Win Halloween With These Delicious Recipes

By Joe Zagami

It’s official: it’s the time of year when diets (and willpower) get tested.

Consider that we’re already deep into Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) season. As you know, it coincides with fun-size candy season. And let’s not forget we’re just weeks away from the serious “eating holidays.”

It can feel borderline impossible for athletes and active people to stay on track this time of year. But here’s the good news: you can keep the wheels on while enjoying yourself. And you can set yourself up to come back stronger in the process.

We’ve got two delicious recovery-optimizing recipes that you’ll want to try. And they can be especially useful when it feels like your willpower is being put to the test every day.

The SaltWrap Pumpkin Spice Latte

If you haven’t noticed, Starbucks is rolling out its famous PSL earlier and earlier each year. Heck, they’ve been serving them up in SaltWrap’s neck of the woods since August. (And we don’t even get Fall weather around these parts.)

You can’t blame them. It’s their most popular seasonal beverage ever. It even has its own official social media accounts. But let’s be honest: it’s not popular because it’s healthy.

Quite the opposite.

A 16-oz. PSL with whole milk packs 420 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 50 grams of sugar. That’s about 10 teaspoons.  Not great! If you have more than one or two a season (and how could you not?), those numbers can add up fast.

But you can enjoy that glorious, cozy PSL flavor without the nutritional baggage. With a little bit of know-how, you can even make it good for you.

Here’s an easy recipe for a tasty SaltWrap PSL that can help you build better joints:

Ingredients

-1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice (we like unsweetened almond or macadamia nut milk)

-1 tbsp organic pumpkin purée

-A pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or pumpkin pie spice to taste (it’s your call)

-Natural sweetener of your choice (we like stevia) to taste

-1 cup of your favorite coffee (we like bold, organic dark roasts for this recipe)

-1 serving of Collagen Synthesis

Instructions

Combine the milk and pumpkin in a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (a whisk works best) until it starts to simmer. Add in the sweetener, spices, and Collagen Synthesis.

Now for the critical part: whisk until the mixture becomes nice and frothy.

Gently pour the mixture on top of a serving of your favorite coffee. (Pro tip: make sure the mug is big enough to hold the coffee and the mixture.)

And there you have it!

In just a few minutes, you can have a delicious, satisfying SaltWrap PSL at your fingertips.

Plus, with that serving of Collagen Synthesis, you’re giving your joints everything they need to come back stronger. This is especially nice for those first chilly autumn days that can make joints feel stiff and slow.

So, that’s one craving satisfied. But when it comes to candy? We’ll need to pull out the big guns.

The SaltWrap Almond Delight

Just about every grocery store you walk into this time of year bombards you with 100-piece bags of Halloween candy. And honestly, there’s something about those bags that can make even the least-appealing candies look irresistible.

We get it.

If you don’t already have one of these bags in your home, chances are you will soon. But here’s a delicious, better-for-you candy bar recipe. It doesn’t just taste great. It also helps build muscle.

We call it the SaltWrap Almond Delight.

Ingredients

-1 3-oz. bar unsweetened organic dark chocolate (aim for at least 70% cacao)

-1 can organic condensed coconut milk (sweetened… unsweetened… we won't judge)

-1 scoop of Protein Clinic

-1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract (the real stuff, if you can find it)

-¼ teaspoon of salt

-2 cups confectioner’s sugar (What? It’s for thickening. Honest.)

-¾ cups raw organic almonds (or the nuts of your choice – anything goes!)

-3 cups shredded coconut

Instructions

Gather the ingredients and line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Brush with coconut oil or use nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Line another baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Next, combine the condensed coconut milk, salt, Protein Clinic, and vanilla extract.

Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and stir until well mixed. Add coconut and stir.

Once it’s all combined, add the mix to your prepped baking pan. Press it into as even a layer as you can. While it’s still soft, press an almond or two into the mix at even intervals. Place the pan in the fridge for around an hour.

Once it’s nice and firm, take the candy out of the fridge and cut it into small rectangles. (Or medium-to-big rectangles. Your call.)

Now the important part: melt that chocolate! You can use a double boiler on your stovetop if you want to be fancy.

Or, if you want to do it the quick and dirty way, just put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and set the power to 50%. Then microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each round.

Be careful not to rush this process, or you risk burning the chocolate. (Make sure you use a dry spoon to stir, or the chocolate could get grainy.)

Next, it's time to get messy. Use two forks (or toothpicks) to immerse each bar into the melted chocolate. Lift and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Remove any extra chocolate against the lip of the bowl and place each bar on the clean, foil-lined baking sheet.

Place the bars in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This will let the chocolate coating set. Then serve your candy at room temperature and enjoy!

And there you have it. With a bit of prep – and patience – you can have a delicious, healthier candy bar alternative that can help build muscle.

What if you don’t like coconut or almonds? Easy. You can follow this same basic template and swap those ingredients to mimic other Halloween favorites.

For instance, try using puffed rice cereal (you know which one) instead of almonds for a decadent, crunchy dessert. Or throw them all together and create something new and different.

Putting It All Together

Look, you don’t have to deny yourself a hard-earned treat every now and then. But with these two recipes, you don’t have to choose between satisfying a craving and staying on track. You can get the best of both worlds: recovery-supporting nutrition with a sweet, satisfying taste.

To get the most out of these recipes, you'll need Collagen Synthesis™ and Protein Clinic™ in your corner.

Collagen Synthesis™ is formulated to help optimize connective tissue and joint health. And it's the choice of athletes at every level (from weekend warriors to pro MMA fighters) for giving hard-working joints the support they need.

Protein Clinic™ is the first natural, food-based muscle growth and recovery shake that optimizes the three most important regulators of muscle building: muscle protein synthesis, breakdown, and turnover.

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