How To Handle the Halloween Stash

Many have a "love-hate" relationship with Halloween. They love that there is opportunity to enjoy bite-size chocolates and candies and they hate it for the same reason. I always embrace Halloween and all that comes with it. I buy a bag of the itty-bitty candy bars (the ones that are a perfect mini square) for Milky Way, Snickers, Twix, 3 Musketeers...and keep it in the refrigerator. Each family member might grab a few of these on certain days and that seems to help us all enjoy the season in a relaxed way (without feelings of obsession or deprivation).

Now that "bag" that you put in the refrigerator is different for everyone. What is it that you most desire during the Halloween season?

And what about the two bags or so that you need to have on hand to give out to trick-or-treaters?

Photo Credit: Elaine Magee

How to Handle the Halloween Stash Pre-Halloween

I always look for an alternative to giving out the candy bars like Snickers and Kit Kats because plenty of my neighbors usually have that covered. I try to find the coolest "healthful" alternatives, although that's always up for discussion. In years past it's been individual packages of nuts or trail mix, gum, mini granola bars, mini boxes of breakfast cereal, etc. If all else fails, quarters are always popular. Remember to have some age appropriate treats or prizes for the littler ones who might swallow quarters and who can't chew gum or eat nuts yet.

How to Handle the Halloween Stash Post-Halloween

Here are some tips to use up that excess Halloween candy:

• Make a batch of whole wheat buttermilk pancakes and decorate the top of the pancakes while in the pan with M&Ms or chocolate chunks from chocolate bars
• Make a batch of whole-wheat cookies or brownies and stir in bits and pieces of various candy bars.
• Send non-chocolate candy to soldiers with the US military in the middle east through www.soldiersangels.org.
• Use some of the candy bits in a homemade batch of trail mix (blend nuts and dried fruit with M & Ms and other types of candy.) Fill snack size bags with some of the "Halloween" trail mix for convenient snacks for school or after school.

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Fall Baking Part 2: Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

Do you like your daily dose of dark chocolate first thing in the morning? This scone will fix you right up! The original recipe called for all white flour (we used 1 cup of whole wheat and 3/4 cup of white flour), 5 tablespoons of stick butter (we used light margarine with plant sterols and froze it to make it easier to crumble into the flour). Instead of half and half we used fat free half and half and I added some orange zest to boost the flavor.

By making these changes we cut the calories (in these still delectable and satisfying scones) by about 50 per scone and we trimmed off 4 grams of total fat and 4 grams saturated fat per scone. Cholesterol plummeted from 19 milligrams to 2.

Chocolate Chip Orange or "Halloween" Scones

Photo: Elaine Magee

5 tablespoons light margarine with plant sterols added (whipped butter can be substituted if butter is preferred)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or pulse regular size chocolate chips briefly in food processor)
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons fat free half and half

1. Place each individual tablespoon of margarine on a piece of wax paper or foil and place in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with canola cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the frozen butter, breaking each tablespoon into about 8 pieces each. Beat on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and orange zest. On low speed, beat in the orange juice and fat free half and half just until a dough is formed.
4. On a floured surface, pat scone dough into a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut out 8 scones and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown (about 12 minutes). Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Yield: Makes 8 scones

Nutrition information per scone: 183 calories, 4 g protein, 30 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 1.2 g polyunsaturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 307 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 25 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1 grams.

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Non-Candy Halloween Options

Be the non-Snickers house this Halloween!

Photo Credit: Elaine Magee

You just know plenty of your neighbors will be passing out the predictable Snickers and Milky Way bars, so it leaves the window wide open for you to offer something refreshingly different this Halloween.

Each year I look for desirable snack packs (that aren't too high in calories, fat or sugar) that the kids can put in their school lunch bags or boxes for something a little different. This year I found snack-size bags of pretzels, popcorn, and flavored mini rice cakes.

And if you have a lot of preteens and teens that trick or treat in your neighborhood, I can guarantee that packages of gum will go over really well with this discerning group. You can find 10-packs of sugar-less gum at places like Target for about $2.50, which computes to about 25 cents a pop. And speaking of 25 cents a pop... handing out quarters also seems to go over well with kids old enough to save up for their own toys and treats. If you want to have some mini toys for the littler ones, you can find all kinds of fun things at your nearest party store (like bouncy balls, miniature games, or glow stick necklaces).

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