Tag: halloween

Chef V’s Halloween Trick: Transforming Treats Into Healthier Alternatives

Chef V

fruit halloween treats

It’s one thing to wish someone a happy, healthy New Year. But a happy, healthy Halloween? Not with all the added sugars that cause tooth decay and promote metabolic diseases. Not to mention the artificial food colorings that contribute to hyperactivity disorders. But if you’ve got kids—or if you’re a big kid trapped in an adult’s body—thankfully, Veronica the “V” in Chef V has got some tips for celebrating a Halloween, complete with SCARY fruit.

If you’ve been reading my blog over the years, you know I abide by this golden rule of nutrition: eat healthy (meaning whole, unprocessed food) at least 80% of the time. Personally, I’m not perfect when it comes to eating like a saint. Thanks to occasional overpowering cravings for french fries, I do confess to being a food sinner maybe 5-10% of the time.

funny halloween fruit

So I understand that on Halloween, it can be tempting to let your hair down and indulge. What’s the harm in a few mini-size candy bars? The problem is, where does it end? Can you really limit yourself to just one or two bite-size treats?

If so, then get your trick-or-treat on. But maybe you’re somebody who needs to have not only their Halloween cake so to speak but their cake pops, bat-shaped and witch-finger cookies and spiced apple cider. (Depending on the brand or how it’s made, spiced apple cider can have more sugar than soda!)

If that’s you, I have some healthy Halloween suggestions…

pumpkin seed nutritional facts

Balance It Out

So if you are planning on going to a Halloween party and indulging a little bit, do what I do. Anytime I know that I’ll be faced with a food kryptonite, powerless to just say no, I make sure that I feast on healthy things earlier in the day. For example, let’s say that I’m going to a holiday party at night, then for lunch I’ll have a huge salad and maybe an extra serving of Green Drink before I leave.

Eating more veggies (and drinking them) will help alkalize your system, which will help neutralize the effects of the highly-processed food.

pumpkin popsicles

Healthier Snacks

If you do a Google search for healthy Halloween snacks, you could get tricked. Excuse the pun. You see, what I mean by that is that something that always comes up is little boxes of raisins. Are raisins healthier than candy bars? For sure they are. But just one small box contains 25 grams of sugar.

So what are better alternatives?

Get creative and make your own healthy treats. Like these haunted bananas and pumpkin-lookalike tangerines.

Or how about carving spooky apple slices?

apple carving

You can also bake gluten-free, stevia-sweetened pumpkin muffins or offer cinnamon sticks, wild honey sticks and baked pumpkin seeds.

But if you don’t have the time or skills to make these healthy treats, then just fill your jack-o-lantern with whole foods that most kids love, including:

  • Cuties
  • 100% fruit roll ups
  • Low-sugar juice boxes (Honest brand)

Make Pumpkins Healthy Again

One of the healthiest treats you can give or eat is the symbolic image of Halloween: pumpkins. One of the healthiest fruits (yes, pumpkins are technically a fruit), pumpkins have an extremely low glycemic load (3), meaning that it will hardly raise your blood sugar levels.

Plus, pumpkins are packed with carotenoids, which is a type of antioxidant. Carotenoids are one of the most important anti-aging phytonutrients. You’ve probably heard of some specific carotenoids that pumpkin contains, including beta-carotene. There’s also the vision- and eye-health supporting carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.

Speaking of beta-carotene, it’s the precursor of Vitamin A and get this, one cup of canned pumpkin contains nearly 800% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A. In addition, pumpkin is rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and several other vitamins and minerals. And one more fun fact about pumpkins is that they are super high in fiber, which helps things move along if you have constipation.

So consider making a pureed (canned; with BPA-free lining) pumpkin treat for Halloween. To sweeten it without sugar, consider using monk fruit extract or stevia.

And finally, don’t forget to indulge in pumpkin seeds (pepitas), which are also super healthy.

Have a happy, healthy Halloween!

Chef V

Spicy Golden Pumpkin Hummus

Chef V

This treat is so yummy you can eat it with gluten free crackers, veggies, on a veggie sandwich. For a party or everyday, I know you’ll enjoy it. – Veronica

sweet watermelon crunch salad

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups Chef V’s Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/4 cup organic lime juice
  • 1/4 cup organic tahini
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp organic sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil

Directions

Blend all ingredients together in a Vitamix or food processor. Slowly add the olive oil while blending low. Continue to blend until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving and serve cold. Bon Appetit! – Veronica

4 Ideas for Sweet (and Healthy) Halloween Treats

Chef V

Veronica working from home

Halloween is filled with all kinds of spooks and terrors. It’s great to eat a few sweet treats on Halloween, but the idea of stocking your shelf with processed store-bought candy – and eating it all! – has a certain terror to it.

Today we’ll go over some ideas for making healthy vegan sweets, as well as a warning on the dangers of overdoing the sugar this season.

The Scary Side of Sugar

Anyone who has had to deal with children on Halloween knows all about the hyperactivity and stomach aches that come with overdosing on sugar. As adults, we like to imagine that we pace ourselves better – but this can often just mean that our sugar overloads silently stalk us like Michael Myers before they strike with a host of nasty side effects.

The side effects of too much sugar can throw your entire healthy routine out of whack. If you’re trying to lose weight throughout the fall, your plans can be gutted by just one careless Halloween week.

This is because too much sugary food can, counterintuitively, make you feel even hungry. Mass-produced Halloween candy is like a “food-specter” – it doesn’t really have a lot of the fiber or protein we need to properly feel full. This means you’ll be putting on sugar pounds, while still feeling the need to binge.

Beyond the phantom threat of weight gain, too much sugar can also lead to fatigue, high blood pressure, bad skin, and general irritability. None of these are things you want to deal with when planning for Halloween fun.

So if you’re throwing a devilish party this weekend, it’s time you considered ditching the cheap candy. The following are some great ideas for healthy Halloween treats to get your creative (green) juices flowing!

green drink

#1 Pick Pumpkins

Pumpkins are synonymous with Halloween – but they don’t need to be synonymous with sugar-filled pumpkin pies. Why not try a recipe for vegan pumpkin cookies instead? There are plenty of ways to make sweet pumpkin treats that are low in sugar and fat.

#2 Astonish with Apples

Bobbing for apples is an old-timey Halloween tradition. Apples are also deliciously sweet. So why aren’t we swapping out more candy for apple-based snacks? Apple slices are also a great way to get creative with fun Halloween treats. Or why not a new twist on an old favorite?

#3 Boo! Bananas

While not perhaps a traditional Halloween fruit, people are starting to notice that you can easily transform bananas into spooky ghost-themed frozen treats. Here’s just one example of how to make some of these deliciously spooky treats yourself.

#4 Get Classic With Candy Corn

Are banana ghosts a little too non-traditional for you? Are you really old school when it comes to Halloween? If you just can’t beat your candy corn cravings, why not at least go for a vegan, homemade option?

It’s Not Too Late to Save Yourself – With a Chef V Low Sugar Cleanse

If you feel like it’s too late for you, don’t worry. Not all of us have the same success escaping the sugar monster in October. However, with Chef V, you always have a secret weapon on hand to pull out an overall win. A blended juice cleanse can be the best way to wipe out the gunk of the Halloween season.

If you’re still worried about sugar content during your blended juice detox, don’t! Chef V offers the Chef V low sugar cleanse, perfect for those with an aversion to sugar, or even for those with medical concerns like diabetes. No matter your sugar or weight loss concerns, a blended juice cleanse can keep you safe from the weight gain spooks…. At least until Thanksgiving.

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.