Fall is a season for sweaters and leaf splendor and pumpkin spice everything. It's also a season of beginnings, with the first day of school, the first football games, and the start of three holidays centered around food.
The trick to navigating all that the fall tastes and celebrations bring - without increasing your waistline - is to get more protein into your (shortening) days.
Since Halloween is up first, we've got three tricks to help you power up without adding pounds:
1. Stock up on protein bars so the candy can't haunt you.
Have a box at the ready to help keep your energy high and your sugar intake low. Sneak them into your snacks throughout the day, before you get hungry, and well before the ghosts and goblins get home with tempting sugary stashes. Our bars also make great treats to hand out on Halloween night (to the wee witches and the parents parading behind).2. Make the mornings count.
If scary to you is a morning without coffee, consider a little extra protein in your cup. Studies have shown that people who get 35 grams of protein in the morning were less hungry throughout the day and more focused. So while you can start with an easy smoothie bowl or protein shake, you might as well sneak in a little extra with your cup of joe or tea. Add Orgain Almond Milk instead of cream to your first cup (and your travel mug). Want something warm without the caffeine? Whip up this delicious Golden Almond Latte.3. Meal prep!
You spend weeks working on those costumes and preparing for the holiday gatherings so why not spend a little time preparing for protein week to week? Start on Sunday by planning out your meals for the weekday ahead. Focus on your most challenging meal first (lunch on the go or dinner after a long day at work) and build from there. Once you have the basic food plan mapped out, go back through and look for the simple spots to add protein. Make a few batches of breakfast at once with overnight proats. Swap cream for Orgain Almond Milk in your next soup. Add some Natural Unsweetened Plant Based Protein Powder to the main dish; it works well in veggie burgers! And don’t forget dinner on the night of the Great Pumpkin! Halloween is actually the biggest pizza night of the year, so before you dial up delivery and don the werewolf mask, opt to make your own protein-powder packed crusts.