Tag Archives: halloween

The Hunt For Healthy Halloween Treats

I am finally back in a neighborhood where I am likely to receive trick or treaters. I’m pretty excited about the sparkly skull decorating my front door to announce we are a trick-or-treater-friendly household, but I am stumped on what treats to provide.

High fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil do not cross my threshold which eliminates a lot of the popular candies. It would be pretty hypocritical of me to provide those to other people’s children if I wouldn’t provide them to my own. Those great big bags of candy would be easy, but I do not want to support the continued use of chemicals in our food products. (more…)

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Chipotle to Raise $1 Million for Food Revolution With Healthy Halloween Contest

UPDATE [11/2/10]: Scroll to the bottom of the post to see some of the scary processed foods that turned up at Chipotle on Halloween!

Maybe I am out of the loop, but I did not realize that Chipotle Mexican Grill serves only freshly prepared and unprocessed food. Not only that, but they are turning their annual “Boo-rito” Halloween event into a fundraiser for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution with a goal to raise $1,000,000!

In years past, those who came to a Chipotle Mexican Grill dressed as a burrito, taco, or taco salad would be treated with a free burrito. In honor of the Food Revolution, they are changing the deal just a little. The challenge this year is to dress as a “horrifying processed food product” and boo-ritos, bowls, salads, and tacos are just $2 to raise funds for the Food Revolution. There is also a costume contest with prizes up to $2,500! (more…)

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Scarrots New Junk Food of Choice for Halloween

Often, the most scary part of Halloween isn’t the costumes or the pranks, but the treats. We’ve all seen the baskets of candy kids come home with after a night of trick-or-treating. Now a group of farmers, appropriately titled A Bunch of Carrot Farmers, has come up with a new plan to help kids make a healthier choice.

Late this past summer, the group began a campaign entitled “Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food” to get kids to eat more carrots by borrowing the sales tactics of junk foods. The branding program included packaged baby carrots in potato chip-sized bags and selling them in brightly colored refrigerated vending machines, using vibrant billboards and flashy commercials. The campaign even featured a carrot-crunch-powered iPhone and iPod Touch game, “Xtreme Xrunch Kart,” available as a free download at the iTunes store. (more…)

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Carmen

Blast Calories While Trick or Treating

There are many October activities that are fun and incidentally, great exercise. Corn mazes, haunted houses, harvest festivals, pumpkin patches, scavenger hunts and colored-leaf-scouting all provide great reasons to get outside the house and get moving. Let’s be real though, for many kids Halloween is still all about the trick-or-treating. A lot of parents dread the night of walking up and down the block, endlessly taking step after step. The attitude there is all wrong. Trick-or-treating is the perfect family outing! This year, maximize the time you spend taking your kids door to door. Make it fun and make it active. Here are a few ways to do just that:

  • Trick-or-treat in an area where the homes are farther apart. More walking equals more calories burned.
  • Whenever it’s a viable option, use stairs. (more…)
Posted on October 8, 2023 by Theresa

Start a Healthy Trick or Treat Revolution in Your Neighborhood

I’d love to see adults across the country start hosting neighborhood planning committees for Halloween. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the houses on your block were on the same page, handing out healthier alternatives to the traditional trick-or-treat candy loot?

If you want to start the revolution in your neighborhood, you don’t want to appear preachy to other parents, so keep it casual and maybe even include festive fall drinks. You may not be able to get through to everyone but that’s OK. Some candy is fun and after all, it is a tradition. Maybe you don’t live in the friendliest neighborhood or you just don’t have time to plan such an event. That’s OK, too. You can do a lot by making small changes on your own. (more…)

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Theresa

How to Limit the Halloween Candy Eating Frenzy

The question of the month is: How do you manage trick-or-treating overload without being coined the Grinch Who Stole Halloween?

Here are a few suggestions to keep the kids’ sugar comas and your day-after guilt to a minimum:

First off, limit the frenzy altogether. Don’t allow your kids to trick-or-treat for hours. Discuss, ahead of time, that they are only allowed to trick-or-treat until their bag (or bucket) is full. Make your rules about obtaining and consuming candy very clear. Take the opportunity to explain some healthy-living tips to your young ones.

Shift the focus away from candy. Host a Halloween party that encourages other festive activities. (more…)

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Theresa

Fall Fun Can Burn Major Calories

Fall leafIt’s autumn! Although I deeply love summer and fear what waits for us as autumn wanes, there is much about fall to be excited about.

Some may dread the temptation of unhealthy food that the cold months bring, like pumpkin pie, apple cider, and Halloween candy, but there is also an abundance of fresh apples, squash, and autumn-centric activities that can keep us active.

While exact calories burned during traditional autumn activities is a personal calculation, the internet can provide an estimate (in this case, for an adult between 145 and 160 pounds.) Try entering these activities into a personalized app for a more accurate calorie count. (more…)

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Healthy Halloween Recipes and Tips

jackolanternJust because it’s Halloween day doesn’t mean you can’t still put together a spooky treat or a ghoulish dinner. It’s also not too late to count how many calories were in last night’s candy bender!

We’ve rounded-up our best Halloween recipes, healthy tips and ideas to help you make this a fun-filled holiday that won’t leave your little treaters in a sugar-induced coma from now until the Christmas candy shows up.

Healthy Halloween Recipes for Kids

These treats are better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store because you and the kids can make them together and they have much better ingredients. Get the recipe for snacks like Trick or Treat Trail Mix, Caramel Apple Fruit Dip and Sugar-Free Dirt and Worms.

Healthy Chili Recipes for Your Halloween Cauldron

Warm-up your little trick-or-treaters before they take on the neighborhood with one of these delicious and hearty chili recipes. Toss it in the Crock pot early in the day and your hands will be free to make last-minute costume alterations! (more…)

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Natalie K

Tune In: Eat This, Not That for a Healthy Halloween on Rachael Ray

rachael rayTune in this Friday, October 30 to the Rachael Ray Show when she invites Eat This, Not That guru David Zinczenko to share his favorite tricks for healthy Halloween treats.

Learn how to play with some of your favorite Halloween recipes so that they won’t send you into a sugar coma. You will also learn how to turn a protein-packed egg into a ghoulish-looking eyeball. Sounds funky?

(more…)

Posted on October 29, 2023 by heather

Calories in Your Favorite Halloween Candy

halloween candyWho doesn’t love Halloween? With free candy and a bonafide reason to dress up in a wacky get-up, it’s tough not to have a secret soft-spot for this sugary-sweet holiday.

While we all make Halloween resolutions such as “I’ll only allow myself two pieces of candy,” or “I’m donating all leftover candy to the local soup kitchen,” you can safely indulge in your favorite Halloween treats without harboring guilt or using a padlock to protect yourself from raiding your child’s Halloween bag. Need proof? Here’s a look at the nutritional stats of some of your favorite spooky-time eats so that you can savor the fun of this holiday and still look great in your skinny jeans. Plan these nibbles into your daily calorie budget.

  • Four plain Hershey’s Kisses: 104 calories
  • One fun-sized pack of plain M&M’s: 88 calories
  • One fun-sized pack of peanut M&M’s: 93 calories (more…)
Posted on October 26, 2023 by heather

Healthy Halloween Recipes for Kids

witch treatsReduce the sugar high that’s just waiting for your little trick-or-treaters this Halloween by making homemade goodies, instead of buying bags of candy or grocery store cupcakes. These are the perfect way to treat the kids to some festive snacks without nose-diving into fat, sugar and calories.

Plus, you can put their busy little hands to work to help you prepare these for their school parties or for a fun-filled Halloween night at home.

Trick or Treat Trail Mix

A simple snack to fill goody bags, or just keep handy during a scary movie, this trail mix takes minutes to prepare. Pretzles, reduced-fat cheese crackers, dried fruits, nuts and a few M&M candies will have them asking for more!

Sugar-Free Dirt and Worms

This is a funny little snack that sends imaginations running wild. Fill tiny flower pots or Halloween paper cups with pumpkin pudding, homemade granola and sugar-free gummy worms you make yourself for an unforgettable treat. (more…)

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Natalie K