Nothing says fall like a Halloween party! 

October is one of the best months of the year, especially for those of us who revel in all things spooky, scary, and witchy. Halloween brings darker nights, scary movies, and of course, Halloween parties and lots of candy! Navigating October can be difficult for most people, let alone anyone who is on a weight loss journey and looking to be intentional with what they are eating. 

Halloween does not have to be a stream of endless sugar, though. There are definitely nutritious Halloween snacks for everyone, including for those who are looking to meet their health goals as we move from fall to winter. 

Intentional Candy Selections 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a place without candy at Halloween. Instead of denying yourself a little bit of chocolatey or sugary goodness here and there, fill your trick-or-treat bowl with fun size versions of some Halloween classics. 

While the kids may not like it, Hershey’s Special Dark is one of the best chocolates to have around. It’s relatively low in calories and fat, and dark chocolate is known to have antioxidants. Twizzlers and Peanut M&Ms are also great options! 

Whatever you decide on, remember that moderation is your friend. Don’t forbid yourself from eating something if you really want it; just be intentional about what you’re eating and how much. 

Rice Krispie Mummies 

Headed to a Halloween party? Rice Krispie mummies are sure to be a hit! 

These sweet treats use a few healthy swaps and some themed decorating to make them look like cute but tasty mummies. 

For the Rice Krispie mummies, consider using brown puffed rice instead of regular puffed rice, coconut oil instead of butter, and opt for vegan marshmallows. Make the Rice Krispie treats as normal, allowing them to cool after you’ve mixed all of the ingredients. Once hardened, remove them from the fridge and cut into squares. 

Melt white chocolate. For a healthy option, look for Lily’s or Enjoy Life brand baking chips. Then, drizzle the white chocolate over your Rice Krispie squares so it looks like a mummy’s wrap. Add two candy eyes to each square and you have tasty, healthy treats to bring to the halloween party. 

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Spiders 

Peanut butter dark chocolate spiders offer protein and antioxidants in a classic, salty-sweet treat. 

Start by making candied peanut butter using peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. You don’t need a lot of powdered sugar for this to work — only add enough so your mixture forms a dough that you can roll into a ball. 

Roll the candied peanut butter into small balls on a baking pan. Then add the spider “legs” using pretzel sticks. Once every peanut butter ball has legs, put the pan in the refrigerator to harden. 

Next, melt your dark chocolate with a little bit of coconut oil mixed in. While these treats are typically made with milk chocolate or semi-sweet chips, dark chocolate has a lower amount of sugar making it the best option for a healthy treat. Once melted, remove your peanut butter balls with spider legs from the refrigerator. Drizzle the melted dark over the peanut butter ball until it is completely covered. 

Then, add candy eyes to your spiders. Put the spiders back in the fridge to harden until you are ready to eat them! 

Popcorn Balls 

Popcorn balls are a Halloween classic. At one point they were ubiquitous and handed out in their cellophane wrappers to school children every year. While you may have forgotten about this sweet treat, it’s time to bring it back because it’s a great healthy Halloween treat option. 

To make a healthy, adult version of popcorn balls, you will need popcorn, dried fruit, brown sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup, and a little bit of water. 

The first step is to make your popcorn. Once popped, mix the popcorn and dried fruit — think raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries — together in a large bowl. Then, add the maple syrup and a little bit of brown sugar and water to a saucepan. Stir until the sugar is melted and it makes a nice, thick syrup. 

Then, pour the sugar mixture into the bowl with the popcorn and dried fruit. Mix it together. Form balls with the mixture and set on parchment paper or a baking pan to harden. You can speed up the process by putting them in the refrigerator. 

Now they are ready to eat!

Tortilla Bats 

Tortilla bats are another fun and delicious treat you can make this Halloween season -- even better, you can make them sweet or savory so that everyone will enjoy them, regardless what kind of snack they are looking for. Even better, they are extremely easy to make.

To make the torilla bats, you need 8 full size tortillas for each batch, a bat-shaped cookie cutter, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (if you don't want to use real butter), and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

If you want to make the sweet version of these treats, you'll need 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (or Stevia) and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. For the savory version of the tortilla bats, you'll need 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (or a salt substitute if you'd prefer) and 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut out bats from your tortillas, and arrange your bats on 2 rimmed baking sheets. For sweet bats, brush one pan of bats on both sides with the coconut oil but don't season yet. For your savory bats, brush the other panful on both sides with your olive oil. Combine the chili powder and salt, then sprinkle that mixture over one side of the savory bats.

Bake your bats until they are golden brown, for about 8-9 minutes. As soon as sweet bats are cool enough to be handled, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small baggie and shake a few warm, coconut oil-coated bats at a time.

You can melt some dark chocolate to serve as a dipping sauce with your sweet bats, and the savory bats can be enjoyed with either salsa or hummus.

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