It can be tough to find healthy options amid the parade of junk food offered during the Halloween season. Fortunately, new ideas are always popping up on the web and we decided to try a few of our favorites.
Orange and Celery ‘Pumpkins’
What you’ll need:
· orange
· celery
· kitchen knife
· potato peeler (optional)
1. Peel your orange. Depending on the type of orange you have, a potato peeler may be useful in removing the excess pith.
2. Remove the leafy part of the celery stalk and cut into 2 ½ inch pieces.
3. Insert the narrow end of the celery stub into the top of the orange, leaving approximately 1 – 1 ½ inches exposed.
Banana Ghosts
What you’ll need:
· banana
· flat-bottomed teardrop chocolate chips
· kitchen knife
1. Carefully peel the banana.
2. Slice the banana in half. This will supply you with two ghosts of the same height. Cut at 1/3 from either end for ghosts of different height.
3. Gently press chocolate chips into each half of the banana to form the ghost’s eyes and mouth. Alternate the flat-bottomed and teardrop sides to create various facial expressions.
Witch Finger Sandwiches
What you’ll need:
· whole wheat sliced bread
· spread of your choice
· sliced almonds
· butter knife
1. Apply spread to two slices of whole wheat bread.
2. Press both slices together like you’re making a sandwich.
3. Use your butter knife to trim off the crust (your kids will be happy about this step).
4. Then, slice the sandwich into ¾ – 1-inch thick fingers. Try cutting them at different thicknesses to simulate the qualities of individual fingers.
5. Apply your sandwich spread to the back of an almond slice and use it as an adhesive to apply the “witch’s fingernail” to the tip of each sandwich slice.
Pretzel and Cheese Broomsticks
What you’ll need:
· pretzel sticks (preferably unsalted)
· cheese slices
· chives
· butter knife
1. Fold a cheese slice in half and use a butter knife to cut fringes about ¾ from the bottom. Each cheese slice should supply you with enough fringe for two brooms.
2. Roll the slice of cheese (fringes down) around the pretzel stick.
3. Tie chive around the cheese to keep it in place.
4. Use a butter knife to remove any excess chive.
Bat Bites
What you’ll need:
· dark purple grapes
· blue corn tortilla chips
· block cheese
· toothpicks or BBQ skewers
· kitchen knife
1. Slice your block cheese into cubes. They will serve as the bases of your bat food sculptures.
2. Stick your toothpick or skewer upright into the cheese cube.
3. Carefully insert the exposed end of the toothpick into the the grape. Push about half an inch. Don’t push the toothpick all the way through the grape.
4. Gently hold the grape and insert blue corn chips into each side. Use chips of approximately the same size to ensure balance.
5. Repeat process until you have a delicious swarm of bats. If you’re using skewers, cut to different lengths for various heights for an even better arrangement.
While trying to make it a healthy Halloween celebration, it’s also important to practice safety. Please take some time to review some safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/
