Guest Author - Angela Thornton-Millard
Before you send your kids out trick-or-treating on Halloween night, it is a good idea to fill them with a healthy supper so that they are less likely to gorge themselves on candy. But, it is difficult to get already excited kids to sit down to a boring, healthy meal. With just a little preparation, you can serve your kids a monstrously healthy dinner before they head out to gather their candy.
Monster Fingers
12 to 16 ounces chicken breast
1 cup coconut
¼ cup natural peanut butter
2 to 4 tablespoons water or broth
10 to 12 sliced almonds
Green food coloring
Red or orange food coloring
Place the coconut and a few drops of green food coloring into a covered glass container or a plastic sandwich bag. Shake the coconut until it has a fairly even green color. Do the same with the almonds and the red or orange food coloring. Slice the chicken breast into finger-width slices. Mix the peanut butter and water or broth until you have a smooth sauce. Dip the chicken fingers into the peanut butter sauce and roll in the coconut. Place on a baking sheet. Place one sliced almond at the end of each finger. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
Ghost Potatoes
3 to 5 pounds of potatoes
2 to 4 cups broth
¼ cup peas
Peel the potatoes and cut into two to three-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to a large pot of boiling water and cook until a fork pierces them easily. Drain the potatoes. Place the potatoes and some of the broth in a large mixing bowl. Mix the potatoes with a mixer or hand blender until smooth, adding more broth as necessary to get a smooth texture. Fill a quart-sized plastic bag with the potatoes and seal. Cut off one corner of the bag. Pipe the potatoes onto a baking sheet in a spiral motion to form a ghost shape. The potatoes can be frozen or refrigerated at this point. When ready to serve, place two peas on each ghost for eyes and warm in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Extra mashed potatoes can be frozen or refrigerated for a quick, healthy side dish at a later time.
Apple Bites
Apple
Peanut Butter
Sliced or slivered almonds
Wash, core and quarter an apple. Cut a horizontal slice out of the middle of each apple quarter to make a mouth shape. Fill the indentation with peanut butter. Stick the almonds into the peanut butter to look like teeth.
Serve the dinner on Halloween plates with Halloween napkins and your kids won't even know they had a healthy supper to fuel their trick-or-treating!
