NOTE: I wrote this blog BEORE Hurricane Sandy decided to rain all over our parade. It is quite possible that Halloween has been ruined completely this year. But the strategies outlined below will work well for other holidays, or everyday situations.
Halloween is almost here! What are we celebrating here, anyway? It seems to me that every holiday gets reduced to a bunch of products we are meant to buy these days. And for almost every holiday, the products we are encouraged to buy are various forms of candy. How does a person wishing to lose weight, or even just maintain their previous weight-loss, cope with such a mandate?
As a mom, I have employed various strategies over the years. When we used to live on a street where an occasion trick-or-treater appeared at the door, I would buy some kind of candy that I could resist eating myself. I am not particularly attracted to anything that is not chocolate, so lollipops were always a safe bet. Kids love 'em, but most adults can do without them. So if you must purchase candy, I would advise going this route. Another possibility is the individually bagged pretzels or other snack foods. I know that when my kids brought home stuff that did not contain sugar, I was always secretly pleased. I could pop those little bags into their lunchboxes and anything with a Halloween theme or a pumpkin picture on it was gobbled up happily.
When my daughters used to bring home huge amounts of candy and offer to share with me, I might accept a treat, maybe something I really loved like a piece of dark chocolate. Luckily, dark chocolate almost never made an appearance in their plastic pumpkins, so I didn't have too much to worry about. I would stash the pumpkins on top of the fridge and dole out the candy, one piece per day, when my kids were really little. But as they got older, I encouraged them to take the candy and hide it somewhere safe and out of my sight! This way, I would not be tempted to dig around in there on a bad day.
This year, my younger daughter is FINALLY getting her braces off after more than 2 full years, and she asked me to make her a caramel apple as a treat. Of course, I agreed! She has suffered through a lot of pain and irritation with those braces. But I will only make one. This way, she can have her treat and I won't need to be tempted to partake. Small batches, even as small as one single treat, are an excellent strategy for people trying to lose weight. I have seen recipes for making a single serving of chocolate cake or even cheesecake in a mug in the microwave. Much better than making a whole cake and then trying to resist eating too much. If you love to bake, but wish to cut back on eating baked products, think about smaller batches. Also freezing those treats so you can eat just one at a time is great way to reduce the chances of eating an entire batch.
If you are looking for ways to celebrate at home, carving a pumpkin and roasting the seeds is a fun and healthy treat for everyone. I also like to purchase the small sugar pumpkins which can be roasted whole and eaten in a variety of recipes. Pumpkin soup, muffins, bread, shakes, pies, cookies, and custards are all possibilities. You can even make a stew or vegetable gratin right inside the pumpkin! This makes an awesome presentation at the table. I am planning to make a Paleo Pumpkin Bread (grain-free) recipe I found on the Joyful Abode blog. If it turns out well, I'll share the recipe here.
So on this Halloween holiday, keep in mind that there are MANY ways to celebrate! Put on a scary costume and frighten kids as you open the door! Or go for a hike in the graveyard near your house and tell spooky ghost stories. Rake up those leaves and jump into the enormous piles. Go for a hayride and pick apples right off the tree. Make it fun for you, and fun for your kids, without relying solely on sugar-laden treats.
Halloween is almost here! What are we celebrating here, anyway? It seems to me that every holiday gets reduced to a bunch of products we are meant to buy these days. And for almost every holiday, the products we are encouraged to buy are various forms of candy. How does a person wishing to lose weight, or even just maintain their previous weight-loss, cope with such a mandate?
As a mom, I have employed various strategies over the years. When we used to live on a street where an occasion trick-or-treater appeared at the door, I would buy some kind of candy that I could resist eating myself. I am not particularly attracted to anything that is not chocolate, so lollipops were always a safe bet. Kids love 'em, but most adults can do without them. So if you must purchase candy, I would advise going this route. Another possibility is the individually bagged pretzels or other snack foods. I know that when my kids brought home stuff that did not contain sugar, I was always secretly pleased. I could pop those little bags into their lunchboxes and anything with a Halloween theme or a pumpkin picture on it was gobbled up happily.
When my daughters used to bring home huge amounts of candy and offer to share with me, I might accept a treat, maybe something I really loved like a piece of dark chocolate. Luckily, dark chocolate almost never made an appearance in their plastic pumpkins, so I didn't have too much to worry about. I would stash the pumpkins on top of the fridge and dole out the candy, one piece per day, when my kids were really little. But as they got older, I encouraged them to take the candy and hide it somewhere safe and out of my sight! This way, I would not be tempted to dig around in there on a bad day.
This year, my younger daughter is FINALLY getting her braces off after more than 2 full years, and she asked me to make her a caramel apple as a treat. Of course, I agreed! She has suffered through a lot of pain and irritation with those braces. But I will only make one. This way, she can have her treat and I won't need to be tempted to partake. Small batches, even as small as one single treat, are an excellent strategy for people trying to lose weight. I have seen recipes for making a single serving of chocolate cake or even cheesecake in a mug in the microwave. Much better than making a whole cake and then trying to resist eating too much. If you love to bake, but wish to cut back on eating baked products, think about smaller batches. Also freezing those treats so you can eat just one at a time is great way to reduce the chances of eating an entire batch.
If you are looking for ways to celebrate at home, carving a pumpkin and roasting the seeds is a fun and healthy treat for everyone. I also like to purchase the small sugar pumpkins which can be roasted whole and eaten in a variety of recipes. Pumpkin soup, muffins, bread, shakes, pies, cookies, and custards are all possibilities. You can even make a stew or vegetable gratin right inside the pumpkin! This makes an awesome presentation at the table. I am planning to make a Paleo Pumpkin Bread (grain-free) recipe I found on the Joyful Abode blog. If it turns out well, I'll share the recipe here.
So on this Halloween holiday, keep in mind that there are MANY ways to celebrate! Put on a scary costume and frighten kids as you open the door! Or go for a hike in the graveyard near your house and tell spooky ghost stories. Rake up those leaves and jump into the enormous piles. Go for a hayride and pick apples right off the tree. Make it fun for you, and fun for your kids, without relying solely on sugar-laden treats.
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