Fresh Food Perspectives

Please visit my new site

Fresh Food Perspectives is no longer the active blogging platform for Jenna Braddock. 

If you are not automatically redirected to my new site, Make Healthy Easy, please click this link:

www.JennaBraddock.com

I'm signing off from FFP...

It's been 7 and half years since I started this little wonder blog. That's just crazy to fathom. So much has changed over those years about my life, me as a person, Team Braddock, you name it! 

I've learned a lot from blogging. I mean A LOT! And your comments have only contributed to my own personal growth. So,

Thank you for following along, some of you since the beginning. 

Thank you for sharing my content and participating in giveaways.

Thank you for using my recipes, tips, and information.

Thank you for caring about me and my family, especially when we went through some hard times.

I've realized in the past 5 months that FFP and I are no longer a great fit for a lot of reasons. Many of those reasons are tech-related. I've also realized that my philosophy for life, health and nutrition has shifted somewhat, mostly do to all those changes that I've experienced in my life. 

So, I've decided that it's time for Fresh Food Perspectives to retire. I'm going to keep the site live for a little while longer, but I'll no longer be blogging here. 

But wait!

This is NOT goodbye.

Instead, I have an invitation for you. Will you please follow me on my new journey, passion and philosophy to 

Make Healthy Easy ?

Yes, I'm moving forward with a whole new blog that is all about ways to help you (and ME!) make healthy easier in our every day lives. Specifically, I'm all about

Real life strategies for better health.

To put it bluntly, I want to be better at helping people achieve health and this is the best way for me to do that. I feel really good about this change and the new look. 

I'm going to continue making delicious and do-able recipes that help make life easier. I'm going to share fitness ideas and motivation, product reviews, health inspiration, and interesting posts about simple strategies that can really make a difference in your health. I want to deliver content that is going to make a difference in your life.

I'm so stinkin excited about it!

So will you please join in and follow my new site Make Healthy Easy at JennaBraddock.com ? It would mean so much to me to have you as a part of this new journey.

Please click on over and view my new About page where I introduce myself in a fresh new way, my Recipes page which is slowly adding my FFP recipes and quickly adding all new recipes, and my Videos page, where you can view some of my latest media clips. 

I would also love it if you joined my email update list so you never miss a minute of the MHE action. I'll also be sharing some tips and stories exclusively with these readers so you don't want to miss it. As a gift for following along, I'd like to give you my all new Smoothie Jump Start & Buying Guide completely FREE! Simply enter your info below and confirm it in your email to receive this helpful guide to getting started with smoothie making at home.  

You can also go directly to my new site to sign up too. Look for this icon on the right:

So let's do this! 

Let's work together to Make Healthy Easy for us all. 

I really don't think you or anyone else want to miss this so, after you sign up, please share this guide with a friend.

Thank you again for all your support. I cannot wait for what this year brings for us all. 

For the last time on FFP,

Quick Bean Burgers

This quick and easy vegan burger is made from pantry staples. While it is simple to prepare, it tastes restaurant quality. 

Special thanks to the Canned Food Alliance for sponsoring this post and compensating my time and ingredients for the recipe below. 

  

Hi everyone! I’m sorry for the lack of posts over the past week. It’s been a wonderful holiday for Team Braddock. Since Brian and I are both off work, we have enjoyed a lot of family time and I’ve barely looked at my computer. It’s been a really nice break and I’ve purposely tried to give my family my full attention. Plus, I’ve been on TV a couple of times, which means I was cooking A LOT!

So with the holiday season almost behind us, it’s time to move our attention to 2015. Perhaps you’ve begun to think about your goals for the new year, and hopefully your health. While I’m not a big believer in “New Year Resolutions”, I am a fan of goals and purposeful intentions. 

The New Year is a great time to think about what you want to get out of the next 365 days. Instead of making very lofty, mega-goals, I like to think about what small decisions in my daily life do I want to make differently this year. A series of small decisions over time can lead to big changes! So let me ask you, what’s a different small decision you’d like to make this year? Leave me a comment and let me know. 

I’ll tell you one of my new decisions for 2015 - I’m going to write down my weekly goals. What I mean is, I have so much swirling around in my head on what I want/need to accomplish on a daily basis. Rarely do those things make it out of my head in an orderly fashion which means rarely do they get done in a timely fashion. So I am going to make the decision to write down my goals for the week, probably just 2-3. Does anyone else do this? Is it helping them?

If nothing else, I hope you make a goal to treat your body well and improve your health this year. This happens by making small decisions in the minutia of your daily grind to eat well and move your body. 

Even with the best of intentions, life can get really busy. Eating healthy can be a challenge on long days of work or parenting. Trust me — I KNOW!! I’m here to help today with an EASY, QUICK, TASTY, and HEALTHY recipe. 

Canned foods make it so easy to whip up a quick, healthy meal especially for produce that is out of season, time consuming to prepare, or just plain expensive. And if you think canned food is less nutritious, think again. Research has shown that some canned products, like pumpkin and tomatoes, have excellent nutrient preservation. 

High amounts of sodium can be a concern with canned goods but it’s easy to find low or no sodium added options now. And, by simply draining and rinsing canned veggies, you reduce the sodium content by 41%. 

These are the canned items that I typically ALWAYS have in my pantry: beans (all types), tomato products (all types), whole kernel corn, roasted bell peppers, and olives. I’ve recently added some of the new pouches of vegetables, like carrots, to my pantry too, just in case I feel the need to add some to a recipe. 

Today I’m sharing with you a recipe for veggie burgers that is perfect for these kind of day — The I’m so tired from this day but I really want to eat healthy but it must be fast kind of day. I created this recipe to be filling, full of protein, and able to be frozen for a quick meal later. The secret weapon for this recipe is some of my favorite canned foods, many of which can be interchanged with whatever options you may have in your pantry. 

I’ve made this recipe with both black and pinto beans, but any bean that is mash-able will work. You can also substitute almost any canned veggie for the corn or carrots, as long as you chop them up if they are larger in size. 

The only item that requires some true cooking is the quinoa. I consider this an easy grain though because it only takes 15 minutes to cook. I will make a big batch ahead of time and freeze 1 cup portions to pull out for a recipe like this. Or, I’ll make it in the morning while I am getting ready and pull it out for dinner that night. It’s just so easy. You could also substitute some types of rice for the quinoa if needed. 

There are so many ways you can enjoy this burger that I doubt it will get old. Eat it with or without a bun, add cheese, top with avocado or tomato, dip in catchup, or tuck in a pita like falafel. So put this veggie burger on your meal plan for this week and make a double batch to freeze for later. On those crazy days that are coming quick, you will be so happy you did. 

For more recipes using healthy canned foods, visit this link. 

 

Quick Bean Burgers

1 can reduced sodium black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup whole kernel fire roasted corn, drained (do not rinse)

1/2 cup finely chopped sliced, carrots (from can or pouch; drain before chopping)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon fresh, ground pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Cooking spray

 

Directions

Heat a large, non stick skillet over medium heat. 

Dump beans in to a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, roughly mash up beans. 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine well. (I found using my hands to mix together was very effective.)

Spray skillet with cooking spray. Using either a 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cup, loosley scoop out bean mixture and form into a patty. Place patty on skillet and gently flatten further with back of a spatula. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 more minutes, spraying skillet with cooking spray in between if needed. Finish with all the bean mixture. Serve immediately or let cool completely for freezing (see notes).

Makes 4-5 large patties with 1/2 measuring cup.

Makes 5-6 medium patties with 1/3 measuring cup. 

 

Notes

After patties have cooled, wrap individually in stretch wrap and store in freezer. Allow to defrost slightly then reheat in microwave, toaster oven, or skillet.

Gluten Free Sweet Potato, Egg & Kale Stacks

 

I am lucky enough to have some friends that I have known my whole life. Do you have any of those kind of friends? These girls have been with me through so much.  It doesn't matter how long we are apart; it always feel like home to be together.

One of those people is my friend Michelle of Michelle VanTine Photography. We met in preschool and her 
mom was my teacher. Her parents were missionaries in Quebec and they came back to the states every several years. We went to preschool, one year in elementary school, 7th grade and 12th grade together in addition to keeping in touch in between.

There are so many things that I love about Michelle. She is naturally artistic and sees the world in an amazingly fun way. This therefore pushes me out of my comfort zone a lot, but in a good a way. We shared a love of volleyball and played together our senior year of high school. She speaks fluent French and I sort of love it when she starts rambling off (particularly when she's mad). But the coolest thing about Michelle is that we share the same birthday! I mean, come on, we were destined to be forever friends.

I could go on and on about the fun times and sweet moments of life we have shared, but it would take a really long time. Instead, I want to share with you about a special food-photography time we had together over the Thanksgiving holiday. She is a professional photographer and I wanted to learn some food photography tips and tricks from her. {Exciting news is she helped me find a DSLR used camera in my budget!!!}

Since we both have 2 kids now and are working, entrepreneurial women, finding time to just cook and shoot together is not easy.

We spent an afternoon together catching up, cooking and photographing our food. It was so much fun. She shared a few of her favorite go-to gluten free recipes with me and I am really excited to share them with you. Today is the first and I think my favorite.

They are easy and really delicious. Michelle has been eating gluten free for a year and has found that she just feels better when she does. 

Michelle prefers foods that are naturally gluten free instead of "gluten free products". She and I both regularly cook with such foods like kale, sweet potatoes, quinoa, eggs, and peppers. I discovered that we share a love for Cabot cheddar cheese too. =)

We both hope that you enjoy todays' recipe of Sweet Potato, Egg and Kale Stacks. I'm not joking when I say it so stinkin delicious. It's loaded with superfoods too so it's a WIN for both your body and well-being. 

Thank you Michelle for taking the time to cook with me and teach me some of your best tricks! Please check out her website and if you are looking for an incredibly talented photographer, she's your girl. 

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Sweet Potato, Egg & Kale Stacks 

4 small (or 2 large) Sweet Potatoes
½ White Onion, diced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
5 cups fresh Spinach or Kale, chopped
Eggs (1 person)
1 cup shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar

Directions

Wash, peel, and chop sweet potatoes.  Place in microwave safe bowl and precook in microwave with a little water on high for 5 minutes. Drain. Toss with chopped white onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler and move rack to middle of oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dump on to baking sheet. Place under broiler for 10 minutes, watching carefully and stirring once.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and cook kale until charred. When edges are crispy (5 -10 minutes) remove, sprinkle with pepper, and set aside

Reduce heat in skillet and fry eggs to preferred doneness. (I love them over easy.)

Remove all items from cooking source. Stack food on serving plate with roasted sweet potatoes on the bottom, then the egg, next Cabot cheese, and the kale on top. 

Serves 4

 

Make Healthy Easy Holiday Edition - Join Me at lululemon Jax

I'm very excited to share this invitation with you. If you need some encouragement and motivation to make it triumphantly through this holiday season, then come and join me in Jacksonville, FL this Saturday! I'm so stinkin excited! 

 

 Thank you to lululemon Jascksonville for inviting me to your fabulous store! What a great group of people work there. I had so much fun with their staff yesterday picking out clothes from their BEAUTIFUL selection. Since I wear workout clothes pretty much anytime I am not at work, I appreciate a functional outfit that still makes me feel beautiful. Check out this beautiful get-up JoHanna helped me pick out (sorry the picture is dark). 

My pants are the Equisite Pant in shine dot black and the top is the Equisite top in nightfall. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the sweater but it's a beautiful, purple asymmetrical number that I would've never picked out for myself. Thank you JoHanna for the personal attention in finding me the perfect outfit.

If you are not able to join me, please follow my #MakeHealthyEasy Pinterest Board to find easy and do-able ideas to help you make healthy living just a little bit easier. I've got an incredible group of pinners pinning to this board. If you want to help add ideas, just leave me a comment and I would be happy to add you. 

December 2nd - A Fateful Day in 1969

Today I am veering from my typical topics to bring you a very special story about this day in history. December 2nd has always been very significant to my family because it was on this day in 1969 that my dad experienced the most significant battle of his tour of duty while serving in the Vietnam war.

My brother wrote this beautiful account of this battle for his blog several years ago and agreed to let me share it with you today. He is a very talented story teller and I tear up reading any part of this account. Without the valor of the men described below, my father, or my family, literally would not be here today. 

By sharing this with you today, I am honoring these men and all the other men and women who have bravely served our country. Thank you! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by John Houmes, a PCA pastor who is in the midst of planting a new church in the Hollywood/Hallandale area of South Florida. Please read about his ministry at hhchurchplant.com

On December 2nd, 1969, in the jungles of Vietnam, the soldiers of Company B, First Battalion of the Eighth Cavalry in the First Cavalry Division displayed exceptional bravery during a battle with North Vietnamese troops. During the six hour battle, the men of Company B, nicknamed “Pigiron”, displayed such courage that they were later given every medal for valor that the Army awarded.

At 1340 hours, the second squad of the second platoon of Company B under the leadership of Sgt. Bob Credit found a North Vietnamese regimental under-ground base camp and immediately engaged the enemy. The rest of the second platoon came to their aid as the battle raged. Company B was still outnumbered 300 to 25.

During this time, 2nd Lt. Robert Leisy saw an enemy sniper ready to fire a rocket propelled grenade at his radio operator, Pfc. Bernie Baillargeon. Leisy, knowing that the platoon was doomed if the radio went out, jumped in front of the grenade and absorbed its full impact. Mortally wounded and refusing medical attention, Leisy continued to command the platoon and direct a strategic withdrawal from the battle. Leisy would die later that day.

 My dad (middle) with Lt. Leisy (right).

​The battle continued on and a withdrawal was ordered. Pigiron was heavily pinned down and uncertain whether they would be able to get out alive. Artillery was called in, but the range of the guns was limited to right about where Company B was located. Lt. John Eckhardt, forward artillery observer, called in and directed over 600 rounds of artillery anyway.

Capt. Jerry Fitzgerald, pinned down by overwhelming fire power, coordinated more artillery, gunship support, tactical air strikes, medical evacuation and commanded the rest of Company B. As the company withdrew, Pfc. Baillargeon, while injured himself, carried 3 wounded soldiers out of the battle area to safety. Each time that he returned to the battle area, he faced machine gun fire and grenades. Baillargeon nuetralized a machine gun nest and a sniper. His last act of heroism that day was to return to the battle field and retrieve a radio that had been left behind.

The two in the center are my dad and Bernie in 1969. The other picture is Bernie and my dad recently. 

Pfc. Robert Dalton, the ammo carrier for M-60 machine gunner Pfc. Al Pickard, repeatedly exposed himself to deadly enemy fire to provide ammunition necessary to protect the company as they withdrew. Pickard provided covering fire as the company retreated. He was wounded twice, but continued to operate his machine gun. He died after he was shot a third time.

Pfc. Rueben Valencia, second platoon point man, saw various enemy firing positions while under withering fire and engaged the enemy. His accurate assessment of enemy positions lead to the neutralization of those positions facilitating the strategic withdrawal.

Sgt. Bill Nichols, second platoon squad leader, displayed unswerving leadership and courage against overwhelming enemy forces. His calm and clear leadership gave his squad the ability to safely retreat from the deadly battle.

Pigiron withdrew to a hill to wait out the night. Most of them thought that they would not live to see the morning, believing they would be overrun. The next morning, there was a cease fire, and they returned to their previous day’s position to retrieve the bodies of two of their men. Al Pickard’s body had been booby trapped. Still injured, Bernie Baillargeon was able to safely insert the pin back into a grenade that had been set under Pickard’s leg to explode when his body was moved. 

There was another small fire fight and several booby trap explosions. Some men were injured from these explosions. They left the valley and returned to the hill again for the night. Cobra helicopter gunships flew over Company B’s position during the night to protect them from the North Vietnamese. The next morning, the Air Force dropped “daisy-cutter” bombs to clear the foliage so that helicopters could land and extract Company B. The “daisy-cutters” cleared an area approximately the size of two football fields. Pigiron was extracted from their position and returned to Firebase Ellen.

For their courage displayed on December 2nd, the men of Company B were awarded the Medal of Honor (Lt. Leisy), the Distinguished Service Medal (Al Pickard), three Silver Stars, and three Bronze Stars, as well as numerous Purple Hearts. Although I was born ten years after that fateful day in 1969, it holds a special place in my mind and heart. My dad was a member of Company B. He was part of second platoon that came to aid once the battle had started. He was 20 feet away from Lt. Leisy when he saved Bernie Baillargeon and the radio from the rocket propelled grenade. My dad was pinned down in the rear of Company B’s position. He had been ordered to hold position near a large tree while others slipped around the tree to communicate with the rest of Company B. The North Vietnamese had formed a “V” that Pigiron had walked right into. My dad was eyeing Pigiron’s right flank, fearful that the North Vietnamese would close the “V” and overrun them. With the other men who were able to make it out, he withdrew to the hill carrying his friend Jessie Cornelison. That day is burned into my Dad’s memory.

Dad in front of the company B sign. 

My dad

​I grew up hearing stories about December 2nd. Lt. Leisy, Al Pickard and Jessie Cornelison were all familiar names to me. They were just names until 2001, when after months of research on the internet, phone calls, and letters, my dad was able to make contact with the men of Company B and plan a reunion for the following year. I was honored to be able to attend.

The men of Company B met in Fort Lauderdale in March of 2002. Some of them had not mentioned Vietnam since they got on a “freedom bird” plane in Saigon to return to the US. Others were uncertain how they’d feel after 33 years. The men got together. They talked. They listened. They cried. They hugged each other. They met each other’s wives and children. They toasted their fallen brothers. They told stories. They looked at old photos. They filled in missing details. They healed.

Rueben Valencia kisses Bernie Baillargeon at the Pigiron Reunion. The men of Company B - Pigiron...decades after the battle on December 2nd. 

​I was humbled as I watched this unfold and saw my Dad in the midst of this. The events of December 2nd and the stories he told about Vietnam had become such a big part of my family, and more personally, me. My Dad and I are very close, and I could not help but be filled with pride as I met the men that my Dad served with. Before then, they had just been names in stories. After that, they were my friends. They told me if I ever needed anything just to let them know and they’d take care of me. They said my Dad was their brother, and that made me family.

Several years ago, I was honored to attend the fourth annual reunion of Company B. The men told more stories. They honored their fallen brothers again. They looked at more pictures. They hugged each other’s wives. They healed. 

I can’t help but think that the events of December 2nd, 1969 were tragic. But Pigiron is tough, and they are brothers. They always will be. 

{Recipe Redux} Holiday (& Healthy) Spinach Artichoke Dip

 This creamy and flavorful dip is perfect for your holiday gathering or any time of year because it's good for you too!

As a dietitian, when it comes to special foods my family enjoys at the holidays, it seems most people think all I want is salad or broccoli. Oh contraire! While I do enjoy all things green, I, like you, also love all the food of the holidays.

The holidays bring back so many fond food memories for me. I'm actually pretty thankful that home cooked food is a part of so many great experiences I had as a child. My mom and I made either Christmas cookies or gingerbread houses every year and I really treasure these memories. It's so fun to watch her now passing these traditions on to the Grands.

Among the many things I also remember are always having shrimp cocktail on Christmas Eve, a delicious sweet bread on Christmas morning, and an amazing carrot cake for Jesus' birthday cake. 

While our family still continues to make many of these foods, some traditions have changed. As my brother and I got older, our family started enjoying eating out for Christmas Eve dinner. In Ft. Lauderdale, one of our family's favorite restaurants for Christmas Eve dinner is Houston's and they have the most amazing spinach and artichoke dip. It's a must-get appetizer for us. Now, when I think about getting all together as a family for a special holiday meal out, I immediately think of the many wonderful meals we shared at Houston's that started off with spinach and artichoke dip.

Nowadays, going out to eat together at the holidays is a lot trickier because our family has grown from 4 people to 10 (with 4 of those members being 4 or younger). So when the challenge for The Recipe Redux this month was to share a recipe redo from a favorite holiday food memory, I knew I wanted to create a healthier spinach artichoke dip that we could all enjoy at home. (Yes mom, I volunteer to make this over the holidays.)

My goal for this redo was to keep the creaminess and flavor but reduce the overall calories, all while secretly make this full of health promoting ingredients. This dip is creamy with rich flavor (thanks to Cabot Greek yogurt and Alpine Cheddar) but also full of amazing super food power thanks to the protein content, fresh spinach, avocado, marinated artichoke hearts, fresh garlic and smoked paprika.

 

 

So whip up this dip (even make it ahead and freeze it) for the holidays but also feel great about enjoying it any time of the year! I can't wait to share this with my family.

I hope you can create some wonderful memories around this favorite dip, just like we do every year. Happy Holidays!

Holiday (& Healthy) Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 1/2 cups reduced fat plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Cabot)

4 cups chopped, fresh spinach

1 cup shredded Cabot Legacy Collection Alpine Cheddar

1 12 oz jar marinated and quartered artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 Hass avocado, seeded and mashed

1 clove of fresh garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven racks in the middle of the oven. 
2. Fold together all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Spread into a shallow 1 1/2 - 2 quart baking dish (or 3 small oven safe ramekins). 
3. Bake for 12 minutes, until warmed through and top is slightly browned. Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chip, crackers, or bread.

Serves 6-8 

An InLinkz Link-up

Move it Men for Movember - Every Day Activities Count

Today, I'm dedicating my post to all the hard working Dudes out there that are trying to balance work, health, and relationships. I watch my super hubby struggle with trying to find time to exercise amidst really long work days and wanting to spend a smidgen of time with us. He is often frustrated by the fact that the one thing he KNOWS will give him more energy - exercise - is the hardest thing to find time to do. 

So in light of it being Movember (a favorite health holiday of mine BTW) I've compiled a quick list of every day 30 minute activities and the number of calories they burn. I hope this encourages you guys, that even when all you have time to do it work, love on your family, and do a household chore, that activity counts and can make a difference in your health.

 

 

If you are unfamiliar with Movember, please check out the website. I LOVE that there's a month to celebrate how important it is for men to take care of their health. While I recognize that there's little time for my hubs, and maybe you too, to make doctors appointments or get blood work, you MUST do it! Take ownership of your health because a lot of us are counting on you. 

Special thanks to my student Marisa for helping design this awesome image. 

Halloween Treat Alternative Video

Hey all!

Halloween is just a couple of days away. I posted earlier in the week on the topic of Halloween treat alternatives in this post and that I shared these ideas on a daytime lifestyle show in Jacksonville called First Coast Living. 

The video clip is available. Click here to watch it.  (Sorry, it wasn't available when I posted on Monday.) Enjoy and please share with anyone who may be interested.

Have a happy Halloween!

 

{Disclosure: I received free samples from Justin's and Somersault Snacks which I chose to include in this segment. I used a free sample from Dole (squeezie pack) that I received as a participant at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. I was not compensated for my time or use of any of these products in this segment. All items included were of my own choosing based on ideas I use personally.}

Halloween Money Tree and Healthier Trick or Treat Ideas

I have to confess that I struggle a little bit with Halloween and the candy overload that it involves. I absolutely love the holiday and the festivities, but it's the connection with eating yourself sick from candy that I just have a hard time stomaching. Truly, I am embarrassed to say this because I really believe in enjoying food, holidays and traditions without fear or guilt. But why just so much candy??

Alright, I have another confession. I've tried giving healthier foods to trick or treaters and it went OK, at best. Not only was my hubby embarrassed (he has a go big or go home mentality with Halloween) but I was pretty defeated at the end of the night. Most kids either hesitated when they saw what was in my candy bucket or made a comment along the lines of "what is that?" 

Today I am making an appearance on First Coast Living about this very topic, so this year I was determined to find some GREAT (not just good) candy alternatives for trick or treaters. You tell me, but I think I put together some ideas that people may actually do. Here's the list and includes Amazon links to some of the products I ordered to make it easy for you. You can still get them in time for Halloween if you order right away. (FYI the Amazon links are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting FFP!)

 

Halloween Money Tree - This is my favorite idea. I can't take total credit because my colleague at UNF gave me the idea. All you do is wrap up a few coins in a little square of fabric and tie a loop around it. Hang them on a Halloween theme tree and let each trick-or-treater pick one off.

Little kids LOVE coins and get excited about even the smallest amounts. Get $10 worth of coins and you will probably spend less doing this than you would buying candy. 

This is also a perfect idea for participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project that supports non-food items for children with food allergies. Download the Download Teal Pumpkin Sign 8.5x11 for your front door that alerts children with food allergies that you  have non-food item for trick-or-treaters.

Temporary Tattoos - Tattoos are a fun alternative to candy. My toddler loves them. I know they will be a hit this year. 

Justin's peanut butter cups and packets - If you are looking for an all-natural, organic Halloween treat, Justin's is the way to go. These PB cups are so delicious. Justin's is a company that I do not officially work for, but have been a huge fan for many years. I will be passing these out in my neighborhood for sure! 

YumEarth Organic Fruit Lollipops - These tasty lolli's are free of everything you might not want in your candy: dyes, artificial ingredients, nuts, gluten, soy, and high fructose corn syrup. They are also vegan. 

Mummy-Wrapped Fruit Squeezies - Simple wrap a fruit squeeze pack with strips of paper or crepe paper and draw a silly face to turn an ordinary snack into a fun Halloween treat. Picture and Idea from The Nerd's Wife.

Cabot Cheese Seriously Sharp Cheddar Snack Size - I think this is an option that kids may be surprised by but end up loving. I bet it will get gobbled up before they even make it home. The nice thing about cheddar cheese is that it contains almost NO lactose, so it's a great choice even for those who are lactose intolerant.

Bubble Gum - Gum is a fun and welcomed alternative to candy. Plus, you burn calories from chewing gum and strengthen your mouth muscles. Lame fact, I know, but it's something interesting to remember. 

Somersault Snacks - I love these tasty, nut-free crunchy nuggets. They are made with sunflower seeds and come in a variety of delicious flavors. They do contain wheat so they are NOT gluten-free. 

So, what do you think? Will you try one of these options? Leave me a comment if you have any other great ideas to share too. With a little creativity, Halloween can be super fun, super sweet and still support healthy living. 

Trick-or-Treat!!