I know in previous blog posts I have talked about healthy eating and my kids being dye free. In years past, I think I was always at a loss as what to do when trick or treating came up and you had all that candy that the kids would bring home. What do you do with it and are there any alternatives to put in its place? It is so great that I can answer yes to this question that there are alternatives. I choose to buy dye free candy and treats for those that come and trick or treat at our house. I also will have these treats on hand so I can do an exchange with my kids for the not so healthy treats. My kids will have some of the chocolates from trick or treating, but we avoid all the ones that have the food dyes. I love alternative brands such as Unreal and Yum Earth. If you are trying to avoid the sweet but want a yummy snack, Lesser Evil has great popcorn and they have cute Halloween decorated individual bags. These are all great alternatives and a healthier option if you are looking to find one.
Another thing we do and this just started last year was the introduction of the switch witch at Halloween. We don’t all the candy lingering in our house. So our boys will pick out several of their favorite pieces of candy and the rest we leave on our door step before bedtime (we usually do this the night after Halloween) and the switch witch will come pick up the candy and leave and special present for each of them. You can donate the candy to a local shelter or I even took it into work (I think those in health care can agree that health care professionals love a nice treat J).
You can click on the link before if you want to read up a little more on the switch witch. I found this posting and thought it explained it well.
http://Yummytoddlerfood.com/switch-witch
You can have all the fun with Halloween and Trick or Treating, but it is so great that there are healthier options out there for your kids and your family.