EP. 33: Healthier Halloween Candy
I know organic Reese’s are out there, but today I have an expert taste test panel to help us discover some of the good, better, and best options out there when it comes to healthier candy and treats for kids. What I'm sharing with you today features simple ingredients, and some options are even made with organic or grass-fed ingredients that I’m excited to try.
I love when Flynn starts taste-testing and he compares some of the flavors to whole foods like fruit that he likes. ;-) And his facial expressions when he’s trying some of these options are priceless! My kids don’t get a lot of candy… and it’s probably evident in the short recording of this episode as my little boy becomes more and more antsy and energetic!
I have some fun-size granola bars, Halloween-type treats, cookies, and even functional lollipops that can help you and your family this Halloween and throughout the holiday season.
Some of the brands in today’s episode include:
Beekeeper’s Naturals
Simple Truth by Kroger
Siete Foods
Glutino
Z-Bar
Justin’s
Tony’s Chocolonely
Unreal
Mr. Beast Bar
Toblerone
Annie’s
Vegobears
YumEarth
Smart Sweets
Show Notes
1
0:00:00
Alright, so today we are going to discuss some healthy Halloween candy options. So, there's some good, better, and best. I didn't do the good as far as organic Reese's. I know they're out there. that are grass-fed, no dyes, no additives, and really healthy options. So, you can see I've got my two helpers here.
1
0:00:30
Octopus, can you wave at the camera? Octopus Flynn, and Mermaid Riley in the back with her teddy bear, hanging out. So, we're going to do the panel of taste testing and see what they like. Now, they don't get a lot of candy, so we'll see what they think. Okay, so the first one is Yum Earth. These guys have a lot of options for candy.
1
0:00:56
This is just their chewy candy bites that I got. They're organic, gluten-free, allergy-friendly, no artificial dyes, which is a big selling point. And they have a resealable bag in case you guys are interested in that. So, you want some octopus?
1
0:01:14
OK, try some.
5
0:01:15
I want a red one.
1
0:01:17
You want a red one?
3
0:01:18
Uh-huh.
1
0:01:19
OK, buddy. There you go. You want one, Ry?
2
0:01:24
She wants the brown one.
1
0:01:27
You want brown one, the purple one?
13
0:01:29
OK, here, Rudy.
5
0:01:30
My dad gets brown.
1
0:01:31
OK, try it, buddy. What do you think? Let's see. I haven't tried these either. Oh, no, did you drop your candy? You want another one? I'll take an orange one. Okay, ready? Mom, I don't like them because they're hard. They are hard. But they're good, aren't they? I like them.
1
0:01:54
They're just a little hard at first. So those are actually really good. They use sweet potato, radish, black currant for their colorings.
7
0:02:05
So really good.
3
0:02:06
That's a good one, huh?
1
0:02:07
Yeah, I know they're a little sour, aren't they?
5
0:02:10
Like lemonade.
14
0:02:11
Like lemonade.
1
0:02:12
You're right! They are like lemonade.
2
0:02:14
And probably orange, probably green lemonade.
1
0:02:19
I like a green lemonade. So Unreal also has some really good candy. These are their peanut butter cups. They have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, they have some quinoa crisps in there. So, I know my kids love these because they have these. And they are really good.
1
0:02:36
I want one. You want some?
2
0:02:39
I want, I want two.
1
0:02:41
Okay, here's that for you.
8
0:02:43
Whoops!
1
0:02:44
Here's this. You want to try this, buddy? You want a little bit dry? Still got your ginkgo in. Is that good? Yeah, these are really good. And they're not as sweet as Reese's, so they're a great substitution. They're not sour. They're sweet, huh?
1
0:03:04
Like apple and orange juice and probably look like pasta. Like pasta? So peanut butter and chocolate, can't go wrong. These are the dark chocolate, so that's a keeper. Sorry Bradley. We don't do a lot of Swedish fish in the family. These have 3 grams of sugar. They are not organic, but they are plant-based. No artificial sweeteners.
1
0:03:33
And this is a company called Smart Sweets. No sugar alcohols and a good source of fiber.
5
0:03:45
Yeah, buddy.
2
0:03:45
Baby's coming to help me down.
13
0:03:48
Oh, she might be.
1
0:03:48
She's just kind of curious, I think. OK, you want a fish? OK, let's try a fish.
5
0:03:53
I like the big one.
1
0:03:54
That is a big one.
4
0:04:07
She still has her chocolate.
1
0:04:13
Those are really good.
11
0:04:16
They're really chewy, aren't they?
1
0:04:19
They're stuck! They're stuck in your teeth, I know. They're pretty good. So they use Stevia as their sweetener. Here buddy, take some water. Okay, we'll skip that for Riley. That's a lot of chewing. These guys, I know you like these. These are Z-Bars. This is their Halloween edition, their Halloween
1
0:04:44
minis, which make it really good to pass out. Give me it, because I'm going to show them. You want to show them? Okay, you can show. I have a red Z.
2
0:04:52
Mm-hmm.
1
0:04:54
And they have a neat Halloween wrapper. So these are just a nice option for granola bars that are healthier. They are organic, so that's a win for me. No glyphosate. I want one. I want it. Here, buddy.
1
0:05:09
Riley's drinking some water. You want a granola bar, sis?
3
0:05:13
Mm-hmm.
1
0:05:14
We'll set it there for her, because I know she likes these. Okay. This one I got, so Mr. Beast came out with his own brand. This is a milk chocolate bar made with grass-fed milk. I haven't seen this before. It's not organic, but it has five ingredients and it is made in Peru. It's a product of Peru, so it has cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic chocolate liqueur, organic milk, and organic vanilla powder. So let's try this and see if it's really sweet. It should be. Let's try it.
1
0:05:51
Let's try it, huh?
2
0:05:53
Mom, you already opened it. I know.
1
0:05:57
Big, big, big.
10
0:06:01
Okay. Here you go buddy.
6
0:06:05
Let's try it.
4
0:06:06
Mom, why does it look like an ocean? Why is it so crunchy? Because it's a candy bar.
1
0:06:17
I know, you haven't had one before. It's very sweet to me. But it's made with milk chocolate. So I think that might be part of the reason. But it's very good. Okay. This is another one that Granola Bar Goods sent. We don't do gummy bears. This is an option. It's organic. It's vegan. They're called Malibu. So they're foamy gummy bears. Not sure what we're getting into. These are organic. So they use, again,
1
0:06:51
radish, blackcurrant, apple, and carrots.
12
0:06:54
I want one.
5
0:06:54
You want one? I like the red one.
3
0:06:57
Okay.
2
0:06:58
You wanna try it?
3
0:06:59
Mom.
1
0:07:00
So, Yamini.
5
0:07:01
Why is it black?
1
0:07:02
It's a bear, they're squishy.
2
0:07:04
They're gummy bears.
1
0:07:05
These are foamy, and they kinda are spongy in texture. That's pretty good. You like that? Yeah, that's really good. Mom. Yeah, buddy. I'm stuck with my two buds.
2
0:07:21
That's really good. So they are kind of foamy in texture, but they're good.
4
0:07:26
Yeah.
1
0:07:27
I'm a baby!
11
0:07:30
Okay.
4
0:07:31
Okay
2
0:07:33
So this is something I got for this time of year
1
0:07:36
They're called beekeepers natural and their throat soothing pops. Yeah, so they're kind of a functional lollipop They're made with honey vitamin D and you want to try so this is a nice option I kind of always cringe when they get lollipops at the bank because they're just a dum-dum, so I don't want them to have these. I do know he likes lollipops, so this should be a hit. Don't take it in the pot.
1
0:07:58
Okay, well let's save these for the end, okay? Okay, so that's a good one. Yep, we know we love these. These are the CFA grain-free cookies. This is a shortbread mix and they're made with almond flour and coconut sugar. And Riley just woke up from a nap so she is hungry.
4
0:08:38
I know, she almost has...
10
0:08:40
Want a cookie?
2
0:08:41
I want a cookie.
1
0:08:42
Okay. I want one. There's one for you. So yeah, we know these are wonderful. And they have different flavor cookies. This is just one of my favorites. Hey, if you need water, it's right here, buddy. This is a nice snack option. They're just organic animal crackers.
1
0:09:01
They're not gluten-free, but they don't have preservatives. They don't have any high-fructose corn syrup, and they're individually packed, so that's something I really, really like.
6
0:09:11
Hey, can you sit down, please?
2
0:09:12
But I want to see you.
7
0:09:14
I'll show you.
2
0:09:15
OK. Hold on, hold on.
8
0:09:18
Take a trick for me.
1
0:09:21
Riley's working on her cookie.
6
0:09:25
OK.
1
0:09:26
So here you go.
3
0:09:29
Mom.
5
0:09:29
Yes, buddy?
2
0:09:30
Why is there no elephant?
1
0:09:32
He just lost his front paws.
9
0:09:33
He's a lion.
5
0:09:34
Mom.
6
0:09:35
Yeah, it's OK.
2
0:09:37
Annie's.
1
0:09:38
We love Annie's. You okay? Okay. We don't do a lot of gummies, but these are just a good option. They have tractors and other shapes. I just got the bugs, bees, and butterflies.
1
0:09:53
What I love about them, too, is they're small, individual-packed, so you can pack these out. I like four. You like four? And they're organic. So there again, clean options. No artificial colors or synthetic colors. No artificial flavors.
1
0:10:13
And more importantly, no types of corn syrup. Mom, what's she doing on her cookie? She's working on her cookie, I know. Mom, she's tasting it. There's that for ya. Why is it squishy?
1
0:10:25
Because it's a gummy.
2
0:10:26
Mom. Yeah.
4
0:10:28
What animal is it?
1
0:10:29
Um, it is a ladybug. It's a ladybug.
7
0:10:31
Like this?
3
0:10:32
Uh huh.
8
0:10:33
They won't get stuck in your teeth.
7
0:10:34
I promise.
2
0:10:35
Oh, this?
4
0:10:36
Uh huh.
3
0:10:37
Oh, it's a bunny.
1
0:10:38
It's a bunny?
3
0:10:39
Uh huh.
1
0:10:40
They're good.
5
0:10:41
You like those.
1
0:10:42
I know you like those.
3
0:10:51
Here you go, Slyth. Can you sit down, Slytherin? Thank you.
6
0:10:54
Let's see here.
2
0:10:55
So besides the Unreal Peanut Butter Cups, the other company that I really like, thank you, Flynn, are Justin's. They have, again, dark, milk.
1
0:11:05
This is just the crispy ones that have quinoa in them. So, they're organic, non-GMO. I know we like these. So, these are always a win. Mom, we can try those. Okay, we can try those in a minute.
1
0:11:19
You can't go wrong with this classic. The reason I like this is because it is made in Switzerland, so of course Europe has different standards than we do. It does have artificial flavor in it, so this is a better option. But again, it's an option. It's better than the good. And then last, we have gluten-free cookies, right? So I like these, especially during the holidays, if I'm making something fun for the kids.
1
0:11:42
You can cover them in chocolate, make little reindeers with them. They are naturally flavored, they're gluten free, and they taste just like a regular Oreo. So, this is also a really good option. You want to try those? I know you like those. So there are your healthy Halloween candy options. Let me know what you think. If you have a favorite, you can always send them my way. If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear what you guys like too. You want one of these? Okay. You want this or you want a lollipop?
5
0:12:28
I want a lollipop.
2
0:12:30
You want a lollipop?
1
0:12:32
Here, let's do a cheers. Ready?
4
0:12:34
Cheers! Happy Halloween! Cheers! Happy Halloween!
3
0:12:36
you
Transcribed with Cockatoo