Halloween Again?

There are cobwebs scattered throughout my house, not placed strategically because of Halloween, but because I don’t dust and the ceilings are really too high to reach. There’s a Trader Joe’s pumpkin by the fireplace that has yet to be carved and another pumpkin (this one from a real farm) still sitting downstairs, pumpkin carving tools clean and untouched in the kitchen drawer. I would say that the outside at least looks authentic, fake webs and spiders strung across trees and stairway railings, but that’s only because my kids reminded me that the house was still not decorated the day before Halloween. I bought the webs the day before almost, but not yet, on sale. There are no nutritious treats or homemade costumes and the only other possible indication that it’s Halloween is the butternut squash sitting in the fruit bowl. I always thought that I would be one of those moms who dressed up full gear, happily trick or treating along side my kids; but I have come to realize, and perhaps not yet fully accept, that I’m more the “Is it Halloween again?!” type of mom. It’s so hard when reality clashes with fantastical expectations. Despite my lack of holiday commitment, my kids seemed to have a good time and have come off of their sugar stupor. After examining, trading, regrouping and counting their candy as if it were currency, Halloween has once again come to an end. With both a tiny bit of sadness and a huge amount of relief, I am left with a lot of candy, all filled with high fructose corn syrup and a ton of trans fat – two red flag ingredients that I advise every client to avoid.

So, what to do after a glutinous day of splurging? I have managed to successfully buy some of the candy from my kids where it will go into the trash, but the rest…well…let me know if you have found something that works. Meanwhile, limiting the number of “treats” that your child can have and baking nutritious alternatives somewhat eases the power struggle between the healthy treat and the Baby Ruth. Here is an amazing recipe created by owner Diane Hoch of the Food Evolution (www.thefoodevolution.com), sure to please die hard peppermint patty fans. So try to ditch the junk by enticing your kids, and the adults in your life, with this nutritious substitute.

Chocolate Peppermint Cups (Makes 24 mini cups)
Ingredients:
Chocolate Layer
1/4 Cup Cacao Powder
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
Seeds from 4 inch piece of Vanilla Bean
1 Tablespoon Cacao Butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
Pinch of Sea Salt
Mint Cream Layer
3/4 Cup Ripe Avocado
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
2 Tablespoons of Raw Honey


Directions:
Chocolate Layer: Melt everything together in a sauce pan on medium heat, stirring well. Pour into a lined mini cupcake tray.
Mint Cream Layer: Mash avocado with lemon juice to retain color. Add the mashed avocado and remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
Remove the chocolate layer from the freezer. Pour on the mint cream layer by teaspoon full. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate and chill for at least 1 hour in freezer before serving. Yum!

My youngest daughter has already picked her costume for Halloween 2015. Perhaps some of her enthusiasm will rub off on me by then and I will be trick or treating in full gear holding a tray lined with Chocolate Peppermint Cups…or not.
Happy Belated Halloween,
Adina Kelman