A few years ago, I was asked to bring the “healthy treat” to a school Halloween party for my older son. Well, when you are the mom bringing the healthy food amidst the cookies and other treats, you sort of figure there may be leftovers! I pondered the orange foods I could bring and thought of making simple jack-o-lanterns out of clementines. Guess what? No leftovers! They were a tasty hit which we just repeated for a party for my younger son.
All it takes is a Sharpie marker and your imagination. One helpful tip: make sure the clementines are at room temperature. The Sharpie does not write well on the cold fruit, as condensation tends to form.
A few parents have asked me for various holiday ideas recently, so I pulled together a few tasty ideas. Some of these ideas aren’t pictured to theme, but I have included my ideas for spinning them into something festive and fun, with a link to a recipe where needed.
Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche makes a delicious option to caramel for apple dipping and an economical gift, too. Click HERE for the easy how-to.
Who wouldn’t love a Mango Peach Smoothie? Plus, it’s orange! Perfect color for a Halloween treat. I have a recipe for a Mango Freeze, too. Both are easy, healthy, and delicious!
Try this fun White Chocolate Gorp with fall colored M&Ms or colored add-ins of choice.
This dark chocolate Pretzel Bark has that salty-sweet combo that makes for a special treat–easy to make, too. As with the Gorp, use autumn-colored mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or even some broken pretzel pieces on top.
For another healthy option, make this Better-For-You Ranch Dressing and put it in a small, hollowed out pumpkin or acorn squash instead of a bowl. Serve with carrots, celery and your other favorite veggie dippers.
My kids love to make faces by spreading peanut butter on a rice cake (which they call popcorn cakes) and using raisins and other fruit to create a funny face. For Halloween, guacamole works well and black olives and other veggies pieces can be used to make a scary–or silly–face. It’s fun to do the same thing with a pita or English muffin pizza as well.
One last orange treat! This is my kids’ favorite way to eat a mango. To easily cube the mango, slice all the way down the mango along the flat part of the seed. Then, slice in a checkerboard pattern without going through the skin. Invert the piece, then carefully slice off the little squares. At this point, my kids just bite off the little cubes. We call it “fun food.” There will be a little more fruit clinging to the pit which you can slice off as well.
If you have your own favorite holiday treats and tips, please feel free to share. I am sure many of you have ideas that are far more clever than the ones I have mentioned and I will happily share them. Perhaps we should even start thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and the December holidays. They will be here before we know it!
