Must Halloween be an all-out sugar fest for our kids? Luckily Buddy Boy is still (just barely!) young enough that when he gets one (small) piece of candy as a dessert after a meal, he’s content with that and sees it as a treat. (Would I like it better if he ate no candy? Of course! But I’m still eating it, so I can’t complain too loudly. Plus I don’t want to be super-meanie-mommy, so the candy remains.) We have Halloween candy around until the summer parade candy takes over. But I still dread the onslaught of unknown sugar that comes with October 31st. (Even though we’ve had such fun decorating for and preparing for the holiday/holy day – see my house and our faithful, frugal decor here.)
Is there a better way? What options does a “real food” household have for trick-or-treating?
Learning to Host Halloween Ghouls
When we first moved into a real house in a neighborhood, I was pretty excited about hosting trick-or-treaters. Even then I didn’t want to contribute to the sugar fest, so I went to a local novelty store and bought small toys in bulk: bouncy balls, fake fangs, gooey balls, witches’ fingers, toy boats, and more.
Wouldn't you like your child to come to my house?
I spent about twenty-five bucks ($13 of which was the bag of bouncy balls that I’ll have when I’m a senior citizen)…and I still have the same stash four years later! Turns out our neighborhood doesn’t host a big trick-or-treating crowd. I was so disappointed that first year!
To Sugar or Not to Sugar?
I’m an anti-materialist, too, and I have a healthy fear of “things” coming into our house. We’re running out of places to put “things”, so I’d rather not acquire more than what I need (or really, really want!). My kids both get a lot of toys as gifts from family members, and I wasn’t thrilled about contributing to other folks’ “junk piles”…BUT I decided “things” that won’t hurt anyone’s health are better than candy.
If you’re not Christian and could care less about the next section, keep going for “Sweet-less T-o-T ideas!
The History of Trick-or-Treating
I enjoyed discovering the following in an old book my cousin found in our Busia’s (Polish grandma’s) attic, The Year and our Children: Planning the Family Activities for Christian Feasts and Seasons by Mary Reed Newland:
Begging at the door grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household. Soul cakes, a form of shortbread… became more important for the beggars than prayers for the dead, it is said. Florence Berger tells in her Cooking for Christ a legend of a zealous cook who vowed she wold invent soul cakes to remind them of eternity at every bite. So she cut a hole in the middle and dropped it in hot fat, and lo — a doughnut. Circle that it is, it suggests the never-ending of eternity. Truth or legend, it serves a good purpose at Halloween.
The refrains sung at the door varied from “a soul cake, a sol cake, have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake,” to the later:
Soul, soul, an apple or two,
If you haven’t an apple, a pear will do,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for the Man Who made us all.[People put on pantomimes and dramas to remind people of the] reality of life after death and the means to attain it. it is probably from these that the custom of masquerading on Halloween had its beginning. The folly of a life of selfishness would be the message pantomimed by the damned; the torment of waiting, the message of the souls from Purgatory; the delights of the beatific vision, the message of he Heavensent. Together they warned the living to heed the means of salvation before it was too late. Doubtless the presence of goblins and witches and cats (ancient symbols of the devil) were remnants of pagan times bespeaking to Christians of spirits loosed from hell to keep track of their own and herd them back at cockcrow.
I’m not about to make homemade doughnuts to feed the neighborhood, so for me, I’m sticking with my toy basket. I wish I had some suggestions for how to quell the flow of Halloween candy coming IN, but we just ration it and allow the excitement that comes along with Halloween.
Ideas for a Sweet-less Trick-or-Treat
Time to chime in! What ideas do you have to help people avoid being a candy supplier to the neighborhood kids? How do you manage your own kids and their trick-or-treating loot?
I asked this question on Twitter and Facebook this week and got some good ideas to start you off, beginning with my own:
- little raisin boxes or natural fruit snacks (my S-I-L always gets them for my son from Trader Joe’s)
- holy cards/saint cards (for the bold)
- trading cards (baseball, what’s that anime one?)
- little soaps (not anti-bacterial!)
- pencils, erasers, crayons (bought at the back-to-school sales, of course)
- Snack-packs of Goldfish or something else relatively not-un-healthy (better than HFCS or white sugar)
- Kids love a few coins!
- Playdough (maybe even homemade!)
- Activity books and crayons
- Momtrends and Jen Steed agree with me: stickers, tattoos, stamps and toys (both mentioned Oriental Trading as a source for those who may not have a novelty shop in their hometown)
Fancy Treats
If you have a neighborhood like the one I grew up in, you might do special treat bags for the neighborhood kids. We didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, so my mom always bought a full-size candy bar for the local kiddos. If you’re willing to spend a little more time or money on your visiting ghouls, here are some ideas (homemade food is probably frowned upon unless you know the giver, right?):
- From Sarah’s Musings: Kettle Corn or Popcorn Balls
How about Minimal sweet . . . there’s a recipe on allrecipes for kettle corn that only uses about a tablespoon of sugar and it works great! (The recipe I found has 1/4 cup, but I bet you could cut it. Of course, use melted butter instead of vegetable oil!) Less sweet than caramel corn or popcorn balls (though popcorn balls that include peanut butter are pretty good too!)
A fun upgrade: add a little food coloring and make popcorn pumpkins.
- Salted, spiced nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- @rcwant2be has deep pockets: Lara bars (they’re so good though!)
- @LoverHealthFood recommended @yummololaberry ’s chocolate fudge balls
And I’ve got nothing for the second question (how you monitor your own kids, especially if you’re a no-white-sugar household)! Please join in!
Real Food? Homemade stuff? If that’s you, you’ll want to try your hand at winning Nina Plack’s Real Food books (both of them) through 10/22 and enter a recipe in the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods Unprocessed Food Edition this Thursday!
No tricks, just an email treat (only one per day or fewer)! Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
I’m always pleased to participate in:
- Gratituesdays at Heavenly Homemakers (so thankful I can avoid the sugar and for the ideas I’m sure to get from all of you!)
- Top 10 {Tuesday} at Oh Amanda
- Real Food Wednesday at Cheeseslave
- Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
- Homemaker Mondays at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven.
Hungry for more? Related posts:
Twitter: rcwant2be
// Oct 19, 2009 at 11:44 pm
you can get lara bars for fairly reasonable on amazon if you buy by the case. my local grocery chain occasionally does them 10 for $10 too. love me some cherry pie!
[Reply to this comment]
Twitter: kanmurimori
// Oct 20, 2009 at 2:05 am
All these are really good alternatives but honestly, kids don’t like getting all that random stuff. Halloween is about getting candy. The best way to control probably is to store your kids’ candy harvest and control how much they get to eat at once . It’s also a good way to make it last longer.
kanmuri´s last blog ..Saturday Picture Post: White
[Reply to this comment]
Hey KS,
Re: ‘Lola Berry’s Raw Choc Fudge Balls’ all they contain are raw cacao powder, medjool dates and walnuts. All you have to do is chop up the dates and walnuts. The add the Cacao powder and mix… Then form them into a ball!
She made them here: http://tinyurl.com/yzuen6c
Michelle (Health Food Lover)
Michelle (Health Food Lover)´s last blog ..10 Quick, Easy and Nutritious Breakfasts!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Michelle,
That link takes you to a TV News site. ?? The recipe isn’t on there, is it?
Thanks for sharing, Katie
[Reply to this comment]
As someone with food allergies, Halloween is a pain. I can only imagine what it is like to have kids who have allergies.
Thus, I’m a big fan of the little toys — bouncy balls, etc., provide hours of entertainment and you don’t have to worry about kiddos with food allergies — they can enjoy trick-o-treating too! To a food-allergic kid, a fun new trinket is a fantastic Halloween treat.
While homemade goodies can be a nice treat … kids with food allergies typically have to throw these out, as you have no idea whether or no they are safe for you to enjoy.
SnoWhite´s last blog ..Apple Honey Tea
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
SnoWhite, Yes, a seriously good point. SO many kiddos have allergies or sensitivities nowadays. It’s important especially to think of the p-nut allergies, as they are life-threatening. Thanks for adding this dimension to the list!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
We actually have several dentists in town who pay kids by the pound for their candy. I think they throw in a light up toothbrush also.
Sonja´s last blog ..Menu Monday October 19-25
[Reply to this comment]
Twitter: sarahsmusings
// Oct 20, 2009 at 9:52 am
Great ideas, Katie, and I’ve been wanting an excuse to make caramel apple doughnuts . . .
just for the family, of course!:)
With that kettle corn recipe you’ll want to make sure that you note to substitute the vegetable oil with coconut oil, not butter. The butter will burn before the popcorn is popped as it is the medium to pop the corn, not a flavoring . . . and that is the recipe I’ve used, maybe I just reduced the sugar at home and that’s how I got it in my head!:) It’s really tasty!
Great ideas and I love the historical references!
Best,
Sarah
Sarah´s last blog ..Burlap Banner Tutorial
[Reply to this comment]
My kids are on the older end for trick or treating. I told my 11 yr old this was his last year. I can’t wait till the begging season is over.
That being said, we don’t get any trick or treaters out in the country. We drive to my sister’s house in town to let the kids go house to house. She lives in an affluent neighborhood, so the treats are always good.
Last year, I told my kids they could pick 30 pieces of candy and have 1 per day. The stuff that was left over, I “bought” from them for 5.00t. My dh took it to his work for his co-workers to eat. Granted, the “1 candy per day” usually ends up being “1 packet of skittles” or something like that.
I’d hate for them not to have the fun of gorging on the candy, but I don’t want them to eat the Twizzlers and the other yuck candy just for the sake of it being in the house and feeling like they needed to eat it.
Unfortunately I won’t let the kids eat the homemade goodies unless I know the family. You just never know.
Paula´s last blog ..Day 1: 6 Week Cure
[Reply to this comment]
I forgot to say, I make “soul cakes” for All Saints Day/All Souls Day. It’s more of a sweet cinnamon bun than a doughnut. When the kids eat the bun on All Saints Day, they have to name a saint before eating it and tell me a bit about his/her life. On All Souls Day, we pray the St. Gertrude prayer for the souls of the boys grandparents, my grandparents, and my husbands grands as well before we eat the buns!
Paula´s last blog ..Day 1: 6 Week Cure
[Reply to this comment]
Trader Joe’s has some ginger candy-bite sized candies that are chewy like candy but are mostly ginger. Ginger is good for the digestion so they are far better than most candy. They are quite popular around here as they aren’t horribly expensive either.
Bonnie´s last blog ..“Easy” Food Changes
[Reply to this comment]
wonderful post thanks for the great tips
[Reply to this comment]
We give out sugar free gum, which goes over really well with the kids…I’m not sure how the parents feel about gum, but it does help take some of the sugar out of their teeth (according to a dentist friend) and since it’s sugar free, it’s not quite as bad for them…thanks for all the other ideas!
Bethany´s last blog ..The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 19th
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I didn’t let my son have the s-f gum when grandma offered it to him. I worry too much about the artificial sweeteners, even in that small amount, I guess! Just can’t win with crazy me….
Thanks for the idea, though!
[Reply to this comment]
Lenetta @ Nettacow Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Katie, I know some gum has xylitol in it – are you familiar with that yet? It’s not bad, I don’t think. Not to say there isn’t some other bad stuff included, though . . .
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Link Roundup, Making a [small] Profit Edition
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Xylitol is def. on my list of things to research. I’ve seen some fair reviews of it on other blogs, so it’s probably something I wouldn’t be too terribly afraid of…but it still doesn’t sound like food! Making a choice of sweetener for my diabetic MIL uses a different set of qualifications than for my 4yo son, you know?
Good thing to look for in the ing. list though!
[Reply to this comment]
thanks for a great post – loved the kettle corn recipe
Christine Smith´s last blog ..Prayer Notebook and Digital Scrapbook Pages
[Reply to this comment]
I think we are going the “eat all you want in one day, the rest goes in the trash” route this year. I can brush her teeth really really well afterwards and we won’t have any ‘please, just one piece, please’ to drive me insane. sorry, this doesn’t really solve the processed sugar issue but at least it limits the amount.
[Reply to this comment]
My best method to control the inflow is to only go a few places! (And to partake in the goodies myself . . . what can I say?) This year, though, I think we’ll be going to the nursing home, so I might limit the number of rooms we go to. As for outgoing stuff, typically our only treat-seekers are a couple of family members, so I’ve made black cat cookies or some such. But I would toss anything homemade from a family I didn’t know . . .
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Silicone Basting Brushes
[Reply to this comment]
I hate to see my kids on vast amounts of candy. On the other hand that is my favorite memory of Halloween. So I let my children enjoy 24hrs of candy (yeesh!) and then we leave everything out for the Halloween witch. She comes the following night, takes the candy to feed all the monsters and keep them at bay and far away. In appreciation she leaves behind a gift.
[Reply to this comment]
This will be our first year ToT with the knowledge our DD has Celiac Spruce–there would be less I would have to sort out if more gave trinkets like the bouncy balls–but I am nervous about painted or metal items if they are manufactured in China.
I think I will go with the Organic Lollipops posted in another real food Wednesday blog. (Earth Friendly Goodies)
I loved reading the history of Halloween!
Squeaky Gourmet´s last blog ..Coconut Chicken Soup with Crusty Gluten free Bread
[Reply to this comment]
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
I dread Halloween. It used to be one of my favorite holidays because I love seeing everyone get dressed up.
But now I dread the candy.
My daughter is two and she’s only had candy a few times in her life. I don’t like the idea of going door to door collecting a big bag of candy. Stuff I don’t want her eating anyway.
I know kids want to eat candy and I can’t blame them but this is the one time in her life when her bones are developing. She can end up with gorgeous high cheekbones and a wide face with plenty of room for straight teeth — or she can end up with braces and a narrow, unattractive face. Narrow faces bring so many other problems — like sleep apnea and snoring and impaired eye sight and hearing…
I’d like to avoid all that.
So I’m not sure what we are going to do this year but we are NOT going trick or treating. Nor am I giving candy out to kids at the door.
I think I’m going to call some other moms on my street (there are two who are really into “real food”) and we’ll do a party and make some delicious food and plan some fun games and activities for the kids. I think that would make a wonderful tradition.
CHEESESLAVE´s last blog ..Real Food Wednesday: October 21, 2009
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Cheeseslave,
Gaaaaahhh! You have obviously read something I haven’t gotten to yet, probably from Dr. Price by the sounds of the facial structure stuff. Is it the white sugar that does the bad stuff? I wonder if the two pieces of candy or so that my son has a day (lunch and dinner “treats”) are too much, or if there’s any room for “moderation” on this issue.
You should seriously post the foods you end up making for your Halloween gathering. Maybe whole wheat sprouted doughnuts fried in coconut oil?
Thanks for the excellent comment and food for thought – Katie
[Reply to this comment]
By the way — one thing we should all watch out for. Many of the chocolate candies out there now are substituting nasty vegetable oil for cocoa butter.
These are the trans-fat laden industrial waste vegetable oils like hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil.
If it doesn’t say MILK CHOCOLATE, and it says something like “chocolate candy” it’s most likely not real chocolate.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26788143/
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/dont_mess_with_our_chocolate
I won’t even go into all the food colorings and high fructose corn syrup.
It would be one thing if we were taking our kids from door to door to let them eat sugar and chocolate. That wouldn’t bother me so much. But taking them round to let them eat hydrogenated soybean oil and HFCS? What for?
CHEESESLAVE´s last blog ..Real Food Wednesday: October 21, 2009
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
And the fake chocolate doesn’t taste nearly as good, either!
Maybe this is how I’ll sort the candies this year – real junk food and fake junk food. Real stuff is the occasional treat, trans fat junk is in the trash. ??? It’s tough when you have in-laws who LOVE giving candy and taking the kiddos out to T-o-T!
[Reply to this comment]
Twitter: dcrmom
// Oct 21, 2009 at 9:55 am
We bought those little bags of pretzels this year. They make them for Halloween. I don’t really mind the candy fest, as it’s just that once, and we ration and then toss a lot of it. But I went ahead and got the pretzels b/c I figured it was a way to give something edible that most kids like without adding to the sugar fest.
Musings of a Housewife´s last blog ..What I Learned This Week
[Reply to this comment]
What great ideas! I really like the idea of “trading in” the candy for a toy or book or something. Let them go trick or treating, choose one/a couple/however many pieces of cany to keep and then either explicitly trade in the candy, or leave it for the fairies/ghosts/gnomes/spirit to transform into something healthful. I like Mrs. Ross’ halloween witch idea. She’s a good witch!
There’s some thoughts on pre-christian Halloween celebrations in my “other” blog..
http://thewheelandthedisk.blogspot.com/2008/11/when-veil-between-world-is-thin.html
Alyss´s last blog ..Nothing Says Lovin’ Like Something From the Crockpot
[Reply to this comment]
I agree with the candy dilemma. This is Caz’s first real year trick or treating and just our luck…we live on “the street to trick or treat on.” As for passing out candy, I bought fun stuff from Oriental Trading Company (although I hate buying plastic that will end up in the trash) and a TON of organic suckers. At least the suckers don’t have any dyes, etc. Why is everything transfixed around candy and sweets?! Every holiday is soooo hard…
[Reply to this comment]
I love the idea of giving out coins! Can you imagine if you had a giant bowl of pennies and the kids got to take a handful?! They would LOVE that!
oh amanda´s last blog ..Daddy Update!
[Reply to this comment]
No, white sugar doesn’t cause cavities. But if kids are eating too much candy, they don’t have room for other things (like real food). Also, I think getting in the habit of eating that stuff is not a good idea. They come to expect it.
I think real, nutrient-dense sweets are GREAT. I feed my daughter sweets but I try to make sure they contain real nutrients and good fats. For example, homemade ice cream (even storebought ice cream on occasion) is full of good fats — grass-fed cream, egg yolks. Or I make her chocolate chip cookies with sprouted flour, pastured eggs and butter. I always use maple syrup, honey, rapadura maple sugar and/or palm sugar as sweeteners — they are much more nutritious than refined sugar.
The other problem with most storebought candy is it has bad fats (soybean oil, cottonseed oil, etc.) and bad sweeteners (HFCS).
CHEESESLAVE´s last blog ..Real Food Wednesday: October 21, 2009
[Reply to this comment]
My 2 YO has a party at Mom’s Morning Out. Last year, I was SHOCKED at the amount of sugary treats that were in her treat bag. Treats were given by the other parents.
I know it’s a processed food, but it’s one of the few that I allow – animal crackers. I found small bags of animal crackers for the treat bags this year. It’s a snack I allow my daughter to eat so I hope that it won’t get thrown out by other parents. Money is tight & I hate to think that someone would just throw out a treat that I have gone to great lengths to provide.
Heather @ Not a DIY Life´s last blog ..Community
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Heather,
I always thought of animal crackers as a good compromise snack, too, but I read the nut. facts at my in-laws last week and found trans fat! I’m sure there are trans fat free ones…well, I’m not SURE, but I hope! So just check the ingredients list for “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hyd” stuff first. GREAT idea though!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Heather @ Not a DIY Life Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Katie,
I checked the label. No hydrogenated oils, but there is HFCS. Grrr. I’ll be making homemade treats for the Christmas party.
Heather @ Not a DIY Life´s last blog ..Bible Verse Craft – G
[Reply to this comment]
I let my kids Trick or Treat and have fun with it, count their candy, etc, etc. Then they sell me the candy to do with what I please (it’s out of here!) and I take them to the store on November 1st to spend their money. Giving them $10 or so for a bag of candy is nothing to me in the long run, they get to buy a toy or something they want, and all ends well for us for Halloween with nearly no sugar. They usually decide to keep a hand full of pieces, but I can be okay with that in the big picture.
Will you do a post that elaborates on the “no antibacterial soap” to explain. Especially in light of this Fall/Winter’s sick season, I’d love to have it to refer to and refer some friend to. Thanks!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Oh, Tracy, you’ve hit upon one of my weird passions in life – educating people about antibacterial soap!
Here are some posts for you to check out, including my first post ever (that’s how much I love talking about soap):
Katie
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/02/21/food-for-thought-antibacterial-soap/
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/02/21/triclosan/
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/02/23/monday-mission-handwashing-and-antibacterial-soap/
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/04/21/food-for-thought-hand-sanitizers-in-the-home/
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/07/28/back-to-school-are-you-shopping-for-hand-sanitizer-or-handsoap/
I will admit, all the hubbub about swine flu has got me tempted to use antibacterial soap, but I’m holding out. I do switch my bathroom soap to a Cleanwell brand antibac soap when someone is actually sick (throwing up type) especially because we’re still changing diapers and getting thrown up upon.
Thanks for the interest!
[Reply to this comment]
Microbiologist Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Flu and most illnesses that would make you throw up and be contagious are caused by viruses, so hand sanitizer that is alcohol-based would be a good idea BUT not anti-bacterial hand soap/sanitizer, which is effective against bacteria.
[Reply to this comment]
I don’t have kids so I always forget about this until the night before and then it’s a big rush to come up with something. I love your ideas, though. Much healthier options.
I used to teach elementary school and my room moms always did a great job at coming up with fabulous, healthier treats for our Fall Parties. They made it fun – fruit kabobs or fruit sculptures. The kids always loved it and never felt left out.
That being said, I wouldn’t hand out anything homemade or unwrapped just because I live in the city and there’s such paranoia about kids getting poisoned or sick from Halloween candy.
They have great healthier treats at our local wholesale store – I’ll probably go with something like that this year.
[Reply to this comment]
After a parade this summer, we took all of the tootsie rolls and repackaged them into tuile circles and tied them with a pretty ribbon and passed them out as thank you gifts to a group that prepared and served a dinner at church. Sweets for the sweet ladies of the kitchen!
Heidi´s last blog ..Not Me Monday Sneak Peak
[Reply to this comment]
Getting Through Halloween Without Candy » CHEESESLAVE // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:53 am
[...] Finer Things of Halloween: Sweet-less Trick-or Treats on Kitchen Stewardship [...]
My grandma used to give out toothbrushes at Halloween! Their house wasn’t very popular.
[Reply to this comment]