Protein First: High-Protein Pumpkin Pie

by Chris Shugart

The Most Filling Dessert

Low calories, low carbs, no added sugar, high protein. Here's how to make it.

People who eat at least .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight are leaner and better looking. Bump that up to 1 gram per pound, and, well, these folks are just too sexy for words. That's just science.

I call it the Protein First Eating Strategy. Focus on protein and the rest of your diet takes care of itself because protein is the most satiating macro and has the highest thermic effect. And you don't have to live on tuna. Pump up the protein in regular recipes (while bumping down the calories) and better body composition just happens. You can even do it with pumpkin pie.

Here's the video.

High-Protein Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin, not pie mix or filling
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 4 scoops vanilla MD protein (Buy at Amazon)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend. Or make your own using hefty dashes of cinnamon plus a little ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
  • 3/4 cup baking Splenda (Buy at Amazon)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Finely crush the walnuts or give them a whirl in a food processor to make crumbs. This will be your crust. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly into an oven-safe pie dish.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
  4. Pour the filling on top of your crust.
  5. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until just set. The middle of the pie might look a little wobbly. That's okay.
  6. Allow to cool, then refrigerate. It'll continue to set as it gets cold.

Calories & Macros

If you want to drop the calories even more, skip the walnut crust. But keep in mind, the average pumpkin pie contains 3840 calories. This one, including the crust, has only 1320 total calories. I'd keep that omega-3-packed crust.

  • Servings 6
  • Calories 220
  • Protein 25g
  • Carbs 8g (Fiber 3g)
  • Fat 9g

MD-Buy-on-Amazon

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5 Likes

Cmon, dont ruin pumpkin pie with proteinā€¦just add cool whip, lol