Dieting doesn't have to be scary

Healthy Halloween!

Forget ghouls, protect yourself from the candy



Among the goblins and ghouls at Halloween awaits a scary sight -- the mountain of candy. It can yank youngsters, as well as grown-ups, from their good eating habits, creating a weeklong sugar fest.

The mountain can also send you on a steep descent into holiday bingeing if you aren't careful. So should you avoid all candy? Nah... it's Halloween, for goodness sake!

But here are some tricks to help avoid a total sugar-nutrition breakdown that can lead to hurt tummies or fat tummies.

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• Buy the candy for Halloween. The holiday is at the end of October, not the month before and after as well...
• Buy candy you don't like. I knew a woman who gave out hard butterscotch candy (poor trick-or-treaters.) Now I know what she was up to.
• Consider the candyless route. While Halloween does not have to be the time to push proper health and nutrition, providing a diversion to excess is not such a bad idea. Snack-sized bags of popcorn, pretzels, cheese crackers, gummy things, animal cookies or raisins are good alternatives. Little toys, pencils, stickers or baseball cards are also a hit. The best treat my boys ever got was a shark's tooth.
• Donate the leftovers. I put my bowl out on the porch toward the end of the evening and somehow it evaporates. If you do end up with auxiliary candy, carry it to work, the nursing home or a homeless shelter.
• Prepare the trick-or-treaters real food. This isn't easy on the big night with so much excitement in the air. Organize a pre trick-or-treat party with friends or just your own family. Serve hot dogs or hamburgers before they head out so they aren't hungry and tempted to devour all the candy. Shape or arrange the meal for the holiday. For example, use purple and green ketchup to draw faces on the hamburgers. Arrange string beans around for creepy hair and carrot sticks for the body. Assorted sandwiches cut into shapes with Halloween cookie cutters and raisin eyes are also fun. Serve apple slices with caramel for dipping or sprinkled with unprepared strawberry gelatin powder. Fill scooped-out orange Jack-o-lanterns with chocolate ice cream. Make it fun.
• Avoid Candy Dispenser Syndrome. This is the very serious malady that befalls the person doling out candy -- "One for you and two for me." Eat a good meal, sip on some low-calorie hot chocolate or spiced tea, and watch a scary movie between doorbell rings.
• Ration or bargain the loot. Okay, so the little goblins come back to base with the lion's share. This can ruin a week's worth of meals if they load up everyday after school with candy. A couple of approaches: First, you can ration the candy and allow a few pieces on a daily basis. They may even forget they had so much. Or perhaps you can buy back the candy with money or some desired prize. Try not to snatch it all away. After all, they feel that they have earned it. Oh, and try not to steal too much. "That Snickers bar looks tampered with, I'll dispose of it..."
• Let it be done with. After Halloween, the stores will continue to push their overstocked candy. You will feel it is the fall-Thanksgiving thing to do, having bowls of orange-and-brown Kisses sitting around. Overcome this compulsion, and buy apples and pears instead -- it's truly the fall thing to do. Speaking of apples, here is a wonderful mix of lean pork and apples that is very easy and tasty.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apples

2 pork tenderloins
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. butter
2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Mix mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic together in a shallow bowl or large plastic Ziploc bag. This can be done in advance and stored in the refrigerator for two to three days. Add the trimmed tenderloins and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill and cook pork until done. Don't overcook. Transfer to a platter and slice in 1-inch slices.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the apples. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to the platter with the pork. Add the honey and vinegar to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture becomes syrupy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pork and apples and serve. Serves four.

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