The Switch Witch is coming!

Happy Halloween! I like Halloween, the cute and fun side that is. I'm not a big fan of the darker, blood and guts creepy side (although I do enjoy a good horror film right about now). I love seeing the kids get excited about Halloween crafts, pumpkin carving and getting dressed up. There is also the kid Halloween movies and TV shows. Oh, and, there is the CANDY.

Is there any way to avoid the candy? Until about three years old, yes. After that though, it starts to get tough. When they hit five years old, it's near impossible. I'm not a square or anything but you don't have to be a square to cringe at the thought of all the candy and other junk Halloween presents to our kids (and us). For example, at my son's class party today - I was pleasantly surprised there was fruit, veggies and water for the snack options. Although, there was also Pirate's Booty (one of those foods people think is healthy but it's not) and ranch dressing from a bottle. Not the worst of spreads for the little ones though. But there was also those dreaded Oreo Cookies floating around (the Halloween version with the bright orange filling no less). Granted they were for a craft along with packaged marshmallows, food dye pens, packaged brownie bites and Hershey's Kisses. I think there may have been some sort of canned frosting as well to act as glue but I'm not sure, I wasn't helping at that station. Don't get me wrong, it's cool, I didn't forbid my son to participate nor did I say no when he wanted to eat that big, processed, decorated with food dye marshmallow on the walk home. I also said yes (5 minutes later) when he asked to eat (and share with his little brother) the two Oreo Cookies with frosting and a Hershey's Kiss on top. The brownie bite also disappeared during this mini junk fest.

Living here in the "medium" - I don't freak out about it. For Halloween, I don't try to avoid anything, I just do my best to keep the indulging contained to the day. Having a bowl of candy hanging around tomorrow and beyond is something I do avoid though. And that's why I utilize the Switch Witch! I heard about the concept of the Switch Witch a year or two ago. It's simple. If you leave your bag/bucket of candy out for her on Halloween night, she will come and get it and leave a surprise in return. My kids were sold the second they heard "surprise." I think everyone likely does this a little differently but what I do is have the kids pick two of their favorite candies from the bunch then leave the rest for the Switch Witch. It's like leaving cookies out for Santa. In the morning, they get to see what she left in place of their candy. So awesome. Lingering candy problem solved. And I don't look back (even if the kiddos regret, just a little, letting the witch have their candy). Now on to what November brings!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Cups

Halloween is upon us and so is the relentless marketing of packaged candy. Luckily, my four year old (that has a wicked sweet tooth), knows the stuff in the bags have nothing on the treats we make ourselves. I reference Michael Pollan's rule "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself" all the time when shopping with my kids. They're not only accepting of this, they get excited about getting to make treats at home. The time, effort and ingredients we put into making our treats not only nurtures a healthy relationship for the boys with sweets but creates positive memories they are sure to appreciate for years to come. 

One of my favorite items to receive while trick-or-treating was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I was also a sucker (through my 20's and early 30's) for the holiday versions of this candy, you know, the pumpkins, Easter eggs, etc. I still have to resist the urge this time of year not to throw a few Reese's pumpkins in my cart while the boys aren't looking. Well until yesterday that is. When I finally made my own peanut butter cups.

I was originally inspired by my mom earlier this week to make my own. She was looking at all the candy on sale in an ad and mentioned wanting some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Kit Kat bars. In an effort to curb her craving and show her homemade treats are far better than store bought ones, I researched recipes and got to work. The results were fantastic. My mom, my boys and my hubby loved these little guys. Oh, and I did too! If you haven't made homemade peanut butter cups yet, I suggest you do. I'm pretty certain you'll love them as much as we do.

A Yellow and Orange-ish Easter

This weekend it hit me, Easter baskets = lots of candy/junk. Sounds ridiculous that it took this long for me to realize it. Don't get me wrong, I remember Easter baskets filled with candy as a kid but it wasn't until this year, when I was shopping for stuff to fill baskets for the boys that I noticed the Easter aisles were about 80% candy.

I know there is no rule that says the basket has to be filled with candy (or is there?) but again, 80% of the merchandise was candy of some sort. I felt a little like a square because I only bought a chocolate bunny, Dove Chocolate Eggs and Hershey's Kisses and stayed away from the gummy and other multi-colored stuff. As I mentioned previously, I'm not a fan of all the food coloring and whatever else makes up those kind of candies. And speaking of food coloring, we successfully dyed eggs without it!

First, I know it's obvious from my photos, I don't have a nice camera. The images I post are from my iPhone. Our point and shoot camera crapped out a while back so I don't even have that anymore to help with better images. So bear with me and the poor image quality, the hubby and I are saving for a decent camera. Okay, not being certain of how the colors look from screen to screen, we ended up with two colors, yellow and orange. I planned to make more colors but for one reason or another, it didn't work out. I had to improvise with curry instead of tumeric for yellow because the store was out of it. Then, although I remembered the cranberry juice, I forgot the beets so no red or pink. And I just completely forgot the blueberries and spinach. Not one of my best days!

I followed the formula of three tablespoons of spice to one quart of water. I boiled the ingredients for about 10 minutes then let them cool. I chose to use the cold method of adding cooked eggs to the cooled liquid. The boys had fun playing with the eggs while they were in the bowls of "dye" and seeing them slowly get darker. The curry made a beautiful yellow and the chili powder made a mild orange as well as a brownish orange. Even though we only made two colors, the boys, which included my four year old's best friend, loved the eggs. And that is all that matters!

Yes, the process of making natural coloring is involved and takes much more prep time than a kit does but not giving into convenience for convenience sake is rewarding in so many ways. It also provides another teaching opportunity. Although, the kids can't get too close to a hot pot, they can help prepare the mixtures prior to boiling and learn about the foods and spices going in to them. We'll be doing the same method next year. The only difference, hopefully, is that I'll be better prepared and have all the ingredients needed to create a wider range of colors. :)

No Halloween candy to be found... Is that a bad thing?

Even though I'm a little sad to see October go, I am welcoming November with open arms (and an empty candy jar)... Okay, I don't have an actual candy jar but you know what I mean. We did get the boys dressed up and we even went to a Halloween party. There was some treats at the party but they we're small and the only one Gavin was really interested in was the pumpkin shaped cookie. I must spend a moment on the cookie. They had two or three tables set up for the kids to decorate their cookie. Each child got a paper plate with a cookie, a small container of frosting, a small container of candies and a plastic knife. Gav had a lot of fun spreading the frosting then decorating the cookie with the little candies. I love stuff like this. It's creative and it gives the kids the feeling of making their own treat. So much better than a handful of packaged candy. After the party, we went home. The boys had a nice time, my husband and I had a nice time and this morning, none of us feel like anything is missing. As much as I LOVE a Reese's pumpkin or any shape of Reese's for that matter, it's nice not to have a bag of junk around to contend with.

I know to some it may sound like a terrible thing - no Halloween candy to pick at throughout the week? But I think it's great. Treats taste better when there's some effort put into them. From measuring and mixing it all yourself to the cookie Gav decorated last night, it all adds so much to the pleasure of eating a treat. In regards to budget, it really doesn't apply in this instance. Bags of Halloween candy are pretty cheap and the bulk of what you end up with is free so homemade goodies are bound to cost more but in the long run are a better choice. Remember though - everything in moderation. Have Halloween candy in the house? Have a little. Then throw it out. :)