We LOVE Halloween in our house. Mostly because my oldest was born the day before Halloween. She’s turning 12 this month, so we have embraced Halloween as a party theme for many years–it never gets old! In fact, it’s now nostalgic tradition. It’s Oct. 1, so I’m sharing this early in case you want time to think about adding to your annual traditions!
Maybe you think it’s weird that an RD loves a candy-themed holiday. Of course, I have always tried to find real-food treats for our Halloween parties. Don’t get me wrong, my kids eat plenty of candy. I don’t restrict them, but try to steer them towards the good stuff (anything chocolate, am I right?) Alas, they gobble up the Nerds and Airheads just the same. Yuck, totally not worth it, IMHO! And although I try to get them to ration out the loot, on Halloween night, all bets are off…oh well! I am modeling imperfection and normalcy. (Most days. Sometimes I open up a can of crazy! Seriously, that’s what I tell my kids…they know when I’m not kidding.)
The past few years, we haven’t had a Halloween-themed birthday party, but we still get together every year on Halloween with neighbor friends for some “pre-game” grub prior to the trick-or-treating festivities. Living on base in Italy was so fun because of the close proximity of friends and small-town feel, but we were delighted to find that our neighbors here in Virginia Beach celebrate with some good, old-fashioned fun, too.
What does your neighborhood do to celebrate Halloween? Do you need something to bring to an annual Halloween potluck? Or will you be the host and start a new tradition this year? Whether you need a simple snack, a dippy appetizer, or a more hearty, protein-rich dish, try some of these easy, real food options. Some are ridiculously easy, which is my specialty, but they guarantee smiles just the same– especially the first option.
“What can I say, except ‘you’re welcome?!'” (Leave a comment if you know which movie that song comes from…I sing it all the time to my kids as a gentle reminder!)
Snacks
Feel free to substitute other nut butters, or use blanched almond slivers in place of the marshmallows for some spikey “teeth.”
Be sure to have several Sharpies on hand, the wax seems to make them run out quickly. You could also draw on the flat top of orange segment fruit cups.
You could use almond slices in place of the cucumbers, if you prefer.
Homemade garlic ranch dressing or tzatziki makes a great dip for these veggies.
Classic deviled eggs become a Halloween delicacy! (Learn from my mistake: be sure you have enough olives to have anatomically correct spiders!)
Appetizers or Main Dishes
Fill your quesadilla with chicken and cheese, or just cheese, and then top with mozzarella cheese in the center of the tortilla, and cheddar to form a ring around the mozarella. Cut into triangles.
Carrot “fingers” in the homemade garlic ranch or blue cheese dressing make these gluten free, oven-baked chicken wings festive for Halloween. Or skip the wings and stick the carrots in any dip–I highly recommend B’s homemade guacamole served with some corn chips.
Bagels, English muffins, or mini naan bread can be used to make these cute but creepy pizzas.
Love all these delicious and healthy ideas !