Carrie was asking if anyone had ideas or recipes, so I thought it might be a good idea to set up a thread for it. So, if you have a helpful OP tip for the holidays or a good recipe, please feel free to post it here. Let's see what it on everyone's menu...

To cut back on points I make a regular pumpkin pie without the crust. It cuts the points down from 9 points a slice to 4 or 5 I think. I also make Diet Coke cakes or the pumpkin muffins.

You would think I would have something to add here too, since I started the thread...

I like to make sweet potatoes by cooking them with orange juice, a little light margarine, and spices. It sort of candies them with with way fewer points.

I'm thinking about taking a cake mix or brownie mix, adding a can of soda or a can of pumpkin and making cupcakes out them. Frosting with the fat free or lite cool whip and add a few sprinkles to make them look festive.
Laura

I think for a side dish I am going to make mashed cauliflower with laughing cow cheese and a pumpkin dessert from my WW cookbook

If you haven't tried adding horseradish to your mashed potatoes (or probably mashed cauliflower) you are missing a great treat. I don't add huge amounts but it gives a nice tang to the dish

Pat

Any ideas on a spice cake using something other than diet soda? My DH is allergic to phenalalynine. It triggers his asthma.

I've heard of adding a can of pumpkin to the cake mix instead of the oil and eggs and liquid. Never tried it but I beat that it would be good with spice cake.

Pat

The spice cake mix with pumpkin is WONDERFUL!!! we all love that here. I have also mixed pumpkin with devil's food cake mix and that is good too. The ratio is one 15 ounce can of pumpkin to one boxed cake mix. bake as directed. The texture is a little more brownie-like than cake like. The cake is great topped with cool whip or cool whip and fruit.

What about an angel food cake (very low in points) with some ff cool whip and some berries. If you cut strawberries up and add a teaspoon or two of sugar and let them sit in the fridge a while they will develop a nice juice to them and it is really good drizzled over the cake. I made this last Thanksgiving and even the non-WWers loved it.

I have tried to make the diet soda cake (with high expectations) and it never seems to come out edible - bleech! Rather just have a small portion of real stuff or skip it all together.

Marilyn

Hello all!

Just thought I would add that you can do two different things for your pie crusts, well the two different things that I do anyway! LOL

One is for a regular pie dough type crust use a few layers of filo dough instead. It's much lower in points values and still gives you a crust.

The other is instead of a graham crust, take some original fiber one cereal and put it through the food process to crumb consistency. Use this in place of the graham crackers. Adds fiber and lowers points!