All eyes

Happy Halloween, everyone! Today's post isn't exactly a "lunch". You see, over the years we've struggled with how to manage dinner on Halloween night. We've tried time and time again to have the boys sit down and eat dinner with us before we head out Trick or Treating. However, it seems the boys are always far too excited to sit down and eat a meal which means they leave the house with empty bellies. Then while we are out and about collecting candy in the neighborhood the kids eat a piece here and there and here and there and here and there (I'm sure some of you can relate). By the time we get home the boys are so full on candy the last thing they want to think about is eating dinner which usually means they go to bed with yucky tummies.

This year I thought I'd try to mix it up a bit and offer a heavy after school snack before the excitement of Trick-or-Treating has hit. My hope is that the food will sustain them and maybe even keep them from consuming massive amounts of candy. Having said that, if you've been following my blog for a while you know that I like for my kids to enjoy treats on special occasions and tonight is definitely one of those nights. It's a chance for my kids to experience a tradition and build memories with family and friends. It seems the older my kids get, the better able they are to regulate themselves when it comes to consuming candy and/or other junk food. This leads me to believe that all the effort we've put into educating our kids about how food impacts their bodies and encouraging them to be mindful of what/how much they eat is finally paying off! We'll see if the same holds true with all the treats tonight, but I'm hopeful this snack might just do the trick! (Pardon the pun.)

Now because both of my boys seem beyond anything "cute" for Halloween I decided to create a snack that's a little more "creepy" than cute. This "I've Got My Eyes On You" snack includes: English muffin pepperoni pizza, hard boiled egg, banana toast with "Nutella", grapes, ChocoPerfection Mint Chocolate Mini Candy Bar.