“Ding dong,” it’s your doorbell ringing, call you to open up and welcome in all the delightful festivities October has to bring. But before you get overwhelmed by searching for scary costumes or decorating a house full of pumpkins, do yourself and your kiddo a favor and make a spooky, delicious, nutritious treat. Not only are these kid-friendly fall treats healthy and creative, they are ideal to serve at a Halloween party or as an afternoon snack all month long.
Candy Corn Twist Cups
Ingredients
- Pineapple tidbits
- Mandarin oranges
- Whipped topping
Directions
- With clear cups, simply layer pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges and whipped topping.
- Serve Immediately.
Delicious Health Benefit- Both the pineapple and oranges are loaded with vitamin C, important for keeping a strong immune system. Say sayonara to the frightening flu bug.
Banana Ghost Sticks
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- ¾ c. vanilla yogurt
- 12 mini chocolate chips
- 6 wooden Popsicle sticks
Directions
- Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment or waxed paper.
- Peel the bananas and cut them in half crosswise. Insert a Popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana
- Put the yogurt into a small bowl. Hold onto the pops by the stick and roll the exterior of the banana in the yogurt, making a nice coating. Let excess drip back into the bowl. Lay the pops in the baking pan. (You will have leftover yogurt.)
- Place two chocolate chips into the banana sticks to create the eyes of the ghosts.
- Place into the freezer to firm for approximately 3 hours.
- Remove pops from the freezer and use a knife to trim away any yogurt that has accumulated along the sides of the banana.
- Serve and enjoy straight out of the freezer.
Delicious Health Benefit- Bananas deliver a punch of potassium, keeping your kiddo’s heartbeat strong, while the calcium builds strong bones needed for trick-or-treating. “My son and I made these for his class Halloween party, and the kids gobbled them right up,” says Mallory, a mom from Lee’s Summit.
Eye Candy Nut Butter Apples
Ingredients
- 1 red or green apple
- 1 c. nut butter (peanut, sunflower, cashew, etc.)
- 3/4 c. nuts (walnuts, cashews, pieces)
- 1/4 c. dried cherries (optional)
Directions
- Wash and dry apple.
- Insert Popsicle stick into apple.
- Melt nut butter in microwave.
- Chop nuts finely.
- Simply dip the apple into the melted nut butter then sprinkle with nuts and top with dried cherries.
Delicious Health Benefit- The dynamic combination of the apple, nut butter and nuts is chock-full of fiber, keeping tummies full during this creep-crawling season.
With these nutritious sweet eats, you and your kiddo can enjoy all the spooky goodness fall has to offer.
Amy Hundley is a registered dietitian nutritionist, licensed in both Kansas and Missouri, and a published freelance nutrition writer. She is currently practicing as a clinical RD and has been a resident of Olathe since early childhood.