It’s tough to clean and green a Holiday that is all about consuming vast amounts of sugary candy, and plastic junk – but let me get this very clear: I AM NOT A PARTY POOPER!! I know what it’s like to have a kid who just wants to do all the normal stuff, and NOT be given a hemp owl and a piece of organic candy. Nope – my kid goes out, and always has done, with a big old bucket and comes back with an insane amount of nasty candy, which she stashes in a hidden place for weeks, months (actually YEARS later I’ve found moldy half-eaten unidentifiable candy like-objects stuffed into forgotten nooks).
So – unless your kids have allergies, and if they do, check out the awesome Teal Pumpkin Project, which helps raise awareness about kids with allergies over Halloween, I think it’s a good idea to live and let live. Which begs the question: How do I cope with Halloween? Do I just let rip and stuff myself with cheap chocolate, or sugar-laden homemade treats that the neighbors kindly bring around? The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! And I’ll tell you why: Because I haven’t eaten refined sugar for so many years that when I do, it’s like poison. I feel really, really awful. And yes, I could get over that awful feeling in the knowledge that I’ll eat loads of greens and juices the next day, but the problem is that Halloween kind of marks the beginning of the endless rush of sugar that takes us all the way through to January 1st. So, I just find it easier to stick to what my body loves – which is to be as sugar-free and clean (in terms of diet) that I can possibly be.
This totally means that I have to make a bit more of an effort – that I can’t zip up to the local grocery store and find what I need. NO – I have to stock up on all kinds of rather expensive health food store goodies (but it’s worth every penny to feel good). I also love to get in my kitchen and whip up every kind of wicked sweet HEALTHY treat that I can think of …so watch this space for tons of healthy holiday recipes.
In the meantime, may I recommend 2 great chocolate candy bars, which have all the creamy satisfaction of a full on regular candy bar, but none of the junk. They are both sugar-free, and you get all the wonderful antioxidants from cacao, which we should all consume regularly. Ahhhhhhh – how wonderful that we can have our cake and eat it too.
1. Coco Polo dark chocolate with whole almonds – this is insanely good. Trust me and purchase a box because it will take you through the Holidays.
2. Lily’s Crispy Rice dark chocolate: You can find these bars at many health food stores including Whole Foods, and they are eco-licious!
