Halloween is almost here and many parents worry about the amount of junk food that is going to be widely distributed. Candies and other goodies are a normal part of the festivities, but sometimes the sugars and syrupy concoctions are not quite what a parent wants their children to be eating. So what are the alternatives? Believe it or not you can make some veggie Halloween treats that will delight a child and have them coming back to request seconds, and thirds.
If you want to go the pre-packaged route then you should check out the shelves at your nearby health food or organic food stores. You can substitute small packs of dried fruit and granola mixes for the usual packs of candy. Kids enjoy these treats and there are many different varieties available.
Also you will be able to find pretzels, cookies and chips that are made especially to appeal to trick or treating children. The recipes used are healthy enough to suit any discerning parent, and kids will love them. Most stores will let you sample the foods before you buy them so that you can find the types of healthy products that you like best. Chips that are made from tomatoes, sweet potatoes and other veggies are extremely tasty and colorful. If you do not inform your child about the healthy nature of these delicious snacks they will never know the difference.
Maybe you would prefer to make a few treats at home instead of buying them at the store. There are lots of different veggie Halloween ideas that you can use. You might want to dip some dried fruit sections into some melted carob or organic chocolate. If you have a home food dehydrator you can even dry the fruit yourself. Just skewer a small chunk of dried apricot, apple or pineapple with a toothpick and dip it quickly into some of the melted chocolate and then set the fruit pieces on some wax paper to cool and harden. Before the chocolate becomes firm you can sprinkle a bit of freshly grated coconut onto the surface for an added taste blast.
Choose some firm, crisp apples and skewer them with a Popsicle stick through the core. Instead of dipping them in that sticky caramel or red, cinnamon candy coating you can go natural and dip them in some organic honey. Then you can coat them with a layer of crushed graham cookies or granola. You might even want to sprinkle the honey coated apple with some trail mix or coarsely ground pecans. Let your imagination be your guide, and do not forget to let your kids have some input. Their ideas may lead to some surprisingly delicious taste treats.
Prepare a haunted buffet table for Halloween that is simple but absolutely (Spooktacular). The key ingredient is the name that you choose for each food item. A bowl of grapes (peeled is best, but unpeeled will work) can become "ghostly eyeballs". A container of cooked spaghetti that you have sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese can be named "Wriggly Witchy Worms". Even a rather plain platter of cut celery can become a welcome Halloween treat. Just slice the celery into different lengths. Combine 1 cup of peanut butter with 1/3 cup clover honey and 1 cup of raisins in a food processor or blender. Fill the celery crevices with this mixture and arrange the slices on a platter. Then name the dish (Bat Bones) or some other clever title. You will be amazed how tempting these healthy dishes are for guests of all ages. Who can resist veggie Halloween treats that are this much fun to make and eat?
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