Thanksgiving Prep: How Bariatric Post-Ops (Should) Do Pie

Pictured: Nik's Sweet Veggie Pie (recipe link below)

Yep. Let's talk about pie for a minute. Because Thanksgiving is coming. And there will be pie. Ohhhhh yes...there will be pie!

For some of you it might be pumpkin pie. For others, sweet potato. (Side note: I'm not sure if it's cultural or regional but my family resolutely refuses to eat pumpkin pie...hmmm...) And for some of you there will be pecan and other sorts of yummy concoctions which WILL leave you either (a) grateful for your picky pouches (or sleeves) (b) wishing for your old stomachs for just a day or (c) down right testy!

But did you know that you can do pie?

"Stop messing with me Nik...this is a touchy subject!"

I kid you not! You can do pie. And I'm going to show you how.

You can do...

Protein Pie

Like my "Amp'd Sweet Potato Pie" which is made with a sugar substitute and protein powder. Nobody could tell the difference frankly and it was GOOD! Or if you're feeling adventurous and want to go totally covert on your family you can give my Sweet Veggie Pie a shot! With or without protein you'll feel a deep sense of pride for pulling that pie off!

Protein Pudding/Frozen Pie

I usually tell people about the frozen in the summer but they work equally well at Thanksgiving, especially because you have to let it sit for a minute before slicing them! Or, like in the picture above, you can simply make a protein pudding pie. If you don't share my love of Fiber One Original cereal, choose a high fiber and/or high protein cereal that crushes well. Here's my top favorite cereals.

And here are the recipes to:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Frozen Pie
• Rocky Road Protein Frozen Pie
• Cookies 'n Cream Protein Frozen Pie
• Mocha Toffee Protein Pudding Pie

Pie in a Ramekin

This is good because you can either skip the crust or make a very small one for the top. I make my crusts out of a simple dough of low-carb baking mix, a little sweetener, salt and water. It comes out very nice!

Here are the recipes to:

• Ramekin peach pies
• Ramekin banana cream pie
• Ramekin pumpkin pie

Pie Reinventions

Like my Apple Brown Nik. This recipe combines apples, fall spices, crushed cereal and nuts. It's been a hit since the first time I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner (and it got pilfered before I even got any!). If you don't want to use the cereal I used, use the cereal of your choosing OR you can just go with a crushed nut topping.

Also a noteworthy mention is my Sweet 'n Salty Potato Casserole. To be fair, it's half pie reinvention, half side dish and all wonderful. BUT...for that recipe, you'll have to look to "The Bariatric Foodie Holiday Survival Guide." It's on sale in hard copy form on Amazon and at Smashwords for Nook and iPad. Believe me, for that recipe alone the book is worth it!

I should also mention that many of the recipes listed above are included in the holiday book but there are so many more. Like a totally good, yet cookie-less, protein banana pudding recipe and several kosher recipes written by my friend Joy of Kosher Bariatric.