Your children can still enjoy Halloween without splurging on
mounds of chocolate and sugary snacks. With imagination and a bit of effort,
creating spooky treats with your children can be fun and contribute nutritional value.
Here are a few creative and creepy Halloween Treats that
will bring laughter to your whole family.
Spider Deviled Eggs-Make deviled eggs and fill as usual but
decorate as spiders by using a black olive, black beet or cooked purple potato to create the "body" of the spider. Use the same food to create
the "legs" by slicing the olive, beet or potato into four tiny strips
on each side.
Spider Web Cheese Pizza-Make individual pizzas from
mini-pitas or English muffin halves. Spread tomato sauce on the bottom and
slice cheese into strips to create a "web." Use a black olive to
create the body and legs of a "spider."
Severed Hot Dog fingers-Cut flour tortillas into strips and
wrap a mini-hot dog (cocktail) in each. Dab the top with ketchup and place a
slivered almond on top to create the finger nail. Serve with a bowl of red
ketchup.
Festive Edible Pumpkin-Carefully peel a small orange and top
with a celery stem to make it look just like a pumpkin.
Halloween Stuffed Peppers-Stuff orange peppers and bake as
usual but cut out the eyes, nose and mouth to look like a pumpkin.
Eyeball Platter #1-Spread peanut, almond, hazelnut spread or
soy butter on a round cracker. Top with a slice of banana for the
"eye" and place a raisin for the "pupil" in the center.
Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon to create a "bloodshot" effect.
Eyeball Platter #2-Slice hard boiled eggs with an egg slicer
and place on round or oval crackers. Top with a piece of an olive for the
"eye ball" and sprinkle with paprika for the "bloodshot"
look.
Gelatin Jiggles-Use pre-formed Halloween molds and fill with
colored gelatin.
Cookie Cutter Sandwiches-Use Halloween cookie cutter shapes
to transform regular sandwiches into seasonal surprises.
Decorating food as a fun, seasonal treat is a creative way
to get kids to sample a new food. Try some of these homemade Halloween recipes
for your children or create your own!
Submitted by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS RD
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company
Image from Kid's Halloween
