Dirt Pudding Cups With Gummy Worms - A Healthier Version

A few weeks ago, we hosted a recipe night event at Queen City Health Center. It was a great success! Everyone who attended got to try some really awesome healthy recipes (all Maximized Living Charlotte approved), while also learning about the benefits of each ingredient and how to eat healthy food that tastes great.

(If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry! We host these events regularly, so check our Charlotte chiropractic clinic calendar page to see what’s coming up next.)

Here are some of the healthy recipes that were featured:

Garlic hummus with vegetables
Teriyaki meatballs
Broccoli & pine nut soupPistachio smoothies
Almond power bars

To name a few…

One of the recipes we also featured at our Charlotte chiropractic clinic was a healthy dessert. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? How can something be healthy and still satisfy your sweet tooth? But there are some great, little-known ways to get your “sugar fix” without eating processed sugar. And I’m going to share one of them with you now.

I’m sure you remember being a kid and eating dirt pudding cups with gummy worms. It was a Halloween tradition in our house. If you’ve never experienced them before, they are delicious! But the traditional recipe includes Oreo cookies, Cool Whip, instant pudding and Gummy Worms. None of those are healthy for you. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to stuff my kid’s face with any of those ingredients, even if it is just once a year. (And, trust me, these are so delicious, your kids will be begging for them after Halloween too!)

This recipe doesn’t use any processed sugar. Instead, it calls for coconut sugar which has a lower glycemic index and contains much lower amounts of fructose and glucose than white table sugar. (For an even better alternative sweetener, use xylitol. It substitutes for sugar at a 1:1 ratio and tastes great!)

It also calls for raw, local honey or maple syrup to be used as a sweetener. While both of these ingredients do contain sugar, they are natural and unprocessed sources, unlike regular cane sugar.

Everything in this recipe is homemade – even the gummy worms. How awesome is that?! And the ingredients are full of nutrients that your body needs. Almond flour is a great source of protein; cacao powder is rich in antioxidants; and avocado is a healthy fat. (If you don’t like avocado, don’t worry. You won’t even know it’s there. Once it’s blended with the other ingredients, you can’t even taste it. It’s a great way to get your little picky eaters to consume it as well!)

So, here’s a healthier version of this classic Halloween dessert that you can eat year-round. We celebrated Halloween at our Charlotte chiropractic office in April with dirt pudding cups … enjoy!

Paleo Chocolate Cookie Crumbs

Ingredients:

2 c. blanched almond flour
6 tbsp. cacao powder raw
1 tbsp. coconut flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher sea salt
½ c. coconut sugar
1 tbsp. coconut oil
2 eggs beaten

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the order provided in a blender or food processor. Divide the dough into two large balls and place on parchment paper. Place balls of dough in the refrigerator and allow batter to chill 10min. Un-wrap the dough and roll it out into 1/8-in. thick piece. Use a 2 ½ in. round cup to make cut-outs. Place on cookie sheet and allow to bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Place on cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.

Gummy Worms/Bears

Ingredients:

1 c. water (divided)
½ c. (8 tbsp.) gelatin powder (I use the one with collagen protein with the green lid from this company.)
¼ c. honey or maple syrup (optional and to taste)
1 c. kombucha or fruit juice (Here’s how to make Kombucha)
1 c. pureed fruit (strawberries and other berries are our favorite; applesauce will also work.) The easiest method I’ve found is to defrost frozen berries and puree them with a blender or immersion blender.

Directions:

Note: It is important to have all ingredients ready before beginning as you’ll need to work quickly once you start.

1. Puree fruit until it’s the consistency of applesauce or a little thinner. For us, defrosted frozen berries pureed in a blender or food processor work perfectly. Set aside one cup of pureed fruit.
2. Set aside one cup of kombucha or fruit juice. We prefer homemade kombucha flavored with strawberries for this recipe. (Here is how to make kombucha.)
3. Boil ½ cup water.
4. Place ½ cup cool water in a medium-sized bowl or quart-sized mason jar.
5. Add ½ cup gelatin powder and stir quickly to create a paste.
6. Quickly add the boiling water and stir again briskly. This should form a thick but stirable liquid.
7. Add the honey or maple syrup and stir.
8. Add the kombucha/juice and pureed fruit and stir well. You can stir with a spoon or whisk, or use an immersion blender to make it really easy.
9. Very quickly pour the mixture in to molds or a greased glass baking dish or other greased dish and allow to cool in fridge for 2-3 hours.
10. Store in fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized avocados, ripe
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
¼ c. cacao powder, raw
¾ c. honey, raw & local or maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
dash of sea salt
1 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:

Cut avocado and remove seed. Spoon into a food processor or blender, all all other ingredients and blend together. Store in fridge until mixture cools into a pudding-like consistency. Transfer pudding into small cups and top with Paleo Dirt Crumbs and a few gummy worms.