and encouraged by your success. Hubby has been on Weight Watchers for a few weeks but I haven’t been serious enough about it to actually lose any weight. I’m starting today and I’m also going to force myself to work out at least 30 minutes every day.
I love the idea of that 1 point recipe and think I’ll make it for hubby and me (and anyone else who wants to eat that instead) for Thanksgiving.
:jive: Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!
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Thanks, Allanah…I cheat (obviously, because I am going down slowly). I see WW as a lifestyle change. I have been walking everyday (or yoga), although, I always seem to miss Sundays
. I have found a definite change in how I “feel’.
Good job, Jennifer…I am actually a lifetime member…back when I was a kid (seriously, before they had obese kids), I did WW and it was so much tougher and became a lifetime member (obviously, 30 years later and three children later), I am back because it is such a good program. Huge believer in it! My mom (also a lifetime member) is so amazed at how the program has changed and what you can eat. She’s so supportive and thinking of going back, too (although, she wants to do the class, I do it online).
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Thanks, Alannah! I have to say that Weight Watchers is probably one of the most well rounded diets out there. You can eat pretty much anything you want. It’s all about moderation and portion size. And I like the weekly meetings. Gets me out of the house and around other people! :gobbler:
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Thanx for the recipes. This is the time of year when eating healthy is the hardest, because the next month or so is all about food! And these sound healthier and like they’d actually taste good too. Gotta love that.
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Yes, lots of food situations coming up in the next month! I’m trying to be smart about what I eat — though I don’t want to deprive myself, either. I just have to remind myself to take one or two bites of what I want to taste — and not eat a ton, LOL!
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Thanksgiving is hard especially when on Weight Watchers but it can be handled. I have been a Weight Watchers member for the past couple years. I finally reached my goal 3 weeks ago with a grand total loss of 128 pounds. My biggest concern with Thanksgiving this year is not letting myself get out of control. I have to maintain my loss for 6 weeks and then I become a lifetime member. I love pumpkin pie too and can’t wait to try the crustless recipe.
Congratulations on your weight loss Janelle and Katie! Keep up the good work! Enjoy your Thanksgiving! :gobbler:
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Jennifer, that’s AWESOME! Good for you! YOu must feel amazing!!!! :thankshappy:
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WTG Janelle! I’ve lost 22 pounds so far on Weight Watchers since mid-August and I too don’t want to fall of the wagon for Thanksgiving. My sister and I are trying to make our meal as healthy as possible, without making everyone miss out on their favorite dishes. Still working on our menu right now.
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Liza — definitely add this crustless pumpkin pie to your menu. It’s truly delicious!!!
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Great recipes, my sister posted a recipe similar to the mousse recipe. I am not a fan of pumpkin pie or pies in general. I am still not sure on the desserts, although I do want a birthday cake for my mom. Her birthday is Saturday and I am working.
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Hey, Bad Barb! Nice to see you here!
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Congrats to all of you who have lost the weight and kept it off!!
I am looking at joining WW after the holidays. Online, because I do not do weight or the numbers (I refuse to step on scales in Dr’s. offices since none of them are ever the same. I am not adding another scale to the list.) I have enough numbers in my clothing size. An added side benefit- hubby will end up eating what I cook and it definately won’t hurt him one bit!
I am going to hold onto the crustless recipie, and try it out when it’s not part of the holiday meal. I am known for my pumpkin pies- I have a bunch to make for people tomorrow before we leave for NYC- so it’s not something I take lightly. (pun) I do mine from scratch, not the canned stuff you buy, but the ones I grow.
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Ev — for me, it makes a big difference going to a weekly meeting and knowing that i have to weigh in. Keeps me honest for the most part, LOL! :fourturks:
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Congratulations to everyone who has lost weight!
Besides child-birth it was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
I’m not a big pumpkin fan but my husband is. I have to make him sugar-free, low carb pumpkin pie every year at Thanksgiving. I just google low carb pumpkin pie and find a recipe. :gobbler: I haven’t had a piece of pie since I won that plotting session with the Plotmonkeys at national in Dallas. Was it ’07?
Have a wonderful day everyone
Cher :fallleaf:
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You haven’t had pie since 2007?
That’s incredible, LOL!
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Nope, no pie for Cher. Whenever I eat anything like that I end up wearing it the next day. I was wearing that pie at national!
But it was worth it. I enjoyed every mouthful. 
Cher
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Thanks for sharing those recipes. They sound like yummy alternatives!
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Those recipes look great – I’ll figure out what equivalents I can find of the ingredients here tho.
I love WW for the fact it allows you to eat what you want so long as you stay within your daily points (and teaches better eating habits, since it becomes obvious very quickly that to stay satisfied wise choices need to be made).
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Wow, congratulations to all the awesome WW losers!
That is losers in a very good weigh!! Couldn’t resist the pun!! 
The holidays always make it so difficult if you are eating healthy and trying to loose weight. I choose to eat things you don’t eat all the time such as dressing, turkey, gravy (something I rarely have), sweet potatoes/yams, and yes pumpkin pie! I love it, love it & only have it once or twice a year so I do indulge. :thankseat: I think part of the trick is to not over indulge in the second or third helping. Not an easy thing when it all tastes so good. 
Seemed appropriate!!!! 
I will be cooking for my oldest grandson again & it is just the two of us. It seems I am leaning toward having fresh salmon or crab since it is crab season here in northern California. I just have to decide which one & plan the rest of the menu! He loves seafood as do I and his mom doesn’t so we indulge!! I think salmon is probably a bit healthier than the big turkey dinner but I miss all that good stuff! Despite it being a somewhat weird combination I’m making pumpkin pie!! It is my favorite breakfast for the day after Thanksgiving, yummy!
ilgrim:
:fallleaf:
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Crab — YUMMMMM!!!!
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I forgot to mention earlier…check out a site called “HUNGRY GIRL”. She has great recipes, shows the WW points and it is awesome!
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I get Hungry Girl emails every day. She’s awesome!
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Here is a really easy cake/muffin recipe that only had 2-3 WW points.
Take a spice cake mix and a 15 oz can of real pumpkin and combine. Pour into a cake pan or muffin tin(it will be really thick). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
I actually made muffins using chocolate cake mix and they are wonderful. They are so moist they almost fall apart.
My boys play on MNF tonight. Go Titans!!!
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That sounds really good. I’ll have to give it a try!
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Anyone have a light and easy Pecan pie? That’s MY favorite!
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I visit this site every day – religiously! – but I never post….today, however, I wanted to say congrats to everyone (and thank you for the yummy food ideas) for their WW dedication. I am a lifetime member and coach, so I realize what each of you is going through!
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Janelle I loved your recipes !! I’m keeping them ;-)