Eating smart gets harder as we transition to the holiday season. First candy for Halloween, then the extra portions of Thanksgiving meals, and a month of holiday parties and meals before going out with a bang on New Year’s Eve. We’ll talk more about strategies to eat smart and move more throughout the holiday season, but let’s start with Halloween. Here are some ideas to make eating smart more fun with Halloween themes.

Fun Food Styling

Food styling isn’t just for Instagram! Make food fun and kids are more likely to try it. Break out the cookie cutters or get creative with garnishes to change boring fruits and veggies into spook-tacular snacks.

I love these jack-o-lantern sweet potatoes! You can carve stuffed peppers like this, too. Or do build your own English muffin pizzas decorated like Frankenstein, witches, spiders or whatever you kids can think up. Don’t be afraid to get a little gross or creepy crawly, that makes it even more fun for kids. Here’s a quick search of ideas to get you inspired.

Creative Names

Even giving food fun names can make it more interesting. You can serve brains (cauliflower florets) and fingers (carrot sticks) with some toe jam (black bean dip) and see if your kids are brave enough to take a taste. A simple green smoothie might not be that exciting, but what kid wouldn’t want to drink radioactive sludge?

Eat Like a Character

When you’re meal planning, ask your kids to think about what meals their costume characters would eat. Superheros need fruits and veggies to stay strong. Princesses eat naturally sweet fruit instead of candy with added sugar because they’re sweet enough already. Sharks eat seafood to keep their brains sharp. Witches cook big batches of hearty soups in their cauldrons. Serve a meal featuring your family’s costume characters’ favorite foods before heading out to go trick or treating.

You can find more ideas for eating smart this Halloween here and here. What other ways do you make healthy foods more exciting for your family?