October 31, 2016
Photo courtesy/Christie Mandia
For dessert, Ghostly Bananas on sticks.
Candy lovers rejoice! It is that time of year again when our bellies will soon be full of sugary treats. If you are anything like me, you have already indulged in your fair share of Halloween candy. (It is so hard to walk by the CVS displays).
In fact, I have already banned myself from more fun-size Snickers until further notice.
That being said, everyone deserves to enjoy a few treats on Halloween. So I started thinking about healthy fun food that won’t leave anyone feeling guilty and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Even though eating a little Halloween candy is inevitable, especially for kids, you can easily make a healthy Halloween meal to supplement all of that junk and help your family fill up on better food.
Here are a few tricks for a healthier, happier Halloween!
Starters, from top left, Guac & Carrot Spiders, Clementine & Celery Pumpkins and Devilish Eggs.
To make the Guac & Carrot spiders, I used plastic serving spoons with flat bottoms to create the base. I added a spoonful of guacamole and then stuck 3 carrot “legs” on each side. Perfect for dipping!
Then I peeled the clementine and stuck a small celery stalk in the center so it looks like a mini pumpkin. Simple and cute.
The devilish eggs were hard-boiled before I removed the yolks, added hot mustard, salt and pepper, before piping the mix back into the egg by cutting the tip of a plastic bag. Topped with pepper and old bay…delicious and healthy!
When I think of a great Halloween meal, I imagine it to be both hearty (there is usually a chill in the air) and simple (so you can easily watch your door for trick-or-treaters). To me, the perfect meal is a healthy one-pot turkey chili. It is easy to make and only gets tastier the longer it simmers on the stovetop. Below are all of the ingredients I use to prepare the dish.
Healthy Turkey Chili
• 1 package of lean ground turkey
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can cannellini Beans
• 1 small white or yellow onion
• 1 package of chili seasoning
• Salt & Pepper
Start by dicing an onion.
Start by dicing the onion. Over medium heat, add a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of the pot that you will use for the chili. Then add the diced onion. When the onion becomes translucent (2 minutes or so) add the ground turkey and brown until cooked through. If your meat is lean enough, you won’t have much excess fat in the pan, but if not, drain the pot before next steps.
When the turkey is cooked, add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Open and rinse the can of cannellini beans before adding them to the pot. Finally, add the packet of seasoning (sometimes I don’t use the entire packet). Mix well.
Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Simmer over low heat for at least two hours. I serve with a scoop of plain non-fat Greek yogurt. (Top with salt and pepper, it tastes just like sour cream.)
Healthy Turkey Chili, with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top.
For dessert, Ghostly Bananas on sticks.
For dessert, Ghostly Bananas on sticks….simply peel, break in half and place on a skewer. Here, I used dried cranberries for eyes but you could use raisins or chocolate chips as well!
Enjoy and Happy Halloween!
I hope you like these healthy Halloween tricks and treats as much as we do.
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I will continue to keep you posted on my health journey. Please feel free to share below or tweet me @christiemandia.
