Halloween!

[brats4]

Halloween candy ALREADY! Can you believe it in the commisary yesterday and there in the frozen veggie aisle is the Halloween Candy display. Seems too early to have to fight this temptation LOL. It so awful they send notes from school about childrens weight, media covers "fat" kids, and we are constantly berated about healthy eating. Yet they throw the garbage in front of the kids at every turn. I know as a parent I can police the intake but come on can't they cut us some slack on the promotion. It was next to the veggies LOL, at least put it down a choose or loose aisle where kids aren't swan diving out of the cart to grab for it.

[Richt]

Originally Posted by brats4

Halloween candy ALREADY! Can you believe it in the commisary yesterday and there in the frozen veggie aisle is the Halloween Candy display. Seems too early to have to fight this temptation LOL. It so awful they send notes from school about childrens weight, media covers "fat" kids, and we are constantly berated about healthy eating. Yet they throw the garbage in front of the kids at every turn. I know as a parent I can police the intake but come on can't they cut us some slack on the promotion. It was next to the veggies LOL, at least put it down a choose or loose aisle where kids aren't swan diving out of the cart to grab for it.

The problem is though the huge amount of money to be made by selling them, so they will try every trick in the book to get you to buy it.

Isnt there a marketing saying "PESTER POWER" - translating to Children constantly pestering their parents to buy certain things?

I know and empathise with what your saying though, afterall over here in England, we have cadbury creme eggs advertised and in stores just after Christmas. and thats 4 months difference in time.

Rich

[Desertthorn]

They need to get the Holloween stuff out because if they don't it will interfer with the Christmas displays that go up in Sept urplequ: urplequ: urplequ: urplequ: urplequ:

[Lady Lamond]

I don't want to wait till the last minute, this year we plan on having a Halloween party, so we can control the candy coming into this house.

So, anyone have any ideas of what to serve to kids that might be good, colorful, a little haunting, and low in carbs. I would appreicate any and all ideas.

[Shufflebutt]

I get a double whammy every year. Halloween on the 31st. My youngest two childrens birthday is the 30th!
Luckily for me children really like cheese, cold cuts and vegetables with dip. I also have a selection of crackers out for them. They think of it as a "snack dinner". Plus its easy for them. Lots of finger foods. Not hard for them to handle. They still have cake and ice cream (actually one regular cake and one ice cream cake so they each have their own cake since they share such a special day). I have found from the past if I don't order huge cakes all of the kids usually eat all the cake and we don't have a left over problem.

As far as the halloween candy goes they it is a good opportunity to learn about choices. Pig out now and have a belly ache or have a piece or two each day and we still have halloween candy at christmas!

[One Sweet Shannon]

Originally Posted by Lady Lamond

I don't want to wait till the last minute, this year we plan on having a Halloween party, so we can control the candy coming into this house.

So, anyone have any ideas of what to serve to kids that might be good, colorful, a little haunting, and low in carbs. I would appreicate any and all ideas.

I had a little halloween party for my boyfriend's sons last year, but that was before we went low carb. But I think some of the things will do -- at you may have to modify these to make them more suitable for your phase of low carb.


*Remove the tops and scoop out the insides of mini pumpkins and use to serve chili or a soup or stew. Or if you don't mind the extra carbs you can take bread dough and form into balls and add a piece to the top to look like pumpkin stems, bake and you have pumpkin-shaped breadbowls. Chili seemed like the perfect thing to have after trick or treating last year, but a pumpkin bisque would probably be a great choice.

*Make witches brooms by sticking a black straw or a pretzel stick into a piece of string-cheese and shredding up from the other end

*use cookie cutters in halloween shapes on pepperoni, cheese, cold cuts or sandwiches, even hamburger or pancakes

*can't remember it off the top of my head, but last year i used a recipe to make some orange-cream type beverage (i'm sure any punch recipe or other beverage recipe you adapt for low carb will do). Then we topped the beverages with whipped cream made to look like a ghost floating in the mug.

*deviled eggs with an olive in the middle to make them look like eyeballs

*seasoned and roasted pumpkin seeds, veggies and dip

*Find ways to be creative with food coloring, and certain ingredients to dress them up for halloween. Like using sour cream to draw a cobweb design on top of a bowl of guacamole, for example.

[Defessa]

I remember Better Homes and Gardens and Family Fun to have great ideas for Halloween. They both have websites, and although not all foods are healthy, the ideas could be used.

For years I have given out stickers or little toys instead of candy--I never could have candy in the house without opening the bags and eating before Halloween. I really liked the mini-bags of microwave popcorn that I saw last year--I think I may look for those this year to give out.

If you are having a party, get a pinata and load it full of "party" toys-little rings, glow in the dark bracelets (boys and girls both like the glow in the dark ones), plastic bats, skeletons, pencils, etc all kinds of stuff at party supply places for pretty cheap usually. Kids love pinata's! They have the kind you can pull strings now if the hitting with a stick bothers you.

I know two people who give away tooth paste samples and tooth brushes-one is a dentist, the other is a freebie/coupon fanatic who paid next to nothing (less than $5) for enough toothpaste/toothbrushes to supply her child's class at school and the neighborhood kids who came around. She used every toothpaste coupon she could get her hands on and most were for any size so she would get 50 cents off a 59 cent sample tube.

I know raisins aren't the greatest carb wise, but I'd rather my kids eat raisins than fruit snacks, so maybe those little bitty boxes of raisins. I've made ants on a log for the kids before-celery with peanut butter and raisins.

Check the low carb recipe board for cookie/cake recipes....I know there are quite a few pumpkin choices and i've heard great things about some of them. Seems like lotso' people like adding pumpkin to their low carb favorites. I'm so new at this, I haven't even gotten flax into my cubbard yet, but will be next time I make it to the grocery!

I think for a party if you can come up with a variety of a few snacks and several activities you'll be in good shape. I keep em so busy and then afterwards we have snacks and its time to head home.
Pin the mouth/cap or eyes on the pumpkin, ghost, whatever...go to the $ store and get a couple of the same flimsy cardboard design, cut one for pinning and pin onto the other one.
Depending on the age, kids 4-5 and up LOVE scavenger hunts.
Hang apples on strings (like from a tree branch), blindfold and have the kids "bob" for apples first one done with their apple wins. They can't touch with their hands either. If they are small children or having difficulty, the first one to get a bite out wins. Try it before hand to decide how you want to play because its really hard to do!
An alternative to the pinata, spread a bale(or less) of straw out and hide toy treats in it for them to find.
We did an ooky mess, but it was fun--in seperate bowls put cook spaghetti(guts), eyeball's (grapes-room temp) peeled tomato (heart) can't remember what else we used, but the kids were blind folded and had to guess what they were handling. They loved it! The person that guessed the most right got a kids version of an anatomy book I got on clearance really cheap. :yikes
We had our halloween party in the garage with low lights and lots of decorations! They had a blast. I think James was about 10 when we had his.....geez..he's 22 now! Guess I'll be doing another one in a few yrs since Christians 7 now-gotta wait til Livi's a little older though, at 2 she's scared of her own shadow much spooky stuff!