With Halloween right around the corner, many people are starting to think about taking their kids trick-or-treating or having costumed trick-or-treaters come to their door soon. Halloween is one of those holidays where most people have come to expect chocolate and artificially sugared candies, but there are other ways to celebrate while thinking of health and wellness at the same time.
Here are some Halloween candy alternatives that you can give trick-or-treaters this year or take to a Halloween party to help both adults and kids be a bit healthier.
Sweet Snacks
Most parents are more comfortable with their kids getting individually wrapped snacks for Halloween just for peace of mind that the food hasn’t been tampered with. But you can find plenty of sweet treats that are portioned and sealed beyond just basic chocolate.
Miniature boxes of raisins and plain types of cookies, such as graham crackers or vanilla wafers, are good options. You can also provide juice boxes and sugar-free gum when trick-or-treaters ring your doorbell.
Savory Snacks
To keep little trick-or-treaters’ bellies full and satisfied, you can also provide granola or cereal bars as a healthier alternative to candy. Baked chips and pretzels in individual packages are also good options because these are easy to snack on while walking through the neighborhood.
Non-Food Items
However, there’s no reason to limit yourself to just food items if you plan to have trick-or-treaters come to your door. You can offer small, inexpensive party favors to avoid health and allergy concerns at Halloween. Here are some ideas for Halloween handouts that you can pick at a dollar store or party shop in your area.
- Halloween theme pencils and erasers
- Glow sticks
- Containers of bubbles with wands
- Crayons and mini coloring books
- Key chains
- Sidewalk chalk
- Temporary tattoos
- Bouncy balls
- Play-Doh
- Slime
Halloween Party Recipes
Beyond just trick-or-treating, if you are planning to attend or host a Halloween party, you might be interested in making homemade treats from scratch. There are lots of fun and easy ideas that you can try for party foods, such as stuffing orange bell peppers with veggies and rice or making pumpkin bars with organic pureed pumpkin.
Try cutting carrots into the shape of jack-o-lanterns and potatoes into the shape of ghosts and roasting those veggies in the oven with natural herbs. Another idea is to make fruit parfaits in glass mason jars that look like candy corn with layers of pineapple, mandarin oranges, and a little whipped cream on top. Grapes also make easy finger foods at parties and can be used to resemble eyes in creative concoctions you set up for your table display.
What heathier twists have you taken on Halloween celebrations in the past? Share your ideas with us in the comment section below.