Let's Get Spooky!

Looking for some inspiration to make this Fall bewitching? Let me share my three favorite tricks and treats to make Keto fun this Halloween season!

Keto can be very challenging to navigate during holidays that are centered around traditionally high carb, high sugar foods and treats. Halloween was a difficult one for us in the past because the holiday is so focused on candy - often leaving me feeling guilty that our son couldn't participate like his peers. This year I am upping my game! Here are some quick and affordable upgrades to make this a monster Halloween!

Silicone Molds

A quick and easy way to revamp some of your existing meals is to use silicone molds. Silicone is extremely versatile (oven, freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe) and can add such an element of fun. I started doing this when we were asked to incorporate larger amounts of coconut oil into his daily routine. His required amount was too much to mix into the meals without making it overly oily.

I originally started out by measuring his coconut oil, dropping it on parchment paper and freezing it. It of course served its purpose but I didn't like the way they looked. Then one day I'm standing in the baking section of a craft store when I saw a silicone mold of Lego bricks and BOOM! Why hadn't I thought of this before?! So I started melting, measuring and refreezing his coconut oil to look like mini Lego's. I quickly realized this can be done with a wide range of recipe items and molds. I started transforming cookies, chocolates, ice cream, butter - you name it. This Halloween I picked up these pumpkin molds and have been using them for everything from his chocolate almond bark (shown) to baking sugar cookies.

Cookie Cutters

Cookie Cutters are another way to reinvent some of your child's favorite recipes. Not only can you can you use them to cut out fun shapes but you can use them like molds as well. Place your cookie cutters on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper and pour your ingredients into the cookies cutters. Then place your cookie sheet in the fridge or freezer to hardened. Once they have hardened gently push them out of the bottom of the cookie cutter and return your treats to the fridge.

This trick can only be used for ingredients that are a bit thicker in consistency, similar to a cake batter - a thinner batter will simply run out of the bottom.

Food Coloring

Another creative tool in our Keto arsenal is food coloring. This was something I hadn't even considered adding into my meals until I tried a recipe for gelatin gummies. I accidentally miscalculated and ended up with enough to last a year but was, as always, excited to try a new recipe. I took my traditional test bite before giving it to William and thought... ehhh. Trying to remaining positive about my predicament (since I had made so VERY many) I had him try one next. Long story short, they went immediately into the garbage, which included the bite he spit back out. But it gave me the idea to use food coloring in other recipes - so let's call it a win.

This year I added a few drops of yellow and red food coloring to my large batch recipe for Halloween themed egg yolk pancakes. Once they had cooled I used my cookie cutters then sat back and watched as my son happily ate orange pancakes shaped like pumpkins and bats and ghosts. Over the past year, as I've started surprising my son with meal variations like these, he's begun telling me, "Mommy, you a good cooker". Hearing him say this and watching him get excited about his food again - well...it's everything.

Check out my recipe using food coloring to make Candy Corn Sugar Cookies! And click the subscribe button for more upcoming recipes!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN