Bring Nutrition to Your Halloween Party

Fall is upon us and along with it comes Halloween and delicious, sweet treats. However, as a registered dietitian, I know that candy fills kids up on calories and not much else. For your next Halloween get-together, try some of my favorite party treats, which are healthy, easy to make, and fun to eat.

These treats are not only bursting with flavor and nutrition—they are guaranteed to make even the most ghoulish kid smile on Halloween. Parents will smile, too, knowing their kids are eating right.

• Orange Crème “Pumpkin” Smoothie (recipe below)
• Baby Gouda Bug Eyes made with small rounds of cheese decorated with red pepper slices (the cheese provides a boost of protein, which is important for developing strong muscles, as well as calcium to help build strong bones)
• Caramel Popcorn Balls made with harvest candy, nuts, popcorn and caramel (popcorn is a whole grain)
• Spooky Veggie Dippers with Hummus
• Frankenstein Fingers made with hot dogs and cheese slices wrapped in croissant dough
• Monster Apple Lips made with apple wedges and slivered almonds
• Gelatin Characters made with gelatin in Halloween shapes
• Cheesy Witches Fingers made with cheese sticks and red pepper nails

Orange Crème “Pumpkin” Smoothie Recipe

(makes ten 4-ounce cups)

Ingredients:

• Ten (10) containers Orange Crème Yogurt
• Ten (10) ounces Orange Juice
• Clear plastic cups decorated with marker to resemble pumpkin face (let the kids draw their own faces)
• Green Straws

Directions:

• Decorate cups with pumpkin face shapes using a black marker.
• Stir yogurt and orange juice together in large pitcher, pour into pumpkin cups, and add green straw stem.

Nutrition Info: 4 oz. serving = 126 calories, 4.6 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g fat, 33% DV calcium, 13% DV vitamin C

With these tips, your Halloween party can be the hit with both taste and health!

Kathy Birkett, RDN, LD has been a registered dietitian for more than 30 years, providing nutrition education for people of every age. Kathy is founder of the www.NutritionfortheHealthofIt.com post, where she shares her passion for healthy food that is delicious and nutritious. She was recently named Outstanding Dietitian of the Year for South Carolina