Good Versus Healthy Halloween Treats

Everyone wants to be the house with the good treats.It's a badge of coolness and a feeling of smug pride. Yet what is good? Is it gooey, cavity inducing sweets or nutrition  packed fruit or pretzels. That's the question. What the best goody to give out.


Ask any kid and they'll tell you , candy is best. We all know that. Yet what's the best candy health wise to give out?.Dark chocolate , whether kisses or fun sized bars are one good option. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants.Its also less sweet than the milk variety. If you do want to hand out candy bars then consider Almond Joys and Mounds. These coconut rich treats have eight calories a piece and the Almond Joys also have fiber thanks to the nuts. . A piece is only around eighty-eight calorie and less than six grams of fat. Think Tootsie for another treat. Both the tiny rolls and pops are low in calories A tootsie roll is only seventy calories while the candy filled lollipop is just sixty. Both have zero grams of fat. If you want to give out something colorful think Smarties or Sweet tarts.These tart little discs have no fat, very little sugar and hardly any calories. A Smarties roll is has only twenty five while a small pack of Smarties has only thirty. Hand out three or four rolls or packs to each trick or treater and you're golden.Twizzlers are fun too  - and better yet low in calories They're also chewy too, so it'll take some time to eat and digest them.

You may want to go the fun and healthy route instead.Apples and pears are always good, Think a bowl filled with different kinds such as Fujis and Granny Smiths  along with Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou pears.Pretzels are always good. They're low in calorie and fun to munch .Keep in mind that some kids do suffer from gluten allergies so have the gluten free variety on the ready. You can go entirely gluten free or go half and half with packets of regular pretzels. What about Goldfish? Luckily Pepperidge Farm does have a gluten free version that's just as tasty as the original,They 're actually puffy - which are even more fun to eat and their flavors are buffalo wing,mega cheese and cheddar bacon.  You can buy Halloween themed packets or make your own. A few moms and dads may feel granola bars are also a great give out.If you decide on this  just be super careful with what you give out. Keep in mind many have nuts and that's lethal for kids with nut allergies.Try 18 Rabbits brand which is wheat, nut and dairy free.They come in such flavors as Caramel Apple, Chocolate Banana, Mango. and Chocolate Cherry Kind brand is also very good.with such yummy flavors as vanilla blueberry, salted caramel, and maple pumpkin seeds with sea salt.

What to go with for next week? That's up to you - but keep in mind what those trick or treaters parents want.for their kids. Be cool, but be wise too.

An Easy Breakfast Dinner

One of the most fun and easiest suppers to make is breakfast for dinner. It's a fun way of having all those yummy morning treats like eggs done anyway or French toast. A tasty one that's a crowd pleaser here in New Jersey is the classic pork roll or Taylor ham with soft boiled eggs. It's an easy cook for both novices and experienced chefs.

Before cooking the pork roll remember to make four slits at the edges, usually at the compass points , north east south and west. They cook up better and don't resemble sombreros Or Mexican hats as I used to call them).

They're supposed to be cooked in a minimum of butter or margarine, but I've always loved them swimming in a molten puddle of either one. It's good to fry the eggs in afterward.

I've opted for sunny side up or fried. The yolks are perfectly runny , making a delicious part of a trio of them, Taylor ham and white bread. This last you can use any brand but I prefer Pepperidge Farm. It has a sweetness and chewiness that works well with the other two textures. Pork roll also tastes good with fluffy scrambled eggs too or it can be cut up into omelets.  The choice is yours.

Sandwich Time

Pretty soon the kids will be off to school and with them will go that time honored lunch - the sandwich. They are easy to make and easier to pack. Yet a lot of kids will probably swap theirs or worse trash them. Why?Probably because they're boring. They're not that easy. Sandwich making requires some skill ands creativity.

The base of any sandwich is bread and it should be a good one. I recommend wheat. Its tastier and more wholesome. If your little foodie hates hole wheat then go back to white but try Pepperidge Farms sandwich. The bread is heartier than average whites and holds up well. If you want you can also use pita for lower calories. This also comes in wheat too. As for fillings, there's the low sodium deli meat or you can used any left overs from the previous night's roasts.Veggies are also a good stuffing, especially if they're grilled. You can create a nice colorful sandwich by using grilled tomatoes and peppers.

The extras are what make a sandwich pop. Sprinkle in some tarragon to the mayo or maybe a handful of celery seeds. Another fun idea is to add slices of spiced tomatoes or onions. You can also try something different like chopped artichokes or asparagus.Better yet you can create your own special sauce that the kids will like.

Remember a good sandwich will be eaten .A bad one will be tossed or swapped. Be creative and you'll have ones that willbe gobbled.

The Real Story Of Pepperidge Farm

If you're like me, you have always been in love with Pepperidge Farm products. From their famous goldfish to their cookies to their breads, they represent good quality baking at affordable prices. What I didn't know was their story. I had always assumed that this was a quaint baking outfit left over from another time. The real story is much different.

Pepperidge farm came about thanks to its' owner Margaret Rudkin. She had come up with a healthy alternative to white bread for her son who was beset with allergies. This was in 1937, long before grocery stores touted wheat and gluten free products. She made her son an all natural stone ground flour bread that not only helped him but was a hit amongst family and friends. The Rudkin family doctor even prescribed it to other patients and an industry was born. The company got its' name from the estate that the Rudkins owned , Pepperidge Farm.

The company added their rich line of Milano and Brussels cookies thanks to Margaret's being impressed with Belgian bakers and their creativity. This was in the 1950's and American cookies had yet to be sophisticated. Pepperidge Farm changed all that. Soon white bread America was being introduced to luxe styles of chocolate sandwiches and almond flour snaps. A few years later goldfish were brought to the line thanks to Margaret's trip to Switzerland and discovering Swiss fish crackers. The company was bought out by Campbell Soups a little after that however this enabled Pepperidge farm to now work on frozen pastries - another first for America.

Pepperidge Farm now has a whole host of elegant cookies along with down home sugar and chocolate chip kind.s The goldfish line has expanded as well , bringing all sorts of flavors from pizza to pretzels. This foodie wants to know. What's your favorite Pepperidge Farm treat?

Guilty Pleasures Foodie Style

OK, fellow foodies, here's the first big question of 2009 - what's your guiltiest food pleasure?

For this foodie it has to be Pepperidge's Farm's Sugar Cookie. Yes, I know to other fellow food lovers it 's probably the most boring thing out there but not to me. There's something almost sinful about the way the cookie snaps under my teeth or the melange of different ingredients coming together to create a very comforting taste. These are the downfalls of my diet. I can eat an entire bag during the course of a day. They're irresistible.

Another treat that's almost right on a part with the PFSC's are Skittles. I rediscovered these over the Christmas holidays and now can't get enough of them. After all that cloying holiday chocolate there's something refreshing about the tart little bursts of fruit flavor. Plus they're just fun to eat.

These are some of my guiltiest food pleasures ( I can go on and on about my favorite restaurant, Villa Napoli's old fashioned cheeseless pizza) . Write in . I'm curious as to what everyone else's guiltiest food pleasures are.