How To Have Yourself A Holistic Halloween

baby-led-costume

Author Amy-Rose Lane

Forget about ghosts and ghouls this Halloween. What’s lurking in your kids candy bag is likely to give you a serious case of the heebie jeebies. We know that Halloween isn’t the healthiest holiday of the season, and sugar is the anti Low Carb, so hopefully this day falls on your cheat day so there won’t be so much temptation to sneak one or two from your kids bag. When it comes to trick or treating, we have virtually no control over how much candy our kids (or we) get exposed to! You know the drill. Candy leads to excitement. Excitement leads to tantrums. Tantrums lead to the dark side. 

But deny your kids the opportunity to trick or treat with their friends? MORE tantrums. What to do? Here’s How To Have Yourself A Holistic Halloween…

Set The Rules And Explain Them

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Photo Courtesy of: media.giphy.com/media

Yes we can go trick or treating. No, you will not sit on a mountain made of candy like Smaug the dragon, and devour it in one sitting. Decide on the rules before the big day, and make sure everyone knows about them (including husbands, who if they’re anything like mine, cannot resist free candy either) 

Eat Dinner Early To Avoid A Sugar Crash

witches

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Blackmail your kids with vegetables before the big outing. The plan is to stuff them with healthy filler, before they have the opportunity to run amuck in candyland! It’s also a good idea to fill yourself up too – especially if you have a large brood. You don’t want to run out of energy half way through the night, and end up stealing your kids candy either!

Plan Your Route

Will Ferell

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Sugar crashes and temper tantrums should be the height of your stress. Nothing else. All Hallow’s Eve is the only night of the year that it’s acceptable to knock on the doors of strangers(aka your neighbors). Do some research, and make sure you don’t end up in the bad neck of the woods. 

Give Some Back

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Photo Courtesy of: media.tumblr

If you end up with multiple pillow cases stuffed with candy, consider donating some of that candy to a good cause. Operation Gratitude will send your surplus candy overseas to active military members. Now that’s a good way to give back!

Don’t Be Led Astray By Pinterest

Pinterest halloween fail

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The Internet is rife with Halloween pinterest fails! The last thing you need on Halloween is to be up to your elbows in a half-sewn costume, or trying to pull together an elaborate recipe. Save yourself the stress, and head to the store in advance! I got the cutest Knight costume for my sone from a thrift store for $12 that looks brand new! 

Consider Toys Over Candy

TOO MUCH SUGAR FAIRY

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For parents who have a child with diabetes, Halloween can truly be a nightmare. On the other hand, you might not want to emotionally link candy with a reward. But you don’t have to punish your kid with a salad mix. Consider getting your child toys or trinkets instead of candy, so they don’t feel like they’re missing out. If you choose to stay at home instead of going trick or treating, buy some trinkets to hand out instead of edible treats. Your kid won’t be able to sneak off with anything that they’re not allowed! Check out this great website for more Halloween hacks if you’re the parent of a diabetic child. [Read more…]

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets

Easy..Tasty.High.Protein.Veggie.Nuggets.www.4hourbodygirl.com

Instead of over processed chicken nuggets that are made with who knows what, why not make these Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets? The protein comes from the lentils, which are perfect for any low carb/slow carb diet. You can feel about eating these and giving them to your kids. My son loves them. He loves anything with dip mind you, and I usually make a cucumber, garlic & greek yogurt dip (for even more protein) for these, but you could dip them in any “traditional” nugget dip like BBQ sauce, honey mustard, ketchup or ranch. 

These cute little nuggets of fried goodness are bursting with flavor. Start out by sautéing some onions and carrots with tomato paste.

carrots and onion | www.4hourbodygirl.com

I was thinking about an episode I watched on Jamie Olivers Food Revolution show, where he went to the preschools and showed the kids how chicken nuggets from McDonalds were made. He took all of the the most disgusting pieces from the chicken….the fat, the bones, the organs and stuck them in the food processor, grinded them up into a paste then added a few dried herbs and spices and asked the kids if they’d eat it. They all let out a HUGE Noooooo!!!!. But then, he proceeded to form the paste into nuggets, fried them up and to my surprise they all wanted them! He was shocked too! It was an interesting experiment, but knowing (or more like, NOT knowing) what’s really in them got me thinking of alternatives that could be just as fun, look similar, but are full of nutrition for my child and came up with these Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets.

I adapted this recipe from an favorite in Istanbul called küfte. As I was “adapting”, I thought to myself: who are you to be making adjustments to at traditional recipe from Istanbul? Annnd….welll…. I never really came up with a good answer to that. So enjoy my Canadian twist on this traditional dish!

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com

 

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com

 

For other healthy, easy and delicious snack ideas check out my Pinterest boards. You can follow my boards to make it easy for you to come up with healthy options for you and your kids. 

 Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets www.4hourbodygirl.com

Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets
Yields 10
A delicious snack the whole family can enjoy and feel good about.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 tblsp butter
  2. 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
  3. 1 carrot, finely chopped
  4. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  5. 2 teaspoons paprika
  6. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  7. 1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
  8. 4 cups water
  9. 1 cup medium-quinoa
  10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  11. Lentil flour, for dusting
  12. Avocado oil, for frying
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the white onion and carrot and cook over medium heat, until soft, for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika and cumin, then add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 8-10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and have absorbed about three-fourths of the liquid. Stir in the quinoa and remove from the heat. Let stand until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is softened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet; spread in an even layer to cool.
  2. Put 1/2 cup of flour in a plate. Divide the lentil mixture into 16 portions; form into 3/4-inch-thick patties. Dredge the patties in the flour, shake off any excess and set on a floured baking sheet. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the patties over medium heat, turning once, until golden, for about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil to the skillet if needed.
Notes
  1. Double the batch and freeze for future quick snacks and to add to lunches.
4- HOUR BODY GIRL https://www.4hourbodygirl.com/
Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com
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