I can't believe Halloween is almost upon us and I haven't even mentioned it on my blog yet.
Ooops
Well, I thought that this needed to be rectified today, and seeing as how it's half term and with the clocks just going back I now have a son who is awake daily before 6.30am, I thought I would use the early start to my long day to get us both into the kitchen and prepare something Halloween-y.
It was actually those lovely people at Sykes Cottages who introduced me to a little competition to show off some of my healthy snack creations a-la Halloween style.
So into the kitchen we went
But let me set the scene a little before I do begin:
~ Any form of kitchen creativity in my house has to be fun, entertaining, simple and quick otherwise I will end up doing everything myself.
Well, eight year old boys don't tend to have the highest concentration span now do they...
~ Healthy needs to healthy...but Halloween - well it has always got to mean some naughty treat slotted in somewhere hasn't it...
So with these factors in mind, we began...
Strawberry Ghosts
It couldn't be any easier to make these teeny sweet treats...
~ strawberries
~ white chocolate
~ chocolate chips/raisins
* Take a punnet of fresh strawberries, wash them and cut off the stalks so that the bottom is quite flat
* Break up the white chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and heat over a pan of boiling water
- adults only with the boiling water please -
* Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat
* Pop a cocktail stick through the top of each strawberry and very carefully dip them into the warm chocolate, coating each one with a thin layer of the gooey stuff (yum!)
* Place on grease proof paper and add chocolate chip/raisin detailing
~ Voila ~
Gooey Ghosts
Gooey Ghosts
Once the chocolate has set (pop in the fridge to help this) remove the sticks and enjoy the healthy strawberry...adorned with the not so healthy (but only very thin layer of) chocolate...
Whilst looking through a very brilliant kiddies cookery book inspired by all of the crazy things within Roald Dahl's stories (thanks Sykes Cottages!) I came across a brilliant Halloween desert/drink idea...
...for Devil's Drenchers...
VERY Halloween-y
I used the basics of this recipe but changed it slightly - just to make it a little healthier than it was
Devil's Drenchers
~ bag of frozen red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries)
~ 1 liquorice lace
~ 4 strawberry laces
~ fruit juice
~ dusting of icing sugar (optional to taste)
* Cover a straw with strawberry laces and liquorice (oops - sweets again!) by twisting them around it fairly tightly
* Place the frozen red berries into a blender with juice - we opted for 1/2 carton of no sugar cranberry and raspberry juice...
*...and BLITZZZZ it all up until smooth
* Now the recipe in the book asks for six tablespoons of icing sugar to be added now...yep - SIX...phew.
We added less then one tablespoon full and mixed in through the fruit but if I'm honest we probably didn't even need to use that either, the fruit tasted fine on it's own
* Spoon the fruit mixture into a glass, add the sweetie-covered straw - and a spoon - and enjoy the freezing fruit desert...until it melts of course...then enjoy it as a drink...
Very healthy, very fruity and very delicious
I think we became a little Halloween Treat giddy for a while, because our creation making continued...
Marshmallow EyeBalls
~ white marshmallows
~ chocolate chips or raisins
~ red icing
* Place a small blob of red icing onto the centre of each marshmallow
* Add a chocolate chip/raisin on top of this and use the icing to add little eye veins onto the white of each "eye"
Easy Peasy!
I know this isn't particulary a healthy treat as such...but...well...marshmallows are fat free aren't they...so it's healthy-ish...
We also, very simply turned an everyday, run of the mill, fruit salad a little Halloween themed too
To a bowl of very healthy fruit, add a little of the now melting Devil's Drencher and then decorate with a few of the marshmallow eyeballs...
A Fruity Blood Bath
All very quick, very simple, a lot healthier than the usual Halloween Treats found in my house and more importantly, all finished before my eight year old ran out of patience...
...unfortunatly the same can't be said for the cleaning up...
Happy Healthy Halloween
* a competition entry, collaborative post - all photos, and most of the ideas (except the Devil's Drencher) are my own
No comments
Post a Comment
Due to an increase in spam I am moderating all comments. They are welcome and appreciated and I will get them moderated as soon as possible :)