Lightening the Sugar Load this Halloween Season

It's that sweet time of year! Depsite the delicious craft how-tos I posted yesterday and my lifelong love affair with candycorn, I do actually worry about the sugar hit to my kiddos little systems each Halloween season. Don't get me wrong - I'm no sugar hater! But after reading time and again about the effects of excess sugar, especially on children, I find myself with a desire to be extra conscious when it comes to super-sweet holidays.

If you're feeling the same, you might like these tips I've found for lightening the sugar-load in the upcoming weeks:

- For festive displays, choose sweeties that aren't well-liked in your home. For instance, there are no black-licorice or orange-flavor fans around here so I can spread a little spookiness with black and orange jellybeans and not worry about sneaky snackers.

- If you'd prefer to skip the candy-decor all together, you can still offer Fall-themed snacks! MyBlogSpark recently sent us a variety of Granola Nut Clusters to sample and my kiddos have been diggin' on them. Their faves have been the Roasted Almond and Honey Roasted Peanut flavors, I think because they have a hint of sweetness to them and a pleasing crunch! My husband was happy to claim the over flavors for himself as a healthy work snack.


- When neighbors bring by Halloween treats, re-gift them to your children's teachers, coaches, dance instructors, etc. to show a continued appreciation for all they do.

- After gathering their Halloween night loot, let each child pick 10-20 favorite treats and "donate" the rest to the family pot. Their chosen candies go into a ziploc they can choose from after healthy dinners - the excess can be used these fun ways:

• Have a family bake night and try out these recipes (which incorporate several candybars) Candy Bar Cookies (can Rachael's Favorite Recipes) , Candy Bar Popcorn, or any of these yummy Candy Bar Cakes --- then deliver them to loved ones or neighbors.
  
• Take them down to a cannery and have the chocolate bars sealed in large tin cans. They stay fresh for years and are great food storage or busting out your grocery budget gets too tight for treats.


• Place them in ziplocs and stick them in the freezer - dethaw at Christmas time and make Candy Bar Fudge to share at holiday parties.

Something to look forward to!