What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Halloween? For most, it’s costumes, scary movies, candy, pumpkins, and Trick or Treating! A favourite holiday for children and adults alike, Halloween is one of the best holidays to dress up and indulge in treats you may not be able to get at other times of the year.
While we all like to enjoy some sweet or savoury snacks, it’s important to remember that children can get a bit carried away with the candy during Halloween, and it’s up to us as parents to make sure they don’t go overboard with the treats. With the abundance of candy available during this month, how can you possibly sneak in some nutritious, healthy snacks to keep your children on track?
The truth is, if your children have healthy treats readily available, they are less likely to reach for those sugary snacks. How can you still have fun with Halloween themed treats, without relying on the bag of trick or treat candy? It’s easy! We put together a few nutritious, and delicious, Halloween themed treats that will have your children putting down the candy, and picking up these snacks instead!
Banana Ghost Pops
These spooky snacks are healthy, easy, and so much fun! To make: cut bananas in half at the middle to create two halves, and then slice each half horizontally. This will give you 4 pop pieces per banana. Next, insert popsicle sticks to the flat cut end, and dip the banana completely in vanilla yogurt. Place all your pops onto a cookie tray, and put into the freezer, letting the yogurt harden completely. Finally, add eyes using chocolate chips or a dot of icing and there you have it: banana ghost pops!
Jack o’ Lantern Hummus
This sharable treat is incredibly quick to prepare, and will have your children reaching for more! To get the perfect orange hue, put roasted red pepper hummus into a dish with a round bowl and even out the surface with a spoon or spatula to make flat. Use black beans to shape out eyes, a nose, and mouth for your pumpkin’s face. Don’t forget to add a stem! You can serve with healthy crackers, or use assorted vegetables for that extra nutritious kick.
Apple Monster Mouths
These creepy teeth are actually so delicious, you will want to make extras so you can enjoy them as well! Using your favourite apple colour, slice out wedges just under ¼ the size of the apple. Slice out a slightly smaller wedge in each original cut to make the opening of the mouth. You should be able to get about 4 or 5 mouths from each apple. Fill your newly cut mouth with peanut butter or jelly on both the top and bottom, and stick in almond slivers at random to create that toothy grin!
Pumpkin Deviled Eggs
Dress up your regular deviled eggs with festive tiny pumpkins! This Halloween treat is great for your children, but is also a great themed treat to serve at your own Halloween party! To make your own tiny pumpkins, make deviled eggs as per your usual recipe. Use food colouring or paprika to get that perfect pumpkin colour, or you can even replace your regular filling with the same roasted red pepper dip as the Jack o’Lantern Hummus recipe! Run a fork along the filling to form a pumpkin, use chives as pumpkin stems, and you are ready to serve!
Slimy Jell-O Snakes
These Jell-O snake cups may not be as nutritious as some of the other snacks, but they are definitely a better option than the high-sugar treats not made at home, and are the perfect party snack for some spook factor! To create, prepare one colour of Jell-O, filling your cups halfway and refrigerating until firm. Prepare a second Jell-O colour, and before you pour it over the first, drop in a few gummy worms, which will be hidden in the middle of this treat once complete. Don’t forget to let a few peak out over the side of the cup! Once the second colour of Jell-O is refrigerated until firm, serve as a slimy snack to your children and enjoy!
Halloween can be so much fun, but can also be a tough time to keep your healthy habits on track. These are just a few examples of how you can make healthy, Halloween-themed treats for you and your children. Do you have a favourite Halloween recipe you make every year? Share it with us in the comments below!
