Don't egg us

This is Derrick and me last Halloween. We had a great pumpkin and toasted the seeds. I don't know if I'll get around to pumpkin carving this year but I'm celebrating the season with plenty of pumpkin flavor - from oatmeal to biscotti, it's so yummy. Another season favorite is gingerbread, but I've never tried gingerbread oatmeal. That could be amazing.

I need to find Halloween candy or goodies for next week's trick-or-treaters. Last year I gave out mini-granola bars and dum-dums. I thought too much chocolate or candy went against my morals somehow. All these kids wired on sugar and banging on my door already have buckets (and plastic bags) full of chocolate and caramel goodness, so I should add something yummy and less calorific. I think my sister pointed out that I'm the house the kids skip because I don't have the "good stuff". Even if they threw out the granola treats I'm sure a parent or two appreciated the change up.

I don't know what to do this year. I saw Play-doh at Sam's but I'm not sure the kids would appreciate the extra cost. Homemade candy or popcorn balls aren't an option these days. I don't want to give out handfuls of generic gum either. This is one of those decisions that does NOT matter but I will no doubt spend 30 - 45 mintues in the Halloween aisle comparing prices and nutrition facts.

For fun I searched "best Halloween treats" and found these healthy trick-or-treat alternatives:

• Sugarless gum
• Corn nuts, peanuts, or trail mix
• Small individual bags of pretzels or popcorn
• Packages of sugar-free cocoa
• Individual bags of roasted pumpkin seeds
• Pre-packed cheese and crackers

Corn nuts? Are you kidding? Em's right, not only would the kids SKIP our house and the free pre-packaged cheese, they'd come back later and egg us out of spite.