With
all the fun of this holiday come a parent’s
worst fears -– too many sugary treats in your
kid's possession and the arguments that ensue over
this treasured trove. If you don’t feel like
to contributing to the neighborhood children’s
tooth decay, consider giving treats that are healthier.
Here are some suggestions:
- Cheese and cracker packages
- Naturally flavored and sweetened gun or sugar-free
gum
- Small bags of pretzels
- Small packages of nuts or raisins
- Peanuts in the shell
- Fruit-Roll Ups
- Granola bars
If
you are not opposed to sugar, but would prefer your
treats to be natural or vegan, we suggest you visit
your local natural food store. There are many natural
candy companies that offer a big variety of candies.
The one drawback, expect to pay more for these items.
Natural products come at a higher price tag.
You
could make a homemade treat. Unless you are in a neighborhood
with close friends, we don’t suggest this approach.
Most parents are trained to go through the Halloween
candy and throw out unopened, unwrapped or homemade
treats. If you decide to make your treats, wrap your
homemade item up well, and add your name and phone
number to the bag with the treat. If the parent recognizes
your name, it will make them feel the treat is safe.
Halloween treats do not have to be edible
An alternative to avoiding the junk food challenges
is to hand out a non-food treat. Today, many families
are opting for this choice. With a little bit of thought
and some clever shopping, you can find some really
nice items for a few cents per item. Here are few
ideas:
- Cool stickers or temporary tattoos
- Halloween balloons, you can even rent a helium
tanks and fill them on the spot
- Crayons, pencils, colored chalk or fun-shaped
erasers
- Whistles or noise makers
- Rubber spiders, worms, or other equally creepy
figure
- Spider, skull, or pumpkin plastic rings
Check
your local dollar store for fun items. There is also
plenty of time to shop online, and have items shipped
to you. DollarDays.com and OrientalTradingCompany.com
are just two sites that offer a good selection. A
quick search on Google will give you plenty more online
sopping choices.
Halloween
Day:
Star the day off right, with a festive breakfast of
bagels, pumpkin cream cheese (recipe follows) and
fresh apples. This meal also works as a great treat
for a morning Halloween party at your child’s
school.
Pumpkin
cream cheese
Beat in a bowl:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Serve
with toasted bagels and fresh apple slices.
Before your children venture out in their costumes,
make sure they eat a meal before going trick-or-treating.
Try the Incredible White Bean Pizza recipe below.
It is fast and simple. With full tummies, they won't
be so tempted to dig into their bag of goodies before
they get back home. Ask your kids not to eat candy
while they are out.
Incredible
Bean Pizza
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon oregano
1 pizza crust (like Boboli)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Fresh diced tomatoes
Chopped basil
Directions:
Puree first five ingredients in a blender and spread
mixture over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with shredded
mozzarella cheese, fresh, diced tomatoes and chopped
basil. Bake in a 425 degree F oven until cheese is
bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.
When
your children arrive back at home, don’t let
them take control over their bag or bucket of candy.
Working with them, check the treats and keep only
treats which are unopened. Be sure to inspect fruits
and homemade goods for anything suspicious. While
you are going through their candy, let them pick two
or three treats that they can eat on this special
night. Store the rest of the candy out of reach and
out of sight.
Over
the next few days or weeks, rationing the treats is
the best approach. Allow your children to make their
own selections, but tell them they can pick one large
piece or two small pieces. If your children have trouble
with this, do it for them (in advance). Just place
small amounts of candy in bags, and let them select
one of the bags. If there is just too much candy,
consider donating some of it to a shelter. It will
bring smiles to others.
About
the authors:
Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers
of five children and founders of Fresh Baby ( www.FreshBaby.com
). They are the creators of the award-winning So Easy
Baby Food Kit and Good Clean Fun Placemats, available
at many fine specialty stores and national chains
including Target and Whole Foods Markets.
|
