This #Feast4All shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Tasty food, catching up with family and just a relaxing night--plus our annual post-dinner game, usually girls vs boys.  Much less stressful than Christmas!  I don't mind indulging during the holidays, as long as I'm smart about it.  I love turkey, stuffing and all of the fixings.  For dessert, anything pumpkin is on my list!

Pumpkin pie is pretty drool-worthy on it's own, but it can be pretty time consuming if you're making it from scratch.  This pumpkin pie CAKE is simple and actually quite healthy! Instead of butter or oil, I used mashed banana and applesauce (shhh, no one has to know!).  This recipe does still use sugar, but I love using baking Splenda for an alternative to regular.  At first I was considering a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to top with shredded Honeycrisp apples and then Edy's Slow Churned ice cream in vanilla bean.  The final finishing touch is a drizzle of sugar free caramel topping.  YUM!  

This Pumpkin Pie Cake has a very similar texture to Pumpkin Pie, so a little square will be more than enough.  I love that you can make this cake in one 9x13 pan and feed your whole crowd!  

Are you an Edy's Slow Churned fan? It's super creamy and full of flavor.  I love that they actually put TONS of toppings in their ice cream, too--the cookie dough has enough for every bite! The seasonal flavors are always a hit in this house.  Last summer they had a salted caramel to die for!  For the fall, keep your eyes peeled for the Pumpkin Pie variety.

I headed to Walmart to stock up on all of my holiday baking fixins.  I figure if I start stocking up on the basics like sugar, flour, chocolate chips, etc now, I'll be set by December! I was SO happy with their supply and low prices.  Libby's canned pumpkin, which we use quite a bit for baking banana bread, was on price-cut to $0.89!  The entire center aisle had baking supplies all together, so convenient!

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

Here's what you need: 

Makes: 1 Cake (9x13 sheet)

• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 can Libby's 100% Pumpkin Puree (15 oz)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular skim)
• 3 Honeycrisp apples shredded and drained of liquid
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 cups baking Splenda (or regular sugar)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• For topping: Edy's Slow Churned vanilla bean and sugar free caramel topping

Let's Bake!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 9x13 dish with Pam.
3. Combine: banana, applesauce, pumpkin, eggs, milk and vanilla in a mixer.  Mix together on low until blended.
4. In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl. 
6. Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded apple on top, adding extra cinnamon if desired.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes. 
8. Serve warm with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream and drizzle with caramel.  To store, put in refrigerator. 

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?  Does your family have a game night too?

Pumpkin Pie Cake topped with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream! A healthified Thanksgiving dessert! #Feast4All #Shop

A video posted by Ashleigh Evans (@itscheapash) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:24pm PST

Fun Thanksgiving Treat: #OREOCookieBalls Little Turkeys!

This #OREOCookieBalls shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I am more of a cook than a baker.  Have you noticed how people seem to be one or the other?  I like to throw ingredients in without measuring and the precision of baking intimidates me.  That being said, OREO cookies are my weakness and I have been seeing seasonal OREO balls all over Pinterest: Easter eggs, pumpkins, flag themed, you name it.  They are too cute, but I assumed they were complicated.  WRONG!

Three ingredients and with the help of microwavable chocolate, these can be finished in less than 15 minutes.  You do need to allow time for chilling, but these are super simple and kid friendly!  A bit messy, yes, but the girls would love to help make the cute turkey faces.  (I call my girls "little turkeys", so I thought these would be a perfect Thanksgiving treat for them to enjoy). I searched high and low for candy eyes at Walmart, but they were nowhere to be found... I improvised with mini OREO cookies.

(Side note: I had all intentions of letting the girls help me with this recipe, but we have some major flu bugs floating around this house--boogies and baking don't mix!)

What I love the most about this recipe is that it is really easy to customize.  You don't have to do pops like I did, just add festive sprinkles.  Or they are really cute served in mini-cupcake liners. For a fun family activity, get a few dishes of toppers out and let your kids decorate them however they want! Instead of turkey, owls would be cute too.

Pumpkin Spiced OREO Cookie Balls

Here's what you need: 

• 1 package (8 oz.) brick Philadelphia light cream cheese, softened
• 1 package of Pumpkin Spiced OREO cookies, crushed
• Can't find the pumpkin spiced? Try golden OREOs with a dash of pumpkin spice seasoning
• 2 packages Bakers microwavable milk chocolate
• Optional ingredients to "turkey-fy" the balls: Mini OREO cookies for eyes (or candy eyes), candy corn for feathers and candy pop sticks

Make it!

• MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended. I found a fork was super helpful. 
• SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Freeze 10 min. While waiting, melt chocolate in the microwave.
• DIP balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. For pops, be sure to add the stick BEFORE dipping.
• CUSTOMIZE it with your own ingredient additions! 
• Fall colored sprinkles would be perfect!
• For my turkey faces (make sure to add while chocolate is melted!): add cookie eyes and feathers after dipping.
• REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Have you tried OREO balls before? I have a feeling I'm going to be addicted!