Green Halloween: Healthy Treats
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 10.25.07
No trick about it, you can sneak in some nutrition into the loot bags of trick-or-treaters pawing at your front door. Here are some of our picks for a more healthful Halloween. Caveat: We make no guarantees your house won't get egged or TP'd, so abandon hope all ye who mess with tradition—and ghouls and goblins hopped up on sugar.
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1) Say boo to processed sugars and other artificial ingredients with Boo! Key Balls, festively packaged single servings of the Buckey Ball Matrix energy snack dedicated to the inimitable Buckminster Fuller. Sweetened with pure evaporated cane juice, each snack comes loaded with honey, sesame seeds, dried whole raspberries, peanuts, and olive oil. ($33.95 for a pack of 12, The Wholefood Farmacy) |
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2) Available for a limited time, Bear Naked's Halloween variety pack pulls together a wickedly good assortment of five granola flavors (Fruit & Nut, Peak Protein, Banana Nut, Apple Cinnamon & Peanut Butter & Jelly). The all-natural granola is minimally processed, low in sodium, and made with whole grains, dried fruits, and nuts. ($18.99 for a pack of 36, Bear Naked Store) |
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3) Late July's USDA-certified organic peanut-butter crackers contain no trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils—and are kosher and lacto-vegetarian, to boot. Made by a family-owned business in Hyannis, Mass., the snacks pack the flavors of roasted organic Valencia peanuts and organic red winter wheat. ($34.11 for for four 12-count boxes, Amazon.com) |
Get more Green 'Ween ideas here.
yech. and that's not to the ingredients used. yech to the price to sugar up a bunch of beggars. i feel the better thing to do is to buy a lot less candy and give just one piece to each as opposed to a small handful, like some do. there's less waste, it's cheaper, and you do your part for childhood obesity. win win win!
I have a hard time calling processed foods that are individually wrapped and loaded with food miles "green." The granola seems like a nice alternative to candy, I think I'll look for a local source.
Avoid candy altogether and to give useful treats, such as colorful pencils, small boxes of crayons, erasers in fun shapes, or other inexpensive items you can find at your local dime store or dollar store. (from about.com)