Halloween is just around the corner and you may be rushing for some last minute treats for the weekend. If you do not want to be guilty of contributing to the sugar rush and tooth decay of a minor, there are plenty of great alternatives for Halloween treats that will not get your house rolled in toilet paper by disgruntled trick-or-treaters. Here are some quick and useful ideas for alternative healthy Halloween treats.

Healthy Treats:

• Consider giving some healthier alternatives to your trick-or-treaters that are not loaded with sugar such as popcorn balls or individual packs of microwaveable popcorn treats.

• Fresh fruit is always a great and healthy snack idea to include for little trick-or-treaters.

• Trail mix packs can be a healthy treat for those out hiking your neighborhood on Halloween that will not have your ghoulish visitors running to the dentist.

• Sugar free candies and cookies are also a great way to give visitors a tasty treat without all of the sugar that you get in regular candy.

Alternative Goodies:

Food is not the only thing that you can delight trick-or-treating bags with this Halloween, consider an array of non-perishable goodies such as:

• Glow in the dark bubbles and other Halloween themed party goods such as pencils, puzzles and glow in the dark creepy crawlies.

• Glow sticks and bracelets are not only a great deal of fun for kids but it can help them to be more visible while tracking around at night. (Check out more safety tips)

• Mini-coloring books with Halloween themes are another good idea and you can usually pick these up fairly cheaply.

• Gift certificates can also be another idea if you do not expect to get a lot of trick-or-treaters and you want to give something out of the ordinary. Consider a gift certificate for a free ice-cream sundae or a trip to the local bookstore.

• Sun catchers and mini craft kits are other great ideas for candy alternatives that kids can enjoy long after the candy is gone.

• Stickers! Who does not love stickers? You can find a lot of great deals on fun stickers with Halloween and fall themes that you can include as treats for another alternative to sugary candy.

• Balloons are another fun idea, especially helium filled ones. If you get a lot of visitors on Halloween it might be worth purchasing a small helium tank and filling Halloween themed balloons that your little goblins can tie to their wrists or trick-or-treat bags.

These are just a few ideas of some great alternative Halloween treats that you can give out. And it is not too late, running to the store for some last minute deals might save you a few bucks to as party supply stores and dollar type bargain shops try to get rid of their remaining inventory of Halloween goods. And keep in mind that the day after is also a great time to stock up on creative treat ideas for next year to since you can save quite a few bucks on the clearance items.

While you are giving all of these little treats away, you may want to make a few healthy Halloween snacks for yourself or your party guests as well, check out some of these great recipes.

Whatever you choose for your treats this year, have a happy and safe Halloween.