No matter how committed you are, the jam-packed festive Halloween season might throw your fitness routine off its gear. Starting in early September, many Halloween enthusiasts spend their nights and weekends decorating, picking apples, solving corn mazes, watching horror movies, and snacking on fun decorative desserts. This means we don’t always have time to complete our Halloween workouts with the same year-round discipline as we might be used to.
In spite of perhaps missing a workout or eating a pastry, try to remember not to feel guilty about it. The holiday season is the time of the year when we can live somewhat carefree. You get to spend time with your family and friends and gorge on festive treats.
Halloween is the one time of the year when you actually get to justify eating that candy bar. So, you shouldn’t hesitate to eat it. Rather, you should make sure you limit your portion size and choose healthy, protein-rich snacks over calorie and guilt-laden junk food. Check out Project Swole’s “healthy” Halloween recipes for some fun protein-laced holiday treats.
Another thing that you should do is not let the Halloween spirit take complete control over your health. We all know that festive season weight gains are common across the globe but what we don’t realize is that most people fail to get rid of this extra baggage and then, the next festive season kicks in.
Don’t let this happen to you. No matter how caught up you are baking cookies or buying gifts, make sure you take at least some time out for yourself.
We recently talked about the sweet Omega 3 and antioxidant benefits of pumpkin seeds. Since autumn is upon us and Halloween fast approaches, you are going to want to cook pumpkin seeds, so I thought it appropriate to discuss some Pumpkin Seed Recipes.
Every time you carve a jack-o-lantern you end up with a Halloween decoration and a bowl full of stringy, slimy, pumpkin guts that don’t look the least bit appetizing. To make them appetizing, follow these instructions, and you’ll end up with a really healthy Halloween snack that everyone can enjoy.
Once considered to be trashcan fodder, we now know you can roast them, toast them, or nuke them; and you can season pumpkin seeds with a wide variety of flavors. Check it out!
High in protein, and low in fat and carbs, this fun Halloween recipe is both delicious and nutritious. Eat your bloodshot eyeballs as a snack or serve them to the kids for some good laughs.
Another great gross-out Halloween snack for you and the kiddies. Looks like someone just squeezed a zit! Arrange these Protein Pus Pockets on an hors d’oeuvres platter as the recipe says, and you will have a fun and healthy treat for a Halloween get-together.
You could also make a handful of these and keep them in the fridge for a quick snack or a small meal. They are also easily taken to work for lunch because they are small and very portable.
This is a recipe for Zombie Brain Pate, a creamy seafood pate, or dip, which you can put on crackers, vegetables, or wedges of bread. You will need to get a brain mold, or some other kind of mold, to use to shape your pate. Makes a nice shrimp or crab-flavored dip, which can be spooky as long as you use a spooky mold.
I found the brain mold linked below for sale on Amazon. You can pick one up and do some additional Christmas shopping for the kids while you are at it.
High Protein Kitty Litter Cake Recipe for Halloween
This is one of the more disgusting Halloween recipes I’ve found. It is also not the healthiest recipe on Project Swole, but it is definitely fun for the kids. Just don’t let Fluffy near the final product or you might end up with more ‘Tootsie Rolls’ than you thought.
In an attempt to get as much protein into this recipe as possible, I am literally adding scoops of protein powder to everything and substituting protein bars for candy whenever possible. The recipe might not come out that great if you use every one of my substitutions, but you can pick and choose which substitutions to use based on personal preference.
I’ve also listed several substitutions for the cake recipes. If you use them all, the cake might not be that great, but using applesauce in place of oil never seems to ruin any recipe that I have ever tried.
It’s high time to bust out a couple of new Halloween recipes since October is my favorite time of year and Halloween is my favorite holiday. These nice high-protein pumpkin cookies are perfect for breakfast, brunch, post-workout, or any time you might need a snack.
Recipe
Down below I mention a couple of ways you can make the recipe healthier or tastier; for example, swapping applesauce for oil and egg whites for eggs.
Generally, though, this is a pretty healthy recipe without changing anything.
The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of soy flour instead of protein powder, so if you find the protein powder ruins the recipe, you can back out and just use the soy flour. Of course, that will decrease the protein content in each cookie. 🙁
If you’re hosting a Halloween party this year, chances are, you’re serving your guests a few Halloween inspired treats. Typically, the quality of the appetizers gets sacrificed in the name of this fun filled holiday. Why not try something different this year, and opt for a healthier, more refined gourmet foods hors d’oeuvres table.
With domestic prices on gourmet goods at an all time low, you can achieve this without breaking the bank and with these tips, you won’t have to worry about having to skip on any the fun ghoul and goblin spooky flair. Instead of the endless amount of sugar cookies caked with sugar and frosting, why not invite your guests to partake in delicious puff pastries or blinis topped with crème fraîche and orange Salmon roe and black caviar to look like pumpkins. This way, your guests will feel guilt free because they are eating a high protein snack, rather than a fatty cookie.
Keeping with your Halloween gourmet theme, substitute your bagged chips for tasty Crescent Moon inspired toast topped with sour cream or a low fat aioli spread and then topped with black caviar. The caviar will give your moons just the right amount of that Halloween feel.
Josie Maurer of YumYucky.com writes today’s guest post. Josie is a woman who eats and then talks about it. She and her “Greedy Taste Testers” tell us all about the different kinds of foods they eat in an attempt to find a way of life that balances fitness and a taste for great cuisine.
Josie wants you to ditch the weight loss gimmicks, deprivation of so-called “forbidden foods”, and severe calorie deprivation, in favor of Moderation, Discipline, Portion Control, and Commitment to exercising and eating healthy.
Editor’s Note: if you want to skip down to Josie’s great recipe for No-Bake Raw Oat Bars, click here.
If foods filled with sugary sludge aren’t quite your thing, beware the death grip of Halloween! This one day, in particular, is extra fueled with the kind of zombie power that just might be strong enough to slap the protein bar out of your mouth in favor of a Snickers. Just maybe?
Your co-workers are bringing candy to the office, your kid is getting sweets from the teacher, and the snot nosed neighbor-child expects you to have some candy when they bang on your door in their gorilla costume.
So you see that. The sugary fright fest is all around you. But if you want an escape hatch for Halloween done healthy, try these anti-sugar sludge tips. (more…)
Here we have what is essentially bodyweight circuit training, but using a pumpkin for resistance. You might laugh, but pumpkins can weigh 10-20 pounds if they’re big enough. I don’t know that this is a ‘good’ idea, but at least it demonstrates how to think outside the box.
Repeat the 4-minute workout below, 4-5 times for a Halloween-themed 20 minute fat burning workout.
Now check out these other Halloween themed workouts by The Workout Muse.
Halloween season is coming and we are going to need some healthy recipes to go with the fall season. As always at Project Swole we prefer to focus on recipes that can help us either gain muscle or lose fat. This high protein, high fiber black bean recipe will go a long way in satisfying your craving for chips and dip.
Black bean dip is quick and easy, and tastes great with yellow or blue corn tortilla chips. Look for baked versions of your favorite tortilla chips in order to save additional fat.
Why Black Beans?
Black beans are a very good source of fiber. In addition to lowering cholesterol, the high fiber content in black beans prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. This means beans are an excellent choice for folks with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
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