Rice Krispies* Sport Snacks

Rice Krispies* Sport Snacks - Youth sports are a great way for kids to get some fresh air and exercise. What's better than an after game snack like the fun sports shaped treats? Find more delicious recipe ideas at www.ricekrispies.ca * © 2011, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.

Ten Fun and Creepy Halloween Party Snacks

It doesn't matter if you have a big family or if you're on your own... Halloween is one of the most fun holidays ever invented. But if you are a busy mom (and your house is the one house on the block where everyone goes for Halloween parties) you may be looking for some quick and easy Halloween party snacks to have ready for kids, visitors, guests, and freeloading adult friends during the Halloween season.

Looking for some new ideas for festive snacks that don't take a hundred years (or work your fingers to the bone) to put together? The ten Halloween party snack ideas below are lots of fun, simple to make... and some of them are even healthy!

1. Rotting Eyes and Severed Fingers

This is a very healthy but rather creepy Halloween party snack that makes good use of black olives and baby carrots. Arrange the black olives and baby carrots on a party tray with a bowl of your favorite dip (I like a cream cheese veggie dip). Inform your party guests that the tray is filled with rotting black eyes and severed fingers. And then watch this snack disappear. A good way to get your kids excited about veggies!

2. Jack o' Lantern Oranges

This healthy treat is so easy to make, and looks so pretty! Carve jack-o'-lantern faces into oranges and place on a platter. The kids will love it. And they can help, too, without ever having to pick up a knife. Have them simply draw the faces on with a black marker, and carve them yourself. Or don't worry about carving them-- they look just as good with faces drawn on.

As a variation of this fun Halloween party snack, I like to hollow out an orange with a Jack o' Lantern face and fill it with fruit salad. Healthy, easy and quick!

3. Easy Bugs in the Bone Yard

This is such a fun Halloween snack for the kiddos. All you have to do? Sprinkle raisins into a bowl full of white-chocolate covered pretzels. (You could also use chocolate covered raisins.) Kids will eat them up once they learn the name of this snack. Or they'd eat it up anyway, since this mix tastes divine.

4. Slimy Halloween Jigglers

You know those Jello jiggler molds? They work great for Halloween! Either use whatever you have lying around the house, or go out and pick up a brain or a heart-shaped Jello mold. Make up a batch of orange, black, purple, or flesh-colored Jello and pour into your mold(s). Or make a flat pan of Jello and cut out shapes with Halloween cookie cutters instead.

5. Ghost Cereal Bars

Prepare a batch of the Rice Krispies marshmallow treats recipe on the back of the cereal box. When the mixture has set up, cut out shapes with ghost shaped cookie cutter. Pour warm white frosting or melted white chocolate over the shapes to cover. Add M&M eyes and mouth. A delicious and easy Halloween party snack.

6. Green Gelatin Intestines

This is one of the grosser looking Halloween party snacks. Make lime gelatin and add pineapple bits, chopped marshmallows, sliced bananas and mandarin oranges. Pour gelatin mixture into an angel food cake pan and let set up. Invert pan to remove gelatin mold. Slice the mold horizontally into about 5 layers. Slice the layers in half and arrange on a platter in semi-circles to look like intestines. Gross!

7. Spooky Healthy Eyeballs

This Halloween party snack is both easy and healthy. Wash a bunch of green grapes. Insert a raisin into the stem end of the grapes and freeze them all until ready to serve.

8. Monster Crackers

Color some white vegetable spread or cream cheese with green food coloring and spread on your favorite crackers. Arrange small bits of green and red bell peppers to make a green-eyed, red-mouthed cracker monster. Use small amounts of broccoli sprouts to make the monster hair. A sneaky way to get kids eating their veggies.

9. Wormy Halloween Punch Recipe

No respectable Halloween party snack list would do with out having this squeamish punch. Just make green Kool-Aid and put in a clear glass punch bowl. Set the punch bowl on top of a glow necklace so the light shines through the punch bowl. Add some gummy worms and watch the kids squirm when they see it.

10. Vampire Blood

You use V8 juice for this one so it is healthier than the wormy punch above. Pour the V8 juice in a clear picture that you have labeled as "Vampire Blood." For an adult party, add the ingredients for a bloody Mary, if you like. For a kids' party, well... good luck getting them to try it. It is V8, after all!

How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

Finding the right balance of healthy food that kids will eat at parties can be quite a challenge, particularly with the popularity and brand recognition of fast foods. However, with a bit of creativity and effort you can make healthy food look appetizing and fun to eat and here are a few tips.

Instead of serving bread with hundreds and thousands/sprinkles on it, make a variety of sandwiches with different fillings, for example cheese, ham, tuna, egg, cheese and tomato or tuna and sweet corn. Small, quality sausages, such as chipolatas are also an excellent addition to any party and popular with children. The children are more likely to eat these if you present them in a fun way.

Instead of lots of chocolate, place dried fruit on toothpicks, ensuring that you use a variety off different colors to make it look fun. You can also have muesli bars and you can buy carob coated Rice cakes. You could also make carob coated chocolate Rice krispies treats. You can use cornflakes as a wheat free alternative but please ensure that you check the package in case of children with allergies.

If you want to offer vegetarian, dairy free or wheat/gluten free party food, then here are a few different ideas for you to try:-

o If you are able to locate them, Scottish oatcakes (some oatcakes may contain wheat or gluten - check the packages for further details) are an excellent choice served with tuna and sweet corn.

o For a sweet idea, Rice cakes with a carob chocolate topping or for a savory idea, you could add some cheese, pineapple, aubergine (eggplant) or a variety of pureed vegetables. Make sure that these are colorful to attract the children's eye.

o You can add cheese to muffins (you can make these gluten free) and place them under the grill. Try placing some fruit and shredded zucchini (courgette) inside them also. You can also make them into little pizzas and get the party boy/girl to help you make them.

o Waffles are also another good idea (these may not be gluten free though) and you can add all sorts of things, for example pureed fruits as a sweet alternative or freshly cooked beans as a savory topping.

o Tofu (bean curd) can also be used, although to make this attractive to children, you will need to ensure that you serve it in an interesting way. One way to do this is to slice the tofu finely and then dip it into some beaten up egg. Then add some sesame seeds and shallow fry it, serving it hot. The adults may prefer this but nothing ventured nothing gained!

o Home made pizzas cut into small rectangles, so that the children can eat them easily. You can add all sorts of different flavors and pineapple and cheese, tomato and cheese, or grated vegetables and cheese are excellent vegetarian choices. If you have someone at the party who cannot eat wheat or is a strict vegan, you can then add soya cheese and use wheat free dough. You can ask the party girl/boy to help you make them into funny faces. Getting the children involved with what you are doing is always a great idea, since they will then enjoy their party more as they have participated in the food preparation.

o You can also offer a variety of foods on a stick, for example cheese or fruit cubes.

o Falafels (a Lebanese delicacy made with chick peas).

o Rice crackers or pitta bread served with hummous and avocado dip, with carrot, zucchini and celery.

Snacks That Raise the Bar

You may be familiar with health professionals suggesting that you eat snacks throughout the day, and 'snack bars' seem like an obvious choice. But walk into that aisle of the grocery store and you are bombarded with bright colors, health claims, and messages on each and every box. Which ones are better choices and which ones are more like camouflaged candy bars?

One main ingredient to look for in snack items is fiber. It helps fill you up and keep your system moving. Current recommendations suggest that adults need 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day. A product or a food item can be labeled "high fiber" when it contains more than 5g of fiber per serving. And bran, the outer layer of the whole grain, is fiber rich. However, they don't make it easy - just seeing the words "fiber" or "bran" on the food package does not guarantee a well-balanced product.

In addition to a good amount of fiber, you also want a snack bar to have several grams of protein and fat to balance out the carbohydrates from the grains and not to have too many grams of sugar (aim for 10 grams or less).

Quaker makes an easy lesson for us with its "Breakfast Cookies." At least they are not hiding anything with this product - with 220 calories and 19 grams of sugar, this breakfast item surely is just a cookie fortified with a handful of vitamins. You will find that other bars are often little more than vitamin-fortified Rice Krispies Treats.

The new Oats and Chocolate Fiber One Bar touts 35% of the daily value of fiber in huge print on the front of the box. I give this product an honorable mention. With drizzled chocolate on top and chocolate chips inside, this bar is a sweet and tasty treat. The nutritional information is 140 calories and 9 grams of fiber, but it also has 10 grams of sugar and only 2 grams of protein. In addition, these bars contain high fructose corn syrup, as well as hydrogenated coconut oil. On the other hand, I highly recommend Fiber One cereal as a breakfast food or snack (mix with nuts and dried fruit for a fantastic homemade trail mix). One-half cup has only 60 calories and 15 grams of fiber.

All-Bran also has a bar that I will give an honorable mention. It advertises 20% of your daily fiber needs on the package. Each bar has about 130 calories, 5 grams of fiber, only half a gram of saturated fat, and no refined grains. It has moderately high sugar at 11 grams, but at least it comes with a decent dose of fiber. In contrast, Post Raisin Bran Cereal Bars have only 3 grams of fiber and some refined "wheat flakes" mixed in with their whole grains. Even lower on the continuum would be Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch bars - they have more white Rice than any whole grain, leaving each bar with only one gram of fiber. Why even use bran in the name of that bar?

Kashi is a current favorite brand of mine. They now have hot and cold cereals, granola bars, snack bars, and yes, you heard it here, cookies!, all made with their signature seven-grain blend. A cookie with 3-4 grams of fiber may be a nutritionists dream come true. Their TLC crunchy and chewy granola bars, as well as their GoLean snack bars are great choices for snacks on the run. The granola bars have 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and 5-7 grams of sugar. The snack bars have 6 grams of fiber and 9-12 grams of protein. (Numbers vary depending on the flavor). In addition, all of the ingredients are natural - no manufactured sugars or hydrogenated oils.

As you can see, it is all relative. Kashi remains my top choice of brand. However, keep in mind these guidelines when checking food labels: Look for at least 4 or 5 grams of fiber and protein and less than 10 grams of sugar. Read over the ingredient list. Is it nice and short? Can you pronounce all of the words? Going with the old adage that "we are what we eat," it is nice to at least be able to pronounce what we are putting inside our bodies.

Snack on! Without constant sources of energy throughout the day, your mental clarity and mood are sure to suffer. If you don't believe it - ask your coworkers or family. They may hint at a few mood swings, depending on the last time you have eaten that day.

Make Yourself 100 Calorie Snacks at Home

If you are especially concerned about the amount of calories you are consuming everyday there are low calorie choices that can take the stress out of finding a fitting snack. Though many of these will not actually replace a well cooked meal they are the perfect treat when no other options are available or when you simply do not have the time to invest in something more substantial. Remember that even though many of these are low calorie snacks do not mistake them for healthy foods which will contain more or actual nutrients.

Tasty Treats

The 100 Calorie Little Debbie marshmallow treat is almost identical to the well known Rice Krispie Treat except that it is cheaper. It is a bit sweeter and perhaps a bit too gummy however, if you are on a budget then it is the perfect treat. This will give you a instant boost when you are on the go, however it may not necessarily give you a full feeling.

You can try Jello's collection of 100 calorie puddings which come in many flavours. They are very delicious and are all fat free. The flavours include vanilla/chocolate combo pack, chocolate-vanilla swirl, tapioca and devil's food. To make it even more flavourful you can add some fat free cool whip. You can find them at most supermarkets and quite often at discount stores.

100 calorie Sierra Mist

If you would like a drink instead of actual food then this 8-ounce can of soda is perfect. It has 100 calories and fairly convenient to take with you. It's not actually cheaper than the 12 ounce version of the drink but at least you'll be cutting down on your calorie intake. It's important that you remember it is soda so try to not to rely too heavily on it as an in between filler.

Klondike Slim-a-Bear

Klondike Slim-a-Bear bar is a great tasting treat. It is coated in chocolate and caramel with delicious vanilla in the middle. The ice cream is slow-melting which means you'll have a lot of time to enjoy this snack without worrying that it will completely melt before you are finished. The low calorie ice cream filling coupled with its small size guarantees you won't be consuming too many calories. However, try not to eat more than one bar which will dampen any attempt at reducing your caloric intake.

Healthier Snacks

Mott's Original Apple Sauce

This is a healthier snack that tastes fantastic. It won't give you the same amount of fibre but it is still considered a full serving of apple.

Earthbound Farm Organic Mini Peeled Carrots with Ranch Dip

This is fundamentally a serving of vegetables and a bit of dip.

Stonyfield Farm Light yogurt

These are high in protein and fiber, and will provide you with 1/4 of your calcium needs.

FrozFruit Gourmet Frozen Fruit Bar

Is a great snack that is high in Vitamin A and C.

Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Cheddar Cheese Sticks

Though it has slightly high fat content it is rich in protein calcium and other nutrients.