By far one of my favorite goodies when I was a kid, Puppy Chow as we Midwestern’s call it, is a sweet treat of rice cereal coated with chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar.
I can remember numerous weekends spent at my Aunt Lori’s house watching movies, eating Puppy Chow, and dancing in the living room. Sound like something that happens at your house?
I decided to take my beloved childhood treat and add a protein twist to its traditional ingredients.
As one of the three main pillars in a dancers diet, protein is essential for the body to build and repair muscle tissue.
Dancers are often in the studio anywhere from 2-12 hours per week, depending on their level of study. Eating healthy amounts of protein,on average 1 gram per pound of body weight per day, will sustain young dancers, increase prevention of muscle tears and help heal overworked muscle tissue.
Rather than using the traditional ingredients for this recipe, I made subtle changes that add more protein to the dish.
Dark chocolate, subbing in for milk chocolate, alone has on average 8 grams of protein in a single bar. Not to mention dark chocolate is high in fiber, powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve muscle aches.
Peanut butter is the second classic ingredient in this sweetened snack and although healthy within its own right, we wanted to kick this recipe up a notch.
Almond butter, Justin’s specifically, is not only delicious but a good source of protein. 7 grams alone in just one 1.15 oz of almond butter. That’s just one squeeze packet of Justin’s!
All this on top of the healthy amount of monounsaturated fats that are good for heart health and blood flow.
Dried cherries add yet another 2 grams of protein to this snack plus immune boosters with vitamins A, C and E that are known to help fight and ward off illness.
We’re finishing this protein Puppy Chow off with whole almonds and walnuts that continue our “protein trend” and add a salty crunch to this sugary delight.
Speaking of sugar, powdered sugar’s delicious, but sadly has no protein.
However, utterly necessary for the dish and life in general:)
A classic twist on a decadent, but simple snack that will satisfy your dancers sweet tooth and help sustain them for whatever hectic dance day they’re embarking on.
Recipe Below:
Ingredients:
-6 Cups rice chex cereal
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 cup Justin’s almond butter
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1 cup dried cherries
-1 cup almonds & walnuts
Instructions:
Start by adding the dark chocolate chips and almond butter to a medium sized glass bowl and microwave for exactly 1 minute. Carefully remove and stir to combined.
Next add the rice cereal, 3 cups at first and coat evenly with the chocolate & almond butter mixture. Once each piece is covered, add the last 3 cups of cereal and repeat the process.
This next step is a Requirement! Take the glass bowl mixture and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes, but no longer! We don’t want the chocolate to harden, just chill slightly, so as not to melt the powdered sugar when added.
Once cooled, add the powdered sugar in stages to ensure that each morsel is covered in sweet sugary goodness.
Finish by adding the dried cherries, almonds, walnuts and toss to combine with Puppy Chow mix. Store in an air tight container and keep for up to 5 days. Not that it ever lasts that long… it’s too delicious!
Hope you enjoy!
