Halloween is just a few weeks away, and everywhere I turn there is… SUGAR! Ahhh! As frustrating as it can be to have this shoved into both of my toddlers’ eager faces constantly, I also see the candy fest as a great opportunity for me as a parent to teach my children that healthy living can be fun and exciting too! I don’t want them to feel like they are missing out, but I am also not willing to give in to sweets all month long either.
So, in an effort to counter some of the shiny treats and bright-colored wrappers that would be lurking around every corner, I started to brainstorm easy (emphasis on easy) ways that I could bring an extra measure of that same holiday fun and excitement into our healthy lifestyle.
ENTER: Spooky Smoothies
These smoothies were actually inspired by several posts I found on Pinterest that turned mason jars into decorative candle lumineries (examples here and here). As I thought more about it, I realized that a bit of paper, a glue stick, and a permanent marker would give me the power to make paleo smoothies a healthy Halloween treat!
They’re Easy Peasy
[pin-embed url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/188025353172860151/ size=large description=true]
If you have a normal blender, the blade should fit right onto a standard-mouthed mason jar. I’m not sure how all of the new fancy blender brands will work with this, but if you have just a normal, run-of-the-mill blender, it will fit.
Place your drink ingredients right into the mason jar, screw on the blade, and then click the jar into your blender base. Blend as normal.
Then, use paper cutouts and glue stick and/or permanent marker to decorate the jar.
Hand the spooky smoothie to your child and instantly go up a few notches of “cool” in their eyes (…at least until you pass the candy isle again. Sigh.).
Now, a few Spooky Paleo drinks for you to try…
1. Monster
We make this basic Paleo Green Smoothie often:
- 2 cups Organic Greens of choice (spinach, kale, arugula, etc.)
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups Non-Dairy Milk of choice, chilled
- 1 cup Organic Frozen Fruit of choice (Use light-colored fruits that fit within your specific sugar and starch preferences. We tend to use pineapple, mango, or frozen bananas. Don’t go using blueberries or anything dark like that if you want the color to stay green.)
- Optional: 1 Tbsp Sweetener of choice
- Optional: 1 Tbsp Gelatin or Coconut Oil for an extra boost (find pasture-raised gelatin here and organic coconut oil here)
Some other green paleo drinks to try: Paleo Matcha Latte, Paleo Kale Cucumber Smoothie
2. Jack-o-Lantern
We like to make this basic Paleo Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:
- 3/4 cup Organic Pumpkin Puree (hint: learn the easiest way to make your own from scratch HERE)
- 1 cup Non-Dairy Milk of choice, chilled
- 1/2 – 3/4 of a Frozen Medium Banana (note: the riper and sweeter the banana is, the more your smoothie will taste like banana)
- 1 Tbsp Sweetener of choice (maple syrup is our favorite for this recipe)
- Pumpkin Pie Spices to taste. I had a very hard time trying to measure this out for you as we really do just keep shaking them in to taste, but I’d suggest starting with:
- 1 tsp Organic Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Allspice
- 1/4 tsp Organic Ground Nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Organic Ground Ginger
- 1/8 tsp Organic Ground Cloves
Some other Orange Paleo Drinks to try: Chilled Paleo Golden Milk, Carrot & Orange Smoothie with Bone Broth
3. Ghost
Here is how we make our filling Paleo Coconut Chai Smoothie:
- 1 cup Coconut Milk, chilled (learn how to make it at home here)
- 1/2 cup chilled Black Tea or more Coconut Milk (find organic black tea here)
- 1/2 – 3/4 of a Frozen Medium Banana (note: the riper and sweeter the banana is, the more your smoothie will taste like banana)
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter or Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (both options taste great, but if you are a real texture person, you will probably prefer the coconut butter) (find organic coconut butter here and organic shredded coconut here)
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (find organic coconut oil here)
- Chai Spices to taste. This again was hard for me to measure as we shake them in to taste, but I suggest starting with:
- 1 tsp Organic Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Cardamom
- 1/4 tsp Organic Ground Allspice
- 1/8 tsp Organic Ground Cloves
- 1/8 tsp Organic Ground Ginger
Other pale Paleo drinks to try: Paleo Copycat Orange Julius, Paleo Key Lime Smoothie
4. BONUS: Mummy for Warm Drinks
I can’t believe that I forgot to take a spotlight picture of the mummy! He does make a casual appearance in the group photos above and below, though. The mummy can be made by either wrapping gauze or cheesecloth around the jar (kept in place by a couple drops of hot glue), or he can be made with strips of tissue paper and tape/glue stick.
Either way, I like the idea of wrapping the jar, because it provides a bit of heat protection, making it possible to serve hot (or at least warm) drinks in.
A couple of Paleo White Hot Chocolates to try: Paleo Macadamia White Hot Chocolate, Lavender White Hot Chocolate Steamer (Paleo option)
