Harvest Snack Mix

Use up that leftover candy corn (recipe calls for 1 cup) with this grab-a-handful-and-go seasonal snack mix.

Pumpkin popcorn balls

Opt for the sweet (and healthy) taste of agave nectar over corn syrup to make these pumpkin-flavored treats.

Ghostly Bananas

These ready-in-no-time treats are just as fun and easy for the little gremlins in your home to make as they are for you.

Frankenstein Eyes

These peepers are out of sight and frightfully delicious.

Witch's fingers

For all the junk your kids will inevitably be eating this Halloween, here's a hauntingly healthy alternative.

Boneyard Cookies

With a pinch of spook, a dash of creepy and a heaping spoonful of delightfully tacky, these yummy cookies are an eye-catcher at any Halloween party.

Cheesenstein

Looks creepy, tastes delicious. This creamy, fun dip will be the hit of your Halloween party.

Strawberry Ghosts

Strawberries - nature's candy - take center stage in this ghoulish taste on a classic do-it-yourself treat.

Healthy Halloween alternatives

Halloween, which is steadily catching up to Christmas as the major American holiday, is around the corner, which means the Halloween recipes have come out of hiding. Gnarled witches' fingers. Edible eyeballs. Cat litter for dessert. No doubt about it, Halloween recipes are fun. When else can you serve "bloody fingers" or "wormy" apples and get by with it?

One problem with so many of these recipes is that they're sweet. That's not a big deal if you're hosting a Halloween party and serving desserts instead of candy, but if your kids are lugging around pounds of candy from another party or a trick-or-treating jaunt, the last things you need to serve them are cookies and gooey treats.

Children have good imaginations, so making savory, "spooky" treats is easy, especially for younger kids. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Drained pear halves are naturally skull-shaped. Add raisins for eyes and teeth (actually, the spaces between the teeth) and a couple of thin crossed celery stalks (the pale inside stalks work best) for "crossbones."
• Anything round and topped with orange Cheddar cheese-an English muffin, a cracker, a hamburger patty-can portray a jack-o-lantern. Use a bit of green pepper for the stem and red peppers and olives for the face.
• Fold about four feet of foil lengthwise into thirds. Shape the folded foil into a ghost shape, crimping the ends together. Place on a cookie sheet and pour popped popcorn into the foil "pan" to make a ghost. For the eyes and mouth, use black olives, drained and patted dry, pieces of chocolate cookie, or unwrapped chocolate kisses (upside down).
• Pimiento-stuffed olives cut in half make natural "eyeballs." Put them in deviled eggs (the yolk part is the "iris"), or insert them into turkey or lean beef meatballs, then bake the meatballs, "eyes" sides up.
• Ants on a log? Make spiders instead. Fill celery sticks with cream cheese or peanut butter. Place two or three dark raisins on the filling in each piece of celery and make legs with skinny black licorice cut into short bits, or with black icing gel if you can't abide the idea of licorice and peanut butter in such close proximity.

Frankenstein Monster Toe Cookies

Allergy-friendly! These make a great addition to any Halloween celebration. The original recipe calls for dyed almonds as the “toenails,” but because of my daughter’s nut allergy, I substituted colorful jelly beans and most kids seem to prefer my version, allergies or not.

Squash Souffle

From reader (and former Chicago Parent sales rep) Kimberly Kutnick: "I grew up having this at Thanksgiving and Passover. Now, it’s my son’s favorite dish. He asked me to make it for him one day when he’s home visiting from college (he’s almost 7 now)."

Creepy Crawly Cupcakes

The one time you'll be glad your kid has a taste for dirt! Use up those mountains of leftover gummy worms with this Halloween spin on "dirt and worms."

Candy Bar Apple Salad

Take a swing at all that leftover Halloween candy with this twist on meat salad. The recipe calls for four Snickers bars, but feel free to be creative!

Roasted Pumpkin seeds

Native Americans used pumpkins seeds for medicine. While they can't cure a stomach ache caused by a candy overdose, they can be a tasty, toasted snack that is not only healthy, but delicious.

Creepy Crawly Crackers

Not all Halloween goodies have to be loaded with sugar. When these creepy-crawlers get onto your kids’ plates, they’ll vanish in no time.