Skinny Pumpkin Pie & A Peek Into My Shopping Cart

I haven’t been talking any grocery shopping pictures lately (since I stopped blogging so much), but I was inspired by Chef Katelyn’s shopping list post to do one of my own. So, instead of showing you my weekly haul today, I’ll show you what items are considered staples around here — those things I buy at the grocery store most.

 ** I do not buy all of these items every single week, but we do almost always have them on hand or are planning to pick some up soon. I also am completely aware that we do not currently subscribe to the 100% clean eats thing. I would absolutely love to do that — including grass-fed beef, organic fruits and veggies, and limited amounts (if any) of processed foods. But, right now, it’s totally not in our budget. We do what we can, but we’re just not there yet and, unfortunately, rent and tuition have to be our first and foremost priorities. I also think that the items in my shopping cart are more relatable because of this. Also, the items on this list are what I normally buy in the fall/winter/spring. During the summer, I buy a lot more fresh fruit since it’s in season.

All that being said… go ahead! Take a look into my carriage (yes, I do actually call it this in real life!).

Remember, this list includes food for both me and Brent. It’s not all for just one person! Do our lists look similar? What are some of your staples?

On a completely different note… I’m SO EXCITED to share this recipe with you!! I’m a huge fan of Fall, and therefore an especially huge fan of everything pumpkin-flavored (obviously). So in order to satisfy my craving, I created this incredibly delicious recipe for Skinny Pumpkin Pie!

Did you know that a standard piece of pumpkin pie can run you up to 400 calories?! By adjusting the ingredients in my own pie, I was able to cut the calories down to 220 per slice! So go ahead and dig in, worry-free

My family has an awesome Thanksgiving meal every year, but one thing we’re always lacking is a pumpkin pie. Somebody always brings squash pie — but I’m not a fan. My mom swears to me that they taste the same, but they don’t!! So I decided that, this year, I was just going to go ahead and make my own.

And it came out amazing! I was actually really surprised by this… First of all, I’ve never made a pie by myself before. I’ve made a few with my mom or grandmother, but it’s been a few years and I’ve never attempted it alone. Second of all, while I do have a few original baked-goods recipes on the blog, I still consider myself a newbie in that department. I only recently began experimenting with baking, so I was kind of shocked that this recipe I came up with actually worked.

And not only did it work… it was perfect. If I do say so myself

(I was panicking about getting dinner in the oven, so I did end up slightly under-baking my pie by 5-10 minutes — which is why it looks a tad soft in this picture — but I made sure that the recipe below is correct for you!)

Skinny Pumpkin Pie

(by Miranda Mowbray, Biting Life)

Ingredients:

1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust

1 cup fat-free half and half

1 cup fat-free milk

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (15 oz) can puréed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) — I use Libby’s brand

1 (15 oz) can yams in syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Splenda

1/8 cup maple syrup (use sugar-free for an even lower-calorie dessert!)

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚.

Add pumpkin and yams to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer.

Stir sugar, Splenda, maple syrup, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into the pumpkin mixture.

Let simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally (use the spatula to mash the yam).

Meanwhile, whisk together the half and half, milk, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla.

Remove pumpkin mixture from heat and whisk in the wet ingredients.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl and pour pumpkin mixture through it.

Use the spatula to press mixture through the sieve and discard what doesn’t go through.

Whisk the mixture together for a final time to combine thoroughly.

Roll out the pie dough into a pie pan prepared with cooking spray; trim and flute the edges.

Pour the pumpkin filling into the pie pan and discard what doesn’t fit.

(I had about 2 cups extra, including the thick parts that didn’t fit through the strainer, which I did not include in the calorie count).

Bake pie at 400˚ for 10 minutes.

Turn heat down to 300˚ and continue baking for 25-40 minutes (check for doneness with toothpick).

Remove from oven and let cool for three hours, then cut into eight slices and serve with whipped cream.