Halloween

Candy and other sweets don’t have to be the only treats you hand out to little trick-or-treaters this Halloween. There are also plenty of healthy options available that will be just as fun without causing a sugar rush and cavities. Here are some ideas for healthy treats you can use this year.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit makes a great portable snack as well as a good Halloween treat. Grab a few bags of dried fruit, like apples, raisins, cherries, cranberries, dates, apricots and banana chips. Repack them in little bags. You can also get raisins and other dried fruit in small individual boxes that are ready to go.

Dollar Store Toys

Since we were already talking about the dollar store, why not pick up some small toys there as well. Pick a few for boys and a few for girls and let the kids pick one when they come to your door. If you get a pack with a few little toy cars in them, it isn’t any more expensive than a candy bar, but they will enjoy playing with it for weeks and months to come.

Juice Boxes

Juice boxes make another great Halloween treat. They are already individually packed and ready to go into pumpkin pails or goody bags. Look for all natural juices without additional sugar.

Trail Mix

Combine dried fruit and nuts. Add some dry cereal and a few M&Ms and you have trail mix. Use orange and brown M&Ms to give your trail mix that “Halloween Look”.

Stickers

What child doesn’t love stickers? Go to your local craft store, department store, or even the dollar store and pick up some little packs of Halloween stickers. The kids will enjoy playing with these stickers.

Roasted Nuts & Seeds

Fall is nut season, so why not grab a variety of roasted nuts and seeds (including pumpkin seeds of course) and hand them out for Halloween. Just make sure the parents are aware of what you are handing out in case one of the kids is allergic to nuts.

Grab a few of these healthy alternatives for Halloween this year. Just wrap it all up nicely in some little goody bags, or some of the specialty zippered bags you can get with cute Halloween prints on them and they will be ready to hand out. Parents will appreciate these healthier alternatives as much as the kids will enjoy the treats.

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of — for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how — no sewing involved. Visit www.ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

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A Halloween cake is not only the perfect dessert for any Halloween party and a must have for someone with a birthday on or around October 31st, but also makes a great center piece for your food table if you are throwing any type of Halloween party. Here are two simple, yet impressive Halloween cakes that you can try this year.

Pumpkin Cake

No, we are not taking about a pumpkin flavored cake, but a light colored cake that looks like a pumpkin when you’re finished decorating it.

You will need 3 box mixes of white or yellow cake mix along with the additional ingredients like oil and eggs the box calls for. Prepare the batter as directed. Pour it into two bunt pans and bake according to the package directions. Allow the cake to cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine two to three cans of vanilla frosting in a bowl. You can probably make do with two cans, but if you prefer being able to work out any unevenness, or fix fingerprints made in there by little hands (what child can resist tasting frosting?), go with three cans.

Add enough red and yellow food coloring to the frosting mixture to turn it bright orange. Spread some of the frosting only on the flat side one of the cooled bunt cakes. Set the other one on top of it flat side down. You have a pumpkin shape. Use the rest of frosting mixture to frost the entire cake.

Use black icing to draw a carved pumpkin design on the cake. Some triangular shapes for the eyes and nose, as well as a large half moon shape will do the trick.

Spider Cake

Start with a boxed mix of devil’s food cake (or your favorite chocolate cake mix). Prepare the batter and bake it in two round pans according to the package instructions. Let it cool on a rack.

Scoop 2 cans of vanilla frosting into a large bowl and add enough green and yellow food coloring to turn it into a nice spooky green color. Spread a layer of frosting in between the two cake rounds. Use the rest to frost the entire outside of the cake.

Use black icing to draw a spider web on the top of the cake. Start by drawing lines across the top. Imagine the top of the cake is a clock. Draw a line from 12 to 6, then one from 9 to 3. Fill in the spaces with two more lines each. Then start working on the circles starting in the center of the cake and working your way out toward the edges of the cake.

Take a chocolate muffin, cut off the bottom and frost the entire top of it with chocolate frosting. Roll it frosted side down in chocolate sprinkles and place it in the center of the spider web on the cake. Add four pieces of black licorice to each side as legs.

Now all you’ll need is a spooky costume and you will be ready for an impressive Halloween party.

Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of — for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how — no sewing involved. Visit www.ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

Other than dressing up in costumes, Halloween is all about yummy treats. Of course you are not limited to just candy when it comes to Halloween food. Here are some great snack and meal ideas. These are perfect for a Halloween party, or as a way to enjoy the excitement as you count down to the big day.

Ghostly Sandwiches

Fix your favorite sandwich on white bread. One of our favorites for these ghostly sandwiches is a turkey and cheese sandwich with just a touch of mayonnaise (all white ingredients for a spooky white ghost). Fix the sandwich as usual, then use a ghost cookie cutter to cut it into ghost shapes. If you don’t have a ghost cookie cutter, you can cut the ghost freehand or make a simple pattern out of cardboard or wax paper to use as a guide.

Bat Cookies

Make a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough, or use a pack of refrigerated dough from your grocery store. Roll out the dough and cut out bat shapes. Use a bat-shaped cookie cutter, or cut them freehand.

Melt some dark chocolate and brush it on the bat cookie. Of course you could also dip one side of the cookie in the melted chocolate and set the cookies on some wax paper until the chocolate has a chance to harden. After that they are ready to eat or store in an airtight container.

Jack-O-Lantern Tortilla Wraps

Start with a plain flour tortilla. Spread some pimento cheese on it, or layer some sliced ham and shredded cheddar cheese on there. Anything orange works well. Wrap the tortilla tightly, then cut it in ½ inch slices. Lay each of the slices on its side and use some nuts, raisins or small pieces of veggies (like yellow or red peppers) to make the eyes and mouth of your little Jack-O-Lantern tortilla Wrap.

Pumpkin Pizza

Start with your favorite pizza dough or a ready-made crust. Top it with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. Add a layer of cheddar cheese on top. Then use slices of green pepper to make the ridges of the pumpkin – you’ll arrange them in ( ) shapes around the pizza pan. Use pepperoni slices or red and yellow pepper slices to form the jack-o-lantern’s face. Bake as usual.

Would you like to quickly make creative Kids Halloween Costumes that you and your children will be proud of — for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how — no sewing involved. Visit www.ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.