Halloween is here, and while the ghosts and goblins roam, it’s also the perfect time to get creative with your fruits and veggies! This spooky season, turn produce into the stars of your Halloween festivities. With a little imagination, you can whip up fun and festive snacks that thrill kids and adults alike.
Frightfully Fun Party Ideas
Transform your Halloween party into a spooky produce paradise with these eerie, yet healthy, snacks:
- Spooky Veggie Tray: Create a green bell pepper spider to sit on top of your favorite dip. Serve alongside baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, or any of your favorite raw veggies for a boo-tiful snack that will delight your guests!
- Monster Veggie Cups: Layer hummus, guacamole, and colorful veggie sticks (like carrots, celery, and bell peppers) in clear plastic cups. Draw silly monster faces on the outside of the cups for an extra touch of whimsy that kids will love.
- Pumpkin Oranges: Peel small oranges or mandarins and add a small piece of celery on top to mimic pumpkin stems. These cute and easy-to-make snacks are as fun to eat as they are to display.
Interactive Halloween Treats
Make snack time more exciting with these DIY ideas that get the whole family involved:
- Candy Corn Parfait: Set up a snack station with canned pineapple, mandarin oranges and vanilla Greek yogurt. Have the kids layer the items in a clear cup to create their own fall-themed snack.
- Veggie Skeletons: Arrange cut-up veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and carrots on a platter to form a spooky skeleton shape. Use a small bowl of dip for the head! It’s a crowd-pleasing way to encourage kids to munch on their veggies.
Seasonal Produce with a Festive Twist
Embrace fall’s seasonal bounty by adding a fun, festive twist to classic dishes:
- Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers: Carve fun jack-o’-lantern faces into bell peppers, then fill them with a hearty mixture of quinoa, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Bake until tender for a deliciously healthy and Halloween-themed meal that’s sure to please.
- Apple Monster Mouths: Cut apples into wedges, spread one side with nut butter, and add mini marshmallows or sunflower seeds as “teeth.” Sandwich another apple wedge on top, and you’ve got a monster mouth that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.
- Jack-o’-Lantern Veggie Pizzas: For a spooky take on pizza, use whole wheat pita bread as the base, spread with tomato sauce, and top with cheese and veggies arranged to look like jack-o’-lantern faces. Bell peppers, olives, and mushrooms make perfect spooky features. Bake until crispy for a fun and delicious treat!
This Halloween, “trick or treat” takes on a whole new meaning with these imaginative fruit and veggie ideas. Whether you’re hosting a party or making a festive snack for the family, these creative twists on classic produce will add a healthy dose of fun to your celebration.
So, gather your little monsters and have a spooktacular time enjoying fruits and veggies in a whole new way. Happy Halloween, and remember—every time you eat, have a plant!
The post Spooky Fruit & Veggie Fun For The Whole Family first appeared in The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s Have A Plant® blog.
Written by: Emily Holdorf, MS, RDN, International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
Emily serves as the Influencer & Community Manager at IFPA. With a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from SUNY Oneonta, Emily has been a registered dietitian since 2016. She began her career in food and nutrition in the university foodservice sector with Compass Group USA. In her current role, Emily works to inspire consumers to enjoy more fruits and veggies through the Have A Plant®.
About The Foundation For Fresh Produce And Have A Plant® Movement
The Foundation for Fresh Produce’s vision is to grow a healthier world by changing the trajectory of human health. The produce industry has the potential to provide solutions for many of the world’s greatest health and economic challenges – especially those surrounding nutrition and hunger.
The Foundation focuses on improving the appeal of fruit and vegetables as an integral part of people’s diets, supporting the development of infrastructure and supply chain solutions that provide easier access, and establishing strategic alliances that enable children and families to form healthier eating habits.
The transformative Have A Plant® Movement inspires consumers with compelling reasons to believe in the powerful role fruits and vegetables can play to fuel happy, healthy and active lifestyles.