As we head into trick or treat season, otherwise known as Halloween, kids are exposed to an excess amount of artificial food coloring and sugars contained in traditional Halloween treats.  But it’s also a time when kids should be encouraged to show their creativity and have fun with friends.  The key is to create fun and healthy snacks using fruits and vegetables that they will enjoy.

Try these delightful, easy to make recipes for a fun and healthy twist to Halloween snacking!

Directions

Cucumber and Hummus

Last but not least…

Smoothies are always a great way to add more vegetables into children’s diets.  The biggest problem is that kids are picky with texture and taste so making sure to combine the right combination of fruit and vegetables is key.  Using natural sweeteners such as honey or fresh juice is also a great way to optimize the taste.

I usually like to add a touch of protein to my kid’s smoothie.  I usually add 1 Tbsp. of Bone Broth to the recipe for an extra boost to the immune system.

Veggie & Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled, chopped carrots

1 orange, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup of strawberries

1/2 frozen banana, chopped

1 cup of ice

1 Tbsp. of bone broth or 1 Tbsp. of Polarized bone broth (Great Lakes Collagen)

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The secret ingredient that makes chocolate healthy is cacao.  Packed with high omega’s, healthy chemicals like flavonoids and theobromine, making it a disease killing machine. It takes approximately 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate.

Chocolate isn’t chocolate if it has no cocoa solids or cocoa liquor.  White chocolate isn’t really chocolate and really has no health benefits.  Recent studies also show that milk interferes with the absorption of antioxidants.  So unless it’s dark chocolate, all other types of chocolate does nothing for you besides tasting good and adding extra calories.

5 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

• Improves Heart Health
• Great for Memory
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Rich in antioxidants including vitamins, minerals and phytochemical
• Protects body from disease

Dark chocolate has a much richer flavor than milk chocolate because of the high cocoa content.  The higher the percentage of cocoa, the stronger the taste.  Cocoa in its natural form is a bit bitter and strong-tasting.  Chocolate makers tone this taste down by a process called alkalizing, adding milk, sugar and either fermenting or roasting the chocolate.  All of which alter the health benefits of chocolate by destroying the flavanols and not allowing our bodies to use them.

1 oz.  of dark chocolate with 70 percent to 85 percent cacao solids contains around:

• 168 calories
• 12.8 grams carbohydrates
• 2.2 grams protein
• 12 grams fat
• 3.1 grams fiber
• 0.5 milligram manganese (27 percent DV)
• 0.5 milligram copper (25 percent DV)
• 3.3 milligrams iron (19 percent DV)
• 63.8 milligrams magnesium (16 percent DV)
• 86.2 milligrams phosphorus (9 percent DV)
• 200 milligrams potassium (6 percent DV)
• 0.9 miligram zinc (6 percent DV)
• 2 micrograms vitamin K (3 percent DV)
• 1.9 micrograms selenium (3 percent DV)
• 20.4 milligrams calcium (2 percent DV)

Because of its high fat content, it is best to limit yourself to 7oz a week. Best to combine with nuts such as almonds for a richer antioxidant effect.  Adding dark chocolate to pancakes, mixing it with granola for a snack or simply just having a small piece are great ways to boost antioxidants into our bodies!

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Kids that are active need carbohydrates to refuel their bodies. Adding a protein or healthy fat helps to increase their endurance as well as being important for healthy growth and development.

Healthy & Quick Snacks

•  Fresh fruit
• Dried Fruit
• Granola or dry cereal w/ low sugar
• Carrot sticks or other veggies
• Rice Cake
• Apple Sauce
• Smoothies
• Oatmeal
• Hummus
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Avocados

Quick Recipes

1.  Ants on a log

Celery with nut butter & raisins

2. Blueberry bear

Rice cake with nut butter and blueberry for eyes and strawberries for mouth

3. Smoothies

Fruit smoothies with a little kale or spinach are great for boost of energy

4. Banana Roll up

Banana rolled up with tortilla

Hydration

Active kids don’t need a lot of power drinks with sugar and artificial food colors.  Water is the best thing for hydration and keeping their bodies healthy!

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Traditional picnic foods like fried chicken and potato salad can wreak havoc on your diet.  You can still enjoy having a nice picnic without jeopardizing your waistline.

The most important thing to remember is to make it easy and keep stress level low.  Try using ingredients that are easy on the go.

Prepare in advance & make sure to have all the prep work done before you go.  This way you can be relaxed and have more time to enjoy with your family and friends.

7 Simple & Healthy Foods for Picnics:

1. Dips
   • Guacamole, Black bean hummus, Yogurt w/ mint and cashew nut dip are great to use with veggie sticks or tortilla chips

2. Salads
   • Ready prepared salads are easiest. Pre- wash the lettuce and have all the individual items in separate bags ready
   • Tabbouleh Salad or Quinoa salad are great for hot summer days

3. Cheese cubes
   • Great snack to have with grapes or strawberries

4. Trail mix
   • Mixed nuts combined with seeds are a great mix for munching

5. Fruits
   • Berries and melon family are not only enjoyable, but hydrating

6. Water

Infuse your water with cucumber, lemon, mint, strawberries, or ginger for a refreshing taste

7. Entree on the go

Sushi, wraps (smoked salmon wrap) or veggie burgers, tuna salad w/ lettuce wrap.  Just make sure to put everything in a cooler.

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The great thing about making homemade popsicles is you can combine different fruits and veggies to make delicious and healthy treats.

Tips to Making Delicious Popsicles:

Fruit

• Using puree fruits with lemon or lime helps to reduce the icy texture
• Natural juice such as orange, mango, pineapple, apple, grape and lemon help to enrich flavor without the need to add a lot of sugar

Creamy

• Yogurt or coconut milk helps to incorporate probiotics & healthy fat. Making it creamy and rich.
• Adding whole fruits creates a creamy popsicle

Protein

• Using PB 2 or Collagen powder is a great way to add extra protein

Sugar

• Instead of using cane sugar, try using honey or natural maple

Popsicle Molds

For popsicle molds, try using Lebice or Zoku brands.  The Popsicles are much easier to remove and they stand stable inside the freezer.

Healthy Homemade Fruit Popsicle:                                 

Peach Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

• 3 cups strawberries, pureed to 1 1/2 cup
• 3 cups peaches, peeled and sliced, pureed to 1 1/2 cup
• 2 tablespoons honey, divided
• 2/3 cup vanilla greek yogurt/ non dairy substitute

INSTRUCTIONS:

1     In a blender, puree strawberries with four teaspoons honey then set aside. Clean blender, puree sliced peaches with two teaspoons, honey, set aside.

2     Layer the popsicles as follows; 2 teaspoons strawberry puree, one teaspoon yogurt, two teaspoons mango puree and repeat. Make a fruit puree your last layer.

3     Tap the mold on the counter to make sure all of the layers settle. Use a small spoon to drag vertically from the bottom to the top of the mold a few times to create a swirled pattern.

4     Gently tap the molds on the countertop to remove any air bubbles. Insert the popsicle sticks, and then freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight

Orange Mango Collagen Popsicles

• 4 cups mango, divided
• 1 Tbsp. of Great Lakes Collagen
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

1     Puree 3 cups mango slices, 1 Tbsp. of Collagen, orange juice and honey.

2     Cut the remaining 1 cup mango slices into 1/4 inch cubes. Evenly divide them among the popsicle molds.

3     Add 3 tablespoons of mango coconut mixture, gently tapping mold on the counter to make sure liquid fills in the diced mango spaces.

4     Add 1 tablespoon of coconut milk, or until the mold is filled. Insert the popsicle sticks, and then freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight

Carrot Delight Popsicle

3 carrots cut into chunks and steamed until soft

1 cup strawberries fresh or frozen

1 mango sliced

1/2 cup water

4 TB honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

Puree all the ingredients and pour into mold. Freeze at least 6 hours & enjoy.

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There were few tricks that I learned early on to help me from snacking too much.

The first step to having a successful trip is to meal prep.  It’s important to carve out time to gather healthy snacks and meals to fuel before the drive.

If it’s an extra-long trip like mine, I recommend packing a small cooler to keep food fresh and cool.  Otherwise, I noticed myself snacking on empty calories and never feeling the satiety.

There are 5 things that we did to keep us on the healthy track

1.Sous Vide Egg Bites:  Egg White & Red Peppers

They are basically Egg Whites with Red Peppers.  It’s important to start the day with protein & fruit.  I drove by Starbucks, ordered the egg whites had them with blueberries that I had packed for the trip.

2. Veggies & fruits

I packed tomatoes, cucumber and carrots in a small ziplock bag.  All that munching and crunching on raw, cut-up veggies keeps me alert when the trip starts to drag. The great thing about vegetables are that they are loaded with nutrients that give you immediate boost of energy and the fiber to help reduce unnecessary snacking.

The trick to preserving fruits longer is by keeping them unwashed. Blueberries, cuties and apples last much longer than other fruits.

https://www.eatlove.is/recipes/e334aa95-3608-402e-80af-7f19ef775d533.

https://www.eatlove.is/recipes/08ef535b-60e8-4297-91ea-2de2f5cac717

3. A Road Sandwich

For extra-long trips, I usually make a hearty sandwich for something more substantial.

A crusty baguette holds up well without getting soggy.  I packed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on the side to add to sandwich.

4. Herbal Tea & Probiotic Drinks

It’s so easy to get dehydrated on the road and plain water can get tiresome over time, so instead I packed herbal tea with different low calorie probiotic drinks.  They are great to give you a buzz and can fill it with cold water for a lasting flavor.

5. Chips & Nuts

There are so many different types of dehydrated veggies, such as beet chips, plantain chips and kale chips.  They give you the extra crunch and flavor without the heaviness and calories that gets harder to get rid of later.

Trader Joe’s and Whole foods are great in having a variety.  I packed a small bag with different kind of goodies to munch on to keep me up and alert for the long drive.

https://www.eatlove.is/recipes/15072ab3-fdfd-4db3-aec5-b26cb74a449b

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