Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 50 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

(this recipe is from here.)

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I cannot explain how good this pie is.

Anyway, I was proud of myself for enjoying the evening, the company AND the food. Early on in the day, I remembered something Roni said about her eating habits (paraphrasing): If she knows she is going to have a big meal later in the day, she will make a concious choice to eat smaller healthier meals throughout the day to make up for the big one (and calories) she is going to have later.

People who are naturaully thin still eat unhealthy meals now and then– emphasis on the NOW AND THEN. Just because one meal is bad, doesn’t meal they ALL have to be.

Here is what I had for the rest of the day:

Breakfast:

• 1 serving fruit – fresh blueberries
• 1 serving high fiber crackers
• 1 serving low fat cottage cheese
• water

Lunch:

• Water
• a few rice crackers
• smoked turkey breast
• low fat cheese cubes