Balance out all that sugar at Halloween with these delicious healthy Halloween treats.

1. Trick-or-Treat; Give Me Something
Good to Eat!
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Candy is King at Halloween!
Along with it’s yummy sweet deliciousness comes king sized fat and calories.
How did this holiday start? Wiki Answers reports that Halloween or ‘all hallows
eve’ has its roots in European pre-Christian paganism symbolizing the beginning
of winter and the burning of leaves and cleansing by fire of all that is old or evil.
When Europe converted to Christianity, the early Christians used the festival to
search out pagan and burn them along with fallen leaves.
Halloween now is celebrated around the world on October 31 st with trick-or-
treating, costumes, jack-o-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, haunted attractions,
and fireworks. I do love the holiday and love that my kids have so much fun
dressing up and walking the neighborhood. I just know that they (and myself)
don’t need 100+ pieces of candy to munch on for the next few months.
Can You Just Eat One Pieces?
How’s a girl to get in shape fast with all this sugar around? I’m much better off
not even having one single piece of the mouth watering delicious chocolates, like
Kit Kats, Reese Peanut Butter Cups, or Snickers. For me, something triggers in
my brain if I allow myself to indulge in just one piece, then its just super easy for
me to have another and another. Before you know it, it’s time to go buy more
Halloween candy and it’s not even Halloween yet. My husband and son, on the
other hand, can just have one little mini candy and they are satisfied. Not me,
one becomes two, then three, then four. You get the picture, my plan to get in
shape fast goes out the window quickly. Can you control yourself around all the
candy?
I won’t be a scrooge this year or anytime in the future. I have my bags of yummy
chocolate bars to hand out on the 31st. My kids and I will have fun Trick-Or-

2. Treating on the famous Oak Street neighborhood here in Laguna Beach. (As an
aside, this one street in our town goes all out for Halloween. Everyone decorates
their houses; music blares, haunted houses are formed; the streets are shut off
to cars; and everyone young and old enjoys the evening.)
Healthier Halloween Treats
I love pumpkin! Today I wanted to share some of my favorite “healthier”
Halloween treats to help balance out all the sugar in the house and to enjoy
the pumpkin season. The first Wong family favorite is roasted pumpkin
seeds. My kids love these and they are a great appetizer, snack or addition to
the lunch box. They are super easy to make and super healthy.
Halloween Pumpkin Seeds
Seeds from one pumpkin
Olive Oil (1 – 2 T)
Hymilanian Sea Salt (1 – 3 tsp.)
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Clean out your pumpkin. Place the seeds in a
colander and rinse off. Place pumpkin seeds in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil
and Hymilanian Sea Salt and stir. Place pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a
cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil. Bake for 45 min, stirring occasionally.
Cool and enjoy.
Halloween Turkey Chili
The second family Halloween favorite in our house is turkey chili. I love to
make this throughout the winter, but it’s quick and easy for Halloween night when
everyone is rushing out to trick-or-treat. I usually serve the turkey chili with
whole-wheat crackers and mini carrots. Nice healthy meal.

3. 1 lb. of ground turkey
½ red bell pepper
½ medium sweet onion
1 can of kidney beans
1 box of Trader Joe’s low sodium tomato soup
1 – 2 T. Chili power
Himalayan salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Chop bell pepper and onion into small pieces. Brown ground turkey in a skillet
with red pepper and onion. Drain off grease. Combine all ingredients into a pot
and bring to simmer on stove. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve and top with a little
bit of raw onion and shredded cheddar cheese.
Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Shake
The best for last, Pumpkin Chocolate Shake. This delicious healthy shake
helped me get through the Halloween season last year without one piece of
candy. It really satisfied my sweet cravings and some days when I’m tempted to
have a fattening unhealthy dessert, I’ll just whip up this delicious shake.
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
14 – 16 oz. of water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin, unsweetened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 – 8 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. Then enjoy this super healthy and
delicious treat!

4. I truly hope you and your family have a healthy and safe Halloween. Enjoy the
day and pick your treats so you won’t regret it later. And don’t forget to
workout on Halloween to burn some of those extra calories. Let’s end 2012
STRONG! Stick to your healthy eating plan and workouts.