Let the Party Begin

Halloween is almost here. Your child's teacher sent a note home to let you know they will have a party and to ask parents to bring snacks and drinks to help in the celebration.

What can you prepare that will be appetizing and healthy at the same time? Here are a couple of ideas.

Cat and Bat shaped sandwiches
If you are making a cold-cut and cheese sandwich, you can prepare it first and then cut it. I found it easier to start pressing down on the sandwich and then lift the whole thing completely while pressing from the bottom towards the cookie cutter.

If you are making PB and J, or PB and banana, or cream cheese and tuna (see my recipe under Healthy Back to School Lunch Ideas) it is better for you to cut out the shape and then spread the filling.

Once the sandwiches are cut and assembled, place on a platter and send to school.

Trail Mix
In a bowl, mix either corn, rice, wheat, or multi-bran Chex (or any combination of the four) with raisins, dried apricots, and/or any other dried fruit (if you choose fruits that are black - or close enough to black - and orange it will match the Halloween colors).

Place the mix in small 6 oz. cups, arrange in cupcake pans and send to school. Of course, if you are planning to attend, you may want to bring the mix in the bowl and scoop it out once at school.

You can add M&Ms if you want to, but you may want to add the peanut and/or dark chocolate kind.

Mini cheesecakes
1 package low fat cream cheese
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons of honey (add ¼ cup sugar for a sweeter taste)
round vanilla wafers
frozen shaved cantaloupe or blueberries
cupcake pans with cupcake liners

Combine cream cheese, ricotta, and honey and mix until smooth.

Line the cupcake pans with the liners. Place one vanilla wafer in each. Spoon the mixture into each cupcake liner and refrigerate for at least one hour. When you are about to server, shave the frozen cantaloupe and place the shavings (or blueberries) on each cupcake. If you use the blueberries, you may want to place them as if they were eyes. You can then add "whiskers" with thinly sliced (julienned) cantaloupe.

It will serve about 12 people.

Halloween Fruit Salad
Combine in a bowl any fruits that are black and orange (blueberries, blackberries, cantaloupe, peaches, etc). Add brown sugar (how much it will depend on the quantity of the fruit - for example use about 2 tablespoons of sugar for 4 cups of fruit), and lemon and orange juices (again the quantity depends on the amount of fruit - juice of ½ a lemon and ½ an orange for 4 cups of fruit). Mix well and refrigerate.
Serve in 6oz cups.

Please, before sending these snacks to school, make sure that you are either aware of any food allergies any child in the class may have or send a list of ingredients you used so that, if a child has any food allergies, the teacher may take precautions before serving the food.

Enjoy!