While I am a summer girl through and through, Fall comes in close second place as my next favorite season. What’s not to love about Fall? Oversized sweaters, fall foliage, warm apple cider donuts, a PSL (click here to read my tips), and of course…Halloween!

Navigating Halloween can feel like both a trick and a treat. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to set “Halloween rules” and be “good” that we miss out on enjoying the day. On the flip side, maybe we allow ourselves to go crazy munching on candy and sweets all day and end up feeling sick and guilty about it.

Here are 4 tips to make Halloween a fun day for your family and also feel great at the end of the day.

1. Plan a healthy and nutritious dinner before trick-or-treating

Contrary to popular belief, it is better to go trick-or-treating on a full stomach versus ravenous to avoid all out binges on candy. While your kids are having fun loading candy in their buckets, us parents are the ones being tempted by all the treats if we go out on an empty stomach.

Before you go trick-or-treating, fill up on a healthy dinner. Why not make a hearty stew or chili in the crockpot that will feed any extra kiddies and parents going trick-or-treating? Or make a deconstructed taco bar and let your kids add their protein and toppings. Better yet, make an orange themed dinner using seasonal squash, carrots, and pumpkin to put everyone in the festive Halloween spirit.

You’ll be less likely to fill up on sweets if you eat a hearty meal beforehand with protein, healthy fat, and fiber to satisfy even the littlest trick-or-treater.

2. Walk while trick-or-treating

Use Halloween night as an excuse for quality time with friends and family. Instead of jumping in the car to head trick-or-treating, get everyone bundled up underneath their costumes and walk! Make up spooky stories about the houses you see, play games, and simply enjoy a fun night out!

Not only will you be burning some calories while you walk, you’ll be so involved in seeing all the costumes and decorations and less likely to reach into the goody basket along the way.

3. Keep your favorite candies and store the rest

After gathering the Halloween loot from trick-or-treating, let your kids pick out their favorites to enjoy and allow them to mindfully eat the candy. Maybe asking them midway through how their tummy is feeling. You can ask in a silly way like, “how’s your tummy doing? Are you feeling as full as Frankenstein tonight?”

Be a good role model! While you eat your favorite candy, you can stop and say something like, “This is yummy, but I am going to stop because my tummy is full.”

With the leftover candy, you can freeze it and put a piece in your kids lunchbox every now and then, use the leftovers to bake some fun treats with your kids, or use for a piñata party!

4. It’s all about balance

Remember, Halloween comes around once a year! Model to your kids what a balanced diet looks like and that includes eating candy occasionally! It’s better to allow these foods every so often than label them as “bad'“ and deal with some real scary stuff later on down the road.

Here’s to a safe and enjoyable Halloween to all!

I want to know…what’s your non-negotiable must have candy on Halloween? I’m a Twix kind of girl myself :)