Healthier Options for Trick or Treaters

Since Halloween is fastly approaching, I thought I would do a series on Eco-friendly ideas for my favorite holiday!  The other night I attended a Twitter party for Green Halloween, hosted by @EcoChicParties, @EcoMom and @Greenhalloween, and some of the discussions were about better trick or treat options.  Everybody loves chocolate and candy and it wouldn't be Halloween without them but our kids really don't need to be overloaded with that much sugar and artificial flavors/colors.  We can't escape the candy but we can offer other types of goodies that the kids will like.  I thought I would list a few things that I have found that are healthier or greener for kids.  If you have suggestions as well, please leave a comment - it would be great to hear what other people are doing.

Sweets:

Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks are yummy, certified organic, made with real juice and contain 100% RDA of Vitamin C.  The small pouches only have 10g of sugar, so this is a good "candy" option that the younger kids will love - my 4y.o. and 19month kids really love them!  Amazon sells these in bulk - 4 boxes of 5 pouches each.  Save an extra 15% when you sign up for Subscribe and Save (about $3.50 a box - cheaper than Whole Foods and Drugstore.com).


Another of my kid's favorite treat is Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Graham Friends and Honey Bunny Graham. The Bunny Graham Friends are a collection of bite-sized bunny shaped honey, chocolate and chocolate chip graham cookies.  And with only 8g of sugar per serving and 20% of the RDA of Iron and Zinc, I'm happy giving these to my kids.  I always buy the large box (less waste) but the individual packets make it perfect for Halloween!  I did a price check at my local Whole Foods and found Amazon's price for bulk boxes so much less expensive!  A 6 pack of boxes (each containing 6 pouches) is ONLY $13.67 with the Subscribe and Save discount!  That is $.38 a pouch!  Works for me! 

Salty Snacks:

A good organic option for salty kids snacks for trick or treaters is Annie's Homegrown Cheddar Bunnies.  These taste similar to goldfish, but better!  They are baked so they are not greasy or high in fat.  They have 0g of sugar, 0g of Trans Fats and only 150 calories per serving.  Amazon sells them in bulk - 6 packs of 6-count boxes.  Each pouch is 1 oz.  Their price is $20.57 but with Subscribe and Save, the price drops to $17.48 - that's $0.48 per pouch!

If you buy two Annie's products, get a free Kid's Konserve cotton lunch sack by filling out the form found here.  Fill out the online form and provide UPC codes from any two packages of Annie's Homegrown products. Use UPC's 013562000456 and 013562302109 if you don't have Annie's products on hand. (Thanks, Freebie Junkie!)


Pirate's Booty is another fun snack that is made from all natural ingredients.  My favorite is the Aged White Cheddar - they are not only yummy but are Trans fat, Cholesterol and gluten free, and are 130 Calories per serving with 50% Less fat than regular potato chips.  The Veggie flavor are also good - my kids like these ones.  I like them because they have some nutritional value - 30% Vitamin A, 15% Vitamin C and Calcium, and 4% Iron (and no sugar).  They are made with Corn Meal, Rice, Organic Soy Flour, Rice and/or Sunflower Oil, Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Carrot, Broccoli, Parsley, and Sea Salt.  Amazon's price with Subscribe and Save is $11.91 for 24 1oz bags - that's about $0.50 a bag!

I will post more ideas soon but feel free to leave me comments on what kinds of healthier snacks you give to your trick or treaters or for parties.