Here at Deposit a Gift, we’re all about mixing things up. And with Halloween coming up, it’s the perfect time! After all, it’s a holiday dedicated to being different. Just the mention of Halloween is enough to give any mom a toothache. It’s a day that revolves around collecting massive amounts of candy and consuming lots of empty calories. But for any parents who want to throw a Halloween-themed birthday or just introduce their kids to a healthier holiday, there’s a light inside that pumpkin! And Mareya, The Fit Foody, is here to tell you how you can make the spookiest of all holidays into a tasty success that won’t leave anyone feeling tricked by choosing more nutritious goodies and making healthier treats for parties and school events.
The Fit Foody’s Top 5 Healthy Halloween Tips
Real Treats, no Tricks: Opt for low sugar, chemical and preservative-free snacks to hand out, like Larabar minis, Stretch Island Fruit strips, Endangered Species Bug Bites, Nature’s Path treat-sized Peanut Choco Drizzle Crispy Rice Bars, Revolution Foods Yo Drops, Glee Gum minis and Surf Sweets Organic Sour Berry Bears, all part of Green Halloween, a non-profit started by a mom in an effort to clean up her kid’s goodie bags.
Tasty VeggieCakes: Take a cupcake and turn it into a veggie-packed treat. Add 1/3 Cup cooked and pureed yam to yellow cake mix, 1/4 Cup pureed red beets to chocolate cake mix and ¼ Cup canned pumpkin to spice cake mix. They won’t even taste them in there! Plus, the veggies will make them uber moist. You can even add ¼ cup cooked, pureed veggies like sweet potato or carrots into 8 oz. of frosting, and voila – a festive orange topping.
Honest T Goodness Refreshment: Most kids drink pouches are chock full o’ sugar but Honest T Kids offers a tasty, Certified Organic sipper that’s free of high fructose corn syrup. Plus, kids can earn rewards towards gift certificates and school supplies with their empties. For toting good ole’ water, the Vapur bottle is a foldable, freezable, and attachable bottle in fun Halloween-y colors that will keep them nice and hydrated for the parades and parties.
Dipped Apple-icious Sticks: It’s the season of apple eatin’ and these crunchy beauties are ready to shine. Pick up some small wooden sticks and dip some nice Braeburns or Fujis into pure dark chocolate and coat with slivered almonds – pretty cute and perfectly portable. Plus, apples are packed with fiber, contain cancer-fighting properties and are a natural bone builder. Remove pesticide residue, which has been linked to ADHD in children, by cleaning them with Eat Cleaner All Natural Fruit + Vegetable Wash and Wipes.
Pumpkin Seed-sational: After cleaning out that Jack-o-Lantern, you might be left with a gooey mess but there’s a treasure in there, too. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Scoop them out, rinse and dry overnight. In a pan, dry roast the seeds in their shells, shaking them to avoid burning, until they start to pop open. Season with a bit of sea salt, garlic powder or curry powder and pour a handful into orange and black paper cones for festive flair.
For more tips and a buying guide, join the Cleaner Plate Club at www.eatcleaner.com.
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Mareya is an award winning 18-year veteran of the food industry and a nationally recognized food safety and wellness expert. As the founder of Grow Green Industries, she is an inventor, author, educator and corporate health and nutrition consultant. Her column, the “Fit Foody” appears in Edible Orange County Magazine and she is a regular contributor to San Diego Channel 6, KTLA Channel 5 and the Daily Buzz. Find The Fit Foody on Facebook, Twitter (@FitFoody and @Eatcleanerfood) and at www.eatcleaner.com
