Healthy Halloween Treats

This article originally appeared on cincinnatifamilymagazine.com.

My kids LOVE when the calendar switches from September to October. Why? Because they know that only 30 days stand between them and copious amounts of candy. However, I feel like the entire month is filled with candy from class parties, trunk or treats and neighborhood “Boo” Buckets. I love to get into the holiday fun, but I worry about filling my kids with too much sugar. So, I tasked my kids, 6 and 8 years old, to search the internet for a few fun, HEALTHY, Halloween snacks they could make on their own – with my supervision of course!

We are going to spend the month of October testing out their kitchen skills! My kids are big, “Nailed It!” fans, so they are hoping to “Nail It” with these treats. Here is what they came up with:

• Banana (firm)

• Blueberries

• Toothpicks

• Large apples

• Natural peanut butter

• Strawberry jam

• Dried cranberries or other dried berries

• Slivered almonds

Cut apples into slices. Use toothpicks to hold the slices together for the mouth (the toothpicks) can be used for the eyeballs, too! Spread peanut butter on the insides of the apples. Use slivered almonds for teeth, and put some jam around some of the teeth for a creepy effect. You can sprinkle cranberries or other dried berries in the mouth if you like! Next, cut the banana into small pieces, and push blueberries into the banana pieces. Place eyes on top of the monster and enjoy!

• Bread

• Cheese

• Pretzels

• Dried fruit or berries

• Butter

• Cookie Cutters

Butter bread. Place cheese in break and grill in pan. Use cookie cutter to make circle shape. Place pretzels in between slices of bread for legs. Use dried fruit or berries for eyes and enjoy!

• Tangerines (clementine or mandarin oranges)

• Celery

Peal tangerines. Cut celery into small pieces and then place celery into the top of the clementine. Devour! Yum!

• Bread

• Slices of cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese

• Toothpicks

Flatten out the bread. Place bread on top of the cheese slice. Roll up the cheese and bread with the cheese on the outside. Cut into small rolls and secure with toothpicks. Dig in!

• Draw a jack-o-lantern face on the outside of a mandarin fruit cup.

• Place green grapes in a clear cup with a lid and draw a Frankenstein face on the cup.

• Draw a ghost face on a string cheese wrapper.

• Unwrap a Baby Bell Cheese and cut “teeth” into the wrapper and add eyes!