Happy Halloween Trick or Treats

A collection of spooktacular sweet treats with no playing a trick on your scale with these are no sugar added, protein packed. I'll be making these on days other than Halloween.

Started my All Hallows' Eve with this to die for (sorry couldn't resist) protein shake.

Shelly's Dead Man's Party Protein Shake

8 oz. Milk (I used Soy Milk, any will do)
1 packet Big Train Fit Frappe Vanilla Protein Drink Mix
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Davinci Toasted Marshmallow Syrup
a few cubes of ice

Whiz on high in a blender. Top with No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream, a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa (aka dirt)

Shelly's Homemade No Sugar Added Toasted Marshmallow Whipped Cream

1 cup Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Toasted Marshmallow Syrup (any flavor will do) 

Whisk till well combined. Fill whipping cream to the fill line of the whipper. Screw on the top. Insert the CO2 cartridge till it empties, unscrew that. Put the nozzle on, shake a few times and squirt away. It makes a ton, store it in the fridge for up to 10 days just give it another few shakes before squirting. 

More Eggface Protein Shakes and Smoothies

Shelly's Caramel Apple Ricotta Pancakes

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (SF Vanilla, Caramel, or Brown Sugar Cinnamon)
3 Tablespoons Multigrain Pancake Mix
1/2 an Apple, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients together. I use whole milk ricotta, if you use part skim, drain first. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cook on low till golden, flip, pat flat, cook till done. Serve each pancake with a drizzle of warm Sugar Free Caramel Sauce, squirt of No Sugar Added Whipped Cream and a SF Gummy Worm of course, a few added calories but worth the fun seriously though these are awesome with nothing on them hot or cold. Makes 8 pancakes.

These can be frozen between slices of wax paper or kept in the fridge a day or 2 and reheated (nuke 25 seconds) for breakfast during the week. Leftovers usually get some SF jam, almond or peanut butter smeared on them, wrapped in foil and they become a great breakfast-on-the-go.

More Eggface Pancakes
7 Protein Packed Breakfast On-The-Go Recipes

and every year I make a Halloween themed Bento Box lunch. Here is this year's:

Pink Box (top left): Devil's Teeth (Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Almonds) and Skewered Eyeballs (Green Grapes)
Green Box (top right): Witches Fingers (Baby Carrots) and Green Ghoul Dip (Greek Yogurt, Pesto Sauce and a drop of Green Food Coloring)
Blue Box (bottom left): Ham and Cheese Pumpkins (cookie cutter)
Orange Box (bottom right): Mandarin Orange Jack-o-Lantern

More Bento Box lunches, FAQ's and here's an Online Source for them (on sale right now too FYI)
My Bento Box Pinterest Page
Halloween Bentos from the Past 2010, 2011, 2013

and something to eat while waiting for the trick or treaters. These are soooo good.

Shelly's Apple Nachos

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1-2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Torani Caramel Syrup
A variety of toppings: Crumbled Protein Bar, Peanuts, Almonds, Powdered Peanut Butter, Protein Powder, Melted Peanut Butter, Cinnamon or Apple Pie Spice, Unsweetened Toasted Coconut, anything you like.
Honeycrisp Apple Slices

Mix the ricotta and syrup together, sprinkle with Apple Pie Spice. Slice apples arrange around dip. I topped mine with a Tablespoon of melted Peanut Butter (25 seconds or so nuked), a hunk of crumbled protein bar, and a couple of crushed almonds.

Shelly's Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn

1 cup Popped Popcorn
1 Tablespoon Chocolate Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Tablespoon Powdered Peanut Butter (Chike Nutrition makes a great one)
Optional: Add a few Almonds (I love those Honey Chipotle ones Blue Diamond makes for this)

Shake in a Bag. Pour into bowl. Add nuts if desired.

Healthy Halloween Post Weight Loss Surgery Survival Tips
My Pinterest Halloween Page

Happy Halloween! Oh check out the cool Day of the Dead Tote Bag my Mum made me. I helped in design, she did the knitting and sewing.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I made a batch of my Chai Donuts as mini muffins. I wanted jazz up the tops because most of them were taken to my Mum's doctor's office. I talked a bit too much about the blog and ended up somehow agreeing to bring a batch of muffins to her next appointment. I stole 2 for breakfast and the rest I boxed up for others the office staff try. They devoured them. I think they came out cute. Toppings: sliced almonds, pecans, red walnuts, sugar free chocolate chips (Walmart) because I have them (though I use 3 chips per muffin, doubt many would RNYers would dump on that even if you use the real deal) and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) which are my favorite.

I also had a protein shake. Mmmm Iced Coffee meets Almond Joy.

Shelly's Almond Coconut Mocha Protein Shake 

8 oz. Milk (I used Almond & Coconut Blend Milk, any will do)
1 scoop Chike Mocha High Protein Iced Coffee
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Coconut)
a few cubes of ice

Whiz on high in a blender. Top with No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream, a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa and toasted coconut.

More Eggface Protein Shakes and Smoothies

Lunch: It was a gorgeous day we are finally getting temps that are more Fall like and the breeze has a little chill. I took my work outside and my bento box lunch. This has all the components and flavors of an Everything Bagel with Lox (a pre-op favorite, sadly I often ate 2 at a sitting) but way healthier. 

Pink Box (top left): Smoked Salmon

Green Box (top right): Greek Yogurt (with a sprinkle S&P and Bagel Spice)

Blue Box (bottom left): Cucumber Slices (my crackers)
Orange Box (bottom right): Mango Chunks

More Bento Box lunches, FAQ's and here's an Online Source for them (looks like they are on sale right now too FYI)
My Bento Box Pinterest Page

Dinner: I bought the coolest looking yellow and green speckled zucchini this weekend at the Leucadia Farmers' Market. I stopped there before heading to the Day of the Dead Festival. Besides my Farmers' Market it's one of my favorites in San Diego. Well and it's really close to the beach so I stopped at my special spot too. I snap a picture every time I go. I even turned one picture into my mouse pad.

My mouse pad:

I sliced it up with some onion, sprinkled everything with Greek seasoning, a drizzle of olive oil, wrapped it in foil and tossed it in the oven at 400 for 25 minutes. When it was done I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. I served it with one of those Melted Turkey Cold Cut Roll Ups I make (turkey, green chili, cheese.)

Zucchini cooked this way was one of my very first vegetables I ate post weight loss surgery. It was a nice change from all the sweetness of protein shakes and cold of cottage cheese and yogurts.

More Eggface Foil Packet Dinners

Snacks: Too much coffee and a couple of pieces of Krave Basil Citrus Turkey Jerky.

More Days in my Pouch

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I had a couple of slices of ham to use up, I scrambled a couple of eggs, added the ham, a little cheese and made a Breakfast Quesadilla with my favorite Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Fajita Size Tortilla. Topped it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some Salsa. I shared it with my Mum.

5 More Things to do with Cold Colds

We took off after breakfast to the Farmer's Market and the Annual Methodist Church Craft Faire. I bought a cool throw blanket (I'm always cold) last year but nothing called to me this year and I'm trying to be careful $$ wise... I need 2 more iron infusions, last labs showed my ferritin is still low grrrr and I finally gave in and got my eyes checked and needed glasses so it's been an expensive couple weeks. I did get my Mum a huge bag of books (they always have a book sale and it's fill a bag for $2) to restock her supply. When she's done reading them I take them to the Senior Center, they have a little lending library and love when I make a book delivery. Most are on social security fixed incomes and dropping $7 bucks each for a paperback is not an option.

Lunch: Every year we go the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Festival. They make me a Pita-less Gyros, all the yummy insides of a gyros sandwich: meat, sliced tomato, red onion, tzatziki sauce (cucumber & Greek yogurt basically) so I still get the flavors I love without the greasy carbs. I could of course just eat the inside of a sandwich but why waste food someone else could enjoy.

It's funny every year when I ask for my slight adaptations, several of the ladies on line or serving will comment positively about it. Don't be afraid to ask for substitutions or changes to help you stick to your plan, you might inspire someone to try it too.

More Eating Out Post Weight Loss Surgery Tips
Eggface Healthy Greek Recipes Pinterest Page

I got home, cut up a couple of the eggplants I had bought at the Farmer's Market and roasted them for dinner. Roasting veggies makes the whole house smell yummy.

Dinner: I took the roasted eggplant cubes and divided them into 2 gratin dishes (a Pyrex pie dish would do too.) I mixed up a variation on my ricotta-topped Baked Eggplant recipe because ummm I swore I had bought ricotta but apparently I didn't so FYI cottage cheese works great too.

Shelly's Baked Eggplant Ricotta (the "oh $#!t I don't have any ricotta" version)

2 medium Eggplant, roasted
1 cup Ricotta Cheese (or Lowfat Cottage Cheese)
1 Egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese

Take the 2 medium eggplant and cube it, I left the skin on but you could peel it. I tossed the cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Kosher salt on a baking sheet. I roasted them in a 425 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, turning twice during cooking.

Mix cottage cheese, egg, seasonings till well blended. Put the roasted eggplant in gratin baking dishes and top it with the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pureed, soft foods stage: I would peel the eggplant and after it's roasted put it in a mini food processor till smooth. Place pureed eggplant in the gratin dishes, top with cheese mixture and bake same as above.

Snacks: Too much coffee and a hunk of a Power Crunch Chocolate Mint Protein Bar out of the freezer. I love them that way, like a frozen Thin Mint.

More Eggface Chocolate Mint Yumminess

Went to the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival today. Didn't eat anything there. The food lines were crazy long but I came home, inspired to cook so I'll post that tomorrow. It's been a fun weekend filled with culture, music and some great food. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

The single best drink for your health

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: Picked up some gorgeous Honeycrisp apples at the Farmer's Market on Saturday so I made one of my favorite breakfasts. It's perfect too because October is National Apple Month!

Shelly's Cinnamon Apple Walnut Salad

3 oz. Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor I used SF Caramel)
dash Cinnamon
1 Apple, chopped
2 Tablespoons Walnuts, chopped
1 Tablespoon Dried Cranberries

Mix yogurt, SF syrup, and cinnamon together till well blended. Toss with apple, walnuts, and cranberries. I used California Red Walnuts in this. If you can find some use those. So good. If not, regular are fine.

I made a double batch my Mum loves it too. The acid in the yogurt will prevent browning of the apples so you can keep it for a bit in the fridge but it's best if you make it and eat it for the crunchiest apples and walnuts.

7 Protein Packed Grab & Go Breakfasts

Lunch: One of my super easy go-to lunches. Melted Cold Cut Roll-ups. I make lots of different combos yesterday it was Turkey, Green Chili & Cheese.

You can eat them cold of course but if you have the time to warm them do it. It's worth the extra couple of minutes and pan washing for all this melty, gooey cheese deliciousness.

5 Things to do with Cold Colds
Eggface Weight Loss Surgery Lunch Ideas Pinterest Page

Dinner: This would be great as a Thanksgiving side dish, it will be on my Turkey Day table. I added some cooked turkey sausage but you could leave it out for any vegetarian guests.

Shelly's Butternut Squash and Greens Cheesy Gratin 

2 lb. Butternut Squash, cubed & roasted
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
9 oz. Birds Eye Steamfresh Chopped Kale
8 oz. Store bought Spinach and Artichoke Dip (or Creamed Spinach)
1 cup Low fat Cottage Cheese
a few twists of Black Pepper
Optional: 1 cup Cooked Ground Meat (Sausage, Beef, Turkey, Chicken, or not if you want a veggie version)
2 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Place cubed squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 45 minutes turning 2 or 3 times during cooking. I cheated and bought already cubed & peeled squash from Costco (I've seen it at Trader Joe's, Fresh & Easy, regular supermarkets) because I value my fingers and butternut squash is a pain in the you-know-what to chop up. If you get the whole squash look for a medium one about 2 lbs in weight. When squash is done. Reduce oven to 350.

Nuke the kale as per package directions. Set aside. Nuke Spinach Artichoke Dip. I used Trader Joe's Spinach & Artichoke Dip (TGIFridays makes a version too, they are in the frozen section.)  I've also seen them in refrigerated section of delis. Any will work. I warmed it to make it stirable. So if yours is not one of the frozen versions you won't need to microwave it. If you can't find the dip you could just use a package of frozen creamed spinach.

Whiz cottage cheese in a mini food processor or blender till smooth. Mix all ingredients together: roasted squash, spinach dip, kale, meat (I used turkey sausage), cottage cheese and black pepper together and spoon into a casserole dish.

Top with grated Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes to brown top. I ate it as is but it would be great as a side with turkey or ham at the holidays.

Snacks: Lots of coffee as usual and a Cherry Coconut Protein Shake.

Shelly's Cherry Coconut Protein Shake

8 oz. Milk (any, I used soy)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Coconut)
1/4 cup Frozen Cherries
a few cubes of ice

Whiz on high in a blender.

More Eggface Protein Shakes and Smoothies
More Days in my Pouch

Drum roll...

Thank you to all who entered The World According to Eggface Healthy Halloween Trick or Treat Giveaway

The random generator has selected:

Megan Starflyr27@xxx.xxx

Congratulations! You are the winner of the Purple Nike Workout Bag filled with some of my favorite weight loss surgery friendly protein shakes, snacks and more. You have mail!

Not a winner this time... no worries another Eggface Giveaway is beginning very very soon so be sure to follow along on the Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest for the latest eggciting announcements!

Want to learn more about any of the contents of the bag. Click here for more info and sources.

Post Weight Loss Surgery Menus: A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I had a few appointments and errands to run so I grabbed a couple of my Banana Chai Protein Donuts, tossed them in a snack sized Ziploc and went on my way. This last batch I made I made a few with red walnuts and a few sugar free chocolate chips (Walmart) just pushed a couple of chips, nuts in right before popping them in the oven and in my travels I had a Starbucks Sugar Free Vanilla Soy Latte.

7 Protein Packed Grab & Go Breakfast Ideas

Lunch: I came home and made these protein packed, flattened meatballs. They had a Greek vibe with mint (don't leave it out) and the Greek yogurt cucumber dip. They are a great lunch or dinner. I ate a couple just dipped in the yogurt sauce but you could top a salad with them or use a piece of Boston lettuce like a cup and drizzle the dressing on top. Would be a great game day appetizer too. 

Shelly's Beef Kofta (Flat Meatballs) with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce

1/2 lb. Ground Beef (you could really use any meat: pork, turkey)
1 teaspoon Dried Mint
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 cup Almond Meal
dash of salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Mix with hands till combined. Form into 8 meatballs. Place in a pan I used a drizzle of olive oil for crunchy edges (Pam would work too) and press down slightly to form ovals. Saute until they are well browned on all sides. Serve hot with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce.

Cook's Note: almond meal and almond flour are interchangeable in this recipe: meal is just ground almonds with skins on, flour is ground almonds with skins off.

Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce

4 oz. Plain Greek yogurt
1/4 of a Hothouse (English) Cucumber, diced fine
1/2 teaspoon Dried Mint
dash of Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Eggface Healthy Greek Recipes Pinterest Page

Dinner: Foil Fish Packet. A go-to dinner at my house. Shelly's Tilapia Squash Foil Fish Packet: slice up some squash placed it on a piece of foil, 1 green onion. Add a piece of any fish you like (I used tilapia, shrimp or scallops would be great too, just lower the time by 5 minutes) Sprinkle with any seasoning you like, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap everything in foil tightly. Toss on a covered BBQ for 20 (defrosted) - 25 (frozen) minutes and depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Don't open the lid. Trust me it will come out perfect every time and best of all. If you are really bad like me eat it directly from the packet and there is zero clean-up... well OK a fork. I served it with a dollop of Greek yogurt seasoned with the same seasoning I used on the fish cause I dip everything.

More Eggface Foil Packet Dinners

Snacks: Lots of coffee powered my day (those splashed of soy milk add up) and I was in the mood for something crunchy and gave these Crunchy Bean Snacks a try. Yum! and 7 g. protein. I had the sea salt ones (they come in 5 flavors, I have a packet of the tomato basil to try next.) 

More Days in my pouch

Eggface Healthy Halloween Trick or Treat Giveaway

Halloween is quickly approaching and we can't let the kiddos have all the fun. I've got a goody bag of health and weight loss surgery friendly products, some of my favorite protein bars, protein shakes, snacks and more. Trick or Treat WLS style!

Happy Halloween! Tell a friend! It's Giveaway Time!

The Prize: A purple Nike Exercise Bag so you can hit the gym, beach or travel to the Your Weight Matters Convention and hang out with me next summer and it's jam packed with some of my post weight loss surgery bariatric favorites...

3 single serving packets of Celebrate Vitamins ENS in Vanilla Cake Batter, Chocolate Milk, and Strawberry flavors (each delicious shake contains a high potency multivitamin, 500 mg of calcium citrate, 4 g of fiber, and 25 g of whey isolate protein in each serving)

1 jammed packed Sampler pack of Celebrate Vitamins including some of my personal favorites: Calcium Citrate Chews, Grape Multivitamin Chewable, Cherry B12, and tons more to try.

4 Celebrate Vitamins ENS - 2 in 1 Protein & Calcium Bar 2 of each flavor Caramel Chocolate Crunch and Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch.

7 single serving packets of Chike Nutrition Protein Drink in Chocolate Bliss, Very Vanilla, Strawberry Burst, Banana Magic, Orange Creme, and High Protein Iced Coffee in Original and Mocha flavors.

7 Quest Nutrition Protein Bars in a variety of flavors: White Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter Supreme, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana Nut Muffin, Double Chocolate Chunk, and Cinnamon Roll.

5 single serving packets Big Train Fit Frappe Protein in Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Latte, Mocha, Espresso flavors.

4 packets of Blue Diamond Almonds in Lime n' Chili, Natural, Wasabi & Soy and Roasted Salted flavors.

1 single serving packet of Unflavored BiPro Protein.

1 single serving packet of NutraSumma Pea Protein in Vanilla flavor.

28 oz. Purple Blender Bottle Shaker.

How to Enter: 1.) LIKE The World According to Eggface Facebook Page 2.) COME BACK HERE and LEAVE A COMMENT on this blog posting (be sure to include a name and some email address where I can contact you if you are the winner) Scroll down to # of comments below to leave yours. That's it, easy peasy.

For fun... Tell me what you are going to dress up as for Halloween or your favorite costume from the past.

***Want extra chances to win?***

* Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Hey everyone enter the @Eggface Healthy Halloween Trick or Treat Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/pz3oye5

* Follow me on Pinterest and pin at least one of your favorite Eggface recipes or an Eggface recipe you'd like to try to one of your Pinterest boards. Put #Eggface in the description.

Contest Period Ends: Sunday, October 19th, midnight (Pacific), sometime Monday, October 20th. I'll draw a name using a random number generator and announce the winner here on the blog! I will also email the winner at the address provided. You'll have one week (7 days) to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Remember winners MUST be a Facebook follower (aka have LIKED) of the The World According to Eggface. One comment entry per person. Blog comments are moderated so there may be a slight delay (up to a few hours, especially at night if I'm sleeping Zzzz) in seeing your comment/entry post. Giveaway is open to anyone in the contiguous United States (48 contiguous only, sorry it's a legal and money $ thing.)

Be sure to check out my Healthy Halloween Post Weight Loss Surgery Survival Tips

It's World Egg Day! 8 Eggceptional Recipes

It's World Egg Day! Here are some eggceptional (sorry couldn't resist) dishes you can make to celebrate this awesome protein source. Low carb, high protein, all delicious.

Shelly's Individual Baked Chili Relleno Casserole

4 Eggs
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
dash salt
a dash (or 2 or 3) of Hot Sauce (I love Cholula)
1/2 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (divided use)
1 (7 oz.) can Mild Green Chiles, drained and diced

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 4 ramekins with Pam cooking spray. In a blender, combine eggs, ricotta, salt and hot sauce. Blend till smooth. Combine the shredded cheese (minus 2 Tablespoons) and chiles.

Spoon equal amounts of chilies and cheese into each ramekin. Pour egg mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until golden brown and the eggs have set, a knife inserted comes out clean. About 35-38 minutes.

Serve for breakfast or brunch with fresh fruit (looks fancy pants but is super cheap & easy) or for lunch or dinner with a little green salad. Perfect vegetarian dish for Meatless Monday.

Shelly's Baked Scotch Eggs

Shelly's Ham, Cheese, Triple Onion Egg Bites

Shelly's Cauliflower Chicken Fried Riceless "Rice" 

Shelly's Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Eggs

Shelly's BTE Bacon Tomato and Egg Salad with Cucumber "Crackers"

Shelly's Egg Foo Young Bites

A Classic Hard Boiled Egg Bento Box Lunch

Which recipe are you eggcited to try?

Healthy Halloween Post Weight Loss Surgery Survival Tips

Hope these ideas help you celebrate Halloween in a way that is still a ton of fun but honors your commitment to your healthy lifestyle post weight loss surgery. 

Healthy Halloween Survival Tips

* If you must buy candy... wait to buy candy till Halloween Day. Those bars won't be calling to you from the cupboard a week beforehand.

* Buy the candy you hate. If you love Snickers buy Sweet Tarts. Don't set yourself up by having your favorite peanut butter cups taunting you every time you enter the kitchen.

* Better yet... buy a non-candy treat to giveaway to the trick or treaters. The neighborhood kids will get plenty of candy even if you don't pass it out. There are tons of great alternatives to candy:

• Pencils
• Bracelets
• Bubbles
• Playdough (I loved getting this when I was a kiddo)
• Magnets
• Maze games
• Kazoos
• Keychains
• Whistles
• Trading cards
• Stickers
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Yo-yos
• Rubber Hi-bouncing balls
• Plastic Animals and Insects
• Coins
• Glow sticks (my favorite and bonus they help kids stay safe as they wander the streets.)

* If you are heading out in the neighborhood trick-or-treating, make it a fitness challenge by having the group of friends or siblings wear pedometers or fitbits and track how many steps they take. Then donate the candy collected (see below for ideas.)

* Be sure to eat a protein-packed meal and drink plenty of water.

If you are full from a good meal you will be less apt to want to snack on those not-so-fun sized candy bars as you are walking (FYI 4 fun sized bars = approximately 320 calories.)

* Stay home and have a Halloween Party: Put on Michael Jackson's Thriller and Dance (3-4 songs = 10 minutes, 3x and you have a 30-minute workout), Read a Spooky Story, Make Tortilla Pizza "Monster Faces," 

Bob for Apples, Carve Pumpkins and Roast the Seeds, Make Deviled Egg Spiders, Make Monsters: A batch of homemade playdough with some cookie cutters, a garlic press, a rolling pin, pipe cleaners, buttons, beads, etc. and you've got your own monster making factory. 

Shelly's Pumpkin Spice Playdough

3 cups Flour
1 cup Salt
2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
3 cups Boiling Water
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Couple of drops of Red and Yellow Food Coloring

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl then add boiling water. Add oil and coloring and mix. Knead when cool enough to handle until smooth dough. It smells ahhhh-mazing too.

* Trick-Or-Treat For a Cause

Use Halloween to teach your kids about helping other kids. UNICEF sponsors a "Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF" program where trick-or-treaters collect change instead of candy. The money raised goes to UNICEF's worldwide aid programs. You can download all the information, box label and fundraising ideas on the UNICEF website.

Also through its "Coins That Count Donation Program," Coinstar coin-counting machines, allow kids to contribute to organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the American Red Cross. Kids can take change collected to a Coinstar machine donations can be made to participating charities when coins are deposited or you can get your cash and donate to a cause you hold near and dear. Kids might like to donate to your local animal shelter.

* Donate the Candy

Operation Gratitude collects candy for the troops overseas and many local dentists are drop-off locations for more information visit Operation Gratitude's website and donating to your local Food Banks are always an option. Speaking of local food banks... please consider joining me in this project.

Consider having the "Tooth Fairy" visit in the night and replace the candy stash with a non-candy treat.

More Eggface Halloween Healthy Treats:

Shelly's Mummy Tortilla Pizza
Shelly's Deviled Egg Spiders
Shelly's Poor Barbie Protein Shake
Shelly's Healthy Halloween Fluff Stuff
Shelly's Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Jars with Harvest Mix
Shelly's Dead of the Dead Grilled Zucchini

Find even more Spooktacular Healthy Halloween Ideas, Recipes, and Bentos on My Pinterest Halloween Page