Sugary soap box

It's Halloween, a day when candy consumption is just that... consuming. I just read this infographic on forbes.com titled "How much sugar are Americans eating?". It's astounding. Sugar is everywhere. Of all the things I work very hard to limit (pesticides, chemicals, medicine, screen time), sugar is right up there at the top of the list. I haven't posted many recipes lately but the kitchen continues to be my ultimate experiment - almost daily, working to concoct food for my family that is nutritious and delicious. Now, with the cooler temps, I'm back to baking - cookies, muffins, bread. And I use little-to-no sugar. Does a sugar-laden cookie taste delicious? You betcha! But can we train our tastebuds to appreciate and love something less sweet? Of course. I use a lot of applesauce (apple butter, without sugar, is great this time of year), local honey, REAL maple syrup, bananas - all of these have high levels of sweetness without the refined, processed, worthless-ness of sugar. Will Abby and Elise consume sugar-filled candy today? Yes. But are they included in the "average American" category who consumes an equivalent of SEVENTEEN sodas every 5 days? Absolutely not. 

Enjoy your sweets today - I told my mom yesterday that Halloween is dangerous. Her reply? Halloween is delicious - eat what you love and trash the rest. :) 

We had the 27th annual Passman Pumpkin Carving party last weekend - A & E woke up every morning for at least 5 days prior: "How many more days until pumpkin carving?". I love that it is already a family tradition that they are now old enough to remember... expect ... and love.

And today, Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch have been ready to roll since 7:30 this morning. We made our first round in costumes this morning - visit Bubbe, stop by The Merc. Second round after naps - Daddy's work. Third round this evening - dinner and trick or treating with the Walters. We'll just follow that yellow brick round all around town! We've listened to The Wizard of Oz soundtrack and read the book - once they're old enough for the movie, it'll be the Oz trifecta! :) Happy Halloween!