Today marks my favourite holiday, Halloween! Although I love everything spooky, it’s hard to resist all the candy and chocolate that comes with this ghoulish day.  Nevermind ghoulish day, how about ghoulish month?

The party usually starts early with Halloween and it’s hard to resist those fun-size chocolates throughout the month. I don’t usually eat chocolate bars much any more since they’re so bad for you, but it’s hard to resist those little ones, and let’s be honest, you can’t eat just one. What’s one more? Okay, this is it, last one. Well one quickly turns into five and you’re consuming more calories that just eating a full-size of Oh Henry.. or Aero.. or Coffee Crisp.. you get the picture.

After Halloween comes the holiday season (and before that, Thanksgiving if you’re American), which means even more food, and before you know it, our summer bods are soon looking a little more flabby.  Since I’m going to southeast Asia right at the beginning of next year, where I plan on donning shorts and bikinis, it’s important I keep my waistline in check.

This is where healthy snacks come in. I’m saying no to Halloween candy November 1 and trading in anything chocolate for more green. Genuine Health reached out and asked me to share some of their favourite recipes using Greens+, Canada’s first and only research-proven superfood formula, which provides a synergistic blend of over 23 plant-based essential nutrients. This high-alkaline-forming and rich in antioxidants formula nourishes and protects your body, increases energy, promotes healthier bones, and more.

Available in four different flavours (original, mixed berry, tangerine, and watermelon), you can add this stuff to your smoothies, in recipes, or in smoothie bowls for a healthy snack.  They gave me some inspo on some good-for-you alternatives to chocolate, which is so needed at this time of the year.

Berry Green Bites

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup dried blueberries
½ cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
6 soft medjool dates, pitted
2 scoops greens+ mixed berry
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until combined. Roll into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for one month.

Green Goddess Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:
1 cup kale
1 cup chopped mango (reserve some for smoothie bowl topping)
1 tbsp chia seeds
½ avocado
1 scoop vegan greens+ O natural acai mango
1 scoop fermented vegan proteins+, vanilla
1 cup coconut milk

Garnish (Optional):
Handful blueberries and sliced strawberries
Chopped macadamia nuts
Coconut flakes
Chopped mango

Directions:
Toss all ingredients into a blender. Blitz until creamy. Pour into a bowl and top with remaining ingredients.

You can also add Greens+ to any smoothie to make it a little more healthier. Just toss a ton of fruit in a blender, some kale, skim or almond milk, and a scoop of this green goodness and you’ll get so many nutrients (something totally missing from chocolate).

Genuine Health was so kind and gave me a tub of Greens+ to give away to one lucky reader! Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter. Contest closes November 18, 2016; open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

** Photos courtesy of Genuine Health