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The Spooky Language of Halloween

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One of my childhood Halloween memories is going to a church event when I was about 9 years old.  I was dressed up as the pop music singer Cyndi Lauper. My costume was complete with thick make-up, layers of costume jewelry and sprayed on orange hair color. 

The church fellowship hall was set up with stations of various Halloween games, where children could participate in each game for candy.  I remember enthusiastically participating in bobbing for apples! I dunked my face into the ice water and turned the tub of water bright orange!

This Halloween will be VERY different.  Due to the pandemic, Halloween celebrations will be smaller and closer to home. Some families are trick-or-treating inside their house room-to-room, while others are planning egg-hunt style candy gatherings in their yards. We are planning to make small goodie bags filled with candy and leaving them for trick-or-treaters in our driveway. No matter what your plans are for Halloween, I invite you to consider the language you use in your home about Halloween and candy. 

Food and Language

How we talk to and around children about food has a lasting impact.  Do we want our children to remember the fun and silly parts of Halloween events, or the fear-based diet culture messages about the candy and treats?  

We all know candy isn’t the most nutritious food item out there.  However, food and our relationship with food is complicated. It’s not black and white. As we raise children to have a positive relationship around all foods, the goal is not for them to eat the most nutritious food today.  We need to zoom out. The goal is for them to have exposure to different foods in neutral and positive ways and grow up with food being important, but not TOO important, in their lives.  Children learn best through modeling and experiences, not necessarily from what we tell them with our words.

Candy is an important part of Halloween and if we make it forbidden or evoke fear or shame around it, we complicate our children’s (and our own) relationship with food. The more an item is forbidden, typically children will seek out that food more. As children seek out the forbidden food item, they may feel feelings of shame: 

“If candy is bad, and I eat candy, am I bad?” 

Other children, may become fearful of the forbidden food, avoiding it all together with anxiety and confusion about why trusted adults make the “bad” food available to them:

“If candy is bad and will hurt me, why is my mom letting me get candy?”

Let’s eliminate the spooky language of Halloween. 

Instead of saying: 

  • “Whoa, you need to keep that candy away from me.” ⁣⁣
  • “Mommy can’t eat bad food like that.”⁣
  • “Be careful, you’re going to have all of that bad food from Halloween.”
  • “We’re going to be bad tonight, tomorrow we’ll eat healthfully.”
  • “You better eat lots of healthy food tonight before we go out and get all that junk.” ⁣

Try instead: ⁣

  • “Let’s sit down and eat supper before we head out for the fun.”
  • “Look at your stash. Yum!”⁣
  • “I loved seeing your excitement tonight! Your costume was amazing.”⁣
  • “Reese’s are my favorite. Can I have one?”⁣
  • “What it your favorite candy that you got tonight?”

Diet culture has snuck into almost all parts of parenting.  I will not let diet culture make Halloween scarier than it’s supposed to be and steal the fun. By not demonizing candy, we model for our children that it’s okay for it to be a part of their lives, and we support them in growing up to not have a conflicted relationship with food and their bodies.

Questions about how to handle Halloween? Check out Lauren McIlwaine‘s blog post from last year, Handling Halloween: A Step-by-Step Parent Guide

You’ll Love This Recipe for Warm Apples with Homemade Granola

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It’s definitely fall here in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia)! YAY! The leaves are just beginning to change and the days are getting cooler. Though we haven’t been apple picking yet, we’ll get there in the next week. Nothing says it’s fall like warm apples with homemade granola!

An East Fork Lapis bowl of Granny Smith apples

My family loves cooked apples. Both my girls still remember the cooked apples Anna’s husband, Dan made about 10 years ago when we were on a weekend trip together. They often ask me to make them. I’ve actually never asked Dan how he made them, but I will soon! See below for the recipe for how I often make cooked apples. Save the extra liquid and use it the next time you cook oatmeal or freeze it in an ice cube tray and use it in smoothies!

  • Peel, core and dice the apples
  • Diced apples cooked in water and lemon juice

My family also loves homemade granola. I’ve tried various versions over the years and the hands down winner is my adapted version of Alton Brown’s granola recipe. I’ve adapted it so it’s both sweet and just a tad salty. It’s also nice and crunchy. If you prefer it on the sweeter side, you can increase the brown sugar and use sweetened coconut according to his recipe. 

Ingredients for homemade granola
Rolled oats, dark brown sugar, unsweetened coconut, almonds, pecans, maple syrup and canola oil
The finished product!

There’s a never ending supply of store bought granola. I’ve never found one I really love. Do you have a favorite? Let me know what it is! You can always use store bought granola over the cooked apples if you don’t want to make granola! There’s no rule that says it has to be homemade.

What better combination than still-warm (or reheated) cooked apples and granola? It’s sort of a deconstructed apple crisp! (I have an amazing recipe for apple crisp that I’ll share sometime soon, too). This granola is easy to make and it makes your house smell incredible!

Homemade granola with warm apples
Warm apples with homemade granola

Did you know there are 100s of varieties of apples?

My typical favorites for eating are Honeycrisp, Johnagold and Fuji. I tend to cook with Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Mutsu. Honeycrisp and Johnathan tend to hold their shape best while cooking. So, I’d recommend one of these varieties for the cooked apples. Most recently, I made the cooked apples with Granny Smith and cooked them a little longer than intended, so the apples were more like a chunky applesauce. They still tasted great!

Experiment with offering different kinds of apples

Do your children like apples? What kinds are their favorites? Offering different types of apples is an easy way to expose kids to different tastes and textures. Pre-covid, Toigo Orchards used to cut up all the varieties of apples they bring to our farmers market for people to sample. I miss seeing kids at that table sampling the different varieties. What a fun and low pressure way for kids (and adults) to try different varieties!

More ideas for serving cooked apples and granola:

  • A side dish with quiche or other eggs at any meal
  • Top pancakes, waffles or cooked (or baked) oatmeal with the apples and granola
  • Topped with plain, vanilla or maple yogurt
  • Top with your favorite vanilla ice cream

Have you read Anna’s most recent post?

Did you have a chance to read Anna’s most recent post? She shares important information about weight stigma and what parents need to know about it, here: 3 Facts Parents Need to Know About Weight Stigma

Did you know we also have a Podcast? You can listen to all our episodes here.

From the October Archives:

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Warm Apples

Granny Smith apples in an East Fork Lapis bowl

These delicious, cinnamon scented apples are cooked on the stove top and make a great topping to my granola. Save some of the cooking liquid to use the next time you make oatmeal!

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
Scale

Ingredients

3 lbs of firm apples (Johnathan or Honeycrisp) peeled, cored and diced

1-2 cinnamon sticks

Squeeze of lemon juice from ½ a lemon

A splash of apple cider if you have some

2 cups of water

Instructions

  • Peel, core and dice the apples
  • Place them in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover them. Add 1-2 cinnamon sticks depending on whether you want a subtle or prominent cinnamon flavor. 
  • Add the lemon juice and apple cider (if you have some).
  • Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low and allow the apples to simmer until they’re just cooked and still hold their shape.
  • If you prefer the apples to break apart, you can cook them longer. 
  • Remove the apples from the liquid and allow them to cool.
  • Keep the cooking liquid and use it for cooking oatmeal.
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Homemade Granola

Homemade granola

This crunchy, nutty granola is made with dark brown sugar and maple syrup. It tastes great on it’s own or topped with warm, cooked apples. It’s adapted from Alton Brown’s granola recipe. 

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
Scale

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped unsalted almonds (you can also use sliced almonds)

¾ cup unsweetened coconut

¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup chopped dried fruit (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250 F.
  • If you need to chop the nuts, place them in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times until they’re chopped. Alternatively, chop the nuts with a knife on a cutting board.
  • Combine all the dry ingredients and nuts in a large mixing bowl. 
  • Add the oil and maple syrup and stir to evenly coat the oat mixture. 
  • Spread the oat mixture evenly on 2 half sheet pans.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Feel free to give the granola a stir once or twice during the baking. Though I never stir it and it turns out great. 
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If you want to add dried fruit, now’s the time. I dont’ add dried fruit because everyone in my house prefers the granola without. 
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container.