Hey Weight Loss Nation! www.TheWeightLossNation.com It's November.... The Holidays are Here! Let's plan for Thanksgiving Now! Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving at your house or you're visiting family & friends, I have the perfect dish for you to make for dessert that everyone will enjoy. If you "Plan" out what you are going to eat on Thanksgiving Day, you will "Enjoy" yourself and still maintain "control" of what you eat. Call and find out what is on the "menu" for Thanksgiving. Write down what you are going to eat. If you want to have stuffing, then have it! Just "control" how much of the stuffing you are going to eat. I'm going to have ONE Healping Tablespoon of Stuffing. I'm going to have ONE Heaping Tablespoon of Sweet Potato Casserole and I'm going to fill up on Turkey and vegetables. Then...for dessert...You'll be bringing it!  Don't worry about ANY other Dessert that is on the table. Don't even look at it. You are bringing a DELICIOUS Baked Apple Pie without the Crust! A healthier, Yummy Dessert. Everybody is going to LOVE this Dessert!   BAKED APPLE PIE WITHOUT THE CRUST  Baked cinnamon apples are a fall and winter favorite, but you can enjoy them all year! Traditional recipes use sugar. To cut down on calories, this recipe offers an alternative: Stevia Leaf Extract. At 100 calories, each serving is comparable to one fresh Granny Smith apple — the spices and flavorings add extra flavor….not calories! Ingredients 8 medium Granny Smith apples 2 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp nutmeg 3 tbsp Stevia®                                                                            Water to coat bottom of dish The stevia plant belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a cousin of daisies and ragweed. As with many plants, there are different species. The species of stevia that is used to sweeten food (and that’s also been used medicinally for hundreds of years) is called Stevia rebaudiana. It’s native to South America, but it’s also grown in Asia. Stevia gets its sweetness from two chemicals: stevioside and rebaudioside  The “stevia” that you see today on the grocery shelves contains a leaf extract of the stevia plant called rebaudioside A (also known as reb A or rebiana). Rebiana is about 200–400 times sweeter than regular sugar. Currently, it’s used in packet sweeteners for drinks,in many food products, and for baking. One packet of a stevia-based sweetener contains about 0–1 calorie, and about 1–4 grams of carb, depending on the brand.  The brand I’m using today is called “Pie-yure” and it contains about 0 cal and 1 gram of carbs in 2 Tblspoons. The appeal of these stevia-based sweeteners,is that they’re derived from a plant, not concocted in a lab. But to say that these sweeteners are completely natural or unprocessed is NOT accurate, because the rebiana is extracted from the stevia leaf using chemicals.  So……Stevia Leaf Extract comes from the Stevia Leaf…..which is a plant. It’s NOT concocted in a lab….so, I’m using it. I bought the Organic Stevia at Sprouts. You can find it in your local health food store or buy it on Amazon. The ingredients are – Organic Stevia Leaf Extract and Maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is used as a thickener, filler or preservative in many processed foods. It's a white powder that can be taken from any starch, most commonly made from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat. Although maltodextrin comes from natural foods, it's still processed. To make things “Taste” Sweet and “Good,” that DOES NOT come off a tree or out of the ground….It’s going to be processed. This recipe calls for a small amount of Stevia Leaf Extract. If you can eat these Yummy Apples without adding more “sugar” don’t add the Stevia Leaf Extract. I can do it…..but…..I know many of you out there Nation….can not do that Today. I get it. If you “Need” SWEET right now while you are on your long-term lifestyle journey…..add the Stevia Leaf Extract. If you don’t need SWEET. Don’t add the Stevia. We good? OK….let’s make some baked apples for Thanksgiving! I