Healthy and Delicious Halloween-Inspired Snacks for Your Kids
Getting the young ones to eat healthy foods can be difficult for many parents. How can a nutritious apple compete with a bag full of Halloween candy? Hear us out: there are ways it can be done. Yes, you can turn conventional, healthy foods into fun Halloween-inspired snacks that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy. Below, we have created a list of some cute snack ideas your kids are sure to love this Halloween season.
Fruity Ghosts and Pumpkins
If getting your little ones to eat their fill of fruit is a challenge, entice them with fun fall-themed fruits they can make and eat themselves. You can easily turn a banana into a ghost by cutting one end to keep it upright and adding two little chocolate chips for the eyes and one chocolate chip for the mouth. It’s really that simple, and will instantly make bananas look like spooky yet friendly ghosts. Make the treat even more festive by peeling tangerines and adding a small piece of celery to the top to make mini pumpkins.
To create even more fun, why not have a lazy pajama Saturday so everyone can get dressed up in matching flannel pajamas or flannel robes and girls or boys slippers as they make their treats? Or just let everyone wear their comfy sweats so it’s no big deal if they get a little messy.
Spidery Deviled Eggs
Kids need their protein just as much as they need their fruits and veggies, and eggs are a great source of that. If your young ones need a filling snack, make some Halloween-styled deviled eggs. After preparing the deviled eggs as you normally would, add a “spider” on top of each one: half a black olive on the yolk to make the spider body, and sliced black olives around the egg white to make the spider legs. Make food fun to encourage your kids to eat healthy snacks they may normally turn down.
The Carved Watermelon
Everyone is carving pumpkins in the fall, but you can also carve a watermelon just as you would a pumpkin. Plus, you can turn it into a fun, novel snack for the kids. Carve a “monster” face into the watermelon rind and scoop out the rest of the watermelon to spread around on the plate in front of it. Feel free to add other fruits like cantaloupe, pineapple, and strawberries around the base of the carved watermelon. This can double as a great party decoration piece and a yummy, healthy snack.
Monster Mouth Apples
The peanut butter and apple combo is a timeless snack for kids. During the spooky season, you can have fun with this snack idea and give it a Halloween twist. Take two slices of apple and meld them together with creamy peanut butter. Add teeth by lining up a row of mini marshmallows against the peanut butter. It’s that simple! Make a few of those, and your kids will be chowing down their yummy peanut butter and apple monster treats in no time.
A Skeletal Charcuterie Board, Kids’ Style
Keeping with the crafty food theme, if your kiddos are having friends over and you need plenty of food for everyone, why not make them a charcuterie board? No, we aren’t talking dried apricots with prosciutto and aged Italian cheeses to pair with wine, of course; we mean a charcuterie board filled with healthy, kid-friendly, spooky treats. One idea is a skeletal charcuterie board that can be made with half an avocado to make the head, two olives for the eyes, and sliced pieces of cheese for the mouth. Next, create the arms, hands, and fingers with sliced pieces of jerky sticks and cheese sticks. Make the body (the spine and ribs) with sliced cucumber and sliced yellow pepper. Finish the lower half of the body with halved cherry tomatoes and small slices of jerky sticks.
The Pumpkin Veggie Tray
Get the kiddos to eat their veggies by whipping up an irresistible Halloween-themed spread. Fill up a plate with baby carrots to make the pumpkin. Add two cups of ranch or blue cheese dressing to make the eyes, use black olives in the center to make the nose, and sliced cucumber for the smile. Top it off (literally) with slices of celery and there you have it: a veggie pumpkin!
Monster Avo Toast
Another simple-to-create, yet delicious and healthy Halloween snack is avocado toast with a twist. Prepare the avocado toast as you normally would, and then dress it up with radishes, cherry tomatoes, and olives to create funky monster faces. Even better, lay out all the little veggies and encourage your kids to make their own Halloween avocado toast monsters! Just be sure to have a clean wash cloth on hand in case things get a little messy.
With these ideas, you can start introducing healthier, Halloween-themed snacks into your kids’ diet this autumn. And if your kids are having their friends over for a play date, remember most of these snack ideas are perfect for group settings!