5 suitable Halloween treats for the healthy-alternative mom
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My daughter wasn’t even 2 when she came home from daycare with a small sack full of candy. 

I was alarmed. Who gives that much candy to 2-year-olds?

I found out this was pretty normal. I had kept my child away from candy as long as I could, and even now, she’ll enjoy a sugary treat every blue moon.

With Halloween approaching, I can’t imagine all the candy and sweet treats she’ll be offered in the next couple of weeks.

Even though she’s 3 now, I still try my best to limit it. But it gets hard. When I picked her up from her daycare’s recent fall festival, they literally had buckets of candy lining the exit path, so it was tough to avoid.

If you’re anything like me, you’re scouring for healthy alternatives all the time. You’re in luck, because I have a few healthy Halloween treat ideas that will entertain you little one and satisfy the trickery of the holiday.

Plus, the kids will be delighted to help!

Pumpkin Fruit

This is one of the simplest healthy-alternative Halloween treats, because the oranges basically do the work for you.

Neatly peel a dozen mandarin oranges and use a small stump of celery, green apple slice or any other greenery of your choice to top the oranges.

Voila! Pumpkin fruit that your kids will love.

Witch’s Broom Pretzels

This one is all about presentation since it’s not exactly a sweet treat and you’ll need a few supplies. I borrowed this idea from Hip2save.com.

Gather Halloween-themed pencils or straws or whatever thin rod-like item of your choice. You’ll need clear candy bags, tape and orange and black ribbon.

Of course, don’t forget the pretzel sticks.

Photo: Hip2save.com

Depending on the size of your candy bag, you may need to cut it down in length. The ones I get from the Dollar Tree are pretty long, so I cut it in half and use the bottom half.

Put a handful of pretzels in the bag and place your straw, pencil or rod in the center of the bag. Wrap tape around the bag to secure the pretzels and straw. Use a piece of ribbon to tie around it, and just like that, you’ve got a cute witch’s broom.

Strawberry-Yogurt Mummies

I start by washing off the strawberries and laying them on a sheet. Leave the tops on.

I whisk vanilla Greek yogurt in a large bowl to smooth it out, next transferring the yogurt to a large plastic bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag to create an icing tool (or you can just use an actual icing tool, but this works just as well).

Now, the fun! Use the yogurt to make zigzags on each strawberry. Make it a mummy with some back-and-forth action! Use semi-sweet chocolate chips to make eyes. Pop the tray in the freezer for 20 minutes before serving.

Banana Ghosts

Be wary of how many you make; they aren’t meant to last long as the bananas can brown.

Simply peel the bananas and cut them in half. Use semi-sweet chocolate chips to make two eyes, stand the “ghosts” upright and you’re done!

Spider Peanut Butter Crackers

You’ll need full-size peanut butter crackers, Craisins, yogurt and pretzel sticks for this one.

Break the pretzel sticks in half and set aside. Carefully separate the two sides of the peanut butter cracker and insert four pretzel pieces on each side. Put the cracker back together (use more peanut butter from a jar if you need to). Depending on which brand of cracker you use, you may be able to simply stake the pretzel pieces inside without taking the cracker apart.

Use two drops of yogurt to secure the Craisin “eyes” to the spider.

Let these set in the fridge for a while before serving.

These ideas are just a starting point. You can modify them any way you’d like.

Happy Halloween!