Create a finger food feast fit for all the little monsters with these not so spooky snacks! Plus, keep their minds and hands busy with our free math printable download.
“That’s smooky mommy!” These cute little words roll off of Skylar’s tongue whenever something is a little too spooky for him. So we decided to create a not-so-spooky fall snacking feast using naturally sweet fruit in place of added sugar and more organic ingredients… since we’ll have plenty of sugar and candy throughout the entire holiday season! I’m sure most of you agree with me, it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement and festivities, and before we even realize, our lunch was a couple of chocolate candies from our kid’s bucket and after all the events, dinner ends up being the non-event because of over-stuffed tummies. Our goal this year is to curb some of that extra sugar intake by filling those bellies first, with fruits, veggies and more wholesome ingredients in a tasty way.
With a few super simple ingredients and just a little bit of time… and I really mean a little bit, because with four kids I definitely don’t have an abundance of it, you can make a snack feast that will make your wee one’s eyes light up as they walk in the room! Just changing up the things they might be used to, like Horizon organic cheese sticks, pretzels, oranges and bananas, my kiddos were excitedly noshing on this spread and not even asking for the sugary candies in their bag from the school party.
For the “Pumpkin” orange not so spooky snacks:
Peel a few mandarin oranges and use the tops of celery stalks to create the greenery in the center.
For the banana “Acorn” not so spooky snacks:
Cut bananas into 1-2 inch chunks, top with peanut butter (or other nut-free butter) and then roll the peanut butter top in crushed Horizon Organic chocolate grahams. Use a small pretzel rod to create the “acorn” stem and place down the top-center of the banana pieces.
For the “Tree Log” not so spooky snacks:
Slice celery into 3 inch pieces and fill with peanut butter, cream cheese or another nut-free option. Top with crushed Horizon Organic chocolate grahams.
For the “Broomstick” not so spooky snacks:
Cut Horizon Organic cheese sticks into three pieces. Using a pretzel rod, carefully insert it into the top-center of a cheese stick piece and pull apart the cheese stick ends slightly. Add a garnish of celery string tied around the top of the “broom” if desired.
While fueling their bodies, I also like to take opportunities when we can to keep their minds engaged. There are so many games you can play with food, and yes, I just said play with food! Ha! My husband is great at this and will easily just come up with a thinking or word game at the table. For me? I like to have a little help and created this simple math printable. Just set a couple on the table and when your kids hop up to snack away, they’ve got something to keep their minds, and hands, occupied for awhile as well!! Even though they’re in school and learning, this is just a great way to reinforce what they’ve been hearing, and it seems like when our little ones have the chance to read through instructions, explore and figure some things out on their own, while having fun, they really don’t mind the math part. Seriously!
Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse, let alone encouragement, to play with food! You can download our simple and FREE math printable here.
I hope you have the chance to play with some not so spooky snacks yourself, maybe even before your little goblins slip on their costumes! Speaking of which, what kind of plans do you all have?! I’m relishing in the fact that we were able to pull off a family costume this year and I’m in the final stretch of putting them together. That is something I’m soaking in, since I’m not sure how long that will last. I thought our DIY Incredibles family costume would be a hard one to top, and it has been… but we may have done it! We’ll see!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.
