10 Healthier Halloween Treats

My home was not the most popular house in the neighborhood last year on Halloween, for a variety of reasons. My next door neighbor went all out and gave full-sized name brand candy bars (i.e. Snickers, Hershey Bars, Milky Ways, etc) which gave them “most favored nation” status among trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood.

We gave out a variety of healthier treats several of which were sought after (i.e. Little Secrets, Nature’s Addict Fruit Sticks, Matt’s Munchies) and several which were not (anything that wasn’t sweet). One 4-year old summed it all up by saying “I want nothing” after surveying our Halloween treat basket full of packets of trail mix, pistachios, and crunchy dried fruit snacks.

So, as much as I want to be one of the popular houses on the trick-or-treater route, I won’t give out candy made with an excessive amount of added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors, and other additives. I view Halloween as an opportunity to give trick-or-treaters a healthier option but also one they will like and hopefully ask their parents to buy for them. So, here’s a list of the ten (10) most popular Halloween treats that we will be giving out this year:

Matt’s Munchies:  Matt’s Munchies are delicious fruit leathers. Kids love these sweet treats that come in 10 flavors made without added sweaters.  Amazon sells a 25-single serving pack caddy for $46.95.

Nature Addicts Fruit Sticks: These sweet treats come in three flavors:  Apple-Raspberry (most popular), Apple-Mango, and Apple-Orange Fruit and Chocolate.  30 1-ounce packets are $42 at Taldepot.

That’s It Fruit Bars:  These healthy energy bars are made with fruit – that’s it. With 12 flavors to choose from, That’s It Fruit Bars are popular with kids because they taste great and popular with parents because each bar provides two servings of real fruit.  Available at grocery stores nationwide (and Target where a box of five 1.2-ounce individually wrapped bars sell for $5.69).

Nothing But The Fruit Real Fruit Bites:  The name says it all:  fruit that has been picked, pureed, and pressed into bite-sized pieces. With three flavors to choose from:  Concord Grape, Strawberry, Raspberry Chia, and Mixed Berry, Real Fruit Bites are sold in 1 ounce single serve packets. A box with 8 packets is about $10 at Amazon.

Purely Elizabeth Grain Free Superfood Bars:  Purely Elizabeth of granola fame is one of those brands consumers can trust. With top-notch ingredients (and no added refined sugar), these bars are made with real ingredients (primarily nuts and seeds) and taste delicious. A box of twelve 1.4-oounce bars is $23.99 on Amazon.

Stretch Island Fruit Leather Snacks: These fruit leather snacks are made with real fruit puree and have no added sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors. A super economic treat (a box of 48 .5 ounce packets in 6 flavors – Cherry, Apple, Strawberry, Grape, Raspberry, and Apricot)  sells for about $10 (or about $0.20 each) on Amazon). So, if you’re in one of those neighborhoods where hundreds of trick-or-treaters go, consider this option.

Pressed by Kind® Fruit Bars:  These super delicious fruit bars are made with fruit – mangos, apples, cherries, bananas and strawberries – along with chia seeds. With four flavors to choose from –   Mango Apple Chia, Cherry Apple Chia,  Strawberry Apple Cherry Chia, and Pineapple Banana Kale Spinach,  Pressed By Kind® Fruit Bars are a great choice for a sweet but nutritious treat. The company also makes Pressed by Kind Fruit Bars in two flavors with dark chocolate:  Dark Chocolate Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Banana. A box of twelve 1.2 ounce bars is $14-$15 on Amazon.

Kind Fruit Bites:  These 0.6 ounce packets of bite-size snacks are made with real fruit – no fruit juices, puree, or concentrates, and no preservatives, flavorings, colors, or sugar. Simply fruit. With three flavors – Strawberry Cherry Apple, Mango Pineapple Apple, and Cherry Apple, Kind Fruit Bites can be purchased from Kind where 30 pouches (10 of each flavor) sell for $30.51.

Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn:  Angie’s makes delicious Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn in single serving 1-ounce packets (24 packets for $11.99 on Amazon). A sweet but great alternative to candy.

Little Secrets:  Little Secrets are often described as the healthier version of the M&M. With no artificial anything, Little Secrets are “knock-your-socks-off” delicious bite sized candy coated chocolate bits. With three dairy-free flavors to choose from – Dark Chocolate, Sea Salted Almond, and Sea Salted Peanut, Little Secrets are flavorful, crunchy, and just plain scrumptious. Twelve 1.5-ounce packets in a box sell for about $19 on Amazon. Vitacost – an on-line retailer that also puts out promotional e-mails for 10-20% off orders also sells the boxes for about $18-$19 but with the promotion code, a box can be purchased for about $15 (with free shipping for all orders over $49).