Happy Healthy Halloween

Halloween is not often thought of as a healthy holiday. Every fall, little ghosts and goblins attend parties and go trick-or-treating, collecting many not-so-healthy snacks along the way. For many parents, this is the most frightening thing about Halloween.

Fear not. Halloween can actually be fun and nutritious. The key is balance. Before heading out the door this year, try serving your family a healthy Halloween dinner to get them started on the right foot. Serve this Frankenstein Quesadilla. Kids love the way it looks and parents love that it’s packed with protein thanks to a combination of low-fat cheese, yogurt and black beans.

Halloween Frankenstein Quesadilla

Ingredients:

• Two (2) spinach tortillas
• Shredded low-fat Mexican cheese
• Black beans
• Low-fat, plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Cut the sides of the round tortillas to give Frankenstein a rectangle look. Cut the tops into a zigzag pattern. Save the scraps.
2. Place one tortilla on a plate and add the shredded cheese. Place the other tortilla on top and pop it in the microwave for one (1) minute or cook on the stove for a few minutes on each side. Let it cool.
3. Use cooked black beans to make Frankenstein’s hair, mouth and pupils. Use low-fat, plain Greek yogurt for the eyes. Make Frankenstein’s bolts using the leftover tortilla scraps.

If you’re hosting a party this year, here are healthier Halloween options sure to please all the ghouls and goblins on your guest list.

• Spooky Sandwiches – Spread honey mustard on slices of whole wheat bread. Top with turkey and Swiss cheese slices. Use bat or other Halloween cookie cutters to make cutout sandwiches.
• Edible Eyeballs -Slice carrots into one-inch-thick chunks and top each with a dollop of low-fat cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive.
• Vampire Fangs in Blood -Serve sliced apples with strawberry or cherry sauce.
• Slime -Mix green food coloring with low-fat milk.
• Creepy Crawlers and Bug Pudding – Sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies over chocolate pudding. Add raisins and gummy worms.

Janine Faber, MEd, RD, LD

Janine Faber is the Meijer Dietitian and Healthy Living Advisor for Ohio and Kentucky.