Healthy Halloween Treats

Healthy Halloween treats? Isn't that an oxymoron? At first I thought so to, but I've come to see the light.

Hi, my name's Kay and I'm a candy- oholic. I haven't sat down with an enormous bowl of candy since last Halloween.

It's true, for me candy is the best part of Halloween. Every Halloween, I sit by the front door with a good book and a huge bowl full of candy, and it's like a little slice of heaven! But I know that a lot of other moms don't enjoy the sweeter side of life, so this year I'll try not to be such a sugar pusher.

I fondly remember trick-or-treating as a child: The best houses offered a vat of candy that you could help yourself to. I had a strict upbringing, so I would politely take ONE piece. And when the homeowner told me to take more or even put a handful of candy in my bag, I truly thought that I had fallen in love. Then there were the houses that handed out apples and pennies. What a disappointment. I always said thank you with a twinge of pity. Those kind of people really didn't 'get' Halloween.

Times have changed. Today, there are many healthy Halloween treats that are sure to please all the little Michael Jacksons and Hannah Montanas that come to your door.

Healthy Halloween Treats:

100 calorie packs. Kids love these! I stumbled across handing them out as trick-or-treat goodies by accident, though. I was packing lunches for the next day one Halloween, when I heard a very excited, "100 calorie packs!" coming from a little Spiderman at the door. So what the heck? I put the box by the door and all the kids choose 100 calorie packs over dipping into the candy bowl.

Mini pretzels. Snyder's puts out snack-size bags of mini pretzels for Halloween, and they're delicious! They make a nice break from all the sugary sweetness of candy. Plus, if they make it past Halloween night, you can pack them in lunches.

Mini microwavable popcorn. I love popcorn all the time, but there's something about popcorn that goes particularly well with autumn. It's great with a glass of cider or a cup of hot chocolate. The mini microwavable popcorn bags are also a low-calorie, low-fat Halloween treat.

Temporary "tattoos". These are soooo popular with kids! You can purchase Halloween temporary tattoos in the seasonal aisle at just about every drug store. They come in scary patterns like skulls and bloody eyeballs, as well as not-so-scary patterns like friendly ghosts and pumpkins. Your trick-or-treaters be delighted with their Halloween tattoos!

Spider rings. I think everyone's seen those orange and black plastic spider rings. What amazes me about them is that they're just as popular with the older kids as they are with the younger. (I recommend checking out Oriental Trader and buying a gross.) Spider rings are a fun, kitschy Halloween treat.

Toothbrushes. Toothbrushes are such an unexpected "treat" for Halloween that they make the kids smile, and some even laugh! (Before you write off handing out toothbrushes as too expensive, you can get 200 toothbrushes for as low as $22.00.) As soon as kids see the toothbrush, they automatically talk about brushing their teeth. Now that's a true Halloween treat!

I hope you found something on this list of healthy Halloween treats that will make your trick-or-treaters happy!

Click here for more Halloween articles by Kay Whittenhauer.

Sources:
personal experience
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