Scary Pumpkin Potaotes!

Happy Halloween! 

     These is nothing scary about these adorable pumpkin sweet potatoes expect that they are Scary Delicious! They are a great way to get in the mood of the upcoming holiday, and still have something healthy!

 

   I love these pumpkin sweet potatoes because they are so easy to make, customizable to whatever flavors you want, and so healthy too! Who says Halloween 'treats' all have to be unhealthy? At first I wanted to do something sweet and healthy to celebrate Halloween, but then I got to thinking....Halloween doesn't have to be all about the sweet stuff! Lets do something savory to celebrate the holiday!
Another great thing about these sweet potatoes is that they can be made vegan, oil-free, and sodium free if you wish!

Scary Sweet Potatoes! (Yes, sweet potatoes are sweet, but more to the savory side of things!)

1 Sweet Potato
Olive Oil (Optional)
Salt and Pepper (Optional)
Seasonings of Choice( I used a Jerk Seasoning, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a Curry Powder- separate on different slices of potato)

You can go sweet, spicy, savory, or salty with the seasonings!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Then wash and pat dry a sweet potato. You can always do more than one, I was just making 1 portion at the time! :) Then, use a sharp knife and cut slices out of the potato. BE CAREFUL!

 

Then, use a smaller knife to make the pumpkin faces. You can cut all the way through the potato, or you can just cut part of the way through. Its up to you really! :) Then toss them in the oil( if using) and place them on a foil-lined sheet.

I'm sure with practice, my pumpkin faces will improve! These are so tasty, I am sure I will be making them time and time again!

Sprinkle the seasonings on the slices. If you are using a powder, rub the powder in a bit. Then sprinkle on salt and pepper as desired.

Super cute! Now they are ready to bake! Place them in the oven for around 35-45 minutes. The time depends on how thin or thick you cut your slices. To check if they are done, just poke them with a fork. If they are soft, then they're done!

Of my goodness! How adorable are these? No, not a scary way to celebrate Halloween but defiantly fun and festive! And, if you don't celebrate Halloween, they still are fun and easy to use for a number of different occasions!

I hope you enjoyed the Halloween inspired blog post! If you try this recipe, let m know what you thought! Please share this post with your family and friends to spread the love of healthy living!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett. Please like and follow the blog to stay up to date on all things healthy!

New Post Every Friday! Happy Halloween!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

Boo-Nanas

I wrote about these yummy and healthy treats in my Halloween post, so here is a how-to post on them! My little Sister, Bella, had a great time helping me make these and they will be fun for all ages!

What you will need:

Banana (One banana makes two ghost)
Peanut Butter (Creamy is best and make sure its chilled and not runny)
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
Raisins or Chocolate Chips
Popsicle sticks or cake pop sticks (Optional)

 

Peel and cut banana in half. Add your sticks if you are using them.

 

Coat in peanut butter. We found it easiest to lay the banana down and spoon the peanut  butter of it.

 

This part was a little messy, but it was fun!

Now cover the bananas in the coconut. We laid down some coconut and rolled the bananas in it.

Take what ever you are using for the 'eyes' and dap a little peanut butter on one side. Stick them on you banana.

And there you go, yummy and healthy Halloween Boo-nanas!

My whole family liked these cute ghost and we will totally be making them again!
Let me know if you try these Boo-nanas and how they went!

For the link to the website where I got the idea, go to my Halloween post here - Halloween Candy

Keep it healthy and Safe,
H.Banana

 

 

Apple Chompers!

In my last post I said that Apple Chompers were a great and healthy Halloween Treat! I thought I would do a more step by step with pictures to show you more of how they look!


Ingredients:
Red Apple - One small apple made 7 'chompers' for us.

Peanut Butter or Almond butter (Make sure that its chilled and not runny!)

Marshmallows, Nuts or anything you want to make the 'teeth'
   We used a mixture of marshmallows, sliced almonds and cashews. Of all the things we used, I would have to say that the marshmallows worked best.

Wash and dry your apple and place it on a cutting board.

Slice the apples. Make sure the slices are more or less the same size.

 
   Now, take a spoonful of peanut or almond butter and spread some on one side of a slice.

 Place your teeth towards the skin part of the apple and press gently.

 Take another slice and spread peanut or almond butter on one side and place the 'sticky' side of the apple on top of the 'teeth' on the other slice.

We had to use tooth-picks to old them in place, at least until the peanut or almond butter set.

 

Here is one of the finished products! They are so cute and Halloween-ish too! I love how they are festive yet still on the healthy side!

My little sister, Bella, is very proud of the Apple Chompers. She was a great help in making them.

  Let me know what you think about these Halloween treats, and if you try them yourself, let me know! If you want the link to the website were I found this idea, you can see my last post about Halloween treats.

Keep it healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

 

Halloween Candy

   Halloween is almost here and you might be looking forward to eating all of your favorite Halloween candy. But what about being healthy?  I found a few tips for staying on the healthy side of things during Halloween and still enjoy some of your favorite treats!

How much to eat?
 So you still want to eat your candy-corn, M&M's, Snickers, Almond Joys, or Caramels, but you still want to watch your calories. Here are a few examples of 100 calories of different candies.

29 M&M's = 99 calories
4 Three Musketeers Minis  = 97 calories
1 Butter-Finger = 96 calories
4 Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses = 89 calories
2 Mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups = 86 calories
4 Tootsie Roll Midgees = 93 Calories
2 Snickers Bar Minis = 85 calories
2 Twix Bar Minis = 85 calories
1 Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle = 79 calories
2 Milky Way's Minis = 79 calories
1.5 Crunch Bars =  75 calories
1 Kit Kat Bar = 70 calories
This information came from dailyburn.com

Now, what about avoiding those, not-so-good-for-you candies, and stick to some healthier options?
Here are a few I recommend.

1. I've already done a Healthy Almond Joy recipe, you can see that here - Almond Joys
2. Clementine Pumpkins!
     Making these adorable snacks is so easy! Peel a clementine and stick a little piece of celery in the top of the 'pumpkin'. Make as many as you like, they are great for kids!
3. Booo-nanas!
   To make these yummy treats, take a banana and peel, cut in half. Stick a popsicle stick, or cake-pop stick in the flat end of the banana. Cover the banana in peanut butter or almond butter and then roll in chopped pecans, coconut flakes or chopped up chocolate chips! then take a chocolate chips, raisin or anything that will make good 'eyes' for you Boo-Nanas, and use a bit of peanut butter or melted chocolate to stick the 'eyes' on. Enjoy!
3. Apple Chompers!
     Theses treats are so cute! Slice a red apple into slices and spread peanut butter on one half of two slices. Place anything from peanuts, marshmallows, banana cubes, or yogurt-covered raisins to make the 'teeth' on one half then place the other half on top and enjoy!

Well those are just a few of the many healthy treats to make this Halloween! Stay tuned because I might me posting some more healthy Halloween treats soon!

Here are the links to the websites were I found these cool treats!

onelittleproject.com -  Clementine Pumpkins and Boo-Nanas (I add to the Boo- Nanas a bit, but this website gave we the idea!)

www.allthecooks.com - Apple Chompers (I used Peanut butter instead of jam)

I hope you enjoyed these ideas, and be on the look out for more Halloween treats. I will be posting a more step by step post on the Boo- Nanas and Apple Chompers soon, so be on the look out for those too!
Keep it healthy and safe!
H. Banana