Monday, October 22, 2012

Healthy Halloween Tips

It's time for Monday Listicles. Today, I'm going to break the rules a little. Our topic was to be Halloween costumes, but since I don't plan on dressing up nor do I have kids who would want to dress up, I thought I'd share some tips on how to make Halloween a bit healthier than the normal candy-filled chaos.

1. Give out alternatives to candy. How about juice boxes, glow sticks, play dough, fruit snacks, etc?

2. If you do want to give out candy, wait until the last minute to buy it. That way it won't be tempting you while it sits. Also, buy the candy that you don't like. Even easier to resist. :-)

3. Instead of a candy dish at the office, why not a dish filled with roasted pumpkin seeds or almonds or celery sticks?

4. If you're hosting a party, make healthy creations.

Like a veggie skeleton.
Source: Taste of Home

Or Apple Bites.


Or Eyeball Caprese.

Source: divinedinnerparty.com

5. If you usually stay at home to hand out candy, how about grabbing a water bottle and go for a walk around the neighborhood instead?

6. Maybe not on Halloween, but there are a lot of fun ways to celebrate the season. Haunted houses, corn mazes, or pumpkin patches.

7. Serve food inside other food.

Like apple cider in an apple vessel.

Source: imgfave.com
Or a stew in a pumpkin.

Source: allrecipes.co.uk

Or maybe some oatmeal for breakfast.


8. Host a scavenger hunt or play a different Halloween game.

9. Let your kids trade in their Halloween candy for cash or a new toy. Let them enjoy some candy Halloween night and maybe let them choose a few of their favorite pieces for later.

10. Donate extra candy to a food bank or talk to your dentist about participating in the Halloween Candy BuyBack Program for an easy way to ship your extra candy to troops overseas.


Now, head over to Stasha's to see what costumes might be fun to go with these healthy celebration tips. And if you're interested in seeing a few of my past Halloween costumes, you can read this post.

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24 comments:

  1. We don't normally get trick or treaters, but these are all really good tips - I'm definitely trying the eyeball caprese.

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    1. Thanks! If you try out the caprese, let me know how it turns out.

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  2. I love that veggie skeleton. So creative!

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  3. These ideas are sooo cute! I am saying this after buying 2 huge bags of chocolaty candy at Costco:) A little tempting, but I will be good:) I shouldn't have to worry about other people's kids' teeth, should I?:)

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    1. Oops! I guess I should have posted this a little earlier. LOL.

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  4. The first one is a great idea. I was always so excited as a kid when we'd get something different.
    I also love the veggie skeleton.

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    1. You should try that first idea. I wonder how the kids would react to getting something other than candy.

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  5. GREAT take on this list! LOVE LOVE LOVE that veggie skeleton. Ellen

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    1. That veggie skeleton would certainly be a huge hit at any Halloween party. :D

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  6. I love the veggie skeleton idea!!

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  7. I love the idea of handing out playdoh. I'd much rather Lil Duck get some of that than the bags and bags of candy. We end up throwing most all of it away anyway. She isn't a big candy eater, and as I diabetic, I don't eat it either.

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    1. I think a lot of parents would probably went non-candy "treats" as well. Not so sure about the kids, though. :D

      This year, maybe you can donate the extra candy rather than throwing it away.

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  8. Great ideas--nice to see a change from the costumes!

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  9. I'm all about #9 - I wish I'd done it more with my son! We did it a couple of years and then... I don't know what happened!

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  10. I love all your suggestions! (We are skipping trick or treating this year, just going to school for the kids' classroom party. Maybe someone will bring a skeleton veggie dish!)

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  11. Love your healthy ideas! I don't mind the candy, it's just trying to balance all the parties, trick-or-treat, etc. with an overall healthy diet. We just had pumpkin stew this weekend (yum!)

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