Ah, Halloween is just around the corner. I know you want to be good neighbors/friends/family and give the little kiddos healthy treats—but you don't want to be "that house" (the house that only gives out apples). I did a little research into "healthy Halloween treats" and it made me think of what I find to be the most humorous time of year in the checkout lane. The time when every magazine touts, "simplify Christmas—make your gifts this year". I don't know about you but I find that statement side-splittingly , laugh out loud funny. How is making gifts more simple than purchasing something online? I imagine myself wrapped in festive material struggling with a glue gun and I can't contain my laughter. I digress…Halloween treats. Have you been to Pinterest? One of the pins suggested cutting string cheese with scissors and somehow tying the cheese strands onto a pretzel stick to make a witch's broom---Really? Just looking at those makes me want to buy the 20-pound bag of Rolos®. What are we health conscious, creativity challenged people to do? Why not make a simple snack mix with popcorn, nuts, dried fruit and candy corn? You can fill plastic gloves or snack sized plastic bags. Unique, simple and relatively healthy. If you are having friends over, make one of the recipes below. Put a pot of chili on the stove, make something simple, and enjoy this festive fall holiday! Don't sweat the small stuff, we do not need to be perfect. Allow yourself some time to simply enjoy seeing the little goblins walk up to your front door.
try this recipes:Popcorn Butterscotch Bars
Makes: 20 bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty Rating: Easy
Recipe Created By: Charlyn Fargo
Recipe From: Illinois Partners
Ingredients
½ cup popcorn kernels, unpopped
¼ cup butter
6 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
Coat a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, or lay a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for easy cleanup.
Using an air popper, pop the popcorn. Sift through your popped popcorn to make sure there aren't any unpopped kernels.
In a large bowl, melt butter by microwaving on high for about 30 to 45 seconds. Add marshmallows, stirring well to coat the marshmallows with the butter. Microwave for 45 seconds, stir and microwave for an additional 45 seconds. Stir to make sure the marshmallows are completely melted.
Add popcorn, and stir carefully. Stir in butterscotch chips, and immediately pour mixture into the baking dish. Press the popcorn mixture into the pan (with greased hands or the back of a spatula), compacting it as much as you can. Let cool completely before slicing into bars.