vicsangelkim’s BodyBlog

NOT!

Even before I got into a healthy lifestyle, I’ve never liked trick or treating and all that dang candy in the house.  I love dressing up and having fun on Halloween though.  So I finally decided this year to speak up since we’ve adopted this healthy lifestyle.  I proposed to the family (husband and 4 children ages 18, 12, 8 and 7), that we opt out of the trick or treating tradition and have our own little party here at the house with healthy snacks, movies and games.  Our son (the 8 year old) was a little upset at first and he cried because he was sad.  But I assured him that we’d still get to dress up and that it would be fun.  He was fine within a few minutes. 

Our menu consisted of:  Deviled eggs, Edible Eyeballs, Cheese Finger Foods, Apple Bites, Pizza Mummies and Bug Juice.  The deviled eggs were made with very little low fat mayonaise, the edible eyeballs were carrot slices with a dollop of cream cheese and half a black olive on top.  The cheese finger foods were low-fat string cheese sticks cut to finger size, with "knuckles" cut into them, and a small piece of green bell pepper on the tip for the finger nail.  The apple bites are apples that are quartered and core removed, cut in a way to make it look like a mouth with 2 lips, then you place sliced almonds along the edge as teeth (the more broken up and mismatched the better).  The pizza mummies were whole grain english muffins topped with a little pizza sauce, 2 black olive slices for eyes and then strips of the low-fat string cheese placed over it to look like strips of cloth.  The Bug juice was frozen strawberries placed in a blender with frozen lemonade, then put in a punch bowl and add gingerale, then place some gummy worms around the rim.  I did give the children each a goody bag with 2 pieces of chocolate and a few lolipops in them.  I’m not an ogre about the candy afterall and they are children so it’s ok for them to have a little treat now and then.  I just didn’t want it to be a free for all candy store around here.  The punch was probably the least healthy thing I served, I may omit it next year.  I have a whole year to figure out a better alternative that’s just as fun.

It turned out to be a huge success, we all had so much fun and the children even told me that they didn’t miss trick or treating.  yayyyy!  The worst reactions I got were from other adults that I know when we’d discuss Halloween plans.  I started to feel guilty like a horrible Mother for denying my children this very basic childhood "right".  But my children were fine with it and I’m very happy that we did this.  I look forward to more Halloween celebrations like it!

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 11:27 am and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.