One of the most difficult aspects of dieting is watching other people eat delicious desserts. After all, a piece of fruit, while nutritious and even quite tasty, is no replacement for something sweet, even when it’s been dipped in a sugar substitute, especially not when someone’s sweet tooth is demanding to be placated.
In addition, dieters who deny themselves desserts are far more likely to sabotage their diets by eventually giving in to temptation and then overindulging, which ultimately leads to their regaining any weight they had previously lost. That is why these recipes are the answer to a dieter’s prayer. They are not only delicious but also low in calories and fat, meaning that dieters can enjoy them without later regrets. Finally, as noted below, both recipes can be adapted to make several other equally tasty low-cal pies.
Quick and Easy Recipe for Low-Cal Chocolate Pie
Ingredients for pie:
- 1 package sugar-free chocolate pudding mix
- 1 and 1/2 cups skim milk
- 1 small tub sugar-free refrigerated whipped topping
- Prepared piecrust
- Chocolate curls for garnish (Omit for an even greater calorie reduction)
Ingredients for piecrust:
- 2 cups low-fat graham crackers (Or substitute low-fat animal crackers)
- 1/2 cup low-fat light margarine (Or substitute yogurt margarine)
Preparation of piecrust:
- Crush crackers (or animal cookies) until fine.
- Melt margarine.
- Pour melted margarine over crushed crackers.
- Mix until crumbs stick together. (Melt and add more margarine if needed.)
- Put crumb mixture into pie dish, pressing mixture onto the bottom and up the sides.
Preparation of pie:
- Mix pudding according to directions, using the 1 and 1/2 cups skim milk.
- Allow pudding to set a little, but not completely (Pudding sets fast).
- Fold whipped topping into pudding.
- Pour pudding into piecrusts.
- Top with chocolate curls (If desired).
- Refrigerate until completely set (At least 2 hours).
Yield: 1 pie (8 servings)
Calories: Approximately 145 per serving
Note: This same recipe can used to make other creamy pies, for example:
- Use coconut pudding and 1/2 cup shredded coconut.
- Use butterscotch pudding with 1/2 cup finely chopped butterscotch pieces.
- Note: The coconut and butterscotch pieces will increase the number of calories, although not too drastically.
Quick and Easy Low-Cal Recipe for Strawberry Icebox Pie
This recipe is actually an adaptation of one that was popular in the1950s when many homemakers, who had grown up with iceboxes, referred to their newfangled modern refrigerators as “iceboxes;” thus, the term “icebox pie.” Of course, back then, cooks did not have prepared whipped toppings, so they used evaporated milk to make this pie; and neither did they have sugar-free gelatin, which meant that the icebox pies of the 1950s were considerably higher in both fat and calories.
Ingredients:
- 1 package sugar-free strawberry gelatin mix
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 small tub sugar-free whipped topping
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries, or 1 cup sliced frozen strawberries
- 1 prepared piecrust (see recipe above)
Preparation:
- Empty the gelatin mix into heatproof glass bowl.
- Add boiling water and stir until gelatin dissolves.
- Add ice cubes.
- Stir until ice cubes melt and gelatin begins to set.
- Add lemon juice.
- Fold in refrigerated whipped topping.
- Fold in strawberries.
- Pour into prepared piecrust.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely set.
Yield: 1 pie (8 servings)
Calories: Approximately 135 per serving
Note: This recipe can be adapted by using other flavors of gelatin mixes and/or fruit, for example:
- Use orange gelatin with 1 small can mandarin orange slices.
- Use lime gelatin and 1 tablespoon limejuice.
- Use cherry gelatin and 1/2 cup sugar-free cherry pie filling.
- Use raspberry gelatin and 1 cup slice fresh or frozen raspberries.
As stated in the beginning, these recipes make tasty low-cal pies, which means that dieters can enjoy them without guilt; well, that is, unless they consume an entire pie in one sitting. But even in that unlikely event, the total calories consumed would be nowhere near those contained in the average high-fat and calorie-laden pie.
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Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
