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Our family loves Halloween! It\u2019s true, in the early days we were trick-or-treating holdouts (all that sugary store-bought Halloween candy\u2026 shudder!). Now that my kids are older I\u2019ve figured out a healthy balance with these Halloween food ideas. We just buy candy with better ingredients<\/a>\u00a0(and make sure to have\u00a0non-candy treats<\/a>\u00a0too).<\/p>\n Reinventing our Halloween dinner plan is another way I made peace with this sugar-happy holiday. These festive but healthy Halloween recipes are perfect for a bite to eat before or after trick-or-treating, or just a way to make Halloween fun at home! You can even serve up some of these healthy Halloween treats at your next Halloween party.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll find a few healthier dessert treats on this list, but many of these recipes work well for appetizers or a meal. Halloween cake, caramel apples, brownies, and Halloween cupcakes may be crowd-pleasers, but they really add to the sugar load of the night!<\/p>\n Some of these recipes are our original creations and some are great ideas we\u2019ve adopted from others. I made sure to choose Halloween food ideas that:<\/p>\n Ultimately, playing with our food is a lot of fun. These low-prep recipes leave time for all the costume making and face painting you desire!<\/p>\n Start the day off with some grain-free pumpkin pancakes. Melt some chocolate (because, Halloween) and drizzle off a spoon in a quick, spider-like fashion to \u201cspin\u201d a dramatic and delicious web on top of each stack. You can even melt cocoa butter wafers with a little honey to make a white chocolate<\/a> version.<\/p>\n My youngest daughter looks forward to making these super simple banana \u201cghosts\u201d every year. Simply peel a banana, cut it in half, and press chocolate chips into the tip of the banana as eyes and a sliced almond as an open, wailing mouth! Stand upright on the flat end of a plate drizzled with chocolate for a cute, self-serve Halloween dessert.<\/p>\n Halloween party food doesn\u2019t get easier (or healthier) than this. Peel a mandarin or clementine orange, being careful to keep the orange segments intact. Insert a short piece of thinly sliced celery in the opening of the orange and voila! You have an adorable pumpkin-esque Halloween snack that little kids (and grown ups) will love.<\/p>\n Make up a whole platter or serve on a small dessert plate with dinner (since they\u2019ll get plenty of actual dessert later!).<\/p>\n Most of us have made some version of stuffed peppers before. You can easily make them into a fun and healthy spooktacular meal!<\/p>\n Use 8-10 bright orange peppers. Slice off the top, remove the seeds, and cut a smiling (or scary) Jack o\u2019 lantern face into the sides. Stuff with Philly cheesesteak toppings (our favorite) or a more traditional filling, bake, and enjoy!<\/p>\n Or, make it a Halloween appetizer. Prepare an orange bell pepper the same way, but leave it raw and fill with radish cream cheese dip and cut veggies.<\/a><\/p>\n You\u2019ve seen watermelon fruit baskets\u2026 how about a watermelon monster head? It\u2019s a lot healthier than candy apples and way tastier than candy corn (sorry if you like candy corn!). Cut a watermelon in half, scoop out the shell, and cut a jagged mouth. Turn upside down on top of a fruit salad plate and add some fruit slice eyes to your watermelon \u201chead.\u201d It looks like this spooky Halloween monster has lost his lunch, which kids will love and gobble up!<\/p>\n We make meatloaf cupcakes regularly (like mini-meatloaves with whipped sweet potato \u201cfrosting\u201d). For Halloween, we dress these up for the occasion by using white mashed potatoes piped on top with a flat icing tip. Add two green peas for eyes and you have a meal that looks just like a mini mummy, all wrapped up in bandages!<\/p>\n Shhh\u2026 this is just a green smoothie recipe I make all the time! Cucumber and lime give it a bright green look that\u2019s perfect for Halloween. Just call it by a new name and serve it with a peeled grape (eyeball) garnish and you have a spooky snack kids won\u2019t turn down.<\/p>\n This \u201ctreat\u201d is one of the best ways to add a touch of natural hygge<\/a> and make it feel extra cozy and inviting in the house. Plus it smells amazing! Simply long-simmer mulling spices in cider (or around my house, wine for the adults!) and serve warm.<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t tried a velvety, creamy pumpkin soup for a fall meal, you\u2019re missing out! Pumpkins are plentiful in the garden and market this time of year. This soup is a budget-friendly choice<\/a> that\u2019s also a great party food idea for a potluck.<\/a> It\u2019s easy to make, takes minimal prep, and is easy to keep warm until you\u2019re ready to eat.<\/p>\n You can also add pumpkin to chili, one of my favorite sneaky veggie-boosting tricks.<\/a><\/p>\n I have a whole post on shirataki noodles<\/a>, but these unusual noodles have that perfect slippery feel to pose as \u201cbrains\u201d! Peeled zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer will also work well for this. Serve with alfredo sauce or Thai peanut sauce and present it as brain \u201cgoo\u201d to gross them out and delight them at the same time.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re packing lunches, these super easy mozzarella string cheese ghosts are a cute, high-protein treat. Just use a Sharpie to draw your own friendly or spooky ghost faces!<\/p>\n With a charcuterie board, there\u2019s no end to how creative you can be. Especially when it\u2019s Halloween themed! Cut cheese with Halloween-shaped cookie cutters, add clementine pumpkins (above), and olive \u201ceyeballs.\u201d String cheese and bell pepper \u201cfingers\u201d also make a nice touch. You can add a cheese ball to dip some veggies in.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t even have to make up a name for this one! Make deviled eggs even more sinister with the addition of black olive spiders. Or mix filling with some beet puree and top with olives for \u201cbloody eyeballs.\u201d Either way, they\u2019re packed with protein and fats to help fill kids up and regulate blood sugar.<\/p>\n Who says vegetables can\u2019t dress up too? My kids have taken this Halloween tradition over from me and have fun making a different character every year. And I\u2019m happy to supply the vegetables! They learned knife skills from an online cooking course<\/a> for kids years ago, and now they\u2019re paying off!<\/p>\nHealthy Halloween Recipes & Halloween Food Ideas (Mom Approved!)<\/h2>\n
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1. Spiderweb Pancakes<\/h3>\n
2. Banana Ghosts<\/h3>\n
3. Clementine \u201cPumpkins\u201d<\/h3>\n
4. Jack O\u2019Lantern Stuffed Peppers<\/h3>\n
5. Watermelon Monster Head<\/h3>\n
6. Meatloaf Mummies<\/h3>\n
7. Witches\u2019 Brew Smoothie<\/h3>\n
8.\u00a0Mulled Cider (or Wine!)<\/h3>\n
9. Pumpkin Soup or Chili<\/h3>\n
10. Zoodles or Shirataki Noodles (for \u201cBrains\u201d)<\/h3>\n
11. String Cheese Ghosts<\/h3>\n
12. A Chilling Charcuterie Board<\/h3>\n
13. Deviled Eggs (Of Course!)<\/h3>\n
14. Veggie Tray Skeleton<\/h3>\n