14 Skinny Dessert Recipes for the Holidays

We’re all about lightening up the holidays around here where we can, and these 14 desserts are sure to do just that. Well, they’ll at least provide some balance for that deep fried turkey on your table, but whatevs. Just know each of these swoon-worthy creations promises to be a totally decadent way to finish up a feast, despite their “skinny” status.

1. No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Banoffi Pie (Vegan): Bananas and peanut butter are a natural pairing in this amazing no-bake pie. Made without gluten, dairy or refined sugar, it’s a great alternative to the traditional butter- and sugar-laden confection. (via The Clean Dish)

2. Crustless Caramel Apple Pie: Now this is just genius. Hollowed out apples are a gorgeous, healthy swap for crust in these apple pie-meets-crisp creations. (via Lemons and Basil)

3. Double Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies: Chockfull of chocolate flavor, these cookies don’t taste skinny at all. Santa Claus gives his stamp of approval. (via Mommyhood’s Diary)

4. Poached Pears With Maple Caramel: Not only super sweet to slice into after dinner, these pears will also give your home an amazing scent as they simmer away on the stovetop. (via Home at Six)

5. Hazelnut Chia Pudding With Persimmon Compote: The bright orange layer may fool folks into thinking these personal-sized puddings involve pumpkin. The flavor of sweet persimmon is sure be a welcome surprise. (via Sweet Kabocha)

6. Skinny Eggnog Pie With Gingersnap Crust: Homemade white chocolate pumpkin nog is the key for making this skinny pie, but it may prove too tempting to sip every last drop beforehand. (via Kitchen Meets Girl)

7. Healthier Vanilla-Orange Creme Brûlée: Skip the heavy cream and use Greek yogurt instead for these just-as-heavenly, Creamsicle-esque custard cups. (via Recipe Runner)

8. Skinny Apple Tart: Prep time for this tart is also skinny — you’re only five minutes away from popping this bad boy into the oven. (via Coordinately Yours)

9. Skinny Cranberry-Bliss Bars: Save yourself half the calories and fat of a coffeeshop favorite by making this recipe instead. (via Skinny Taste)

10. Fudgy Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies: You’ll never even know that beets are hidden within these fudgy brownies. (via Pinch and Swirl)

11. Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies: Meringues are already naturally skinny, but piping them into a festive shape makes them holiday party ready. (via Cake and Allie)

12. Skinny Pumpkin-Nog Shake: Sometimes it’s fun to mix things up with a sip-able dessert. With only 120 calories per serving (unheard of for ‘nog), you don’t need to feel guilty about going back for seconds … or adding a little splash of something extra. (via I Heart Naptime)

13. Peppermint Brownie Trifle: This layered bowlful of candy-cane-sprinkled goodness is the stuff skinny dessert dreams are made of. (via Dashing Dish)

14. Chocolate Soufflé: Fluffy egg whites are the key to making these nearly flourless soufflés a total delight. One that only feels sinful. (via Taming of the Spoon)

Will you end your holiday meal with a healthier dessert, or are you planning to skip the sweetest course altogether? Share whatever you’re making this holiday season with us below.

My son randomly requested to watch Wednesday last month, and I was surprised at how invested we were in each episode. Those who grew up watching The Addams Family always seemed in awe of little Wednesday Addams' cunning and intuitive nature, so it's fun to see another generation fall in love with her. Since Halloween is next week, I have three last-minute DIY costumes if you want to dress up as the eldestAddams daughter — sans all the spooky things that took place at Nevermore Academy. 😉

1. Wednesday's Homecoming Dress

Netflix

Wednesday Addams caught everyone's eyes in this gorgeous black Tulle dress. I can't get it out of my mind, so that's why it's number one of my list of DIY Halloween ideas! I also think it's the easiest look to pull off because you don't need a lot of things!

Amazon

Black Wednesday Addams Dress

Wednesday never cared to follow the rules at Nevermore which is what made her unintentionally stand out. While the rest of the students were dressed in winter whites and pastel colors, Wednesday broke tradition by showing up in a tulle black dress that fit her personality. It's the very thing that made Xavier Thorpe do a double take even though he was supposed to be focused on Bianca Barclay.

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Black Closed-Toe Pumps

Complete your look with these black closed-toe pumps that fit Wednesday's personality! I suggest buying a pair of black tights in case you truly want to complete your look.

Amazon

Wet n Wild Breakup Proof Eyeliner

You're going to want to create the illusion of cat eyes with Wet n Wild's Breakup Proof Eyeliner. It's long-lasting and vegan so you'll get to wear something that doesn't harm your eyes.

2. Wednesday Addams' Nevermore Academy Uniform 

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Nevermore Academy Uniform

It's not 100% spot-on, but this is the closest you'll get to Wednesday's signature Nevermore Academy Uniform. Her take on the traditional wear was unlike what everyone at the school was used to seeing, but that was the point!

Amazon

Black Braided Wig

You'll definitely need Wednesday's signature braided hairstyle for this costume idea! It's one of those things that makes her look unassuming — even though we know she has that adorably dark, sadistic personality! 😉

Amazon

Thing Cosplay Hand

Make sure to carry your own version of Thing if you really want to give people a fright this halloween!

3. Traditional Wednesday Addams Costume

Hulton Archive

If you remember watching 1964 version ofThe Addams Family with your grandparents, you may be fond of Wednesday's more traditional look. Although newer versions haven't strayed far, true fans remember when her outfit was plain black button-up dress.

Amazon

Black Cosplay Dress

Skip the buttons and go for this black cosplay dress that comes with a pair of knee high socks, a Thing pin for your hair, 'poison' stickers, and a witchy necklace!

Amazon

Black Penny Loafers

Once you've slipped into your black dress and added your accessories, step into these penny loafers. They have a slightly chunky lug sole that'll make sure you're comfortable as you stalk your unsuspecting neighbors for the best candy.

If you need more last-minute ideas, we have so many fun DIY Halloween costumes, like Harley Quinn, Gilmore Girls, and couples costumes you can piece together in the next week!

Follow us on Pinterest for even more Halloween ideas!

We almost broke our necks reading headlines about Angelina Jolie and her potential new boyfriend, but the rumors were quickly shut down. Yeah, yeah, yeah...cue the world's smallest violin, I know.

Angelina's been through a very public divorce with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, so we know better than to expect her to display something new for the tabloids just yet. It did, however, make us start thinking about her past dating history. It's time to take a walk down memory lane, because these romances are filled with fellow entertainers and lessons learned!

Ex-Husband Jonny Lee Miller

United Artists/Getty Images

Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller entered each other's orbit during the filming of Hackers. This 1995 movie has everything to do with it's name, and ends with said Hackers ultimately unraveling a greater conspiracy. As is sometimes inevitable, Jonny and Angelina got close throughout filming, but went their separate ways once their time on set ended (via US Weekly).

They didn't stay apart for too long because they eventually got married the following year. It's even reported that Angelina proudly made a dark statement during their small wedding by wearing a t-shirt with Jonny's bloodied name written on it. She didn't do it to be gross though, but wanted to solidify their vows. "You’re about to marry him. You can sacrifice a little to make it really special," she remembers telling herself (via The New York Times). But, their marriage dissolved in less than two years and they decided to get divorced in 1999, according to US Weekly.

The two would go on to be amicable with each other, with Angelina even referring to Jonny as a "great friend" (via US Weekly). Earlier this year, Jonny sat down with Johnny Vaughan of Radio X to reveal something shocking. "I jumped out of an airplane...I was dating a young lady called Angelina," he said. He then shared that it was Angelina who encouraged him to do this daredevil feat with her. "She is cool as a cucumber. Fearless, that woman."

Ex-Girlfriend Jenny Shimizu

Dario Cantatore/Getty Images

During the brief time Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina weren't communicating, the Maria actress entered her first relationship with a woman. Jenny Shimizu and Angelina co-starred in another mid-'90s movie called Foxfire that centered the lives of teens and the bad decisions that land them in precarious situations.

Recounting how she felt about Jenny Shimizu, Angelia told Girlfriends magazine, "I fell in love with her the first second I saw her. Actually, I saw when she was being cast in Foxfire, and I thought she had just read for my part," she said. Ironically, her future ex-husband Brad Pitt was mentioned in the same interview, but the two hadn't met yet.

There's not much info about Angelina and Jenny's relationship beyond this, so it seems like things didn't last long.

Ex-Husband Billy Bob Thornton

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Here's where Angelina's relationships truly started to getting interesting. After things ended with Jonny Lee Miller and Jenny Shimizu, her next partner was none other than Billy Bob Thornton. InStyle recalls the two co-starred in Pushing Tin together, a movie about the ins and outs of two co-workers' fraught romantic relationships. Given the movie released in 1999, everyone didn't know how to respond to Angelina and Billy Bob's marriage the next year.

Unfortunately, even Laura Dern was caught by surprise — she and Billy Bob were allegedly engaged at the time. "I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again," she said, according to ABC News. That's...not the way to go about things, but apparently Angelina and her new husband didn't care at the time.

From then on out, Angelina and Billy Bob frequented red carpet events together. They didn't shy away from pulling off, uh, interesting stunts, that left everyone speechless. No one will ever forget when Billy Bob unashamedly admitted the two got frisky before walking the red carpet at the premiere of Gone in 60 Seconds.

However, their marriage dissolved because of their "different lifestyles," according to Billy Bob (via E! News). "So, that's really — that's the only reason we're probably not still together, maybe, because of a different path in life we wanted to take," he said.

Ex-Husband Brad Pitt

Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

This divorce breaks our hearts to revisit, but here we go! Everyone knows Brad and Angelina starred in the hit movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but we also could tell their intense chemistry had nothing to do with playing their respective roles. These two had such sizzling energy onscreen that it didn't take long for people to speculate Angelina was the reason Brad decided to part ways with Jennifer Aniston.

However, Angelina reportedly denies that was the case. She did notice she and Brad were excited to see each other at work though. "Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened," she said (via PEOPLE). According to the same outlet, it didn't take long for Brad and Angelina to move forward with their feelings once it was clear Jennifer was going to be out of the picture.

Though Brad and Angelina expanded their brood to include six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne — a terrible incident unraveled everything. According to the BBC, Angelina accused Brad of become a belligerent drunk during a flight that resulted in injuries. She didn't waste time filing for divorce, which spoke volumes to us.

Um, The Weeknd?

Theo Wargo/Getty Images For US Weekly

Much to our surprise, Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd were rumored to be getting close around two years ago. They were seen on several 'dates,' one being at Giorgi Baldi, which continued to make people believe they were secretly dating (via Daily Mail). Since neither confirmed or denied the nature of their relationship, it's hard to say if there's any merit to the rumors.

We'll just have to speculate and keep it moving!

Is Angelina Jolie dating anyone these days? 

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC

Last year, Angelina spoke with WSJ Magazine to talk about about her life and career. She intimately revealed that her body reacted to all the pressure from going through her divorce from Brad which serves as a stark reminder why stress is never good for anyone! "I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before my divorce," she shockingly admitted. She also made it clear her focus was on her kids and nothing else. "They are the closest people to me and my life, and they’re my close friends."

Despite being recently linked to British rapper Akala, Angelina put an end to rumors they're dating today. A source said, "They all work together," referring to Akala's relationship with someone else. "Angelina remains focused on her family and is not dating at this time," (via PEOPLE).

The common theme throughout Angelina Jolie's dating history is her attachment to unconventional romances. Maybe she didn't always make the best choices in love, but it doesn't seem like they've create a hole in her heart. We can't wait to see who she finally lands with next!

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It takes a lot for me to love a hair product. I’ve always kept maintenance around my locks super low-key, usually opting for the cheapest and most seemingly-effective shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments you can find at the drugstore. To make a long story short, I’m not picky.

At the beginning of this year, I sought out to upgrade my self-care routines (albeit in small, affordable ways) so I could look and feel my best. Knowing hair care had become an afterthought, I figured why not switch up Old Reliable (AKA the Pantene shampoo and conditioner combo I’d used for years)?

I’m not knocking Pantene in any way, but after using the same products over and over again across countless showers, my locks became noticeably tired. Thus, I stumbled into Target to explore their perpetual collection of hair care and landed on what I think is now the best, most joy-evoking drugstore shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever experienced.

Meredith Holser

Other than the beautiful bottles, the Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo + Conditioner set caught my eye for claiming stronger, longer, and healthier hair. I had seen the brand’s hair oil go TikTok-viral a few months prior, which gave me all the approval I needed to add the duo to my cart.

After 10 months of consistent use, I’m loving the set. Though I don’t necessarily use it for hair growth alone, I have observed accelerated growth as well as improved strength in my strands.

The conditioner in particular has earned a mass amount of bonus points in my book for depositing noticeable moisture to my locks after shampooing and providing a fairly no-fuss detangling routine, which is my most urgent hair concern.

Meredith Holser

The Mielle conditioner contains biotin (for “longer, healthier hair”), coconut oil, and babassu seed oil that work to moisturize and soften your hair after a good wash. This isessential since I’ve found that most shampoos strip oils from my scalp and hair – not a bad thing though. It’s what shampoos are made to do, but my hair craves more moisture!

The conditioner is also infused with rosemary and mint essential oils which increase blood circulation, allowing more oxygen to reach the scalp, thus stimulating hair growth.

Meredith Holser

Before drying + styling

As I mentioned, my hair has that classic “squeaky clean” feel after shampooing, and though that’s what I want from a shampoo, it doesn’t help to use only shampoo once my hair’s dried. Without conditioner, my hair definitely lacks moisture and feels dry and stiff – even while I’m still in the shower. This conditioner feels ahh-mazing and never fails to restore all the necessary moisture my locks have lost after a thorough wash!

When using it, I use 1 to 1 ½ pumps of the product. I typically focus it around the ends of my hair (where there’s the most damage) before working the remaining product closer to my scalp. I leave it on for around 5 minutes while I wash my body and face before thoroughly rinsing it out. My hair feels super silky and detangled after the conditioning’s done!

The Verdict

Meredith Holser

After drying + styling

Where a conditioner’s performance really matters for me is making my hair look soft and healthy after it’s dry, so I can go on to style it without pesky knots and further damage. Brushing my hair post-conditioner is always a breeze with this Mielle pick, and the same goes for styling. I use an air styler and it glides smoothly and easily through my strands for a nice at-home blowout every single time.

More than anything, this is the best drugstore conditioner to leave my hair looking supremely shiny after all is said and done. I know that using it consistently over the course of this year has set my hair up to be super healthy so I never have to worry about excessive dryness breakage!

Try It For Yourself

Amazon

Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner

I bought this bottle (12 fluid ounces) back in January, and haven't had to restock it just yet. For $10, I can certify it's a really great deal and I've absolutely gotten my money's worth. Plus, for the results this conditioner delivers, it feels just like a luxury hair care product. It also goes for around the same price (there's a 12-cent difference) at Target!

Amazon

Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo

I also highly recommend you use the conditioner in conjunction with the coordinating shampoo. It has a delicious rosemary and mint scent that leaves your scalp feeling uber-refreshed after a thorough wash. This bottle currently goes for $9 on Amazon and $10 at Target.

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