Healthy Halloween Snacks for Kids

Image via ActiveKids.com

With Halloween on the imminent horizon & visions of candy swirling in your children’s minds, we want to assure you that we’re not here to stop those sweet dreams but rather to help you add healthy treats to your spooky spread, too. Enjoying candy in moderation is acceptable, especially during this time of year, but maintaining your oral hygiene is still very important. Our goal is to help you ensure that sugar is not the only source of sustenance that your children consume throughout Halloween hoopla. 

To help you maintain a festive holiday spirit while also managing your child’s eating expectations, here are some creatively healthy Halloween snack ideas to infuse into your celebrations:

• Create a Set of Monster Teeth: You knew we were going to sneak teeth in here somewhere… Simply cut an apple into slices & chunk them into pairs. Lather each apple slice with a coat of peanut butter and layer raisins in between to make a set of spooky teeth!
• Design Your Own Witch’s Broom: Sweep away those sugary treats by replacing them with your very own uniquely designed witch’s broom treats. Add a pretzel rod or a breadstick as the handle & use a twist tie to wrap some string cheese at one end to complete your creation.
• Spooky Spider Eggs: Eggscellent idea… Boil a dozen eggs & cut them in half. Pull out a can of olives and cut those in half. Place each half into the center of the yolk for the spider’s body & then cut olives into thinner layers to include as legs on each side!
• Ghost & Pumpkin Decor: Did you know that a banana doubles as the perfect ghost in its spare time? Just cut one in half & stand it up so that the tips are facing upward. Use raisins, or perhaps a healthy nut of your choice, to create a face. A ghost needs a pumpkin patch so peel some oranges or clementines, plop a small piece of celery in the middle for a stem & VOILA!
• Pumpkin Quesadillas: Shape your traditional quesadillas into pumpkins by way of a cutting tool! Cut out the eyes, nose & mouth and of course fill it in with your favorite kind of cheese. Add some colorful veggies and/or salsa to the mix to jazz up your design.
• Mummy Toast: Get your kids ready for the day’s festivities by surprising them with a creative treat on Halloween morning. Toast your bread as you normally would, add a jam or peanut butter spread, and then layer thinly cut slices of banana in a criss-cross format while plopping some raisins on top for eyes. 
• Spooky Skewers: Skewers provide a great opportunity to sneak some fruit into your Halloween offerings. Cut up some melon & strawberries, add some grapes or even a marshmallow for a ghost-like spirit and adorn your skewer for a quickly made & easily portable treat.
• Veggie Skeleton: Good for a laugh AND plenty of nutrition, a veggie skeleton is always a good addition to any Halloween gathering. Cut up whichever veggies you like & lay them out to create your ideal meal. We recommend slicing up peppers for the ribs, cucumbers for the body, and a combination of carrots & celery for arms and legs.

Regardless of how you opt to sneak in some healthy snacks this Halloween season, we wish everyone a safe celebration as we embark into the holiday season of an unprecedented year. While Halloween may be spooky, your oral health and dental hygiene shouldn’t make you scream!