Clean Halloween Meal Plan!

We know that everyone is going to be busy, busy, busy tomorrow whether you are treat-or-treating with your kids or giving out treats at your home.  We have put together a meal plan for you to prepare in advance.

These pumpkin protein bars are prefect for a snack at work (don't reach into the candy bowl)!  You could even eat them for breakfast if you are too busy to make anything else (beats the greasy food from the drive-thru)!

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Choose between one of these two chili recipes for a perfect fall dinner!  Put it in the crock pot before you leave for work or when you get home!

Chicken Chili

OR

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili

Distract yourself from the candy! Make these Pumpkin Protein Cookies - ready in only 6 minutes!

Pumpkin Protein Cookies

A mini size candy bar can quickly turn into a king size!  Moderation is key!

Happy Halloween!  Stay Safe!

- Whitney & The Gang

Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Celebrate fall (or anytime of the year) by making these delicious Pumpkin Protein Cookies!

Clean Eat Recipe :: Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 heaping Tbsp almond butter or natural peanut butter
• 1 heaping Tbsp pumpkin
• 3 Tbsp gluten free quick cooking oats
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 2 Tbsp Xylitol
• 1 oz egg whites (1-2 egg whites)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Using a whisk or fork, mix all ingredients.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Makes approx 9 cookies

Macros:

• Calories: 60
• Carbs: 4g
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 2g
• Sugar: 1g

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

- Whitney

Recipe created by Michelle LeSueur, BEP, CNC, CSN, CPT.  Used with her permission

Real Perspective on Halloween Candy : Why "Fun Size" Really Isn't so Much Fun!

Did you know that according to the article, Candynomics, the average US family buys over $44 dollars of Halloween Candy each year? Halloween candy accounts for nearly 25% of candy makers yearly gross sales! It is also estimated that a staggering 41 million children will be trick-or-treating on October 31st. Will you be there with them?

Here is some thing to consider before you decide to reach into your child's pail of candy:

The average American eats a whopping 24.7 pounds of candy each year ALONE! Just think about the calories, fat and sugar!

Let's do the math:

There are approximately 20 "Fun Size" packs of M&M (T) candy per pound.

If all the average American ate was 24.7 pounds of "Fun Size" M&M(T)'s per year, that would be 494 packs.

There are approximately 70 calories in each bag. 494 "Fun Size" M&M(T)'sat 70 calories each = 34,580 total calories digested. (With a pound of body weight  = 3500 calories, that's an extra 10lbs per year we pack on!)

Total sugars? 9g x 494 = 4446 grams of sugar!

Congratulations America! You just ingested an extra 1071 cubes of sugar in one year alone!

Approximately 20 million pounds of Candy Corn are sold in the US each year! Wondering how much sugar that is?

Again, let's do the math:

There are approximately 294 pieces of candy corn in a pound. Multiplied by 20 million, that is 5,880,000,000 individual pieces of candy corn. Yikes!

With 5.76 calories in each piece, multiplied by 5,880,000,000 pieces, that is 33,923,076,923 calories in all of the candy corn sold in the US each year!

How much sugar is that? Well, there are 1.07g in each piece! That is 36,997,692,307g of sugar in all!

In terms of sugar cubes..... da dump da dum... 8,704,482,567.

Our suggestion: Let your kids have fun, but be mindful of how much they intake.  For you, you know when to quit.  It's best to refrain from the candy and eat an apple or frozen grapes, but it's not always easy.

Good Luck! And have fun trick or treating!