No Bake Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

 

I LOVE cheesecake! So I was super excited when I found this recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake!! Being that fall is right around the corner, I figured this would be the perfect dessert to make for a girl's night.

Here is the original recipe but I made several tweeks to try and make it a little lower calorie. I'm not sure how many calories I'm saving myself, but with the holidays coming up, saving a few calories is always pretty sweet! However, if you prefer the full fat version, just substitute the ingredients accordingly.
Here we go.

Topping

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Crust

2 ½ cups reduced fat graham crackers
1/3 cup baking Splenda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick butter – melted

Filling

1 – 8 ounce package low fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 – 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling)
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup baking Splenda
8 ounce container of fat free whipped topping thawed

Directions

Prepare the topping. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or piece of parchment paper. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans, salt and brown sugar and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the coated nuts onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and refrigerate until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Spray a 9 inch springform with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Spray the paper with some more cooking spray. Combine the crust ingredients, mix well and press firmly into the prepared springform covering the bottom and going up the sides of the springform.

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and sugar and beat on medium speed until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl at least once.

With a spatula, fold in the whipped cream or whipped topping.

Pour into the crust.
Top the cheesecake with the pecans.
Refrigerate the cheesecake for 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

**As you will notice, it is a little runny. It was still AMAZING but you could probably freeze it if you prefer a harder texture.

Best App Ever!

Several months ago (February to be exact), my brother-in-law introduced me to the MOST amazing app ever! I was really struggling to lose my newlywed/baby weight (about 30 pounds) and I was really not happy about the way I looked.  

He had started using My Fitness Pal and so that evening I downloaded it. I figured I would maybe lose a little bit but didn't have much hope that I would get back to the weight I wanted.

Well, here I am 7 months later and I'm down 25 pounds with only a few more to go. Actually, I haven't been this weight since before Kevin and I met. I am wearing clothes that I never thought I'd wear again and feeling so much better about myself. Not to mention, I have so much more energy than I used to. (Sorry the before pic is a little fuzzy. I had to download it from my blog.)

Weight: 149 pounds

Weight: 174 pounds

So how exactly does this app work, you ask? Great question! It helps you count your calories but in the easiest way possible. When you start, you enter your weight, height, goal weight, and how many calories you'd like to lose per week.

Then, it gives you your calorie amount per day. You input the foods you eat and it counts them for you. It also has the entire menu from pretty much any restaurant. So, when I go out to eat, I just type in the restaurant name and then choose from the list which foods I've eaten.

You can also put in the exercises you do and then it adds calories to your day. At the end of the day, you submit your day and it tells you how much you will weigh in 5 weeks if you eat that amount each day. Very motivating to see those lower numbers!!

So here's the best part about this app. It's FREE! I know it can be downloaded on iPhones and I think Droids. Also, you can use it online too at myfitnesspal.com.

If you are trying to lose weight or just want to start keeping track of your eating, this app is definitely a must have!