Halloween: other kinds of treats

Recently, a mom asked me, “So, what are your boys going to be for Halloween?” Oh goodness, that IS around the corner!

So, I asked the boys this past weekend, “What are you going to be for Halloween this year?”.

Patrick and Matthew said, “Ninjas!”. Of course, then, Edward followed with “Ninjas!” .

I then asked if giving out Play Doh was still okay. Patrick, who is 8, said, “I like that we give out Play Doh because it is different; everyone else gives out candy.”

What do you give out for Halloween? I remember, as a kid, wanting to hit the larger houses hoping for the larger candy bars. I also remember getting the sugarless gum from the house of a dentist down the street. I decided, years ago, to follow suit: give out a non-food item: Play Doh. I usually wait for my 20-30% coupon to Kohl’s and buy the discounted fun size. When the trick or treaters come to the house, I hear, “Cool! Play Doh again this year!” We must be the “Play Doh” house. So far, we haven’t been egged for it! (fingers crossed, please)

What are some other fun non-food Halloween treats? I asked Patrick what other Halloween goodies he liked. He mentioned plastic spider rings, pencils, mini note pads, stickers and erasers.

What are some fun-food goodies? Think individual packets: microwave popcorn, pretzels, trail mix, animal crackers, whole-wheat and cheese crackers, sugar free pudding cups and mini box of raisins. And- sugar free gum. A nurse co-worker also mentioned to me how she switched from large candy bars to snack sized ones. What a great idea!

Don’t forget a hearty snack if you don’t have time for dinner before heading out for the night. You may wish to refer to the the Art of Snacking blog.

After the night of trick and treating, we do go through the kids’ candy before any eating happens. The older boys enjoy placing the similar candy in piles – just like I remember doing. The kids are allowed 2-4 pieces that evening – 4 because they choose small pieces of candy like Bit of Honey versus the Reece’s Cup. Days after trick or treating, the kids are allowed one piece after lunch and supper. Of course, they must offer the adults at the table, too, a piece of candy (there goes the Reece’s Cups!).

Handing out candy is great. But, maybe consider if you hand out 2 items, add a pencil or spider ring? May your Trick or Treat be a safe, dry and fun evening!

To give the kids something more than candy to think about during Halloween, try other seasonal fun foods, like Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: After carving pumpkins, we enjoy roasted pumpkin seeds. Take a look at these roasted pumpkin seed recipes.