Healthier Halloween Snacks

We love celebrating holidays, but we can’t live on candy alone. Here are some ideas to make your Halloween a little healthier. Consider mixing up your candy bowl this Fall to include some non-food options:

• Colors
• Chalk
• Glow sticks or bracelets
• Stickers
• Sugar-free gum
• Temporary tattoos

These treats are also great options for party favors if you are having a Fall or Halloween party. Your friends who have kids will thank you that you gave them activities (side walk chalk for hop scotch) to burn off some of the energy from the extra treats. 
 
Speaking of parties, if you throw one, consider some of these fun treats. Here are my ideas for healthier snacks for celebrating Fall and Halloween.

Grape Worm

Thread grapes on a skewer or toothpick and glue edible eyes to make a worm. This a good activity for little cooks. Make sure to warn your family and guests about the toothpicks!

Candy-Corn Cereal Treats

Mix rice cereal with marshmallow. The recipe for these browned butter cereal treats is on the blog here!

Puddings in Costume

Cut paper to cover the top and circumference of your pudding cup. Use a white piece of paper and marker to create a ghost face. Use an orange paper and black marker to creat a jack-o-lantern. Add a green piece of paper to make the pumpkins stem on top of the pudding. Use colorful, patterned paper and edible eyes to create silly monsters.

 

Low fat string cheese Ghosts

Use a marker to add a ghost face to string cheese to make a boo-tiful ghost!

 

Mummy Turkey Dogs

Wrap bread dough or crescent rolls around turkey dogs to make a yummy mummy. Disclaimer my friend, Rachel, made these, but I did snap this picture.

Fruit Pumpkins

Peel cuties or tangerines and place a slice of celery in the middle of the orange. Disclaimer my friend, Rachel, made these, but I did snap this picture.

These are great ideas to add something sweet and something healthy for your Halloween party. They are great snacks to give your kids before Trick-or-treating. If your kids are full from a festive, healthier snack before trick-or-treating, there will be less desire to eat all the candy they are receiving.

As the parent, remember to set guidelines for health. It is a good idea to set boundaries for limiting dessert and candy intake. We want to fuel our kids in a healthy way to support adequate and appropriate growth and development.

If you end up with an abundance of candy, you might consider donating some of your Halloween candy to programs like Halloween Candy buyback program and OperationGratitude. Look for these programs in your area if you are interested in donating some of your Halloween candy.

For more of my tips for healthier Halloween and Fall activities, check out my post with four more practical tips for healthier trick-or-treating.

For more Fall and holiday recipes and tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. I provide different resources, tips, and recipes on each social media platform. So, make sure to follow me to get your #RDtipoftheday.

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Healthy Snack Ideas

It's back to school time. Do you know what that means? It's August, and . . . it's Kid's Eat Right Month. 

What is Kids Eat Right Month?
Kids Eat Right (KER) month was started in 2014 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). The purpose of KER month is to educate family, caregivers, communities, and policy makers about the importance of nutrition and optimal health for children and their families.

Since I work with pediatrics patients, this is a busy time of the year with children returning to school. As a Registered Dietitian (RD), I want to ensure that children are fueled in a healthy way to grow, play, and succeed in school.

The most frequently asked questions I get this time of year are questions about feeding children healthfully. The mostly commonly asked question is "What's a good snack?" for my child. So, today I'm talking about healthy snacks!

What is a healthy snack?
Snacks are small amounts of food. The portion size depends on your age with smaller portions for toddlers and larger portions for older adolescents and adults.

For school age children, teenagers and adults, the goal is to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. The more specific goals is 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables per day. If you eat 3 meals + 0-2 snacks per day, this averages out to at least one serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal and snack. So, I like to think about having fruits or vegetables as snacks. If a fruit or vegetable does not fill you up, pair it with something. You can add hummus, salad dressing, cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, or yogurt.

What are some healthy snack ideas?
Here are three quick and easy snack ideas. These make fruit and vegetables the star and are cute for an after school snack.

Vegetable Flowers

My vegetable flowers is made with the following ingredients: hummus, sunflower seeds, carrots, bell pepper, basil, and parsley.

Directions:

1) To make the vegetable flowers, wash all your produce.

2) Spoon hummus on the plate.

3) Arrange baby carrots around the hummus in a spiral shape like flower petals.

4) Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the hummus to represent the sunflower's seeds.

5) Cut a long strip of bell pepper to be the flower stem.

6) Arrange two basil leaves on either side of the bell pepper to be the flower's leaves.

7) Arrange parsley under the bell pepper to represent grass.

Enjoy!

*Note: Steps 5 and 6 are optional. They create visual appeal but are not necessary for a deliciously snack.

Cute Caterpillars

My vegetable flowers is made with the following ingredients: red seedless grapes, green seedless grapes, candy eyes, and royal icing.

Directions:

1) Wash all grapes.

2) Thread grapes on toothpicks or skewers.

3) Attach eyes with royal icing.

Enjoy!

Note: You could also use reduced fat cream cheese or nut butters, like peanut butter or almond butter, to attach the eyes. You could also make the caterpillar's eyes with raisins or mini chocolate chips. Also, make sure your kids or guests know that there are toothpicks in the caterpillars.

Enjoy!

   Rainbow Hummus

My rainbow hummus snack is made with the following ingredients: orange bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, hummus, peanuts, parsley.

Directions:

1) Wash all vegetables.

2) Slice off the bottom of the orange and yellow bell peppers to create clouds.

3) Cut the green bell pepper in half to make the pot for the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

4) Slice thin slices of bell pepper (approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices). Then, cut the slices in half to make half-moon shapes for the arches of the rainbow.

5) Arrange bell peppers on the plate to make the rainbow and clouds.

6) Spoon hummus on the plate.

7) Place your green bell pepper "pot" on the plate.

8) Place peanuts on the hummus to represent the "gold" in the pot.

9) Place parsley on the plate to represent the grass that the pot of gold is sitting on.

Enjoy!

If you have any healthy snack ideas, share them below in the comments.

August is Kids Eat Right Month™, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Academy Foundation's chance to highlight the fight for our children's healthy future. Find out how you can get involved!

Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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3 Hummus Recipes

Hummus has become my favorite dip, spread, and appetizer. It's a yummy blend of chick peas and pretty much any flavor you want to add. 

One of my best friends, Mal, introduced me to Mediterranean food in college. It's still one of my favorite things to eat. My husband is half Greek, so anything Greek or Mediterranean is a hit in our house. I find myself making more Greek dishes, and hummus is on a regular rotation at my house.

Here's my hummus recipe.

RDTOD's Hummus - Garlic Red Pepper Hummus
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond butter
2 Tablespoons lemon zest (zest of approximately 1 lemon)
6 Tablespoons lemon juice (the juice of approximately 2 lemons)
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cans chickpeas- rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a food processor, blend almond butter and lemon juice for 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and garlic. Mix for 2 minutes. Add red pepper and garbanzo beans. Mix 2 minutes. Add olive oil until combined. Enjoy!


What can you do with the basic hummus recipe? You can eat it or add different flavors. Here are my two current favorite hummus variations.

Basil Pesto Hummus
Ingredients
Half of RDTOD's Hummus recipe
1/4 cup basil pesto

Instructions
Divid the basic hummus recipe in 1/2. Add 1/4 cup basil pesto to the hummus. Mix together. Enjoy!

Lemon Artichoke Hummus
Ingredients
Half of RDTOD's Hummus recipe
3 jarred artichoke hears
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon (2 Tablespoons)
Instructions
Divide the basic hummus recipe in 1/2.
Add hummus, 3 artichoke hearts, zest of 1 lemon, and the juice of 1/2 lemon to a food processor. Pulse until combined. Enjoy!
Hummus is a great spread for sandwiches and wraps. It's a simple, make-ahead appetizer for entertaining. Hummus is a great dip for veggies and crackers. Hummus is a great dip for encouraging kids to eat their vegetables. I recently did a television appearance for healthy eating for back-to-school. Here are some of the simple, snacks you can put together for you kid's lunchbox or after school snack.

Hummus and Veggie Flower

Bell Pepper and Hummus Rainbow and Pot of Gold

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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RDTOD's August Favorites

3 Quick Snack Ideas

RDtipoftheday Favorites: August Edition

Welcome to RDtipoftheday's favorites August edition. This is my blog series that highlights some of the best things I've been watching, reading, listening to, cooking, and eating. These are a few of my favorite things this month.

Eating & Cooking

I love something about Summer and fantastic produce. I especially love watermelon. Watermelon day is August 3rd, so celebrate. I bought a watermelon shirt last year; I thought it was very dietitian appropriate. I also found this watermelon cake! So fun!

image via Google

Cooking in Julia Child's kitchen. What a cool experience! I might need to add this to my bucket list. You can rent it for $639 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10698076. Julia Child's birthday is August 15.

In a world with a lot of excess, it's nice to simplify. Here are some tips for building a minimalist pantry.

Well, you can't exactly eat these, by they look delicious!  

What's the Difference? Learn the Truth About These 21 Common Ingredients via TheKitchn

16 Kitchen Skills Every Home Chef Must Know per RealSimple.

Reading

With school starting soon, my attention is focused on feeding children well and Kids Eat Right Month. Here are some answers to your questions about the new Dietary Guidelines. 

Watching

I was recently on the news promoting Kids Eat Right Month and healthy nutrition for children. Here is the video if you want to know more. Have a great, healthy semester!

Encouraging
Some people love physical activity. Others find it difficult to include physical activity into their schedule. We know the benefits of physical activity. So, here are 7 workouts you can do in 20 minutes. 

I've recently started bullet journaling to keep myself organized. Do you bullet journal? How do you keep yourself organized? I'd love to hear your tips. Feel free to leave a comment below.

For all the bloggers, it can sometimes feel like you are writing to yourself. Here are some tips for how to write on the Internet and not lose your mind. 

Here are some tips for using Google Keyword Planner for SEO.

I hope you enjoyed these tips, recipes, and all of my favorites from this month. Let me know if this is a feature that you would like me to continue by commenting below. And, let me know if you have something you want to be featured. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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July Favorites