Ok, here we are friends. Just about a week til Halloween and I suppose it’s time we pick up some candy to hand out. I’m tempted to wait longer, cause my husband is all about buying LOTS of candy (totally more than we need, right, Adam?!? 🤣🤣) and I do not want the extras around the house. At all.

I’ve also become more and more aware about what’s in candy and there’s some things I just prefer my kids don’t eat (I’m talking about you, food dyes!). So, each year, I try to buy a few extra bags of healthier candy alternatives- both to spread the gift of healthier options and to keep the more concerning ingredients out of our house, in the case of leftovers. Here’s some ideas I have for this year:

🪀 think outside the (candy) box: there’s no denying that food allergies in kids are pretty prevalent. Plus, in our neighborhood, we have lots of younger kiddos. So, I try to have some non edible treats and am always pleasantly surprise at how excited the younger kids are to get these. Think yo yo’s, tattoos, stickers, pencils, stamps…

🥨 lunchbox snacks are never a bad idea. We try to stick to whole food snacks as much as possible, but I’d be lying if I said a bag of goldfish or crackers don’t make it into the kids’ lunchboxes sometimes. For this reason, I’m a fan of Annie’s, so I atleast know the kids are getting non gmo and organic versions of these fun snacks. And I truly appreciate the kids snagging some of these in place of candy sometimes 👌👌

🍫🍫 candy is fun. Healthier candy is more fun! Reading ingredients makes such a difference. Choosing chocolate that’s tested for heavy metals, chewy candies that don’t have food dyes and finding organic ingredients goes along way. I know a little is ok, but I also know my kids get lots of reasons to indulge throughout the year and ensuring they indulge in healthier (still yummy) options just makes me feel better. Lily’s, Unreal, Justin’s and Yum Earth are some brands I personally like but I’d love to hear what you’ve found too!

The good thing is, those of us with kids will be doing a lot of walking next Tuesday. Between our steps and a few healthy swaps, Halloween can be a little less frightening and a lot more fun…

Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate and wishing an enjoyable fall week to all of you lovely readers 🍁🍁🍁

To your health,

~Jess