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

Clean Eating Banana Bread

Who doesn't love banana bread? I know that everytime I look over at the fruit bowl on my kitchen table and see the bananas getting a little brown I get excited that I can finally make another batch of banana bread. Is that weird? I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks like this. I mean banana bread is amazing and tasty and it's hard to mess up.

For years I have been making the traditional Southern Living Banana Bread recipe that I found in my mom's cookbook in high school. I have been experimenting with recipes to make it lower calorie and cleaner. I have finally found a recipe that tastes so good it tricked everyone who tried it. There's no sugar, no oil, and no guilt. This recipe is a little similar to my pumpkin spice bread recipe but even cleaner.

Please pardon my chipped nail polish I skipped doing my nails this weekend because I'm getting my nails done before Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

3 large bananas

2 egg whites

2 tbsp Light butter spread (I use Brummel and Brown with Yogurt)

3 tbsp honey 

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt 

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Put the bananas and the other wet ingredients in a bowl and mash until smooth.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. 

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until all mixed together. 

Pour into the loaf pan or muffin tin and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

It comes out this gorgeous light golden color. 

Okay, well now this has made me hungry. I'm off to go toast up a slice and spread on some Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese. Oh. My. Gosh. sooo good! 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Slice (Loaf makes 10 slices)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 135 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3.0g 5%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 79mg 3%

Potassium 267mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 24.9g 8%

Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7%

Sugars 10.2g

Protein 3.2g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 6% Calcium 4% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Healthy, Happy Gifts for Fitness Friends

My favorite time of the year is just around the corner and I have already started Christmas shopping. I have been brainstorming gift ideas for a while now and I have come up with some really great ideas for gifts that promote a healthy lifestyle. I think these gifts are not only good for those fitness junkies but also those who are a little intimated by the thought of getting fit or living healthier.

1. Hamilton Beach Personal Blender with Travel Lid  -  $14.85

A really great gift for those on the go. I love this for making quick and easy smoothies at work or on a road trip in a hotel.

2. Groupon
Don't forget to check Groupon for some really awesome activities that could be given as gifts. There's the typical things such as yoga or kickboxing classes and there's even out-of-the-box ideas like self-defense lessons or backpacking trips.

3. Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Slicer  -  $12.13
My new favorite kitchen tool. Veggetti spins vegetables into long pieces of spaghetti. I've used it for the typical zucchini but also for butternut squash. It makes a really great gift for those trying to cut back the calories or just love experimenting in the kitchen.

4. Fun Gym Tanks
Do you have a bestie that you workout with or just a good gym buddy? Funny and sarcastic tank tops are an awesome gift for any of the above. I am in love with these Mean Girls Quote Tank Tops  It's hard to go wrong with anything Mean Girls related.

5. Nalgene BPA-Free Water Bottle  -  $9.97
Who doesn't love a reusable water bottle? Nalgene water bottles are my favorite because they have the wide mouth that you can fill with ice. They also come in tons of awesome colors! If you want to go the extra mile you can get a vinyl monogram from Etsy ($5) to personalize the gift.

6. Fitbit Zip  -  $47.94

My favorite gift to give or get is a Fitbit. The Zip is the cheapest but does what most of the other Fitbits can; it's not only a pedometer but also tracks calories burned, miles, and distance. It syncs to other fitness apps like MyFitnessPal to help achieve weighloss goals. I love giving the Fitbit as gifts because you can compete with your friends and family to see who walked the most that day or week, turning it into a fun little competition. 

What healthy, active presents are you asking Santa for this year?

Being Healthy at the Movies

It's hard staying on track especially when I'm going out with friends. A couple days ago I went to go see Annabelle, which by the way was SUPER freakin' scary. I wanted to stay on track so I packed my own snacks and a big bottle of water.

I brought my bottle of water and a packet of Crystal Light just in case. I also brought a mini bag of Boom Chicka Pop and a little bag of organic gummy bears. I'm a gummy bear addict and these ones by YumEarth Organics are super yummy.

I've gotta say if you like horror movies Annabelle is a must see. I'm a bit of a horror movie junkie and Annabelle is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. I haven't been this scared in theaters since I saw Paranormal Activity the first time and Annabelle is probably 100x scarier than Paranormal Activity.

Getting Back On Track

I haven't posted in over a month and I have about a million excuses but I still feel really guilty. Back in the beginning of December I had finals that I was studying for and I started stress snacking. I know, I know I could have been snacking on good nutritious things but I sabotaged myself. BUT I will have you know that I did get all A's this past semester :) 

After finals it was the holidays and I love holiday treats. My holidays consisted of a smorgasbord of healthy nutritious foods and homemade sugary treats and of course copious amount of Champagne. My workout schedule dwindled down to nothing and now it's time to get back in the game.

For the past 2 weeks I have slowly been fixing my eating and going to the gym at least 30 minutes each day. 

Here are a couple of things I was eating last week. (top left to bottom right) 1.Cranberry walnut salad with feta, 2. Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Delights with the egg removed and two clementines, 3. grilled chicken and cheese quesadilla with grape tomatoes and cilantro, 4. brown rice with black beans, corn, and grilled chicken topped with guacamole, 5. cucumber and hummus.

It's been difficult to get back on track and I am constantly forgetting my lunch at home and having to improvise with what I have at work but I'm slowly getting back to where I was before. 

It's just a good reminded to always stay focused because it's harder to start back up than to just keep going.

Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride

I love Christmastime! But it's tricky staying healthy during the holidays because there are soooo many treats everywhere! I wanted to share this really great tea I found at the grocery store the other day. It's Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cooke Sleigh Ride. It's delicious! It doesn't quite taste like a sugar cookie but it does help when I have a sweets craving and can't afford to actually have sugar cookies. 

What is your trick to avoiding too many holiday treats?

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

Evolution Fresh - Sweet Green with Lime

I hope ya'll had a wonderful Halloween weekend! I definitely did!

For my Halloween party I dressed up as one of the PNK monsters from Monsters University. 

I had so much fun but unfortunately I didn't eat all that great this past weekend. But this week I'm back on track and will push myself to throw in a couple extra workouts throughout the week to make up for it.

My new favorite mid-afternoon snack is Evolution Fresh - Sweet Green with Lime. It tastes amazing. Thanks to their awesome and detailed ingredients list its easy to replicate if you have a juicer. If you check out their website they also have a lot of other recipes for tasty and healthy juices. 

Check out these awesome ingredients.

• Celery 
  6 3/4 stalk
• Apple 
  3/4
• Cucumber 
  1/5
• Spinach 
  2 leaves
  
  
• Parsley 
  snip
• Romaine 
  3/4 leaves
• Kale 
  1/2 leaves
• Lemon 
  squeeze
• Lime 
  squeeze
  
  
  
  
• Parsley 
  snip
• Wheat Grass 
  38 blades
• Clover sprouts 
  snip
  
  

SerVING SIZE 8 FL OZ (240 ML)

SERVINGS PER CONTAINER ABOUT 2

Amount per serving	% Daily value*
Calories	50
Calories from fat	0

Amount per serving	% Daily value*
Total fat 0g	0%
Saturated fat 0g	0%
Trans fat
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 150mg	6%
Potassium 550mg	16%

Amount per serving	% Daily value*
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 10g
Protein 1g

Vitamin A	8%	Vitamin C	6%
Calcium	6%	Iron	2%

INGREDIENTS: JUICES (CELERY, APPLE, CUCUMBER, SPINACH, ROMAINE LETTUCE, KALE, LIME, LEMON, PARSLEY, WHEAT GRASS, CLOVER SPROUTS).

 Source: http://www.evolutionfresh.com/en-us/juice/sweet-greens-lemon-juice

If you're not a fan of green veggies I would suggest trying another more fruity flavor but I love how healthy this one tastes plus its just slightly sweet.