Here's the Skinny on the “unique” Halloween Candy Calories

By Adriana Velez

Halloween Peeps…….Have you been to the candy aisle yet this month? Holy bat wings -- there are all sorts of fun, new Halloween candy on the shelf this year, plus some of the oldies-but-goodies that come out every October. Pretzels with chocolate seem big this season, and there's more dark chocolate than ever before. It's like they're creating new treats just for me!

But hold on there, self.  Let's look at those calorie counts -- do I dare?

I know Halloween without candy is like Easter without Jesus, but when you start adding up the numbers in your typical trick-or-treat bag, it starts to look, well, SCARY! Not that I'm the one trick-or-treating. Or that I'm stealing from my kid's stash. Because I am so not. I would never! Well, maybe I would. But what if I based my candy theft on calories? Which candies would I, ahem, borrow?

I have a very complex algorithm that factors calories per serving against potential deliciousness. It goes something like this:

calories per serving \div \!\, potential deliciousness (by a factor of 10) \propto \!\, what's on sale = ... where was I?

And now, the results of my exhaustive study.

Pretzel M&M'S

Calories: 180

Deliciousness factor: Are you kidding? Salty, sweet, and crunchy -- one of my favorite combinations.

Worth it? Hey, they're under 200, so I say yeah.

Peanut Butter M&M'S

Calories: 220

Deliciousness factor: Pretty good, though I like a saltier peanut butter and the proportion of chocolate to peanut butter could be better.

Worth it?   I would probably hesitate a moment and then pass.

Halloween Kit Kat

Calories: 210

Deliciousness factor: Ugh, white chocolate dyed orange. No thank you.

Worth it? Pass.

Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins

Calories: 90

Deliciousness factor: Love the Peanut Butter Cup no matter what shape it comes in.

Worth it?    Wowza.    If you only eat one "snack size," it's just 90 calories! That's a big "if," though. Can you stop at one? I say worth it.

Hershey's Tombstones Milk Chocolate

Calories: 200

Deliciousness factor: Hmph, Hershey's milk chocolate is nothing special, no matter what it looks like.

Worth it?   Nah.

Hershey's Tombstones Cookies & Cream

Calories: 220

Deliciousness factor:   I guess it's a step up from the plain bar.

Worth it? Higher in calories and only marginally tastier: I say give me a real cookie instead.

Hershey's Kisses Pumpkin Spice

Calories: 210

Deliciousness factor:  Just white chocolate with a pumpkin-flavored outer layer. There are no "natural" pumpkin flavors in there.  Not so delicious unless you love white chocolate.

Worth it?   Pass.   I'll have a slice of pumpkin pie instead.

Halloween Ring Pops

Calories: 60

Deliciousness factor: Don't these all taste the same? But I do love me some edible jewelry. Sometimes pretty candy seems to taste better, know what I mean?

Worth it?  Under 100 calories, lasts a long time, and you get to wear it -- I say yes!

Halloween Peeps (pumpkins and ghosts)

Calories: 110

Deliciousness factor: So disgustingly overly sweet, they're kind of good.

Worth it?   GROSS!!!  But they are cute to look at!

Snickers Dark

Calories: 170

Deliciousness factor: At last, my candy bar dreams have come true!

Worth it?   Those Milky Way Dark bars nearly undid me back when they came out. I'm afraid I'll totally lose it once I try the Snickers Dark.   But hey,  only 170 calories in the snack size? Maybe I'll risk it.

New Weight Study...interesting!

               

New Study May Change the Face of Weight Management

Despite a population that has heard the "eat less, exercise more" advice a bazillion times over, obesity levels are still crazy-high. So a team of experts at Harvard University stepped up to investigate specific food choices and lifestyle habits that influence weight gain. More than 120,000 healthy men and women were observed over a period of 12 to 20 years, with evaluations every 4 years. (Side note: WOW.) Some of the results are surprising; others less so...

The foods that were found to be most closely associated with weight gain are potato chips, potatoes (including boiled or mashed potatoes and French fries), and sugar-sweetened drinks. Potatoes show nearly three times the impact of sweets and desserts!

People who ate more yogurt, fruit, nuts, veggies, and whole grains gained less weight over the years than others. Yogurt and nuts top the list of foods linked to less weight gain.

Those who slept less than 6 or more than 8 hours a night gained more weight than the 6 - 8 crowd. (Sleep = good. Too much = bad!) The more TV a person watched and the more alcohol he or she consumed, the greater the weight gain. (Um, not surprising!)

We just might be chomping on fewer potatoes and more pistachios this year, plus turning off the TV early to catch some extra zzzzzzzzs...

Thanks again...HUNGRY GIRL!

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WE LOVE PUMPKIN!!!!

PUMPKIN…….. So beautiful, so orange... so delicious! Today we're giving props to our favorite form of the large squash. You know it, you love it, so put your hands together for... CANNED PUMPKIN!!!

                 

What Is It?

100% Pure Pumpkin

PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 40 calories, 0.5g fat, 5mg sodium, 9g carbs, 5g fiber, 4g sugars, 2g protein -- PointsPlus® value 0*

Why Do We Love It?

Full of fiber - If you've been following the ongoing series of HG Salutes emails, you may have noticed that we often salute foods that are high in fiber. This is not a coincidence. High-fiber foods help to keep us feeling full and satisfied (which is kinda the whole point). The fact that today's honoree features naturally occurring, plant-style fiber is an extra-special bonus.

Loaded with nutrients - In addition to fiber, there are many other nutrients packed into this gourd. Carotenoids like beta-carotene are plentiful, as is vitamin A (each 1/2-cup serving has 300% the daily value!). Muscle-fueling potassium?  Yup, got that too.  Yay for pumpkin!

Delicious yet neutral - The stuff is naturally yummy with a fantastic creamy texture, but it's not that sweet on its own. Its mild taste makes it an excellent base for all sorts of flavors: cheesy, spicy, maple-y... even chocolatey!  This means you can use it in SO many different recipes.

                 

Pumpkin BFFs

Cake mix! Pumpkin and cake mix are almost inseparable at the HG HQ. Whether you're combining the orange stuff with spice cake for a classically seasoned pumpkin dessert or keeping it low-key with devil's food cake (no one will even know the pumpkin is there), this is a match made in HG's oven!

Pudding! Don't feel like prepping a schmancy dessert, but jonesing for something that tastes somewhat homemade? No problem -- pumpkin is very flexible (and the canned kind is already cooked). Mix some up with a sugar-free vanilla pudding snack, add some pumpkin pie spice, and dig in! (Pudding and pumpkin also join forces in our Pumpkin-licious Nog.) Not a pudding fanatic? Go for fat-free cottage cheese or fat-free yogurt with some no-calorie sweetener and vanilla extract thrown in -- an easy sweet treat with seasonal flair!

Sauce! Pumpkin works AMAZINGLY well in more than just dessert dishes. We like to add it to savory sauces to add thickness, awesome texture, and extra fiber. Whether it's a silent partner (like in this spaghetti pie recipe) or a featured artist (like in this colorful fettuccine dish), pumpkin is a GREAT add-in for sauces of all sorts!

Nemesis: Pumpkin Pie Mix! They may look similar, but these canned cuties couldn't be more different. The pie mix has more than twice the calories and over three times as much sugar as the pure stuff! People often confuse the two (thus the rivalry) -- make sure the can you grab is labeled 100% Pure Pumpkin.

                               

Pump' It Up! Recipe Roundup

Grab a can... in fact, grab several. Pumpkin-fied recipes are comin' atcha...

The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup - Pumpkin adds amazing texture to this swap for a soup served at Chili's. Love it!

Mr. Puffy Pumpkinhead Freezy-Cool Whoopie Pie - With all the Halloween stuff already on shelves, we got to thinking about this cutie...

Savory Pumpkin Grilled Cheese - Pumpkin in a grilled cheese sandwich. It's a thing now, people. At least in our world!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Parfait - A dessert-inspired breakfast that we'd eat happily any time of day? This is it!

Creamy Pumpkin Faux-sotto - Just the kind of dish you'll crave when the temperature starts to drop... Is it dropping yet?

Pumpkin Pie Sundae - Like pumpkin pie a la mode... but without any actual pie. Don't worry; the flavor's ALL THERE!

Surprise, It's Pumpkin! Enchiladas - One of the best recipes to ever come out of a kitchen emergency. Pumpkin stands in for refried beans, and it ROCKS!

Old Time Rocky Road Fudge - The mashed squash works serious magic in this incredible swap. Yum, yum, and YUM!

Nicely Iced Pumpkin-Bread Muffins - Pumpkin-y baked treats with icing that won't make YOU pumpkin-shaped. HOORAY!!!!!

Thanks HUNGRY GIRL....We love you!!!!  :) 

               

What are you going to do with all those healthy zucchinis sitting on your counter???

OK....so I realize this recipe is not COMPLETELY healthy....however it does have a few redeeming ingredients.  PLUS, this blog is about things that make you happy also!   So go make a batch....I guarantee HAPPINESS will come about!  :D   If nothing else, at least you won't have those zucchinis taking up your counter space anymore!  :)

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 C Butter
1 tsp Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
3 C Flour
1 Bag Chocolate Chips
1 C Chopped Nuts (optional)
2 C Grated Zucchini
3 1/2 C Quick Oats

Cream sugar, butter, eggs, salt and vanilla together. Add zucchini. Mix in flour, soda, cinnamon, oats. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 12-14 minutes. Makes 6 dozen cookies. For 3 dozen cookies, cut the recipe in half! =)  They also freeze well!!!  :)

Emergency Snacks courtesy of Hungry Girl

emergency snack, noun

plural emergency snacks

Definition of EMERGENCY SNACK

A guilt-free food that can be stored in a backpack, purse, mini fridge, or desk drawer. Suitable for chewing when hunger unexpectedly hits. Frequently filling and capable of squashing a craving. A Hungry Girl staple.

In HG Land, emergency snacks are a MUST. And while we stand firmly by our standard emergency snack list, it's always nice to change it up a bit. Here are some seasonal snackables and new products on our radar...

                               

Veg Out & Fruit Up!

Fruit and veggies are always great, but going seasonal is the best way to get delicious produce for a good price. Since we're creeping into autumn, some fantastic fruity bets are apples, pears, and plums. (Pears and plums can be kinda delicate, so pop 'em in a case or wrap them in foil for travel.) Late-summer veggies, like zucchini, are still around; slice those up for on-the-go munching. And as the weather gets cooler, grab some broccoli and cauliflower to hack into florets; throw some in a baggie and bring them wherever you go.

                 

Bar-Hopping...

Some GREAT new snack bars have recently hit store shelves! One of the best new picks is the 90-calorie Quaker Chewy Smashbar, which comes in Graham Pretzel and Pretzel Berry -- sweet 'n salty lovers rejoice! (But if you have milk allergies, you might want to avoid these.) KIND Mini bars are also great, with only around 110 calories a pop -- a perfect way to take the edge off your hunger without the caloric investment of a full-size KIND bar. If you like your bars crunchy, Clif Crunch Granola Bars should be just your speed -- they come two to a pack and are available in fun flavors like White Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Blueberry Crisp! Not into granola? No problem. Nimble bars (from the Balance Bar peeps) are protein-packed, nougat-like treats that rock our faces off for just 120 calories each -- the Peanut Butter version is heartbreakingly delicious! And our newest favorite is Perfect Foods Bar Lite Cranberry Crunch -- it's packed with amazing flavor and lots of energy-boosting stuff, and each bar has just 199 calories.

                               

Some Refrigeration Required...

Low-fat dairy snacks are GREAT because the protein is filling and, well, they taste awesome... provided you know which to choose. The first on our list of new finds isn't technically low in fat, but it's so tasty that we'll allow the extra fat grams. Mini Babybel, the beloved line of wax-coated cheese wheels, now features two more non-light varieties -- White Cheddar and Sharp Original, with just 60 - 75 calories each. (They'll be fine in your purse during a short day trip.) Also yummy and portable is Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor Mozzarella String Cheese, with only 50 calories per stick -- the smoked flavor is a total upgrade from standard string cheese! When it comes to yogurt these days, it's all about accessorizing. YoGreek Yogurt + Crunch pairs creamy fat-free Greek yogurt with a sidecar of granola for only 140 calories and 0.5g fat. Not to be left out, Yoplait has a new line of Light Yogurt with Granola; fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt with a generous amount of granola for a total of 190 calories per container. And in case you haven't heard, we're nuts about Fage Total 0% and 2% Greek yogurts with fruity add-ins,

which have 120 - 140 calories each (not including the honey options) -- Mango Guanabana is our favorite... and we're not even that certain what guanabana is!

                 

Sweet Street

A little something sweet can keep us from going overboard and eating heavy dessert items. A few of our newest sweet indulgences? Jelly Belly's Candy Corn Jelly Beans are so delicious that we can't wait for Halloween... but these beans will help tide us over -- a 25-bean serving has about 100 calories. We're also BIG fans of Panda All Natural Cherry Licorice... especially now that it comes in convenient 100-calorie bars! Finally, keep an eye out for new flavors in two of our favorite lines of sugar-free gum. The Apple Pie flavor by Extra Dessert Delights is mind-blowingly amazing, and the Trident Layers Sweet Cherry + Island Lime tastes kinda like a Cherry Limeade from Sonic. Mmmm...

                               

                 

               

                 

               

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