Dear Chef Kathleen,

Halloween is coming up and I would like to avoid the pitfalls of the last 40 or so Halloweens. I am too old to eat that much junk but I can't seem to keep my hands out of the candy jar! I would also like to encourage my kids to try and get a little something healthy on their menus for the day. Between the school Halloween parade, the classroom pizza and candy party and trick-or-treating at night, how can I fit in something we can all enjoy that is healthy?

Cathy


Dear Cathy,

I can certainly relate to your dilemma. Self control and candy holidays do not go hand in hand for me either. Since Halloween almost entirely centers around candy, candy and more candy, special precautions must be taken.

Heed the sage advice of those before us: don't buy candy for the kids you want to eat yourself. I'm not saying you should pass out licorice nickels and dental floss. Do that and you might find yourself cleaning eggs and soap graffiti off your windows, but handing out candy you can't resist makes no sense at all. If you have a sweet tooth for chocolate and peanut butter, buy candy containing neither.

When I'm preparing for Halloween, I refuse to bring candy into my home until the afternoon of the 31st. My brother's last stop on his Halloween rounds is my house where he knows I'll hand him all the leftovers to distribute to his buddies at work. My sister has a new strategy she's trying. She passes out full sized candy bars. The neighborhood kids love this idea. Her thinking is that while she would never eat an entire candy bar, she's more than happy to "taste" every single kind of mini chocolate bar that comes into the house. This strategy may cost her more money up front but it saves her "from paying for extra workout sessions and bigger pants."

As for getting your children to eat healthy on Halloween, as long as they're otherwise healthy, consider this day a wash. There's no way you're going to keep down their sugar intake to anything near what you consider healthy or normal. What you can do is focus on filling in the blanks with truly healthy foods.

Make sure their breakfast sendoff is nutritionally sound and substantial. No toaster tarts or sugary cereal bars as they rush to the school bus this morning. Get them up a few minutes early so you can make sure they have time for a bowl of hot steaming oatmeal or fortified cereal before they head out the door. Pack their lunch with not much more than veggies and fruit since they'll be getting pizza from the party to supplement anything you pack. Tuck in their all time favorites and you just might get them to bite.

Plan to have no time to cook supper on Halloween

Every family is running around like crazy on Halloween night. With everyone rushing home from work and school and trying to get dressed up and ready, there's barely time to get dinner on the table. Frankly, the kids would rather skip dinner entirely and just eat candy. All of this means you'll have one small window of opportunity to get something worthwhile into their bellies before they add more junk on top of the school party fare.

A tradition my mother started may work well with your family too. To this day, she makes a pot of delicious, hearty soup much earlier in the day and keeps it simmering on the stove throughout Halloween night. This way, if you're lucky, you can spoon some into the children before they're off and running and you can have some yourself in between visiting ghouls, goblins and ghosts ringing your doorbell for tricks and treats. Chaperones, escorting beauties, beasts and princesses can enjoy a warm hearty bowl or two when their shifts end too.

A recipe that's gotten rave reviews from both adults and kids alike is my mother's Hot Dog Soup. "It's really lentil soup to which I added hot dogs so you kids would eat it." It worked then and we love it to this day.

To prepare hot dog soup, in a large pot, boil 1 cup yellow, red, green or black lentils and 4 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock. Immediately reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Add 2-3 thinly sliced hot dogs. Season any way you like, our house favorite: taco seasoning mix, but just a little. Start with a half teaspoon, tasting after each addition. Heat until hot dogs are warmed through and seasonings have come together, about 5 minutes more.

Tip: If you're not a fan of hot dogs, substitute diced ham.

Up the Good Calories: Stir in roughly chopped baby spinach just before serving, skip the taco seasonings and flavor instead with the juice of a lemon and cracked black pepper.

Happy Halloween!

kd@chefkathleen.com