Halloween

I love Halloween. I'm a total Halloween nerd! Something to do with the black, orange and purple, the crisp weather, squash & pumpkins being harvested, and the leaves changing. I just love it! So when my daughter showed signs of a sugar sensitivity 2 1/2 years ago, I didn't know what we were going to do! Last year was really tough, but this year was much better. (Not perfect, mind you, but BETTER!) I decided to let the children decide if they wanted to Trick or Treat on Halloween night or at our church Trunk or Treat, and they chose the latter. I'm definitely the kind of person that would feel very deceitful to give away candy at a trunk or treat knowing the effects that it has on our bodies, so I found this super cute idea on Pinterest. Perfect!

 Of course, the kids helped out with the drawings, and we had so much fun.

 I had sooooo many kids who came to my trunk who were so excited to have clementines! Definitely a keeper. And truly, I spent as much on the clementines as I normally do on candy, so it wasn't any more money.

Next, I have to share this because I promise I am totally empty in the creativity department. I can build on other folks' ideas, but as far as coming up with something on my own? Nope. (I tease my sister that when my parents created her, the bottle of creativity spilled, so there wasn't any leftover for me.) hahaha! She's amazing.
Anyway, I came up with this ALL BY MYSELF!!! The picture is terrible, but can you tell what it is?

 It's a "VAN-PIRE!" heeheeheeeheeheeeee! I had my Halloween playlist going, black trashbags taped on the van as a cape and pointy teeth. And I sat in between the teeth to pass out treats. So much fun!

So, then we came home, and this is my favorite part: the kids dumped ALL OF THEIR CANDY IN A BIG BOWL. To eat? Nope. No, this is to give to the "Halloween fairy". Okay, they know the fairy is ME, but it's a lot more fun to say Halloween fairy then just plain jane momma. They went to bed quickly, and I got to work.

 Several weeks ago I went to the dollar bins at Target and scored. Big time. I spent about $19 and got all kinds of cute things, including my favorite: Halloween books!! (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Frankenstein, White Fang classics for the big kids & a Disney princess autumn book and Halloween pop up book for my younglings.)

 I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago and put them in the freezer for tonight, and I made popcorn balls and a healthier version of rice krispie treats for the kids. For those, I used a pumpkin cookie cutter and then put raisins on it for eyes and a mouth. (Recipes below)  My Krispie treats are cooling in the pan below, as is the popcorn. There's the bowl of candy prior to dumping in the trash where it belongs.

The kids were sooooo thrilled when they woke up the next morning. My cute little 4  year old said, "Mom! We have GOOD treats!" And instead of me picking through the candy....ya'll would be proud: I THREW IT ALL AWAY! Yay for my sugar-addicted self to throw it away.

Do you do anything different for Halloween?

No-Bake Halloween Krispie Treats
4 T organic butter
5 1/2 c vegan marshmallows (without high fructose corn syrup!!!)
1 t cinnamon
8 c organic corn flakes (my hubby found a box with flax seed & other nummies in it!)
raisins or dark chocolate mini chunks for decorating


Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium pot, heat marshmallows, butter and cinnamon over medium-low heat, stirring often, until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add corn flakes, quickly and gently tossing to coat (try not to crush too many of the flakes). Transfer to pan, spreading it out evenly and pressing down firmly. Set aside in a cool spot for 30 minutes.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and transfer to a large plate. Use chocolate and fruit to decorate cookies like jack-o-lanterns.


Almond Butter Popcorn Balls
10-12 c popped popcorn (I go through and remove unpopped kernals)
1/2 c raw honey
1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/2 c chunky almond butter
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon 
2 t vanilla
2 T coconut oil
1/2 t sea salt

Mix all ingredients except popcorn over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring CONSTANTLY! Pour over popcorn and mix well. Set aside to cool. Once cool you can form into balls or eat right out of the bowl. Yummmmmmyyyyy!!!!

Cheezy Potatoes

Potatoes of your choice
olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1 c almonaise
1/2 c+ almond milk
Ranch dressing spices (garlic and onion powders, parsley, etc. just whatever sounds yummy or you can use a teaspoon or so of this!)

1 batch Cheezy sauce

Optional:
chives
green onions

Cut potatoes into large dices and place in a thick layer on a foil layered pan (or 2). :)  Drizzle with olive oil and mix gently. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Shake up  the almonaise, almond milk and spices and pour over potatoes. Pour cheezy sauce over potatoes. Let sit for a few minutes until sauces are warmed. Garnish, if desired, with chives or green onions. Serve.
YUM!

Quick Red Lentil Soup

Quick Red Lentil Soup

• 1 1/3 c red lentils, picked through and rinsed well
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3/4 t fine sea salt, or to taste
• Lemon wedges and chopped mint for serving (optional)

In a large pot, combine lentils, broth, onion, carrot, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cayenne and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables and very tender and lentils begin to fall apart, about 25 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and carefully blend about half the soup in a blender, but use caution when blending hot liquids: blend only in small batches, hold the lid down firmly with a kitchen towel, and begin blending on low speed. Serve with lemon wedges and mint if desired. 

My kiddos ate this UP, and wanted it in their lunch the following day. It was delicious and satisfying on a chilly night.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise (seeds removed)
1-2 T coconut oil
1/2 t sea salt
1 1/2 c cooked wild rice (I used the sprouted quinoa/wild rice mix from Costco)
2 oz mozzerella cheese, shredded
1/2 c raw walnuts, chopped
1/3 c raisins, chopped
1 1/2 t olive oil
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the squash halves, cut side up, on the sheet. Brush with some coconut oil and sprinkle with 1/2 t sea salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven.

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Place some of mixture in each squash half. Turn oven to broil and place in oven. Broil for 2-3 min or until cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

(We have a large family and doubled this recipe. Everyone LOVED it!)

Southwest Quinoa Soup

Southwest Quinoa Soup
14-15 c vegetable broth
3 c quinoa, rinsed well and drained
3 T taco seasoning (make your own!)
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 T turmeric
1 T cumin
2 Bay leaves
 1 can of red enchilada sauce (or 1 can tomato sauce mixed with a teaspoon of taco seasoning)
 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed (or 3 cups)
2 c frozen corn
1 large can diced tomatoes
1-2 t sea salt (to taste)
1 lime
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 sliced avocado


In a LARGE pot combine the first 14 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until carrots are tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Ladle into bowls, then add fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, avocado slices.
Delicious!