Pumpkin Pie Pudding & Caramel Trifle

It's been a week of no carbs. It will be several more days of no carbs. I'd like to say that it's also been a week of no sugar, but I can only realistically give up one of the two evils. Why the carb deprivation, you may ask? Well, it's the week before Thanksgiving, which means plenty of baking, cooking and eating will be taking place in the near future. I just didn't want to be up five pounds before the holidays even officially began. Just tryin' to get ahead of the game.

Some of you may not understand this logic, and that's ok. You were probably blessed with a body that loves you and agreed long ago to remain the same shape and size as you were in high school no matter what you eat throughout life. I am not one of those people. My body is not nearly as nice. My body says, "Sure, eat that second piece of cake or that third roll, but I'm going to make you pay for it... big time. And by big time, I mean that I'll make sure it goes straight to your hips and thighs." My body and I have a love hate relationship, as only one could have with a body who talks like that ;) My point is, if I want to enjoy the delectable tastes of the holidays (or just any time of year), I have to work for it. It sucks, but it's the truth and I've come to accept that.

Ok, now you know my insanity. Now let me share with you one of the reasons I chose to push carbs aside for the week. I wanted to make this... (sorry for the image quality. I had to use my phone.)

I call it a Pumpkin Pie Pudding & Caramel Trifle (pretty creative, huh?). I got the Pumpkin Pie Pudding recipe from Cooking Light, and quickly decided it needed a little boost in flavor and deliciousness. Sooo... I decided to turn it into a trifle (which was also inspired by one I made with Allie in Omaha) with gingersnaps, caramel and whipped cream. I was actually planning on making a gingerbread cake, but I couldn't find the box mix at the store and didn't want to bake it from scratch since I was already doing a homemade pudding (yes, pure laziness). If you use the gingersnaps, definitely refrigerate it for a while after you assemble it so the cookies can soften as they soak up the caramel.

Here's the recipe for the pudding (I didn't make the nuts). After it's chilled in the fridge for a while, whip your cream (with a little vanilla and granulated sugar), crush your cookies or break apart your gingerbread, and grab the caramel topping. I layered mine starting with the gingersnaps, then the caramel, followed by the pudding and the whipped cream - repeated three times. You can serve immediately or refrigerate some more. Either way, it's delish. No longer low-cal, but hey, it's the holidays...

Enjoy