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Fun Halloween for fussy eaters & picky eaters

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Fun Halloween for fussy eaters

I thought it would be nice to do something a little ‘fluffier’ for a change, so am going to include some fun ideas for Halloween.

Most of you are probably not aware, but prior to working with fussy eaters and their families I spent quite a while in the nutrition space. I was a long-term contributor to the Healthy Food Guide, but I also did a lot of work in schools and community groups.

One of my teaching tools was food art – which I ran under the name The Art of Nutrition. As part of that I supported more consumption of fruit and vegetables by having children interact with them and use them in fun ways.

Funnily enough, it is also what I now recommend for picky eaters to enable them to become more confident and comfortable around foods. Not the food art, but interacting in relaxed ways with foods they are not yet eating.

As part of this I came up with some super simple, but fun ways to do Halloween, but without a focus on lollies.

Spiders

I have a range of simple spiders that you can whip up, or that many children will be able to do with a bit of help. Even better, let them create their own versions.

Apple spider

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Perfect for all the ‘apple eaters’ and super simple to make. If grapes aren’t on the menu – or difficult to find – you could use chopped pieces of apple.

Snack spider

I’ve made this from apple covered in peanut butter, but it could easily be adapted to use a different fruit or have another spread. I think a choc spread would give her a really spooky look!

Mandarin spider

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He’s a little cuter than the other spiders and so simple to make. His head is just a mandarin with a few segments removed.

Orange spider

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An orange version of the spider 😊

Apple spider web
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This is a simple design but actually a little more complex to make than it looks. Doing all the cutting is a pain! You could of course use something like potato sticks to simplify it.

Skeletons

Skeletons are super flexible and can be as simple or as complex as you like. I have made a few different versions to provide some inspiration!

Fruit skeleton

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He looks complex, but if you work piece by piece it’s not so hard. You can also make the bones just straight with no detail to make it simpler.
Salad skeleton

He’s a fun, dancing skeleton and quite simple to put together. Great fun for older children to make!

Pasta skeleton
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If you want to go savoury you can use pasta for bones. Makes it very simple to put together too.

Banana mummy
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She’s a little fiddly but lots of fun. I made some crepes, cut them into strips and then wrapped them around a banana. The arms are just chopped bits of banana and then some raisin eyes to finish.

Frankenstein grapes

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I love this as it takes minutes to make and can be filled with anything green. I have used green grapes, but it could be a smaller cup with chopped kiwi fruit or peas, for example.

This is also something that children can make for themselves. Although investment in a food doesn’t guarantee it gets eaten, it always helps.

Egg ghost
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Okay so this is ridiculously simple. Crack the egg into the pan and then just pull some of the egg white so it forms the cloak. Add some eyes and boom (or howl).

Mash ghost
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A simple mash ghost. The words are a great way to make a statement so you could skip the ghost and just use corn, peas, grapes etc. to spell out a Halloween message.

Orange pumpkins
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Don’t have a big pumpkin to carve? Go small scale and use an orange. It’s a bit fiddly, but it’s fairly simple too.

Popcorn hands

Ahh, I don’t have a photo. This is a great way to whip up a creepy party favour. Just use a disposable glove (one of the super thin, clear plastic ones) and fill with popcorn. It gives quite a gnarly effect.

Great fun to do with the littlies and a nice, sugar-free option for Halloween too.

Carrot fingers

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Okay, so this is a little gross! You could of course just have the fingers without one being chopped off. However, for older children …

The yellow is from a capsicum and I made a yoghurt and beetroot dip for the blood.

You can simplify and just peel and chop carrots into roughly a finger shape and then arrange them on a plate, so they are in a ‘hand’ pattern.

Spooky eggs
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These are simple to make. Just peel boiled eggs and then place into a liquid that will give them colour. You can use water and food colouring or, like I have, a natural colourant such as beetroot or spinach juice.

Playdoh
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If you’re looking for something fun but non-food then playdoh Frankenstein, ghosts or pumpkins are really simple.

I made my own doh and dyed it with food colours. Put them in a clear plastic bag and draw on the detail with a permanent marker.

Next level

All the designs above are quick and simple and created so you can either have your children involved or they can make them on their own.

There are also designs that are a little more complex:

Witch on broomstick
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She’s a little more complex, but still do-able!

Witch’s cauldron
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The cauldron is just one side of a red capsicum cut a little to give it shape.

Adding a few simple things to drop into it (rather than a complex spider) works 😊

Cabbage bat
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I love the cute avocado bat.

He’s really not that complex – you can cut cabbage with scissors! – but he may be a stretch for a lot of fussy eaters too.

Maybe you can come up with your own versions and post them on the site? It would be awesome to see some designs, especially if the children have come up with something! Please feel free to upload photos for us all to see.

Apologies too – some of the photos haven’t imported in their lovely bright colours and I don’t know why 🙁


Judith, MA Cantab, Grad Dip Psychology, is an AOTA accredited picky eating advisor and internationally certified nutritional therapist. She works with 100+ families every year resolving fussy eating and returning pleasure and joy to the meal table.
She is also mum to two boys and the author of Creating Confident Eaters and Winner Winner I Eat Dinner. Her dream is that every child is able to approach food from a place of safety and joy, not fear.
Learn more about Judith here: https://theconfidenteater.com/about/

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