To get kids to think about something other than trick-or-treating on Halloween, we’ve created a healthy menu full of frightfully fun colours the whole family will love (all while being mindful of those with food allergies or intolerances)! Plus, to help you plan the festivities with ease, we’ve come up with a variety of activities that will allow everyone to have fun on this creepy day!

Orange is the way to go for your Halloween dinners

• Almost anything that is orange and with an inedible peel can be turned into a Jack-o'-lantern by using a non-toxic black marker (oranges, clementines, mangoes, etc.). Just draw eyes, a nose, and a mouth and you’re done!
• Using a small knife, carve orange foods that are usually eaten whole into miniature Jack-o’-lanterns. A decorated orange bell pepper can also be the perfect vessel for other colourful vegetables or a tasty dip!
• Allergen-free food colouring will do wonders for your Halloween meal. For example, add some to flavoured water and top with orange slices or add it to your favourite white bean sandwich spread. You can also use natural colourings like carrot juice and saffron, or even blend beet juice and mango juice for bewitching result.

More Halloween dinner ideas

• Halloween dinner is the perfect time to let kids create their own spooky pizza! Make a rice-based pizza crust (perfect for kids with a gluten intolerance) and top it with a cheese alternative in case your child has a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance. You can also opt for a tasty cauliflower crust pizza.
• Ask your kids to get creative and come up with spooky dinner ideas: cauliflower can become a "zombie brain" and white beans can turn into "slimy worms".
• Ketchup can be used as fake blood in your Halloween-themed meals. Be sure to look at the ketchup's ingredient list and if in doubt, contact the manufacturer so you can choose an allergen-free version.
• Create succulent spiders to snack on after school. Use dried spaghetti or rice noodles to make the legs and attach two unpitted olives (body and head) with a toothpick.
• Looking for lunchbox ideas? Wrap juice boxes in toilet paper and draw eyes on them for a mummy look the kids will love!

Halloween crafts and other activities

• Host a pumpkin decorating Invite neighbors, family, and friends to participate and make it an annual tradition! On Halloween night, the winning pumpkin can be displayed on a table for everyone to see. If you wish to show solidarity for children with food allergies, decorate your pumpkin in shades of teal and join the #MyTealPumpkin movement. After Halloween night, you can simply peel and bake it.
• At dusk, make your way to the nearest graveyard. Sit back and read a scary story. For thrill-seeking children only!
• Build a Halloween photo booth and take fun pictures of your children decked out in their costumes. Older children can take the pictures themselves. For a spooky-cool background, use grey cardboard along with bat cut-outs, hanging spiders, and sticky spider webs. You can even lay out a selection of fun props: small handheld pumpkins, huge mustaches, glasses, and hats.
• Organize a ghost hunt by hiding ghost paper cut-outs in your garden, trees, basement, and even on fake spider webs. Then, let your children find them all.

Have a safe Halloween!