Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Click here to submit!

Recipe may vary from photograph Photo: jupiterimages

This recipe comes from Sara in Milwaukee, Wisc. She says that Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie is one of her family's favorites and her go-to pie recipe for all occasions. However, with the original recipe calling for a block of cream cheese and a tub of whipped cream, one slice clocks in at 284 calories and 11 grams of artery-clogging fat, making this recipe a perfect candidate for an all-natural "recipe rehab."

Replacing half the cream cheese with fat-free cream cheese and fat-free cottage cheese saves you 142 calories and 11 grams of fat. According to the American Dietetic Association, the average American should be consuming between 25-30 grams of fiber. That being said, rather than using a graham cracker crust, I have created a simple crust out of a high-fiber ceral, which leaves you with 4 grams of fiber, giving you a nutritional boost from a dessert! Pineapple contains essential vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A and C and potassium. Eating potassium-rich foods will help combat bloating, which is great for beach season. I hope this lightened-up version becomes a new staple in your home.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup high-fiber cereal -- Fiber One or All Bran Bran Buds

4 Tbs Smart Balance Light Butter

2 Tbs cold water

Filling:

8 ounces fat-free cream cheese

8 ounces fat-free cottage cheese

2 cups pineapple, diced

3 ounces pineapple gelatin

1 cup boiling water

Directions for the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Pulse cereal through a food processor until mixture is crumbly.

3. Combine the cereal, butter and cold water and stir with fork until thoroughly mixed.

4. Shape the mixture into a ball and roll it out into a circle slightly larger than a 9-inch pie pan.

5. Spray pan with Non-Stick cooking spray and arrange crust in pie pan, pricking the bottom with a fork.

6. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown, and cool before adding filling.

Directions for the filling:

1. In a bowl, dissolve pineapple gelatin in one cup boiling water. Set aside until lukewarm.

2. With an electric mixer, beat in cream cheese and cottage cheese until smooth.

3. Stir pineapple into mixture.

4. Pour mixture into pie crust and refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Serves 8

Nutrition Facts: Per Slice:

142 calories, 18g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 2.5g fat, 10g protein

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your most favorite fattening recipes that need a RECIPE REHAB! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.