For those of us with young kids, Halloween is an exciting time to choose costumes, pull out our fall decor for our homes, and visit pumpkin patches! But it also tempts us to want to eat pumpkin everything! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin spice lattes……My husband and I like to call it debauchery. So, as a Paleo parent, do you let your kids trick or treat?

We certainly do in our house! Do I let my kids eat all of the candy? No. For one night we allow them to enjoy-just a few-mini snickers, lollipops and sweet tarts. Cringe. My husband and I enjoyed Halloween candy as children, even though our parents let us eat on the candy all week! But we do allow them a few pieces, and then they know that’s it! After tonight, it’s over (so do not ask for candy the next day!).

So that got me thinking about healthy, Paleo approved treats to make and enjoy. After all, you’ve got to bring something to that Halloween party that you can eat! So I searched the web for some recipes, modified them a bit, and ta-da! Here’s my list-

Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cherries-

• 3/4 cup roasted, shelled pistachios, (3 ounces), coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cherries, or dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 24 ounces Theo Organic Dark chocolate, finely chopped, divided

1. Line the bottom and sides of a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Toss pistachios with cherries (or cranberries) in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture in half; stir orange zest into 1 portion.
2. Melt 18 ounces chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. (Alternatively, microwave on low in 30-second bursts.) Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly.
3. Remove the top pan and wipe dry (or remove the bowl from the microwave). Stir in the remaining 6 ounces chocolate, in 2 additions, until thoroughly melted and smooth.
4. Add the pistachio mixture containing the orange zest to the chocolate; stir to mix well. Working quickly, scrape the chocolate onto the prepared pan, spreading it to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining pistachio mixture on top; gently press it into the chocolate with your fingertips. Refrigerate, uncovered, just until set, about 20 minutes.
5. Invert the pan onto a large cutting board. Remove the pan and peel off the foil. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the chocolate lengthwise with 6 parallel lines. Break bark along the score lines. Break the strips of bark into 2- to 3-inch chunks.

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas-

• 4 large ripe bananas, peeled and cut into thirds crosswise
• 3/4 cup Theo Organic Dark Chocolate, melted
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Peel 4 large ripe bananas, cut in thirds and insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each piece. Melt ¾ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips. Cover each piece of banana with melted chocolate and sprinkle with coconut. (Reheat chocolate, as needed, to keep it melted.) Place the bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours.

Halloween Brain Dip-

• 2 avocados
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1 head cauliflower
• 6 thin slices red and blue fruit leather

1. Slice the avocados in half. Remove the seeds and set aside. Scoop the avocado out of the skin into a bowl. Mash with a fork or whisk and stir in the salsa. Set aside. Slice off one side of each pit to make it flat and expose the cores of the pits. They will look like eyes.
2. Remove all of the leaves from the cauliflower and remove the stem, leaving a nice hollow area with the outer part of the head intact. Use toothpicks to hold it together if it starts to fall apart.
3. Place the cauliflower into a small bowl, so that the hollow is facing upwards and most of the cauliflower is up out of the bowl. The bowl is just for stability. Fill with the avocado dip and arrange the pits as eyes. Decorate the white ”brain” by weaving thin strands of red and blue fruit leather between the florets to make veins and arteries. I wrap the bowl with cheesecloth and decorate with red food coloring to make it even more horrific!

Mexican Jicama Snack-

• 1 large jicama
• 2 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

Peel jicama and cut into French fry-sized sticks. Combine with lime juice and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Serve as finger food.

So there are some healthy recipes out there! Enjoy