12 Days of Healthy Holiday Eating: Day #9

On the ninth day of Christmas, my dietitian told me…

You can have dessert, but don’t over do it!

What would a holiday party be without the dessert table? However, this table can be a very difficult area for people who are on a diet or trying to maintain a healthy weight. However, don’t let food control you over the holidays. The holiday is time to enjoy and celebrate life, and dessert can definitely be a part of that. When dinner is ending and it comes time for dessert allow yourself to have one or two small portions of the dessert of your choice, but do not make your dessert plate as full as your dinner plate. Choose one piece of the pie you have been eyeing up, or one of your favorite holiday cookies. Dessert is meant to be savored and enjoyed. So choose your favorite and enjoy it, just don’t go back for seconds or thirds, because keep in a mind a single piece of pecan pie can have over 500 calories. Therefore people counting calories may want to choose a lighter dessert option like a slice of pumpkin pie (205 calories) or 2 small sugar cookies (130 calories). Here is a delicious recipe that is slightly less in calories, but no way less in flavor.

Recipe: Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 eggs (Use an egg substitute to cut more fat and cholesterol)

2 cups canned pumpkin

3/4 cup evaporated milk (use fat free milk to eliminate more fat)

1-1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

In a bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in the pumpkin, milk, vanilla and cinnamon if desired; mix until well blended. Pour into a greased 9-in. pie plate. Place pie plate in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; add 1/2 in. of hot water to pan. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 211 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 49 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.