Weight Loss MRC Blog

Protein Packed Fall Treats

October 27, 2022

Did you know that Americans will spend $2,000,000,000 (yes, that’s BILLIONS) on candy during the Halloween season? That equates to over 600 million pounds of candy - the equivalent of nearly six Titanic ships! Furthermore, the average person will consume 1.2 pounds of Halloween candy, equating to about 33 fun sized candy bars (and about 5,000 calories)! So, what’s a gal to do when she wants to enjoy the festivities that come with the spooky season without completely throwing all of her healthy goals out the window? We’ve got 5 of our best tips for staying on track during the holidays PLUS 4 of our favorite healthy treats to enjoy during the spooky season (and all holiday season long)!

Tip #1: Procrastination can be a good thing sometimes! Instead of buying your candy the moment it appears on the store shelves (nowadays around July 1st or 2nd it seems!), wait to purchase your Halloween candy until closer to Halloween. If the candy you want is on sale and you do end up buying it a little bit earlier, then just wait to open it until the day of Halloween! In the meantime, tuck it in the back of a cabinet or pantry where it will be out of sight.

Bonus Tip: Buy candy that you don’t like! If you’re not a sour candy person, then buy Sour Patch Kids and Sour Skittles to hand out! If you’re not into chocolate, then get a bag of fun sized Snickers and Kit Kats! Whatever your flavor is or isn't, the fact of the matter is that you’ll be less tempted to munch on the candies that you don’t crave and love!

Tip #2: No leftovers! Make that very last trick-or-treater ultra happy by unloading the remaining candy into their sack. Or take it to a shelter, food bank, or charity. Do what you have to do to make sure that when Halloween goes away, so does the candy stash.

Tip #3: Hand out candy alternatives! You might not be the most popular house on the block, but there are plenty of things that you can hand out in lieu of candy. Go to your local dollar store for wacky and fun gifts like glow sticks, fake bugs, and other ghoulish treats.

Tip #4: Power up with protein! Make sure that you’ve got a protein drink nearby and ready to go on Halloween night to help scare away the temptation to munch on candy. We've got four top notch recipes we've shared below that can all be healthy alternatives to Halloween candy. Bonus: many of them pack 15g of high quality and filling protein per serving.

Tip #5: Go out on a full stomach! If you’re this year’s trick-or-treating chaperone, make sure you’ve eaten dinner before you head out into the night. Going out hungry may result in snacking on a candy bar (or two, or three, or four, or more) out of your kid’s candy sack. Not only will your kiddos not like you breaking into their stash, your tummy isn't going to like it either! Try one of these healthy recipes below to bring with you while you’re on the hunt for Halloween treats with your family.

Healthy Holiday Treats

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients: 

  • 1 can unsweetened pumpkin (16 oz.) 
  • 1 packet MRC Vanilla Cream Pudding protein powder 
  • 3 egg whites 
  • 1/2 C zero-calorie sweetener 
  • 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder 
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined and smooth. Pour and spread mixture into pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Caramel Corn

Ingredients

Place parchment paper on a large rimmed baking sheet and spread out air-popped popcorn. In a large saucepan, heat zero-calorie sweetener over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until it's fully melted. Note: it will clump at first; just keep whisking. This step usually takes about 10 minutes. Once fully melted, stop whisking and let cook for 1-2 minutes more, being careful not to burn the sauce. Remove from heat and whisk in the grassfed butter until fully melted and combined (the mixture will bubble. This is fine; just keep whisking). Whisk in the Vanilla Ready Made 1 TBSP at a time until you've achieved a slightly thinner "drizzle" consistency . Drizzle all over the popcorn. You can enjoy it immediately or allow it to sit for a little bit. Leftovers can be stsored in an airtight container at room temperature. This recipe makes 8 servings.

Cocoa Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl just until combined. Using a spoon, drop a small amount of mixture (1-1.5 inches in diameter) onto the sheet pan, spacing cookies 1 inch apart. Bake for 1-2 minutes, just until an outer shell has formed and crisped up. This recipe makes 1 serving.

Brownie in a Mug

Ingredients:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe mug (note: mixture will appear very dry before cooking), and microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Fudge Balls

Ingredients:

Mix chocolate pudding powder in a bowl adding 1 TBSP of water at a time until you've reached a clay-like ball consistency. Roll into balls and sprinkle or roll the balls in the vanilla pudding powder, if using. You could also roll them in more chocolate pudding powder for an extra chocolatey treat! Refrigerate for 30 minutes and enjoy.

Gummy Treats

Ingredients:

Pour hot water into a blender, food processor, or mixer. Add in the gelatin slowly to avoid clumping. Swirl in your packets of protein drink concentrates. Divide the mixture evenly among molds (or an ice cube tray can work well here, too!), and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until set.

Chocolate Mocha Madness

Mousse Ingredients:

  • 4 packets of MRC Double Chocolate Pudding protein powder
  • 2 C. low-fat cottage cheese
  • 2 C. water
  • 4 tsp. Instant coffee (optional)
  • 2 packages of unflavored gelatin dissolved in ½ cup of water
  • 6 packages of zero-calorie sweetener
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 1/2 C. frozen, unsweetened raspberries

Crust ingredients:

  • 150 calories of saltines, melba toasts/rounds, or other plain cracker
  • 2 tsp. canola oil
  • 1 package of zero-calorie sweetener

Mix all of the mousse ingredients (except for the berries) in a blender until smooth. Fold in the berries and chill in the fridge. While the mousse is chilling, prepare the crust by crushing or pulsing in a food processor all of the crust ingredients until crumbled. Press the crust into the bottom of 4 ramekins (or you can press into a 9x13 or 8x8 square pan and divide into 4 equal servings). Pour the chilled mousse overtop and enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

Mix Hot Cocoa or Double Chocolate Pudding prtotein powder with enough water to make a thick sauce in a bowl. We recommend starting with 1 TBSP and increasing after mixing. Once you've got a thick sauce consistency, dip each strawberry in the chocolate mixture to coat. Place each dipped strawberry on parchment paper. Pour any remaining chcolate sauce onto the strawberries. Place the chocolate covered strawberries in freezer for 20 minutes to help the chocolate harden then transfer to fridge. Keep them all to yourself or share with a loved one!

Vanilla Bread Pudding

Ingredients: 

  • 1 packet MRC Vanilla Crème Pudding protein powder 
  • 3 oz. water 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice 
  • 1 pkg. zero-calorie sweetener 
  • 1 slice of bread (use low calorie bread for a more slimmed down version) 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a small baking ramekin or dish with cooking spray. While the oven is preheating, toast the bread. Spray bread with butter spray and sprinkle with cinnamon and sweetener. Break bread into pieces and arrange in the baking dish. In small bowl, mix the pudding powder, water, and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture over the bread and bake for 18-20 minutes. This recipe makes 1 serving. 


GET THE INGREDIENTS

Double Chocolate Pudding Protein Powder

 
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Creamy Hot Chocolate Protein Powder 

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Concentrate Protein Drinks

 
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Vanilla Creme Pudding Protein Powder

 
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Vanilla Ready Made Protein Drink 

 

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