HEALTHY HALLOWEEN CANDY

-  McKenna McCarville, Tastybaby's Marketing Coordinator

 What is my favorite thing about Halloween?  Candy of course!  Growing up my fondest Halloween memory is sitting on my bedroom floor & trading candy with my brother.  His favorites were Butterfinger & Hot Tamales while I always went for the Dots & Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  We would strike bargains with each other & trade for our favorites while my mom & dad would claim ownership of all our Snickers & Heath Bars.  As great of a time as we had, there is no way I could even imagine eating all of that candy today let alone giving it to other kids to eat! Jam packed with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, & artificial flavors most Halloween candy today is the farthest from being healthy.  So for this Halloween I searched high & low to find the healthiest Halloween treats I could feel good about handing out.

Endangered Species Chocolate
    Everyone loves chocolate & nothing is better than being able to enjoy it & help make a difference at the same time.  Endangered Species Chocolate was founded in an effort to spread awareness about the growing number of plants & animal species that are disappearing from the Earth.  Ten percent of the company’s products are donated to organizations that support these causes.  Using 100% ethically traded cocoa they have created festive Halloween treats that are organic, gluten free, vegan, & kosher!  With products like Chimp Mints & Chocolate Bug Bites you can’t help but want to give these treats to out!

Carob Covered Raisins
    I always hated getting raisins as a child but if they happened to be covered in chocolate I was fine!  At Kauffman’s Fruit Farm & market they take it one step further with their No Sugar Added, Carob-Covered Raisins.  Kids will never know they are eating something healthy with these delicious treats. 

Krazy for Kookies!
    There were always the occasional Fig Newtons and Oreo cookies that ended up in my bag of candy & this year will be no different when I offer my trick-or-treaters some Kookie Karma!  These kookies are organic, flourless, gluten free, soy free & dairy free!  With flavors like Holistic Chocolate Chip and Carob Truffle, kids will love these cookie alternatives.  

Figamajigs
    Besides from their fun name to say Figamajigs are also fun to eat! Their all natural candy bites are filled with antioxidant rich dark chocolate, fig, & cocoa.  The best thing about them is that they are high in fiber, low in fat, & contain zero hydrogenated oils & corn syrup! With only 150 calories per bag these healthy treats are a great Halloween giveaway (http://figamajigs.com/)    

Betty Lou’s Organic Golden Smackers Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
    These organic imitations of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will surely be a hit in any Halloween bag.  Without all of the refined sugar & trans fat, these Peanut Butter Balls are sweetened with agave & brown rice syrup & are 100% vegan.  Now how tasty is that!