Why is it that Halloween is so fun? Is it that we get to be someone else other than ourselves? Is it the fun decorations in orange, black and purple? Is it the parties? Is it the candy and treats?
If you have food allergies or sensitivities, the candy and treats part might not be all that fun. We have several food allergies in our family right now. Everything from gluten, dairy, sugar and eggs. So we’re doing the teal pumpkin and giving out ‘trinkets or treats’ this year. With more and more allergies showing up for kids, I hope this will be a tradition that will become more widespread.
One thing I’ve tried to do is to have a really good nutritious dinner for the kids before they head out. I’ve taken our traditional dinner in a pumpkin recipe and made it more healthy. It’s so good, we have it other times throughout the year (just not in a pumpkin).
In the past, I’ve made Jello Jigglers in Halloween shape molds. But because of the high sugar content in Jello, this year I’m going to try a healthier option with some Halloween Gelatin Gummies.
Hope you have a fun, safe Halloween!
A healthier version of Dinner in a Pumpkin
- 1 small - medium pumpkin
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1-2 Tblsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 Tblsp coconut aminos
- 2 Tblsp coconut sugar
- 1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1 8 oz diced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 13 oz canned coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
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Cut off the pumpkin top and clean out all seeds and stringy pulp. Use a black marking pen to draw a jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin. Saute onions in olive oil in a large skillet. Add meat and brown. Drain off grease. Add coconut aminos, coconut sugar, mushrooms, water chestnuts and coconut milk. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. Add cooked rice and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Pour mixture into pumpkin. Replace pumpkin top. Place the filled pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake in a 350* oven for 1 hour. The pumpkin should be tender when removed from the oven. Place on a serving platter. Serve the pumpkin as the vegetable along with the delicious meat mixture.