Halloween Treats Bowl

Beyond the Sweets

• What: Halloween goodies without the sugar
• When: End of October
• Why: Avoid food restrictions and sugar overload
• Where: Your home

I don’t know if you’ve tried to take treats to a classroom lately, but the intricacies of various kids’ foods restrictions can daunt even the best baker. I’ve no idea what these kids do on Halloween (skip trick or treating altogether? Or maybe they have food restriction secret societies hosting events with only goodies safe for each group),  but between the vegans, the gluten free, the no dairy, and the no sugar kids, treats have a become a minefield of political correctness.

Enter Halloween. We, like every other family in our neighborhood, happily hand out candy. I want that candy out of my house and into someone else’s before I eat it all. I have enough trouble not raiding my kids’ stash each November. (As for our nut allergy, I consider that a free ticket to eat all the peanut butter chocolate that comes home in my kid’s pumpkin.)

So we also hand out toys at Halloween. That might sound expensive, but you’d be surprised. I take the our entire bowl of plastic goodies and dump it into a seasonally themed bowl, and set it out on the porch. Come morning, all the plastic stuff will have magically disappeared with the secret elves, knights, ghosts, and whatever else floated into my yard after I gave up (or decided I could easily eat the remaining candy myself) on handing out goodies.

I have yet to meet a kid who refuses candy and toys, no matter their age. Plus, it gives parents of younger kids a choice if they want to avoid sugar overload but not skip trick or treating entirely. We usually have the bowl out with the candy, as well, but it doesn’t go away fast enough for my taste that way.