Italian Stuffed Artichokes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and stress free Black Friday. I enjoyed time with my family and ate far too much and then Friday I went to the tree lot and got a gorgeous 8ft tree for my living room. Unfortunately, now it's back to reality. I just gave my two Corgis baths, which was exhausting and near impossible to wrangle those two into the bathroom. Now they are sadly staring at me while being locked up in the kitchen so that they can dry off. As my reward for all my hard work I'm going to eat the last stuffed artichoke I saved.

My all time favorite Thanksgiving food has always been stuffed artichokes. I love them and my grandma makes them every year for big holidays. Unfortunately this year I am 3,000 miles away in California and I had to make them myself. After talking to her many times about the recipe I got it down pat and was able to make them for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

1 (oz.) Can of Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs

3 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

5 Artichokes

Other great things to add to the stuffing: fresh parsley, mushrooms (I would have loved adding some mushrooms but Brian doesn't like them), mozzarella cheese, and/or nuts. 

 Start by cleaning and cutting the artichoke. 

Cut the stem so that it can sit flat in the pot. Cut the points off of all of the leaves. Then rinse the artichoke and bang it upside down so that you get the dirt all the way down at the bottom, it will also open it up so that you can stuff it more. 

In a large bowl mix the bread crumbs, the Parmesan cheese, the garlic cloves, and the basil. 

Add just a bit of olive oil so that the bread crumbs are moist. 

Then spoon into each leaf of the artichoke with a spoon.

Spread the center of the artichoke open and stuff with bread crumbs.

Put the artichokes in a large pasta pot and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Make sure that the pot has about 2-2.5 inches of water (about 1 1/2 cups) at the bottom at all times so that they don't burn. 

Cook for about an hour or until a leaf comes off easily when pulled.

I love stuffed artichokes. When I went to Italy last year artichokes were everywhere my absolute favorite were in the Roman Jewish Ghetto. They were deep fried in Olive oil, and garlic. 

It was heavenly.

Skinny Mini Pumpkin Cream Pies

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! And hello all my fellow last minute Thanksgiving preppers. I love the day before Thanksgiving. Prepping all the food and making all the things that can be made ahead of time.  Last night I made these quick pies to take to work and share with all the others that were stuck working today. The office was pretty empty today so I got out early today and headed over to Target to pick up all the last minute things I needed. I always seem to forget something. I wanted to share with you a super quick and super easy skinny mini pumpkin cream pie recipe in case you might have forgotten to bring something. My grandma, never the one to go to anything empty handed, makes chocolate cream pie as a last minute go to. Cream pies have got to be the easiest dessert to make. It's just pudding mix, whip cream, and pie crust.

Ingredients

1 package Jello Pumpkin Pie Spice Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

2 cups skim milk

1 1/2 cup fat free cool whip

12 Ready Crust Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crust (2 packages)

I found this delicious pumpkin spice pudding mix on the thanksgiving display. You know that section they put together to make shopping for holiday baking or cooking easier.

Follow the pudding mix directions by mixing with 2 cups of skim milk.

Once it's all mixed together fold in the Cool Whip. (BTW if you have the Target Cartwheel app they have a coupon for Cool Whip right now).

Pour the mixture into the mini graham crack pie crusts and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

For only 159 calories these mini pies are amazing. I mean a traditional slice of pumpkin pie has over 300 calories but if you are still craving that custard-y pie texture you could always make my crustless pumpkin pie. 
I got rave reviews for these pies. In fact I had people try one and then end up taking one home for later because they loved it so much.

What is your favorite easy pie recipe?

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Mini Pie (makes 12 pies)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 159 Calories from Fat 41

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.5g 7%

Saturated Fat 3.0g 15%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 1mg 0%

Sodium 245mg 10%

Potassium 63mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 25.4g 8%

Sugars 13.8g

Protein 2.3g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 5% • Iron 2%

Nutrition Grade D+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

How to Survive Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Food, family, friends, what more could you ask for? But it can be hard to stay healthy on a day that revolves around food. I thought I'd share my tips for surviving Thanksgiving. 

1. Remember to eat breakfast. I know it may seem like a good idea to wait until dinner to eat but by the time dinner comes you're starving and will eat everything. I plan on having pumpkin pie oatmeal for breakfast so that I can handle the rest of the day without going crazy at dinner time. 
2. Help with the cooking. If you can help cook than you should totally do it. When you're in the kitchen you will not only know what's going into the food but you may also have some say in making things healthier. 
3. Make a dish. To ensure that there are going to be healthy options I plan on making sauteed green beans. I'm also going to throw together a salad. This way I know I have something healthy to eat and I won't be entirely filling up on mash potatoes and stuffing.
4. Stick with the turkey breast. If your family is like mine we typically have several meat options, turkey, ham, roast beef. Try to stick with the turkey breast and remove the skin (the skin is the best part! but that's where most of the fat and calories hide). 
5. Eat dessert. Don't deprive yourself of dessert. Grab a slice of pie and enjoy. I will be enjoying my crust-less pumpkin pie with a huge dollop of whip cream.
6. Play Football. I've heard a lot of families play football after dinner. My family doesn't do this awesome tradition but I think this is a great year to start. It doesn't matter how many people you can gather to play as long as you can get outside and run around for a bit. 
7. Bonus tip! A friend gave me great advice a couple years ago about how to handle those AWFUL personal questions that family always seems to ask during the holidays. When are you graduating?, Do you have a boyfriend?... Respond to their question with a question. Relatives love to tell stories about when they were younger so if your aunt asks you about your last date turn it around and ask her about her best or worst date when she was your age. It works every time.

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll! 

Do you have any tips for surviving Thanksgiving?

Crust-less Pumpkin Pie

We are only two days away from Thanksgiving!! I am so excited! I love Thanksgiving so much. Probably because I love cooking and spending time with family. One of the most important things about Thanksgiving is the tradition. My family has so many traditions for Thanksgiving. We always make stuffed artichokes (recipe to come soon!), and we always share our blessings of the year with each other, I always watch the parade as soon as it starts in the morning (my FAVORITE part is the little bits of the Broadway musicals they show first thing in the morning), and of course we ALWAYS have pumpkin pie. 

This year I thought I would try and make traditional pumpkin pie lighter since pumpkin itself it actually very good for you. Although we will also have the full fat version it's nice to have the option of a lighter version. I know that I will probably only eat this lighter version because it rocks! If you like a custardy pumpkin pie you will love this crust-less pumpkin pie too! 

It's also SUPER simple! Just dump the following ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can Libby's Pumpkin Puree

12 oz. can Fat Free Evaporated Milk

4 Large Egg Whites

2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

10 packets Splenda*

Pour into a pie pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

Once the sides are golden brown take a tooth pick and insert it in the middle of the pie. If the toothpick comes out clean the pie is done. Take it out and let it cool completely so that it can set.

* I used Splenda but you really could use any sweetener of choice. If you are trying to eat clean I would suggest maple syrup in place of the Splenda.

What is your favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving?

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice (Pie makes 8 slices)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 62 Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4g 1%

Cholesterol 2mg 1%

Sodium 79mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 11.7g 4%

Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19%

Sugars 6.8g

Protein 5.9g

Vitamin A 134% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 14% • Iron 3%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet