Healthy Lunches for Halloween

Halloween is here, and so is the candy.  It is the time when pounds of neon-colored, sugar laden, artificially flavored, fun-sized pieces march their way into our house like a parade of villians. As much as I hate having it in our home,  I want my children to enjoy the holiday, and partake in some of the sugary goodness.  This is what being a kid is all about, right?  Although my kids eat healthy lunches every day,  I kick it up a notch during the week leading up to Halloween by adding a bit of creepiness synonymous to the holiday.

Many healthy foods can be renamed to resemble gross and creepy things perfect for the upcoming ghoulish and scary holiday.  For example, red grapes can become "purple people eater eyeballs" or crackers that have flax seeds in them become "bug encrusted crackers".  Fangs, anyone?  I pack slivered almonds to match that description.  Have fun with it.  A little imagination goes a long way.  You just need to make sure your children can stomach some of the descriptions of the food; otherwise they won't eat it!

Here are some of the lunches that I made for my daughter.    Once the lunch is packed, I add a themed cloth napkin, a menu of what is in her lunch, and a daily joke that she can use when she goes trick or treating. At the end of the day, my husband asks her what the joke of the day is, and she is happy to share what silly joke she found in her lunchbox.  Unfortunately, my son, who is a middle-schooler, has reached the "I refuse to take a themed lunch to school" attitude, so I add items such meringue bones in his lunch.



Lunch # 1: Tombstone Turkey Sandwich, Little Brains (cauliflower) with dressing, Cyclops's Eyes (kiwi).

   

Photo by Lisa Fulsom

Lunch #2: Bat wings (blue corn chips) and blood dip (salsa), apple bites (apples with slivered almonds),"booberry" yogurt, and skeleton heads (white chocolate).

Photo by Lisa Fulsom

Lunch #3: A "Hoot and a Holler" Owl Sandwich, bat teeth (raw sunflower seeds), Frankenstein skin (roasted seaweed), and Dracula's vitamins (pomegranate seeds).

Photo By Lisa Fulsom

Lunch #4:  PB & J Bones (used all natural pb and organic grape jelly), a "pear" of ghosts, monster toes (cinnamon pecans), and meringue bones (http://lifeasahealthymom.blogspot.com/2011/10/meringue-bones.html)

Photo by Lisa Fulsom

With a little planning, you can create a fun, creepy healthy lunch for your little goblins!  Happy Halloween!