Trick or Treat -- Candy, Please!

Yep! Candy is mostly sugar.  Good thing
Halloween only occurs once a year.

The reality is that the Halloween tradition is about children receiving candy as they go door to door in their Halloween costumes.  Halloween only occurs once a year, so I say, let the children enjoy some candy.   Don't get me wrong.  I love the healthier ideas out there, especially the toy and sticker alternative.  But remember, candy is not the root of all evil – it is the frequency in which it is consumed that could pose a problem.  We live in a world where our children are already around lots of candy, so we must teach them proper behaviors around eating it.  I see Halloween as a wonderful training opportunity on proper eating behaviors.  So let the kids enjoy their Halloween candy, but don’t let it be consumed endlessly after the holiday.  I allow my children to have more candy than usual on Halloween.  In fact, I let them have all the candy they want this one night per year.  My daughter has already learned firsthand that too much candy will give her a tummy ache.  We had a great discussion when she was feeling sick after eating too much icing one time that too much candy will make her body feel bad.  After Halloween comes and goes this weekend, the frequency of candy consumption will go back to how it normally is at our home – a maximum of once or twice per week.  So, my take on Halloween?  Let the kids have their candy.  And remember to use this time to teach them about the place that candy should have in their lives every other day of the year – as an occasional treat. 

Haunting Tales....From The Buffet Line

Don't let amazing buffet designs divert your attention
from the temperature your food should be served to you!
(cool watermelon design on one of the cruise buffets)

Thanks to my food microbiology class several years ago, buffets scare me like a teenage girl going through a haunted house. It may also be because I have had food poisoning on more than one occasion and it is no fun. I can look at blood and guts all day long, but seeing food with mold on it makes me want to shriek! It’s all about bacteria overgrowth here. Now that you know my phobia, you will giggle to learn that I just got off a cruise ship filled with buffets! There was so much food the entire week and much of it was indeed served buffet-style. My first shot at the buffet line, I said to myself, “OK, you can do this, Angela. All those stories you hear about foodborne illnesses on ships – it’s the exception to the rule.” So I boldly fill my plate with all kinds of food, including some grilled fish. I sat down at the table and began to eat. All the food was lukewarm at best. The grilled fish was cold! That’s it, I’m done. Stick a fork in me.


My food bacteria fear will one day cause me to bring a food thermometer with me to buffet lines – I can feel it coming. After all, the temperature danger zone (TDZ) is between 40-140 degrees, because this is the range in which most common bacteria love to grow. If you arrive at your holiday party without your handy temperature gauge (as most of us do!), make sure the foods that are normally in the refrigerator are actually cold and the foods that are supposed to be served hot, actually are hot. A good rule of thumb is to stay clear of any hot or cold food that has been sitting out longer than 2 hours. If you are entertaining this holiday season, do us bacteria phobes a favor and review the safe guidelines provided by the USDA.  The USDA provides an entire website devoted to food safety, so keep your family safe this year by reviewing their guidelines and techniques.

You may wonder how I survived my 5-day cruise. Well, I am happy to report that I survived all the buffets. If only I hadn’t eaten at the authentic Mexican restaurant in Veracruz! All of us got sick on that one. Thanks a bunch, Montezuma. Grrr.

Fall Fun With Pumpkins

Halloween is a great time to encourage family fun
with food - by playing and eating pumpkins!

With the Fall season in full swing, we are approaching the fun times of pumpkin patches and pumpkin carving - such great activities for families with small children.  What a wonderful time to allow your kids to learn about and play with pumpkins.  Afer all, the more comfortable and interested they are in this nutrient-packed gourd, the more likely they are to eat it in varying forms.  Pumpkins are thought to have originated in North America.  The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word "pepon" which means "large melon."  Pumpkins are packed with great nutrition to fuel our child's growing bodies.  They contain carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are all antioxidants or anti-cancer properties.  Pumpkins also contain iron, zinc and fiber.  Talk to your children about these interesting facts and more as you have fun picking and carving your pumpkins.

I love those farms that allow you to pick pumpkins right off the vine, although they are harder to find these days.  Many of the pumpkin farms have them already sorted by size and price.  Allow each of your children to have their own pumpkin, if possible, so they can design their own.  Give your child an ice cream scoop or large spoon so they can be part of the messy fun after they draw their own whimsical faces and designs.  I personally like the ideas on Kaboose's pumpkin craft page.

After you have carved your pumpkins, what to do with the pumpkin "guts?"  Don't throw that wonderful nutrition in the trash!  No, continue the fun by baking or cooking a recipe with your children.  You can substitute canned pumpkin in any recipe for fresh pumpkin.  Simly remove the pumpkin seeds and set aside (to lightly salt and roast for their own separate treat later).  Steam the pumpkin pieces and pulp with a bit of water in a pressure cooker, or in a pot using a steaming basket.  When it's done, blendarize your pumpkin and it's ready to be added to your recipe.  These are the recipes that look interesting to me this Halloween:

Eating Well's Pumpkin Cookies or Pumpkin Apple Soup

Taste of Home's Pilgrim Pudding

All Recipe's Pumpkin Bread

Family Oven's Pumpkin Breads & Muffins

What is your family's favorite pumpkin recipe?  I would love to hear from you.  This season, make time to have some family fun with pumpkins!