Halloween will definitely look a little different this year. With the ongoing social distancing restrictions and concerns over COVID-19, trick or treating will virtually be impossible. But…that doesn’t’ mean you can’t still enjoy some Halloween festivities at home! We have cultivated 4 healthy and spooky recipes for you to try at home.
Halloween Apples with Gummy Worms
This recipe is a low refined sugar alternative to traditional Halloween lollies and chocolates, providing a good source of fibre and a slower release of energy. Apples contain a type of fibre known as pectin which is also beneficial for gut health.
Ingredients
Green apples
Sour worms
Icing sugar or toothpicks
Method
Wash and dry your apples and remove any stickers.
Create a thick icing sugar paste using approx. 1tbs of icing sugar with a few drops of water.
Use this spread to coat the back of 1 gummy work and then place it on the apple, holding it for a few seconds to make sure it sticks.
Refrigerate for 30mins until icing sugar has hardened.
If the apples will be eaten by adults rather than kids, you could just use toothpicks to secure the worms if you prefer.
Frankenstein Wraps
These wraps provide a carbohydrate-dense lunch (43g per wrap), which is great for active kids or adults. Adding foods such as seaweed and pickled cucumbers also have added health benefits. Seaweed is a great vegan source of omega 3, and the pickled cucumbers contain probiotics which are beneficial for gut health.
Ingredients
Spinach wraps
Nori seaweed pieces
Pimento olives
Pickled mini cucumbers
A few strips of grated cheese
Your favourite fillings
Method
Lay the spinach wrap flat and fill with your favourite sandwich fillings. Some healthy ideas include boiled egg and lettuce, tuna and avocado or chicken and salad.
Wrap up and fold in the ends and then lay flat on a ceramic dish or serving plate.
Cut the nori seaweed into jagged triangular edges to create the fringe and place at the top of the wrap. You can use a small amount of cream cheese to keep in place.
Cut a mini pickled cucumber in half for the eyebrows and some slices of olive for the eyes.
Use some more seaweed or some thin cheese slices to create a mouth/stitches.
Use a toothpick to insert an olive on each side of the head as bolts (see photo).
Your monster wrap is now complete! Just don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before eating 😉
Spider with Hairy Legs
The wholemeal flour used in the recipe provides a great source of fibre, and if served with veggie sticks and grainy crackers, this will also bump up the fibre content. Fibre takes a while for our body to digest and therefore keeps us feeling fuller for longer. This is particularly helpful for people who are trying to manage their weight. If serving this snack to kids, it can also be a really fun way to encourage variety in their veggie intake… Get them to pick 2 veggies they wouldn’t normally eat and cut these up to add to the platter.
Ingredients
7g sachet dry yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 cup wholemeal plain flour (sifted)
1 1/4 cups plain flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of warm water
2tbs chia or poppy seeds
2/3 cup passata sauce (or another healthy dip variation e.g. avocado, spinach, tzatziki).
Place yeast, sugar and water in a jug, whisking until the yeast is dissolved. Then leave to stand in a warm place for 10mins until frothy.
Add flour, salt, yeast mixture and oil to a large bowl.
Mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough.
Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7mins. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Allow this to stand for 1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
Remove dough from bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for 30seconds.
Cut the dough in half and shape one half into a 5inch ball for the spider body.
Cut a 2inch piece from the remaining dough to make the head and press this ball up close to the body.
Use the remaining dough to create 8 strips and assemble as legs on each side of the body.
Brush the spider with the egg and sprinkle the legs with chia or poppy seeds to create a hairy-legged look.
Cut the olive into crescent shapes and place as 2 eyes on the front of the head.
Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.
Heat the passata sauce and add in the grated cheese, stirring until melted through (you can add herbs/spices/chilli to your preference).
Hollow out the body to fill with the sauce.
Serve with veggies sticks and grainy crackers.
Healthy Halloween Pumpkin Muffins
These muffins are much lower in energy, sugar and saturated fat than your standard store-bought variety. By using olive oil instead of butter, the saturated fat content is reduced considerably… And we know that diets lower in saturated fat are linked to lower levels of heart disease.
Ingredients
1 & ¾ cups wholemeal flour
1tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup mashed pumpkin
2 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup low-fat milk
1tsp vanilla essence
Method
Pre-heat oven 190 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with patty cake liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
In a separate bowl combine the pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, milk and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients and mix together until combined (don’t over stir the mixture)
Pour the muffin batter evenly between the 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25mins.
Test whether the cakes are done by inserting a toothpick or skewer. Once it comes out clean the muffins are done.
If you want to make the cupcakes look spooky, you can add a small bat using a mini Reeses pieces buttercup and ½ an oreo biscuit as wings, and 2 googly eye candies.
To make the wings and google eyes stick, create a thick icing sugar past with 1-2 tbs icing sugar and a few drops of water.
Allow to dry for 10mins. Secure to the muffin with a toothpick through the bottom of the Reeses buttercup.
If you’d like to see more dietitian-approved recipes or you’re just looking for some kitchen inspiration (outside of Halloween), check out our eBook recipes via this link!
