October 21, 2019
Halloween Parent Hacks: Healthy Tricks & Sugar-Free Treats
Fall has arrived which means Halloween is coming up very soon! With the new research that has come out regarding the dangers of eating too much sugar, it might be difficult to feel okay with feeding sweets to our kids, let alone giving away sugary candy to other children during trick-or-treating.
There are plenty of healthy Halloween snacks you can make at home that are low in sugar but still festive and fun for the whole family. Want to hand out healthy Halloween treats to the neighborhood kids? We have some tricks for that too!
Healthy Halloween Snack Recipes for Kids at Home
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Candy Corn Parfaits
In a short clear glass or clear plastic cup, fill a 3rd of the way with diced pineapple, and a 3rd of the way with sliced oranges. Top with sugar free vanilla yogurt, and a single candy corn as a garnish on top. -
Monster “Teeth”
Cut an apple into slices (green or red) to act as the “lips”. Take two of the slices and smear with sugar-free almond butter. Line up raisins or yogurt covered berries vertically on the bottom apple slice in the almond butter to act as “teeth”. Top with the second apple slice, almond butter down. Yum! -
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
After carving your Jack O’Lanterns, save those pumpkin seeds for roasting. Rinse the seeds off in a colander and pick off any stringy bits of pumpkin. Lay the seeds on a cookie sheet to dry overnight, and the next day pick of any remaining pieces of pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and toss the seeds with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir the seeds on the cookie sheet. Place them back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes until golden brown. For an added kick of flavor, sprinkle with True Lime Garlic and Cilantro just before serving. -
Sandwich Spiders
Using a clean glass with a wide rim, press the rim over two slices of bread and remove the edges to make two circular pieces. Repeat this process with a slice of turkey or ham, and a slice of cheese. Spread each slice of bread with a condiment to glue everything together (mustard or mayonnaise is great). To assemble: layer the ingredients between the bread, then wedge straight pretzels in along the sides to stick out like “legs”. Using the end of a utensil, make a two divots at the front to become “eyes” and fill with either two raisins or two small olives.
Fun Halloween Treats for Trick-or-Treaters
Who says you have to load kids up with candy every Halloween? Probably the companies selling candy! Since we know how unhealthy it is to eat all that sugar, and we also know how important it is to start kids off early with healthy eating habits, we came up with some great alternatives to handing out candy this Halloween.
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Orange Jack O’Lantern cups.
Buy some pre-packaged containers of sliced oranges or applesauce. Using a sharpie marker, draw Jack O’Lantern faces on the top of each cup before handing out. Fruit is better than candy, any day. -
Gummy Vitamins.
Go to your local health food store and load up on individual packets of gummy vitamins. Hand them out to trick-or-treaters, and the kids may end up feeling even healthier after this Halloween! -
True Citrus.
Kids might not be all that excited about getting a handful of True Citrus flavored drink packets in their bag, but the parents that check their candy after trick-or-treating will! -
Fruit chews.
Small bags of organic fruit chews (that you might normally use as a snack for your kids) is perfect for handing out on Halloween in place of candy. -
Honey sticks.
Although honey is a form of sugar, it is a natural sugar which is much better for our bodies than the over-processed kind found in candy. -
Bouncy balls or glow sticks.
Who says you have to give out candy at all? Kids love bouncy balls and glow sticks or glow bracelets, and they can be purchased online in bulk at a low cost.
However you celebrate Halloween, you don’t have to sacrifice your health or the health of your children to have fun. Getting creative with low sugar and sugar-free alternatives will help lay a good foundation for kids to have a healthier and happier future.
Happy Halloween!
[Credit: Guzman, Samantha and Retter, Jen. “16 Healthy Halloween Treats for Kids.” Active Kids]
[Credit: Wells, Katie. “26 Non-Candy Halloween Treats Kids Will Love.” Wellness Mama.]
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True Citrus products are proven to encourage you to drink more water, so try any of our delicious flavors in your glass or water bottle to stay hydrated all year long.
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