With Halloween is right around the corner some of you might be wondering how you and your family can stick to your healthy lifestyle while still enjoying ghoulish get together, spooky soirees, and other frightening festivities. Here are a few healthy tips for a fun-filled Halloween.
Hand out non-food treats: Give out goodies like stickers, pencils, bubbles, spider rings, play-dough, and other toys instead of candy.
Balance the Sweet Treats with Protein and Veggies: Whether you’re hosting or attending a Halloween party, or just getting the kids out the door to Trick-treat, make sure to incorporate protein and veggies. This will help to balance out snacking and prevent blood sugar spikes.
Games: If you are hosting a party for your kids you can take the classic game of duck-duck-goose and turn it into ghost-ghost-goblin. This adds a little spooky twist to the traditional game. Ghost sack races, pin the hat on the witch and bobbing for apples are all fun ideas.
Halloween themed dinner and snacking. If your house is anything like mine, it’s always a scramble to get the kids ready and out the door. Plus they are usually so excited it’s hard to get them to sit down to eat. I have had success with candy corn veggie platter, mummy meatloaf, Banana pops, apple monsters, and Hot dog fingers. I usually prepare this the day before and put it out to nibble on throughout the night. All fun foods that provide a healthy alternative to candy.
Don’t be fooled by the “fun-size.” Sounds almost too obvious, but those cute little packages may look harmless but do we ever just eat one?!
Halloween Hail Mary:
Halloween great! It’s been one of my favorite holidays forever because I love sweets and getting creative with costumes and decor. No matter who you are, you’re likely tempted by the undeniable ever present treats of the season. Namely, Halloween Candy! Stocking up on all the best varieties of candy, telling yourself “it’s for the neighborhood kids.” Meanwhile you’re eating four pieces a day because they’re just so tempting and tiny that they seem harmless. We’ve all been there but this year can be different. Here’s a quick and dirty work out if you can’t help but eat that fourth Fun Size Snickers (or first). 😉
I love the idea of themed games and snacks. It’s fun to have themes and fun with them. I’m always in trouble with the fun sized snacks!
Me too…starts fun but never ends with a smile
We love Halloweens. The kids would always look forward to a fun-filled activity and games during this time. And yes, these are great reminders from you. We will surely be considering this as we prepare for the event.
Great tips! I love the last image with the workouts and candies showdown 😀 great for all year round not just halloween time
DANG IT!!! Fun size candy is way too high in calories. I am SO glad you showed this to me because I am going to use self-control this year and just stay away from the candy. (YIKES!)
Happy to help!
I always feed my boys before we go candy collecting. Then they get one treat when we get home.
I love the halloween theme party ideas! And you are right- those little bite size are bad because you can’t eat just one.
If I handed out candy for Halloween, chances are I would eat a lot of it myself. Handing out toys is a better idea.
Healthier alternatives are starting to make their way into Halloween baskets here. Our grandkids like pretzels and animal crackers, along with candy, of course! Great tips for a healthy, happy Halloween!
Animals crackers are a fun idea! Thanks for stopping by, Happy Halloween.
Boo. Can’t wait for the fun to begin.
I have always liked the idea of handing out toys for Halloween. I always think about kids that have food allergies. I don’t want them to feel left out.
Great tips.. I’ve never done this.. my youngest is going to be 14 and he’s not interested in trick or treating anymore but i will pass this along!
Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond and pass along. Happy Halloween!
Those fun size packs are the bane of my existence! I always tend to overindulge. Thanks for your lovely tips 🙂
No problem. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!
I love the idea of handing out non-food treats. As simple as it is I never even thought about that. Looks like I am heading to the Dollar Store before Halloween 😉 I just wrote a post about what to do with leftover halloween candy, but even better if you don’t hand it out in the first place!
simply-well-balanced.com/ideas-for-leftover-halloween-candy/
Yes and toys are a little something different kids will appreciate
Isn’t it terrifying seeing that chart and just how much exercise you’d have to do to work off such a tiny amount of chocolate! Hardly worth it haha. Lucky there are some great healthy alternatives out there
It’s shocking to see in print. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!
I love the info graph showing how much you need to work out to burn off the calories of eating whatever little morsel of sugary goodness one chooses to indulge in. My weakness is candy corn and that is literally all sugar. How horrible is that? I need some of your will power to be more dedicated to my fitness and eating healthy! Keep inspiring me!
I will try!!! Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!
This is a great reminder that I need. I want the sweets but the sweets don’t want to leave my thighs!! Bananas it is for me!
Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!
Oh goodness the calorie counter is the last thing I pay attention to on Halloween. These are great healthy alternatives!
Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!!
Those bananas and little pumpkins are so cute and a great idea!
Glad you found some inspiration. . Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!!
So I have been fooled by the fun size. people have started to bring in Halloween candy at work. I have gained a hard 5 lbs already and we haven’t even hit Thanksgiving or Christmas. I decided to nip this in the bud. I’m proud of myself, after a LONG break, I hopped back on the treadmill. I’m going to start exercising again!
Good for you!!
I like to hand out non candy treats. Kids already get so much candy I like to change things up. These are great tips for a healthy Halloween.
Haha I’m always a sucker for the fun size snacks but end up having two full size snacks when I’m done. I love the idea of handing out non-candy treats to change it up!
Glad you found some inspiration here. we are all suckers for the fun size. 😉
These are great tips! Halloween is so much fun for everyone – there’s so many great ideas here! Love these ideas!
Happy that you enjoyed the ideas. thanks for stopping by. Happy Halloween.
I always hand out non candy items such as stickers and small toys because so many kids in our neighborhood have food allergies…
That is very considerate of you. Happy Halloween.
Finally a post that respects the need to cut down on so much candy! There should be a lesson in class about how unhealthy these things are and full of harmful chemicals too. Good for you!
Thank you! It is a fun day but I agree that kids need to be educated about moderation.
We all know this holiday is going to be filled with sweet treats, which is why it’s awesome to balance it all out with healthy recipes! I think this is an awesome guide, I appreciate all the tips!
Glad you found some inspiration. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond! Happy Halloween!!
No problem thanks for stopping by!
What a wonderful sharing! I am just looking for a method to control my weight in this Halloween.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Happy to hear you enjoyed. Stay strong this Halloween! thanks for stopping by.
No problem! Happy Halloween
Wow! Seems like you have a fun-filled Halloween ahead of you!
Not only are sticker and little toys healthier, they are more cost effiecent for you as the buyer. I go to my local 5 below and let my friends’ younger siblings pick out what they think kids would like.
What a great idea! I bet they love that
this is great. there are such great options that are healthier!
These are all great ideas! Last year at my granddaughter’s dance class Halloween party they did the Banana ghost, they were so cute! I absolutely love ideas like these.
That sounds adorable!!
I love the list, especially; “Don’t be fooled by the fun-sized!” 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Thank sir stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Great tips. Fortunately my kids trick or treat to around 5 houses then call it a night. It is totally time to come back in the house and relax at that point.
Wow that sounds manageable. Happy Halloween!!
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever looked at the calories in candy! It’s both eye-opening and scary! Thanks for the tips on how to make Halloween fun and still healtyh.
No problem. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Enjoy your Halloween.
I don’t celebrate Halloween, but these ideas look great for all those who do celebrate it. I like the idea of balancing the typical treats with fruit and veggies – and also handing out non-food treats (probably not a favorite idea for kids, but the parents probably appreciate it!)
The little kids like toys and stickers but your right the bigger kids aren’t as impressed.
Fruit is always a good choice for candy replacement. We only need to choose fruit that tastes sweet. Some kids don’t like sour fruit.
Good point. Thanks for stopping by!
There was always a rule about how many pieces of candy I could have each day and schools had rules as well!
Me too. I think that’s for the teachers sanity.
Some really great healthy alternatives here! i love halloween and cant wait to celebrate
Thanks for stopping by! Happy Halloween!
You have some great and healthy ideas here. I can see a way of using some of this for the Christmas holidays as we don’t really celebrate Halloween much here where I live. Thanks for the tips
Happy you found some healthy Halloween inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I can’t wait for halloween! Thanks for these tips! 🙂
No problem! Happy Halloween!
The banana ghost and orange pumpkins are great healthy concepts kids will love. Sorry, just noticed in your photo. 😀 But yes! Kids are expecting candies and chocolates, pop in a fun, healthy teat. It will save them the toothache.
Yes it’s a fine balancing act. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Halloween
I am truly scared of Halloween candies more than the monsters and vampires. I keep my children away from such temptations but Halloween candies can get them go crazy!
Yes it is a dangerous combination.
I love these tips! I’m not a huge fan of halloween, so I love the idea of giving out something besides candy and continuing to eat meals and not overload on candy. Keep halloween simple and healthy. I like it.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment! Happy Halloween
OK that breakdown of candy and how much exercise you have to do keeps me from wanting to eat it. I am totally motivated enough to touch up now. LOL
It does put things into perspective for sure.
Ouchy-wa-wa – your exercise chart showing the calorie contents in small-size candies is pretty scary. We don’t ever get trick-o-treaters, but I do throw parties.
It does put things into perspective. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Happy Halloween!
It is fun to give out those character washcloths that are tightly bound into a small square and then expand when put in water. This is what I gave out last year.
That’s a great idea!!
Yes, I’ve noticed this about the “fun size” options. There’s nothing “fun” about them. I’ll keep these tips handy for our boys and family members who come with us.
Some great tips. I need to work more on taking veggies and proteins and not just all sweets during Halloween. Have to plan the same for my kids too. I also like the idea of games.
Happy you found some healthy inspiration.
I love this idea! Its like working for your treats, and work again to burn it. Awesome post!
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Happy Halloween
I love the a of Halloween themed games. I actually really love osteoporosis st goblin. Ha ha. Thanks for the idea!
I love your Halloween Hail Mary! HA!! No, I was never able to eat just one fun sized bar. I learned to buy the things I didn’t care for in order to curb the desires.
Lol I thought it was funny. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Happy Halloween !
I love these ideas for having a great Halloween that is not chock full of bad stuff! Thanks so much.
No problem happy Halloween!
That showdown between the snacks really had me shocked. Opened my eyes for sure!
Glad you found the post informative.
These are great tips for a fun filled Halloween! I love the idea of games. Sometimes it is better to curb all the candy and sugar for SURE!
These are such great treats. Much more creative than candy.
Great post to keep everyone in shape ! I like how the calorie amounts are included to
Great idea to hand out stickers and other items beside candy! Since kids will get so much candy anyways 🙂 and I know the mini candy bars seem harmless but when you eat 10 the calories add up!!!
Great tips. Serving healty fruits for kids party is a good idea. I really like how the design of the bananas and oranges turns out. So cute!
This is great creative ideas for fun with the such treats. Thank you.
These are all great tips. My Mom gave out pencils one year that were Halloween themed and the Trick or Treaters were not impressed lol. But it was a healthy alternative since so many give out candy items. I love your idea of the themed ‘duck duck goose’. I also like your little bananas and cutie “pumpkins.”
Yeah I can imagine the pencils being a disappointment to the older kids for sure.
It can be easy to get carried away this time of year can’t it? Thanks for sharing these tips – I am going to try to implement more of them!
That’s great! Happy Halloween! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Thanks for the visuals…LOL. Sometimes we think smaller and overindulge when it comes to candy. This sobers me up…
Ok, so those banana ghost and orange pumpkins are too flippin cute! I love that idea 🙂
Madelain | http://www.wheremyheartwanders.com
Those banana ghosts and orange pumpkins are really cute. I love the idea of making a healthy snack in a holiday full of unhealthy junkfood.
Halloween is definitely a holiday that is associated with so much sugary stuff. It is nice to see some healthy alternatives.
I love the idea of giving out some things other than candy. Even though this holiday centers around candy, we can certainly make it more healthy!
Definitely. happy Halloween
I love the Halloween-themed snacks! We get really into holidays here, so I’ll definitely try some of your ideas.
I’m a huge fan of Halloween themed games. And telling spooky stories is one of my favourites as well. This would be so much fun for a kids sleepover.
These are all really great tips! My favorite for the holidays is the themed games and treats, always a fun way to celebrate! We’ll have to try some of these out, thanks for sharing!
Hi Shannon,
I nominated your blog for a Liebster Award. Keep up the great work!
http://www.drivingfool.com/liebster-award/
Shawn
Wow thank you so much!!