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Without a doubt, candy is by far the best part about Halloween. As a kid, I loved getting dressed up in my finest princess costume and ringing a series of doorbells, desperately hoping for the good candy bars like Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or 3 Musketeers. The most exciting part of the night was going through my plethora of treats by dumping them all over the floor. How else do you sort candy? I would then trade the candy I didn’t like with my brothers. I certainly learned how to bargain at a young age.
The worst part of the night was when my mom tried to limit our candy intake, spouting nonsense about how we could only have one piece and had to go to bed because there was school the next day! Such drivel. If you’re a parent who also thinks that your kids shouldn’t eat an entire bag of candy in one night, read on for some healthier snack choices. One day your kids will thank you for saving them from themselves!
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 20
Ingredients/Materials:
Applesauce pouches
White crepe paper
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Googly eyes
Directions:
Cut a piece of crepe paper, 2 yards long. Cut the piece of crepe paper down the center, so you’ll have two pieces. Hot glue the end of one strip to the pouch and start wrapping. Use the entire 2 yards to wrap around the pouch, hot gluing the end to the pouch. Hot glue two googly eyes to the front of the pouch.
Roasted Red Pepper Deviled Eggs (that look like pumpkins)
Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/4 cup drained and chopped jarred roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika, plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper
Chives for pumpkin stems
Directions:
Start off with placing your eggs in a pot in a single layer and covering them with cold water about an inch above the eggs. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Once the water starts to bubble add some salt to the pot. Bring water to a rolling boil, but not too high or the eggs will crack. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, place the lid on and turn off the heat. Let eggs sit for 12 - 13 minutes, making sure to not open the lid or all of the heat will escape. Make sure not to start your timer until right when you turn off the heat.
When the time is up remove eggs from the pot. Rinse and peel in cold running water.
Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out yolks and place them in a food processor with peppers, mayonnaise, mustard and paprika. Cover and refrigerate whites. Process yolk mixture until smooth; taste and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer yolk mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip or a large Ziploc bag. If using a bag, squeeze out air, seal and snip off a corner. Pipe about 1 tablespoon filling into the center of each egg white, to resemble a pumpkin. You can use a toothpick to make the stripes of a pumpkin or leave them plain. Set a piece of chive into the filling to represent a stem. Sprinkle yolks with paprika. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
(www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com)
Shredded chicken & Rice Stuffed Peppers (Halloween Style)
Start to finish: 7 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients slow cooker shredded taco chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Ingredients stuffed peppers:
4 bell peppers your choice of color
2 cups Mexican rice
1 shredded chicken breast from the above recipe
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
Directions slow cooker shredded taco chicken:
Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle seasonings on top and then cover with diced tomatoes. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or high for 4 - 6 hours. Shred chicken and allow it to remain in sauce.
Directions stuffed peppers:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, rinse peppers, slice off the tops and hollow out the insides, be sure to remove any seeds and the white part inside. If desired, use a small paring knife to cut out a jack-o-lantern face. When water is boiling, put the peppers and tops in and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until peppers are tender. Remove from water and set aside to cool. Mix the cooked rice, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans together in a large bowl. Fill each pepper with the chicken and rice mixture and top with extra cheese, if desired. Replace pepper top back on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and pepper is done to desired tenderness. Alternately, once peppers are stuffed, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350, remove plastic wrap and bake for 1 hour.
Start to finish: 6 minutes
Servings: 4 - 8
Ingredients:
Pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks
Oranges, cut into bite-sized chunks (or small Cuties)
Whipped cream
Candy corn
Directions:
In a clear glass, layer pineapple, then oranges and top with whipped cream and a couple pieces of candy corn. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
Oil of choice (I like using avocado oil)
Sea salt
Directions:
Peel the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Slice the sweet potato into rounds. About 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp paring knife, CAREFULLY cut out jack-o-lantern faces on each sweet potato round. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with oil then use your hands to make sure they’re evenly coated. Add a sprinkle of salt and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.
Depending on your time commitment to snacks, you can either whip up something incredibly quick or take a little more time perfecting a jack-o-lantern cut out in your creation. Make the fun of Halloween go further than candy with these festive, healthy snacks.
