How to Hand Out Healthy Alternative Treats for Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on October 31^st each year. Also known as All Hallow’s Eve, it is believed to be an ancient Celtic festival which dates back over 2,000 years. The Celts and the Druid Priests worshipped Samhain (The Lord of the dead). Hallow’s eve was known as the beginning of darkness and harvest after the summer. The souls of the dead would come together to strengthen the Sun God, also worshipped by the Celts.

Other traditions and legends over time have made Halloween a date to celebrate with ghosts, ghouls and pumpkins.

Children (and adults!) dress up as witches, monsters and devils and carve out Jack-o’-Lanterns. The Jack-o’-Lantern pumpkins are placed on the doorstep to welcome Trick or Treaters and inside the house for Halloween parties.

On Halloween, party games tend to be played. Apple bobbing (picking up apples using your mouth from a bowl of water), murder mystery and other classic party games with the Halloween theme can be played.

It is easy to buy packs of Haribo sweets and chocolates in the shape of bats and ghosts to give to party guests. But prizes for an indoor Halloween party can be a little less sickly if you choose.

Holidays such as Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas involve treacle toffee, chocolate and sweets. These are not healthy for you or your teeth!

Give your party guests (or your child’s party guests) pumpkin. Offer them pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin and pumpkin muffins. You can even stuff small pumpkins (or red peppers) with rice for a healthy snack.

Apple Bobbing can encourage those who are playing to eat the apples! It’s a lot better than sticky cakes.

Make scary finger sandwiches. Cut them so they are long and thin to look like fingers. Put ham inside and tomato relish which looks like blood!

Make no added sugar strawberry jelly, and add lychee's and blueberries to look like scary eyes.

Blood oranges are healthy yet have that Halloween feel. Cut them up so that the children can help themselves.

Spaghetti and meatballs with loads of red tomato sauce is a scary dinner, suitable for your party guests. You can even offer them mini Toad in the Holes.

Toad in the Hole isn't really toad! Make up a batter mix with flour, egg, a pinch of salt and milk. Pour into a hot, oiled Yorkshire Pudding tray to make individual Toad in the Holes. Place a sausage in each one and bake in the oven until risen and brown. Toads for Halloween!

When Trick or Treaters come to the door, we tend to put a bag of sweets in their loot bags and send them on their way.

What about the trick?

You don’t have to give them the treat, so why not surprise them and ask for a trick!

Of course you may get a surprise you don’t really want, but if the kids have prepared well you don’t need to give them a sweet treat!

Any large supermarket or party shop sells toys for loot bags. Mini pencils, erasers, balloons and wind-up toys can be a great alternative to give to children who knock on your door.

If you can buy in large packs at discount stores, you’re not spending any more than if you were dishing out candy bars.

Or perhaps put scary Halloween severed fingers in their bags!

When the children are knocking dressed in monster masks and witches outfits, give them a healthier treat.

• Put a handful of yogurt coated raisins in a mesh bag. Or cut out a circle of crepe paper, place the raisins in the middle and bunch together tied with ribbon.

• Make homemade pumpkin crisps. Cut thin slices of pumpkin without using the seeds and shallow fry in oil until golden and season with paprika.
• Make Pumpkin muffins as a sweet treat with a difference. Wrap them in coloured tissue paper and tie with wrapping ribbon. A cute gift!
• Pumpkin cookies use a similar recipe to pumpkin muffins, but drop into cookies before baking. Try using scary witch, ghost or pumpkin shaped cookie cutters, or coloured icing!

Enjoy your Halloween!