There Are No Puns For Pumpkin Pie Dip...

November 18, 2018

There Are No Puns For Pumpkin Pie Dip...

Photo courtesy of Hungry Girl

...Or maybe there are. My brain has kind of given up for now. As of two days ago, the MONTH OLD graphics card in my MONTH OLD, built by me desktop literally spontaneously combusted. I was using the computer and it randomly turned off. When that happens, it's usually a thermal issue (aka, it got too hot and the computer performed a critical shut down to save the hardware from getting damaged), so the first thing I did was feel to see if it was hot. Spoiler; it wasn't. But it wouldn't turn back on. My poor husband called just as this was happening and so got a not so nice "yes?" when I picked up the phone. After awhile I tried turning it back on and was relieved when it started powering up... until the previously mentioned graphics card started sparking and smoking. Like I said before, literally spontaneously combusted. To keep a long story short, I had to spend money I didn't have to put in a less than spectacular graphics card to hold me over until the other one gets fixed (the manufacturing company estimates it will take 2 MONTHS!).

And with that, here I am with another holiday recipe post. This time instead of a side dish to go along with dinner, this is more of a pre-dinner sort of amuse-bouche item. But with that said, I'm going to interject that unless you are a couple years out from your surgery (or are pre-op or no-op), you probably shouldn't have a before dinner snack. I also wouldn't recommend this for anyone who struggles with portion control or knowing when you're full. This sort of thing encourages overeating and while this is definitely much healthier than other similar options out there, it's still not wonderful when it comes to the nutrition. If you fall into one of the aforementioned categories, I suggest that instead of indulging before dinner, you hold some aside for yourself either for dessert or a large snack later. The nutrition for this recipe is for a particularly large serving for those who have had WLS, approximately 4 ounces. I know this might not seem like much to those who are pre-op or no-op but look at it like this: this is a dessert dish that you may serve with some sort of dippable low carb item, for which I will make suggestions below. Even if you choose to eat this on its own, it's meant for after you've already had a meal. When you think of it that way, what ends up being around 1/2 of a cup really is a generous serving. Hopefully this doesn't seem like I'm admonishing you if you feel that it isn't a large enough serving. That's not my intention in the least. Instead, I want you all to know that I try to think of these things when coming up with recipes. At over three years out from my surgery, I still struggle with these things on a regular basis and have to remind myself of the things I mentioned above. Don't worry though, you'll have plenty of time to indulge in delicious foods this holiday season, and maybe some of them will come from recipes in these very posts!

Speaking of recipes...

Pumpkin Pie Dip

4 ounces, Plain Lowfat Kefir
1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
2 containers Dannon Light and Fit Greek - Pumpkin Pie (can sub vanilla)
4 Tbsp Truvia
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
1 scoop Unflavored Protein Powder
1 container Cool Whip
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Butterscotch Pudding Mix
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, kefir, almond and vanilla extracts, pumpkin pie spice and Truvia. Using hand mixer or a whisk, stir until combined.
Add in pudding mix and whisk to combine. You want to whisk or use a mixer to ensure there are no clumps of pudding mix.
Add pumpkin puree and mix until everything is a uniform color.
Gently fold in Cool Whip using either a spatula or a large spoon.
Serve with dipping item of choice.