We love Halloween, and, dare we say, it’s not scary. Food can be fun, without being the over indulgent corporate candy fest society would lead you to believe. Get excited with your kids; don’t fear not being able to keep old traditions, just make your own! Here are some awesome and healthful fun foods to inspire your creativity and keep you from buying those mega bags of candy and accidentally eating them before kids arrive.
Fork and Beans had an awesome Halloween series with Frank and Willy Paint the Town Red, Owl Be Watching You, Everybody Dance to the Pumpkin Song, Vampires Have Feelings Too You Know. I’ve loved her entire Halloween series this month. And although not always Paleo, most of her blog is adaptable if not at least inspiring.
Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations – Pumpkin Chicken Cacciatore
We must’ve been living under a rock until earlier this month, when we discovered George. Now we’re salivating regularly with his fantastic photography and endless recipes. He’s got a 10,000 fan giveaway going on right now, too!
Balanced Bites – Pumpkin Muffins
I think I’ve made it clear how much I heart Diane. I didn’t realize I’d tried her recipes before until she submitted this one and I started poking around. Then I found this magic cookie bars recipe on her site, which was one of the first “paleo treats” I ever tried, who knew?! We’re looking forward to also trying these muffins!
The Primal Sophisticate – Dark Chocolate Bacon Bites
This lovely lady is new to us with this submission. We, of course, checked her site out after the idea of bacon candy! Such a cute little retro-inspired blog. I also found this pumpkin pecan ice cream recipe on her site that we’re jazzed to try. Yum!
Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery – Chocolate Dipped Apricot Acorns with Pistachios
I’m super jealous I didn’t figure out this adorable and simple idea. Our boys LOVE apricots and pistachios, so this treat is right up their alley! This blog was new to us as well, and with 3 boys and a clean diet we’ve got loads in common. I love her Allergy Friendly Virtual Halloween Party!
Lexie’s Kitchen – Kids DIY Banana Mummies & Things
I’ve loved Lexie’s Kitchen for nearly as long as I’ve been Paleo. She’s got loads of easily adaptable recipes and they’re all gorgeous and delicious. These adorable treats are but one of a ton of recipes I could recommend. Plus, her Making the Switch series is unbelievably inspiring!
Following My Nose – Halloween Hassleback Sweet Potato Bugs
These savory ideas were a BIG hit with our boys. Cole immediately got excited by the food creatures and wanted to comment on the post. So, to Ron (of Chowstalker) he writes: “I like your bugs that are made out of food! I liked guessing what bugs they were. I want to make these too, thank you for the recipe. I’m going to make them with my dad.” That should sum it up for you…
Little House on the Canyon – Hand Dipped Coconut Cinnamon Apples on a Stick
I met Jenn via e-mail as one of the inspirations for my breastfeeding video and post. I’m completely humbled that she reports us as contributors for her inspiration to start a blog and then provide this recipe. Coconut, cinnamon and apples are always a delicious pairing!
The Foodie & The Family – Almond Choco-Chip Bites
Tara and I have been facebook buddies for a while now. She wrote some uber nice stuff about us here, and ever since I’ve (not surprisingly) had a soft spot in my heart as a result. I’ve got a backlog of her recipes to try on our Pintrest board, glad to have her contribute here!
Paleo Spirit – Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake
I saw this recipe a few days before Lea submitted it and LOVED the idea. The cake is sweetened with dates (our preference these days) and is free of so many allergens, what’s not to love?! I bet you could use apple juice instead of coffee for kids, too. Perfect for parties, but the idea of an after school tea party is adorably awesome!
Primal Kitchen – Grain Free Gluten Free Soul Cakes
How cute is the blog title, “a family grokumentary”? I’ve loved it since I found it, the fact that it’s run by a nice local mom who documents lunch boxes got me. I’d never heard of a soul cake before, but they seem like such a versatile treat and perfect for decoration!
And edited to add Gluten Free Easily’s Pumpkin Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Bars
I knew Shirley was working on a recipe from her pumpkin butter post, so I certainly was thrilled to see that she obtained success with these amazing looking bars. Happy to edit this post to add them – we will surely be trying them!
And here is our contribution: Juicy Jiggles
Ingredients
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1 Cup cranberry juice, cold
1 Cup apple cider, cold
we used mulling spices to turn our juice into cider
Instructions
- ♥ In a clean bowl, put 1/4 cup of each juice into a bowl
- Add remaining juice into sauce pan over medium high heat, let come to a gentle boil and set-aside, removing from heat
- ♥ Meanwhile, add gelatin packages to bowl of cold juice and let sit for 1 minute
- ♥ Add warm juice to bowl with gelatin and stir until gelatin is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes
- Pour juice into molds or 9×13 pan and let set. Remove from molds or use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes from 9×13 pan; keep chilled.
We also recommend you check out our posts on Coconut Candy (think Mounds), PB Jelly Time Candy, Nona’s Chocolate Covered Nut Candy, (think Reese’s) Pumpkin Pucks, Pumpkin Cider Latte, Spunky’s Pumpkin Mini Bagels, and Caramel Apples
And although they didn’t enter, here are some more awesome seasonal recipes:
Paleo Halloween Recipes at Paleo Diet Lifestyle
Kelly from Spunky Coconut’s Halloween Cookies at Hips Moms Go Green
Elana’s How to Roast a Pumpkin
Thank you to everyone who participated, I know I’m inspired to get creative in the kitchen for our family this upcoming Halloween!