Halloween Candy Alternatives for Your Sweet Tooth

Halloween can be a tricky time for a lot of us trying to maintain healthy diets. It can either end in raiding your kid’s trick-or-treat bag or falling prey to the endless stacks of candy in the grocery store – any way you slice it, it’s tough to be so good all the time in the face of that temptation! Like all red-blooded human beings, Beachbody coaches love sweet treats in the candy-filled month (Oh, who am I kidding, year round). So Beachbody put their nutritionist and Shakeology lover, Brett Hoebel, to the task of creating 4 delicious Shakeology dessert recipes. These recipes taste so good you’d never know they have 70 of the healthiest ingredients on the planet in them. So sinlessly delicious!
Chocolate Brownie Bites 
(Makes about 12 servings, 1 square each)
½ cup natural smooth almond butter
1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3 Tbsp. chopped almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds (just choose 1)

1. Combine almond butter, Shakeology, banana, oats and nuts in a medium bowl.
2. Shape mixture into the bottom of a square pan ; Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Cut into 1 inch squares (makes about 12 squares); store in refrigerator in an airtight container if not serving immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 
Calories: 101
Carbs: 8g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 45mg

Strawberry Banana Soft-Serve Ice Cream
(Makes 2 servings, 1/3 cup each)
1 large ripe banana, chopped
½ cup frozen strawberries
6 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Tropical Strawberry or Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

1. Place banana in a plastic bag and freeze for 4 hours or until completely frozen.
2. Place frozen banana, frozen strawberries, almond milk and Shakeology in food processor or blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 
Calories: 156
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 10g
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 85mg

Peanut Butter Cups
(Makes 12 Peanut Butter Cups)
¼ cup dark chocolate chips
2 scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 Tbsp. psyllium husk powder
½ cup pumpkin puree (canned)
8 mini cupcake liners
6 tsp. natural smooth peanut butter, divided use

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chocolate chips in small oven-proof bowl and heat in oven for 15 minutes or until melted.
2. While the chocolate is melting, place Shakeology, psyllium husk, and pumpkin puree in food processor. Pulse until it forms a dough.
3. Divide dough into 12 small balls and portion into each cupcake liner. Press dough down into a flat disk with depression in the middle. Place ½ tsp. peanut butter into each depression.
4. Remove chocolate from oven and stir to melt completely. Drizzle evenly over each cup and spread to create a thin chocolate layer on top (about ½ tsp. chocolate per cup).
5. Freeze for 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 75
Carbohydrates: 9g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 43mg

No-Bake Cranberry and Coconut Cookies
(Makes 15 cookies)
4 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup natural smooth almond butter
2 to 3 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk beverage or almond milk
½ cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 ½ scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology

1. Place shredded coconut in small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine almond butter, coconut milk beverage, oats, cranberries and Shakeology in food processor; mix well until it forms a dough.
3. Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and flatten slightly into the shape of a cookie. Press both sides of cookie in shredded coconut.
4. Repeat with remaining mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 99
Carbohydrate: 9g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 6g

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach