Naturally, with eating healthy and staying away from candy during Halloween can be difficult.  Seriously this is the 4th blog I have done on the subject and it's not just because I think it is what's on your mind, if you get my meaning! Oh sugar, such a temptation and always made to look so delicious. Luckily, there are some homemade candy options you can make that are yummy and entirely health-friendly.  These still have sugar but at least they are a whole food version of the sweet stuff.

​Pumpkin Nut Candy Bars
These candy bars are similar to Snickers bars, but diet-approved. They are perfect if you enjoy chocolate or Snickers candy in general for Halloween, but want to stick to your healthy eating lifestyle during the festivities. Ingredients used with these candy bars include pumpkin puree, almond or coconut flour, almond butter, pure maple syrup, cinnamon, dates, nuts, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. This gives you that yummy chocolate flavor from the cocoa without the added sugar you shouldn’t have on your diet.

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 3/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1 large egg 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

*This recipe is modified from Two peas and their Pod

Almond Butter Cups
If you or your kids are a big fan of peanut butter cups, we all understand these are not the healthiest of treats. Instead of those, you can use this extremely simple recipe to make an alternative version at home. All you need are some chunks of dark chocolate (if you allow it on your personal version of your diet) and almond butter. In a muffin tin, line it with muffin wrappers, then pour some melted chocolate into each of the wrappers, followed by a layer of almond butter. Add a little more chocolate to each one, and let it harden. You can then remove the cups from the muffin wrappers and you have your chocolate almond butter cups.  Go here to find a great recipe.

Pumpkin Truffles
Truffles might sound like something you shouldn’t have on a diet, but you can definitely make a version of these that work with your diet restrictions. This is a much healthier version of traditional truffles and they use pumpkin, which turns them into a fun Halloween treat.  The truffles have some healthier ingredients such as coconut oil, coconut butter, pumpkin puree, sea salt and maple syrup.
It is such a simple recipe all you have to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl and roll them into round-shaped truffles. Place in the refrigerator to cool. You can use the dark chocolate to melt and dip the truffles, or leave that part out. This is completely up to you.  Here are good directions from a website I found that has so many good recipes!  Hopefully you can use it as a resource too!

Good luck tomorrow night and Happy Halloween!!

Ok, I am a lover of the halloween season!  I love getting the kids the costumes, I love when they get all excited about dressing up, I love to go house to house visiting neighbors and yes collecting the treats!  How could I not when my little people get so excited to do it.  I admit a lot of the joy is from remembering when my cousin and I would go around her neighborhood with all our friends,  It has left me with such great memories that of course I want my kids to experience all that fun as well! But oh boy is that ALOT of sugar! 
So here are a few suggestions that may help you and the kids this Halloween.

​Start New Halloween and Other Holiday Traditions
Now is the perfect time to start a brand-new holiday traditions. You have already started encouraging your kids to think about food differently, so keep going with your new, healthier lifestyle by changing how you do Halloween. For example, instead of trick-or-treating all night, you can go just to their friend’s houses or around just part of a block for a limited amount of candy, then spend the night carving pumpkins or watching Halloween movies. This keeps the fun of the night without being completely overwhelmed with candy.

Make Your Own Halloween Treats
You might not want to completely deny your kids treats for Halloween, but keep in mind there are many other alternatives. There are a lot of health-friendly recipes that allow you to make candy that your kids can have without all the sugar. It relies on nuts, pure cocoa without the added sugar, and a variety of other ingredients that make tasty sweets while still remaining on a healthy diet.

Allow Trick-or-Treating But Limit Candy Consumption
As I have said I do not prohibit trick-or-treating at all!  In my house this would cause a revolt of some kind, ending in screaming and tears and I am not just talking about the kids!! So If you stick with the regular traditions and still go all over town and collect tons of candy maybe think of other uses for it. You can put together goodie bags for homeless or women and children shelters. Take a bunch into the office with you to give to your other coworkers. Or the kids can create a fun Halloween-themed ‘gingerbread house’ but more of one that looks like a haunted house. I am sure you can think of some other ways to get rid of a lot of it but the point is getting all that candy doesn’t mean they have to eat it all.

Prepare Treat Bags Without Sweets
This one may help your neighbors more than you but you can also prepare treat bags, but only use limited sweets or health-friendly ones. Have your kids help you and explain why you are trying to use less candy in the bags.  You can fill it with stickers, little toys, games, and activities that are all centered on Halloween, without the non-healthy treats.  This may help your kids start to become aware of the dangers of too much sugar.  I am not sure it will stop them from eating all their collected treasures but it could plant a seed in their minds for the future.
I hope these simple tips are going to help you and your kids enjoy Halloween, without the belly aches that sometimes come with this candy coated holiday.

The healthy lifestyle gets easier when you start cooking from home more often and become adjusted and knowledgable to the foods you can and cannot eat. The pounds melt away and you just feel better overall. While it does get easier, there are times when it is a bit of a struggle, such as when holidays roll around. How frustrating these times can be when you know you have been doing so well with your newfound lifestyle.  Hopefully these tips will help you get through this Halloween and to still continue to feel amazing.

​Go to a Halloween Event
Instead of trick-or-treating with the kids on Halloween night, consider going to an event. There might be a family-friendly Halloween party you can go to that will have approved snacks, or you can go to your church or to a fall festival that will have more activities and less emphasis on all the candy and sweets. The ‘trick’ here is to celebrate Halloween in a way that is fun for everyone, but doesn’t rely so much on just the candy.
Don’t Buy Candy You Like
When it comes to handing out candy, this can often be your downfall. You are staying home on Halloween, carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, and probably handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. Most parents won’t let their kids have homemade treats since it is too dangerous, so you really can only give either small toys (which get pricey) or candy. If you decide on packaged candy, choose candy you know kids enjoy, but that aren’t your favorite. This really decreases the risk of you being tempted by it.
Eat a Healthy Meal Before the Halloween Event
While many Halloween parties do have fruits and veggies or other food options you can enjoy while living your healthy lifestyle, there is no guarantee. So that you don’t eat chips and dip just because there isn’t anything else and you’re starving, eat before you leave the house. Have a healthy Halloween meal before heading out, then you will be much less inclined to have a non-healthy appetizer due to being hungry.
Get Rid of Candy Immediately After Halloween
If you had candy in the house from Halloween, whether from handing it out to the kids in the neighborhood or from your kids’ trick-or-treat bags, get rid of it after Halloween is over. Especially the stuff they picked up that you love! Have your kids create treat bags to give to their teachers at school as a thank-you, or bring it to your work and leave it in the break room for others to enjoy. 

All this said, please allow yourself to have a little something if you really want to and you know it won't throw you completely off track.  Just take your time, savor the taste and enjoy the moment.  Don't beat yourself up about it, you can and will continue to make good choices.  It's not a step backwards, it is just a moment in a holiday that is a lot of fun!

XOXO Jules

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When October is near, you might want to start enjoying fall and Halloween drinks like apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes. Unfortunately, many of the traditional ways to make these drinks are not health-approved. Here are some alternatives to have many of the Halloween and fall favorites without going adding too many extra calories.

Spiced Cider
If you enjoy apple cider, you can absolutely have it for Halloween! This is fun to make when you are carving pumpkins, having your dessert after trick-or-treating, or to enjoy during a Halloween party or other special event. To make the cider, you will combine some organic, all-natural apple cider with no sugar added or preservatives. You can make it from scratch, but using organic bottled cider saves you a lot of time! To that you will add some cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cardamom pods, and grated nutmeg. For adults, you can also add in a little bit of spiced rum.

Pumpkin Tea Latte
Regular pumpkin spice latte coffees use dairy and some other ingredients you don't necessarily want to have in your regular diet. However, you can make a health-friendly version with tea and some spices. To make pumpkin spice tea, you will want to use an organic black tea along with a little coconut milk and coconut oil, pure maple syrup(to taste), and vanilla bean powder(or vanilla extract). Add in seasonings like ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg to taste, also as another option, you can use pumpkin pie spice. Brew your tea and add the other ingredients, straining it before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Now for an actual pumpkin spice latte! This gives you the caffeine you crave and that pumpkin spice flavor you want without using any sugar or dairy. For a pumpkin spice latte on your diet, you will need 1 cup of strong coffee, 2 cups coconut milk(or any non-dairy option), vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, ginger, (or some pumpkin pie spice) 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and coconut whipped cream (optional but oh so yummy). Combine your coffee with the other ingredients in a pot and heat it up. Pour it into a coffee cup and top with your coconut whipped cream and other seasonings.  This should make two servings.

These drinks are simple to make, don’t require a lot of ingredients you don’t already have, at least during this season, and can really help you enjoy Halloween a little better. Whether you are an adult looking to spike your drink with some rum, or you want to serve the kids a fun pumpkin-flavored tea, these are so fun to have for the Halloween season and are pretty guilt free. It is a good reminder that all your favorite things usually have an alternative that is a bit healthier.
 
 

Just incase you can't tell I am on a Fall superfood kick right now!!  I hope you are finding these posts helpful and delicious!  My next share is about Breakfast Bowls.  If you follow me on any of my pages you may have seen my sweet potato breakfast bowl.  It was so, so good and super simple because I used leftover sweet potatoes!
So if you are excited about these yummy fall foods or rather superfoods, a great option for you is to make breakfast bowls. You might have heard of smoothie bowls, but that is definitely not the only fun bowl idea for breakfast that doesn’t include cereal. Take a look at these healthy options for your next superfood breakfast.

Smoothie Bowl with Pumpkin
Smoothie bowls are popular year-round, as a way to add more superfoods into your diet and have a healthy, yummy breakfast. It may seem weird having a smoothie with pumpkin, but it actually contains the perfect texture and just enough sweetness to make this a filling and healthy breakfast bowl. The trick here is to add banana to the smoothie bowl along with your pumpkin puree, since it is going to sweeten it up. You can then use some almond milk or oat milk, along with your choice of fall spices. Just a little allspice will also work since it combines different flavors in one. For toppings, try chia seeds, ground cinnamon, and walnuts.
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Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Here is another tasty breakfast bowl that is going to use those wonderful superfoods, this time lots of apples. Quinoa is added in to give you a healthy grain that is filling and contains plenty of fiber. This quinoa bowl is on the sweeter side, using sliced apples, apple pie spice, applesauce, and some almond milk or soy milk. You can also make it even sweeter with some pure maple syrup drizzles on top.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl
This may not sound appetizing right away, but give it a chance! You aren’t just eating a bowl of sweet potatoes; you are combining them with some of the classic fall flavors for a healthy and nutrient-rich breakfast bowl that is easy to put together. In addition to the sweet potatoes, which should be mashed after cooking them, add in a mashed banana and mix it together. You can then add in your spices, whether you add them individually, or go with allspice or a simple pumpkin pie spice. Other ingredients are up to you, though chia seeds and almond milk go really good with this type of breakfast bowl.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
This is often a fan favorite, so you should definitely give it a try. You can transform your morning oatmeal into a fall spiced delight and make it taste just like pumpkin pie. Some ingredients to use include rolled oats, water, milk, banana, pumpkin pie spice, and your choice of natural sweetener. You can go with vanilla flavored stevia or a pure maple syrup. Pumpkin puree is of course also added in the oatmeal.