Halloween can be a tricky holiday. The omnipresent candy, the festive parties, and the excited enthusiasm of costumed kids can make us go overboard on treating ourselves – especially since we can rationalize that the holiday comes but once a year.

Truly, Halloween is a good time to treat yourself and your kids – not just with a little extra candy, but also with family activities. Bob for apples, tell spooky stories, or have a mini pumpkin hunt!

Halloween definitely doesn’t have to be scary for your health. This list of tips and recipes will help you moderate the treats and avoid the tricks.

Candy
The trickiest part of Halloween is keeping yourself and your kids from going nuts over all that candy. It’s in the grocery, the drugstore, and practically pouring from every nook and cranny, all shiny in neat individual wrappers. One piece seems so small, almost harmless.

Of course, it comes in a bag with 50 or 100 other tiny “harmless” pieces. Take heart, though – we have a few ways to tackle the Halloween-candy blues while still allowing a little festive indulgence.

Handing Out Candy Without Diving Into the Bowl

1. Buy a candy brand that you don’t particularly like to eat for handing out to the trick-or-treaters. Candy corn if you’re a chocolate lover, or Milky Ways if Bit O Honey is your downfall. You’ll be more likely to leave some for the trick-or-treaters.

2. Handing out apples might lead to an egged house, nor is it PC anymore, but non-edible options like stickers or yo-yos can be good for treat bags, too. Maybe include an organic lollipop or even a mini larabar for good measure.

3. Go small. If you hand out something in really small portions like Hershey’s Kisses, not only will you be giving less sugar to the kids, but you can also enjoy a few chocolate morsels yourself without much guilt.

4. Buy better candy for yourself and your family. Have a small stash of quality chocolate, and you’ll be less likely to break into the cheaper not so satisfying stuff. For extra benefit, choose dark chocolate – it’s delicious and loaded with health promoting flavonoids. Try Nibmor, Cocoa Camino, Endangered Species, Denman Island or Green and Blacks.

Keeping Your Kids Safe from Sugar Shock

1. Eat a scrumptious, filling meal before you and your kids hit the pavement. Both of you will be less tempted to munch on candy while you go door-to-door.

2. Upon arriving home after trick-or-treating, let your kids pick out 5 or 6 pieces of candy to enjoy that night. Then pop their bag in a hidden spot. They won’t be able to eat it as fast. Younger kids may also forget about their stash altogether – out of sight, out of mind.

2. After Halloween, ration out the candy as you see fit, OR…

3. Buy the remainder candy off them. Your kids might be happy to trade their hard-earned candy for cold cash, a new toy, or a promise of a trip to the zoo!

Fall Foods

Rich in fall flavors, these recipes are sure to keep you and your guests in the Halloween spirit:

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Fall Quinoa
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Article by Alyssa Schottland-Bauman, Nourished.ca