Monthly Archive: October 2015

Pumpkin Spice Protein Snack

Pumpkin Spice ProteinIt’s October, and almost everything is pumpkin spiced. From yogurt to coffees, there’s no escaping it. Of course, most of these flavoured treats have several things in common — they usually don’t contain any pumpkin, they’re overly sweet, and they offer little in the way of nutrition.

So here’s my muscle building pumpkin-spice entry for the season…

I call it a Pumpkin Spice Protein Snack. It’s perfect post-workout — as the protein will help rebuild muscle tissue, and the carbs from the pumpkin will help replenish muscle glycogen stores.

Pumpkin Spice Protein Snack

– 1/2 c canned pumpkin
– 1 scoop vanilla or natural whey protein
– 1 Tbs almond or other nut butter
– 1/4 c coconut milk
– 1 Tbs pumpkin seeds
– pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon, allspice, ginger) to taste
– (vanilla or almond extract, optional)
– (chopped pecans for topping, optional)

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, until you have the texture of a pudding. 

Sub unsweetened applesauce for coconut milk if desired. And be sure to use 100% pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie filling!

Protein Snack in the Evening

protein snack

Many people can eat nutritious foods during the daylight hours, but as the evening winds down they tend to crave carbohydrate-based processed foods or sweeter items. As the winter months approach, the tendency to crave carbs at night seems to increase.

Train yourself to eat a little protein before you go to bed. Scramble a few eggs or have some leftovers of a protein-based meal (chicken, beef, etc).

If you can tolerate dairy, try this protein snack (video embedded below)! It’s one of my favourites…

Protein Midnight Snack:

– 1/2 c organic cottage cheese
– 1 scoop chocolate protein (casein, milk blend or vegan source)
– unsweetened chocolate almond or coconut milk to blend
– 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
– 1 tsp chocolate NutraSea oil (or flax oil)
– 1 Tbs almond or other nut butter
– (pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, ground flax seeds, optional)

Full of slow-releasing proteins and healthy fats, this not only tastes great, it will keep you satisfied late at night.

Purchase chocolate NutraSea oil here*:
https://www.ascentahealth.com/store/nutrasea-chocolate-200ml.html

* Save on NutraSea purchases with my coupon code GREGC (non-sale products only).