Treat Them Well - Ten Healthy Halloween Treats

A couple of years ago, mommy guilt overwhelmed me and I could no longer bear to pass out candy bars and gobstoppers to impressionable little ghouls and goblins on Halloween night. Two giant Costco packs of David Sunflower Seeds sat ready, and I steeled myself for being Halloween blacklisted by the neighborhood kids. Much to my surprise trick-or-treaters smiled and exclaimed "Sunflower Seeds!" as we dropped them into their bags.

Even kids dig healthy when it's done right.

If you're nervous about experimenting with healthy treats or just looking for some new ideas, here's a list of ten healthy Halloween treats to get you started:

1) Sunflower Seeds
2) Yogurt Covered Raisins
3) Banana Chips
4) Trail Mix
5) Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
6) Pretzels
7) Animal Crackers
8) Mini Flashlights
9) Mini Playing Cards
10)Mini Footballs

For the bonus round, keep a little cash in your pocket. The first Halloween after we bought our home, I ran out of candy. We didn't really know any of the parents in the neighborhood well and expected few, if any, trick-or-treaters. As I saw a great throng of witches and warlocks and ballerinas gathering at our front door, I realized the candy in our biggest bowl wouldn't make it through the round.

As I opened the door, they realized it too, and the bigger kids and teenagers pushed their way to the front. As they walked away with their candy bars, I reached into my pocket and handed each of the little trick-or-treaters left standing disappointed a dollar. I'll never forget seeing one of them running back to his parents yelling, "She's giving away dollars!"