From now until the end of the year, you could gain between 1 and 10 pounds (1/2 to 5 Kg) if you don’t watch what you eat during the festivities. Do you think this is overestimated? Do the math of the calories you’ll earn with the Halloween candies. Add the cakes you’ll enjoy during Thanksgiving Day. Then, add the Christmas meals and treats; and finally, don’t forget the drinks and snacks you’ll have for New Year.
Halloween officially opens the holiday season or, in other words, the time of the year you got to “take care or else you’ll gain weight.” This is true not only for yourself, but also for your children, especially if they’re fighting against overweight. Therefore, it is very important that you make healthy choices. To do this, use your imagination to create original sweets and desserts:
1. Scary apples: On a roasting pan, place a dozen apples (cored) and put them in the oven until “soft” (about 20 minutes). Separately, prepare the caramel in a pot, mixing 0.7 pounds (300 grams) of brown sugar and two tablespoons lemon juice. When the mixture is melted, add some red coloring. Then, put a stick on each apple and dip with caramel. Decorate by creating strange faces with colored sprinkles, candy or pretzels. Approximate calories per unit: 200.
2. Bloody juice: Buy raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries and prepare 100% juice. To make them look like real “potions” from beyond, serve in black cups and buy decorated straws. This way, you’ll avoid drinks with added sugar. Approximate calories per serving: 71.
3. Popcorn pumpkins: Instead of having candies in the typical Halloween pumpkin, use popcorn. Look for those with no fat, butter, or sugar added. When children come “trick or treat,” have some paper bags at hand to fill with popcorn. By not having sweets at home, it will be much easier to overcome temptation. Calories: 25 (one cup, Jolly’s Time).
4. Dracula Teeth: If you have fun with teeth-looking candies, try a denture that will scare anyone! To do this, cut an orange into eights. Then, with a knife, take the flesh and leave only the shell. Cut four small lines perpendicular to the bottom (like teeth) and use your new denture (the white part out). Calories: 0
5. For younger children: Before your kids go knocking on your neighbors’ doors, offer them a healthy meal! Some parents think “since they’ll eat so many sweets, it is better not to give them dinner.” However, that’s a big mistake, because children will go out hungry.
6. Sugar free candies: If you can’t think of Halloween without candies, buy a bag of sugar free treats! Calories: 2 per unit (Jelly Beans).
7. Spooky spiders: Buy a package of pretzels and low fat crackers (round shape) and make some scary spiders. Use the crackers in the middle and around, place the pretzels as spider legs. Calories: 110 (20 mini-pretzels).
8. Ghostly strawberries: Get some large strawberries, white chocolate coating (low-fat) and low-calorie chocolate chips. Wash the strawberries and then cover with white chocolate. Decorate with chocolate chips, adding the eyes and mouth to the ghosts. Calories: 54 per strawberry (Tasteofhome.com).
9. Shaky eyes: Boil an egg. Then, cut into half (in vertical direction) and make a circle with diet mayonnaise. Cut a black olive and put it over the mayonnaise, drawing the eyes. Make some stripes with ketchup and you’ll have the spookiest eyes of the night! Calories: each egg “eye” has around 50 calories.
10. Gelatin figures: Buy Halloween molds, and prepare sugar-free orange gelatin. To get a black gelatin, mix three packets of grape jelly with one packet of orange gelatin. Then, pour the liquid into the molds, let cool for about three hours and serve the figures on a tray. Calories per figure: 15-30 (depending on the size).
By now, you’ve probably already thought of other great ideas to celebrate Halloween in a more healthy way. Besides avoiding weight gain, you’ll enjoy a healthy, guilt-free Halloween night!
