One of my all-time favorite snacks just got a little healthier.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been thinking of some seasonally-inspired snacks to make with my daughter to enjoy during our weekly movie night.  However, with the holidays approaching, I’ve been trying to keep these snacks on the lighter side – because I know I’ll be a glutton when it comes to all the baked goods and sweets.

Twelve days of Christmas, anyone?

(PS. Stay tuned for a special surprise being announced in a couple days!)

Anyhoo.

This got me to thinking that I may have been going a little overboard on the apple and pumpkin treats.  Imagine everything I share with you and then some.  So, I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration.

And came across the most adorable little football muddy buddy recipe.

We’ll just pretend that I actually watch football, and don’t enjoy football season purely for the food.  I mean, seriously, game food = the best.

So, I took the concept of turning almonds into little footballs, and coating the Chex cereal with chocolate and green candy melts, coating it with a protein infused mixture to cut down on the amount of sugar in the recipe and add a little something extra.

And the result?

Um, this is now my favorite way to make muddy buddies.

Football Protein Muddy Buddies

serves 9 (1/2 c per serving)

green muddy buddies

• 2 c. Chex cereal
• 1/4 c. green Wilton candy melts
• 2 tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. protein powder (I used Isopure’s Creamy Vanilla)
• 1/2 c. erythritol, powdered

brown muddy buddies

• 2 c. Chex cereal
• 1/4 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. protein powder (I used Isopure’s Creamy Vanilla)
• 1/2 c. erythritol, powdered*

football almonds

• 1/2 c. whole almonds
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. meringue powder
• enough water to get the right consistency

To make the royal icing: combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a mixing bowl.  Add water, one tbsp. at a time, until you get the right consistency.  You do not want it too runny, but you don’t want it too thick that you can’t pipe it onto the almonds.  Mix the ingredients together until the icing has a matte-like appearance.  Transfer to a Ziploc bag, and cut off the tip of one corner.

On each almond, draw the center football stripe and allow to harden for 10-15 minutes before adding the three stitches.  Wait for the royal icing to completely harden before mixing the footballs into the muddy buddy mix (unlike me who smooshed over half of her footballs due to her impatience).

To make the green muddy buddy: Combine the green candy melts and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15 second intervals until completely melted.  Measure out two cups of Chex cereal and add to the candy mixture, using a spatula, making sure to coat evenly.

In a Ziploc bag, add the protein powder and powdered erythritol.  Pour the candy-coated Chex cereal into the bag, seal it up, and shake until the cereal is completed covered in the protein/sugar mixture.  Set aside.

To make the brown muddy buddy: Combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15 second intervals until completely melted.  Measure out two more cups of Chex cereal and add to the chocolate mixture, using a spatula, making sure to coat evenly.

In another Ziploc bag (to avoid getting green on this batch), add the protein powder and powdered erythritol.  Pour the chocolate-coated Chex cereal into the bag, seal it up, and shake until the cereal is completely covered in the protein/sugar mixture.  Set aside.

Mix the green muddy buddy mixture, the brown muddy buddy mixture, and the dried football almonds.

*If you only have granulated erythritol, that’s fine – just put through a spice grinder to create a powdered texture.