4 Simply Healthy Halloween Treats

With the arrival of Halloween comes that time of year when sweet stuff seems to be everywhere, making it very difficult for parents to limit the amount of sugar their children consume. Pretty much every child (and adult!) looks forward to the candy that abounds during the holidays, but as parents we want to figure out ways to keep our children’s snacking as healthy as possible.  When choosing a snack, we know that taste is always an important factor for kids, but presentation can also have a huge impact. So this Halloween, why not treat your kids to a few festive, wholesome snacks that they will want to eat? Check out these fun Halloween treats that are easy to make and simply adorable!

Apple Mouths – These adorable, edible mouths are simple to create and make a hearty snack. Just slice up a red apple, spread peanut butter (or any other spread that your children enjoy) onto two pieces, and then press mini marshmallows between the halves. For an added spooky look, you can roll two of the marshmallows with your fingers to create pointed ends, giving your “mouths” some fangs!

Banana Ghosts – Nothing could be cuter or easier to make than these spooky little ghosts! Using mini chocolate chips for the eyes and a regular sized chip for the mouth, simply press the chocolate into a halved banana. Both my two-year-old and five-year-old loved making these with me, even though the part they seemed to love best was gobbling up the extra chocolate chips when I wasn’t looking!

Clementine Pumpkins – Kids love clementines, so why not add to the love by making these yummy fruits look even cuter? Using a small piece of celery for garnish, you can transform a clementine into a mini, edible pumpkin in seconds.

Cracker Spiders (top image) – Both of my kids were huge fans of these creepy, yet delicious treats.  We used Ritz crackers and peanut butter, but you can easily substitute these little sandwiches with cream cheese, hummus, or any other spread. Break small pretzel rods in half and stick them into the middle of the crackers as the legs, and create eyes on top using chocolate chips or raisins and a small dab of your spread to help them stick. Even my husband couldn’t stop eating these critters!