Recipe 3 in our Hocus Pocus Foodie Week is this Candy Corn Inspired Parfait.
Candy Corn is a candy most often associated with Halloween with its brightly colored orange, yellow and white stripes. Halloween can be a challenging time for parents to navigate the number of treats and sugary snacks coming at their kids from every direction. From schools to Halloween parties to trick-or-treating itself it seems like for a few days around Halloween it’s a lot of sugar coming at you from many directions.
Now, we never want to attach morality to foods by calling them “good” or “bad”. However, understanding how excess sugar, additives, and food dyes in many Halloween treats impact your/ your family’s physical, emotional, or mental health is part of being more in tune with how food makes you feel.
Those with mood disorders such as Anxiety, ADHD, blood sugar imbalances, insomnia, adrenal fatigue, etc can notice there is a personal threshold for how much sugar is too much for them, in how they feel. Additionally, a lot of the Halloween treats are often not food allergy or food-sensitivity friendly so looking for alternative foods to enjoy during the Halloween season to meet your personal needs is useful.
This Candy Corn Fruit Parfait also has some added digestive benefits to help support the digestive tract at this time of year. I am under no illusion that my kids are not going to get their hands on refined sugars, therefore, I selected pineapple and papaya not only for their colors but for their digestive benefits. Many digestive supplements you buy at the store are derived from the natural enzymes within these fruits. In pineapples, that enzyme is called Bromelain and Papain is the enzyme in pineapples, which can support digestion. Both Papaya and Pineapple offer antioxidant protection from their many nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, fiber, and manganese, which can help protect against free-radical damage from an antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase. You can use whipped cream if you like.
I use coconut whipped cream as a non-dairy option. Coconut milk also is packed with Omega 3 fats, Vitamin B’s, and anti-microbial benefits. You can check out my easy DIY Coconut Whipped Cream Recipe
Candy Corn Inspired Parfait
This is a fresh, nutrient-rich Halloween-inspired treat that is super yummy for those looking to celebrate Halloween while being mindful of their processed sugar intake or just looking to get some whole-foods in over the holiday.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple, chopped fresh or frozen works
- 1 cup papaya, chopped cantaloupe works as well for a more accessible and affordable fruit option
- 1/4 cup whipped cream dairy or non-dairy alternative (see coconut whipped cream recipe)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice optional on top
- 4 candy corn pieces optional! omit if you want a candy-free parfait, if you have a picky eater you are trying to get whole food into, a few pieces from the bulk barn on top goes a long way to getting kids to eat the fruit.
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of pineapple in the bottom of a jar, top with chopped papaya or cantaloupe, then top with coconut whip cream and enjoy!
- Optional, sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on and/or a few candy corn pieces for show