Eating is not just an action to provide energy and nutrients for the body, but is also an enjoyable, exciting, pleasurable experience for many people. So even if desserts may not provide you a lot of nutrients, you don’t need to totally avoid it.

Making desserts at home is often a great way to reduce calories (use less butter/oil, or sugar) and add more nutrients (add fruits, etc.). Canned pumpkin purée (NOT canned pumpkin pie mix) is a great ingredient when making desserts at home. 1 cup of canned pumpkin is only 80 calories, contains more than an entire day's worth of vitamin A, and is also a good source of vitamin C! Try our super easy Pumpkin Pudding Parfait.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 can pumpkin purée
• ¾ can low-fat evaporated milk
• 5.1 oz (1 ½ package of the 3.4 oz packages) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 12-oz box chocolate chip cookies
• Cocoa powder or cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a blender or a food processor, combine pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, instant vanilla pudding mix, and pumpkin pie spice. Refrigerate for ~1 hour.
2. Layer the pudding mixture and chocolate chip cookies in a serving dish, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Sprinkle some cocoa powder and/or cinnamon to taste.

REFERENCES:
1. The Ohio State University. College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Chow Line: New from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Oct. 30, 2015. https://cfaes.osu.edu/sites/cfaes_main/files/site-library/site-documents/News/chow_pumpkin_103015.pdf