Not So Spooky Halloween Candy - That Taste Delicious Too

Fall is officially here and with that the kick off of the holiday season is also upon us. With every trip to the grocery store or any store for that matter seems to be another reminder Halloween is around the corner with all the loads and loads of decoration options, toys, costumes and of course candy. Thankfully (insert eye roll) it seems like EVERY store I’ve gone into with my son the store is fully stocked with Halloween supplies. Which my son loves to point out Every Single Thing! So as you can imagine shopping trips take a bit longer having to look at every single item with the kiddo and having to turn down most toys he points at. I’ve noticed at some stores its already Christmas time SISH I digress….  

With Halloween being right around the corner conversations at our house have been of what costume the kiddo would like to dress-up in. There has also been continual chats about candy. As a mom I have always and will  continue to educate our son about his food.

With every year at Halloween the lbs and lbs of candy go on sale. As I am trying to educate our son on what food we do eat and why we don’t eat some varieties of food I find it a bit of a challenge as to explain chemicals, dyes and preservatives to him(obviously lol). As simple as I try to keep my explanations I do just try to avoid certain brands of food all together that way I can show him alternatives that our family eats. And with food at the house I try to keep as natural, non-processed, organic as possible. Not only are they healthier but I also find my body feels better and not as gross as with more processed food. The other benefit of eating less processed food as a parent I have found is that explaining why these food are healthier is easier for our son to understand. Luckily at this time there are healthier alternatives to almost any food from snack food like chips, ice cream, and even candy. While we still limit these foods for special occasions it nice to have these options readily available. 

So for candy shopping it is nice that there are other healthier options out there. And while some families might lean towards more traditional candy which I totally understand and get, personally I do try to remember when shopping no matter what it's for that everything I purchase is a direct VOTE I am telling what companies I do and don’t support whether its for their ingredients, their use of animal products, or how they source their products and treat their workers. While I do not claim to have this down completely due to change in company policies or just because I am busy. I do make the effort and our shopping habits are votes (just look at the way so many companies have organic options now). Also so many children suffer from different types of food allergies to ingredients. The candies that I have recommended are also with children who have food allergies in mind. I can see how hard that would be for those kids and parents when the holiday is based on food especially even in the healthiest of form candy is not great for our diet I at least brought some options for children who have certain food limitations with candy that are made without gluten, nuts, vegan and etc. 

When writing any type of post I try to keep my objective to be solution based and simple. I wanted to share a few companies that I found to be yummy and pretty easy to find(Target, Amazon, Whole Foods, Safeway and many other stores) to keep it simple for you I have included links that lead you to Amazon for simplicity. 

• WHOLESOME- The Organic Delishfish aka organic Swedish fish are very yummy I would have to say their’s taste better then even the original. They have a ton of other options I personally have not come across any of their candies that were not tasty.

https://amzn.to/2CfpZOV

• SURF SWEETS- They have a wide variety of candy from Organic Jelly Beans, Gummy worms and Lolli Pops yummy tasting and even helped our family when it was time to potty training awhile back. 

https://amzn.to/2CISx4k 

• YUM EARTH- So I have only tried their Lollipops. I found this brand actually at our son’s kid’s salon which is so incredibly adorable. But they give these organic lollipops out after haircuts taste yummy and come in wide varieties of flavors and sizes of bags.

https://amzn.to/2ChoLSW

• LOVELY CO- Another delicious brand, but despite how it looks in this blog i’m actually not a sweets person (salt-aholic that’s me) but I will buy some of Lovely Co’s licorice which I love not to overly sweet.

https://amzn.to/2CdsQYl

• UNREAL and MILKLESS CHOCOLATES- These two different brands are for all the vegan chocolate lovers who are looking for a delicious candy. Again I’m not a huge chocolate lover either I know I can hear you gasp from here but I have had a bite or two from both of the brands and thought they were good. And they do have a wide variety of flavors and candies.

https://amzn.to/2CGviIb, 

https://amzn.to/2CKKG64

• BLACK FOREST- I have seen this company at varies stores and places over the years. Now I cant say I have tried their candies but I still wanted to include them not only are they a healthier option as far as any candy goes but like I said I have seen them in a wide variety of places. https://amzn.to/2NzROmZ

• FEAR NOT SPOOK FREE TREATS- this is another company I have not tried yet but wanted to include them as an option because they are the only vegan candy brand that i have seen so far that makes a variety Halloween candy bag that includes different kinds of candy in the bag and not just different flavors. I remember seeing this brand last year and only purchased their candy this year I will let you know about taste later…. I also believe they only make Halloween candy or maybe they make other products under another brand name?!?

https://amzn.to/2CG6Czr

I Hope some of these options works for you and your family. Wishing everyone a fun and safe Halloween! And send me some of your favorite candy or dessert options! 

Apple Sauce Season

Hi Tribe! I am sure you have noticed wherever you are located that the seasons are slowly starting to change. Here in Sonoma, CA there are signs that summer is coming to an end. Not only are kids back in school, I have even spotted a leaves beautifully changing color signaling that my favorite season fall will be arriving shortly. Another sign of fall coming is in my very own backyard our apple trees that have been brimming with apples all summer and are finally ripe for picking

So we have one main full sized tree that produces the majority of the apples and we have four smaller sprout trees. And something I need to admit with our trees is that I do not know what variety of apples they are…. I would love to hear from you in the comment section below if you can tell from the pictures(thanks in advance). One tree is a lighter red variety and the smaller trees have apples that are yellow in color. With all these apples on hand of course I will be giving bags of them away to friends and neighbors. However with the majority of them I will be making apple sauce and i’m sure I will also juice a few of them as well. 

I’ve done a few batches of apple sauce in the last couple days and I am running out of room in our fridge and freezer so holding off for a few days till I make more. The recipe I follow is my own which I have found to be the easiest and yet tastes so delicious while maintaining a beautiful color and consistency. I remember a couple of years back when the kiddo was just starting out on solid food and I wanted to make apple sauce; many of the recipes I found had so many steps along with having to add what I thought was quite a few ingredients.

For my recipe if you can call it that; I always tend to lean towards recipes with the simplest of ingredients which I find usually turn out the best, and get me motivated to be in the kitchen. Hope you and your family and friends enjoy!

Recipe

- Step 1 Wash and Chop around Core ( I used around 20 apples and left the skins ON) 

- Step 2 Place Apples in Large Pot. The pot I usually use is 3qts or 6qts depends on what is clean (haha)

- Step 3 Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Water ( just so the bottom of pot is covered in water) ***if your apples are not sweet you can also sub in Organic Apple Cider  

- Step 4 Cook on stove over Med/Med High Heat you want to them to be on a low boil 

- Step 5 Stir Occasionally looking to make sure the apples have enough liquid in the pot as not to burn pot and to help them steam/cook more quickly

Step 6 DONE when Apple are Soft/Slightly Mushy (30 to 40 Min) take pot off of heat ***** you can just let them sit in pot until cooled or until you have time to blend them*******

Step 7 Blend ******CAUTION if you are working with HOT Apples*****

Blend until you get desired constituency. If you need more liquid add slowly Water or Apple Cider

Step 8 Eat and Enjoy!

OPTIONAL ADD ONS:

-Cinnamon

-Nut Mag 

-Replace Water in recipe with Apple Cider for Added Sweetness   

Like I said this week I will be slowing down on my apple sauce production until room in my freezer or fridge opens up. That reminded me to mention that you can of course freeze the Apple Sauce. If you need smaller portions i.e. for baby, recipes, smoothies and adult winter time drinks I have used ice treys for apple sauce and its a great way to get portioned amounts.