Last weekend, my four-year-old daughter got bitten by the Halloween bug. She could think of nothing but jack-o-lanterns, Harry Potter, princess costumes, and “Halloween activities.” What four-year-old actually says “activities” anyway? She cracks me up! But, I digress. Aria wanted to have a “spooky snack”, and I wanted to create something that was creepy enough to satisfy her Halloween craving but not loaded with sugar.
Real mom moment: I’m not as good about keeping Aria’s sugar consumption down as I want to be. I’m incredibly lucky that this little angel of mine LOVES fruits, veggies, and cheese. However, my health issues led us to move in with my parents last year, and they are unstoppable when it comes to spoiling their only grandchild. So, despite my best efforts, sweets and super-processed foods are offered to her more often than I like, and after a year I have given up on fighting them about it. Instead, I focus on providing healthy alternatives and praise her like crazy when she chooses them. So, when she asked for a Halloween treat, I immediately started brainstorming snacks that were candy-free. Then I found out that Mini Babybel® Cheese was on sale at Target (and will be through the end of the month!) and I had a serious lightbulb moment. I knew exactly what to make to appease my Halloween fanatic!
Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs!
Aria was ecstatic when she saw that the Mini Babybel® original cheese had dressed up for Halloween!
To find Mini Babybel® cheese in your Target, look by the shredded and sliced cheeses in the refrigerated section. You should totally check that out while it’s on sale, because the only thing better than yummy, healthy, natural snacks is getting a discount on them! We also picked up some green olives, deli mustard, food coloring, and toothpicks, then headed home to create.
It Was a Naptime Smash!
I have a confession. I’m a bit of a control freak, and the idea of letting my four-year-old paint with food coloring may have caused a few heart palpitations. So, I had the genius idea of making these delicious spooky eyeballs while Aria was down for her nap. There were two problems with this brilliant plan:
- She was way too excited about the project to even pretend to sleep.
- I made the grave mistake of thinking she would eat a green olive instead of a black one. Because, reasons.
When I finished making the first batch of Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs, I checked her video monitor and found her standing on the bed, staring into the camera. Is she practicing to be in a horror movie? Maybe. She’s pretty much got it down. Deciding I would rather play with her than spend the next hour contemplating whether or not she might be possessed, I went upstairs and released her from her naptime prison (aka her pink princess bedroom).
And then she saw the eyeballs. She was ecstatic for about 2.7 seconds before she realized all the olives were… green. So, to appease my unique little smidgen, I opened the can of sliced black olives we keep in the pantry for just such emergencies. After adding those to the ingredients tray, I took a deep breath and set her loose on the cheese.
Wild Thing
Before getting to work on her spooky creations, Aria decided to acquaint herself with the cheese. Honestly, even I couldn’t resist playing with them in those cute Halloween wrappers! When she discovered how to open them, it was GAME ON! She had so much fun unwrapping and eating the little cheese wheels that she kept sneaking them when I had my back turned.
Thankfully, Mini Babybel® cheeses are 100% REAL CHEESE, a great source of calcium and protein, and not packed with calories like many other snack options. And besides, I had already eaten three, so I couldn’t really say anything to her…
Step Into Our Laboratory…
As soon as she discovered our little laboratory, Aria pointed out a glaring omission – crackers! So, I found a box of multigrain crackers (another thing we keep on hand for emergencies like this), and added them to the plate. I placed the sliced green and black olives and a bit of deli mustard in a small dish so they would be easily accessible for little hands. Also pictured: my incredibly offensive GREEN OLIVE eyeballs, which I still think taste better than the black olive versions and it’s not just because I have green eyes, thankyouverymuch. When I started, I unwrapped a few of the cheeses and set them on a plate – I snagged this adorable little guy from Bullseye’s Playground at Target! Aria preferred to work on one Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeball at a time, so she could make each one perfect.
Next, we dipped sliced olives in the deli mustard, and stuck one slice in the center of each mini cheese wheel. And, finally, we got artistic! We painted veins (or polka dots, as they were Aria’s preference) on the cheese all around the olive slices using toothpicks and food coloring. Helpful trick: Pour 4-5 drops of red food coloring into a plastic bottle cap or something similar and use this as your “paint pot”.
Eureka!!!
Once we finished decorating our Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs, it was time for the taste test. I can proudly report that these healthy Halloween treats were a smashing success! Aria couldn’t eat hers fast enough! And I have to hand it to her – the crackers really did take this snack to the next level.
Later that afternoon, Aria’s friends came over, and we set up a workstation outside where the girls could all make their own Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs – it was a HUGE hit! Our impromptu Halloween party was full of excited girls who all LOVED their healthy Halloween snacks, and I loved knowing that they were getting a wholesome snack that I could feel good about.
Even when it isn’t Halloween, Mini Babybel® will always have a special place in our refrigerator and in our home. Any snack that is natural, wholesome, delicious, and fun to open is a solid win in my book! Get your Mini Babybel® at Target today (remember, they’re on special through the end of October!), and share your own spooky creations with #HealthyHalloween and #BabybelTarget so I can see!!!
For an easy, fun, & healthy Halloween snack that's all treat and no tricks, whip up these Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs with your kids. Let the haunting commence!
- 6 Wheels Mini Babybel® Original Cheese
- 6 Wheels Mini Babybel® Light Cheese
- 1 tsp. Deli Mustard
- 6 Slices Green Olives
- 6 Slices Black Olives
- 4-5 Drops Red Food Coloring
-
Unwrap all 12 Mini Babybel® Cheese wheels and arrange on a plate.
-
Dip one side of a Sliced Olive in Deli Mustard, and place it mustard-side-down in the center of one Mini Babybel® Cheese wheel. Repeat until there is one olive in the center of each cheese wheel.
-
Pour 4-5 drops of red food coloring into a small container, such as a clean bottle cap.
-
Dip the tip of a toothpick in the food coloring, and use this to draw veins on the cheese. Repeat until each Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeball is sufficiently veiny and creepy.
-
Enjoy your creations! Feel free to ad-lib a maniacal laugh or enthusiastic, "It's ALIVE!" here.
The Spooky Mini Babybel® Eyeballs made with Mini Babybel® Original cheese will be approximately 72 calories. Those made with Mini Babybel® Light cheese will be approximately 52 calories.
I made the mistake of opening this with the kids next to me on the couch…the closest target is 45 or more min away and now they’re begging to make these 😂 I’m not sure whether to be happy they want something healthy or sad I have to drive to target? Wait did I just say I was sad to go to target? Who am I?! #letsgototarget
Hahaha!!! Target is ALWAYS worth the drive! I’m so glad the littles are excited about these!!!
Love this Halloween snack idea ! I’d eat them all
Thank you, Anisa! I almost did… Luckily, my little one saved me from myself by eating the rest!
This was a fun read! I love your humor! I’m so happy to have come across a spooky Halloween treat that doesn’t involve sweets full of candy and icing. We’ll get enough of that when we trick-or-treat! Cute little helper you have too! (I would have attempted to get the food coloring done while she napped as well! lol)
Thank you so much, Jen! I’m so happy to have a healthy treat that my little helper is excited about! Also, I just told her that you called her cute, and now she’s posing. There’s no camera out, but she’s cool with that. LoL!
What a fun little treat for kids! The closest Target to us is about 30 minutes away. It’s a win win in my book when you get to go shopping at Target and your kids ask for a healthy snack rather than chips or candy. I’d say it’s worth the drive. #letsgototarget 🙂
Thank you, Noel! I completely agree about the win-win! Target is ALWAYS worth the drive! LOL
How fun! I just started some halloween activities with my toddler and these would be fun and easy. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Holly! I love that this cute little snack is so kid-friendly – it’s the perfect size for little hands, and the simple steps are perfect for toddlers!
These are adorable, my son loves baby bell! He will have blast making these. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Chelsey! I would love to see pictures of your little guy’s creation!!!
SpooooOOoooky!! In a great (delicious) way! Love how adorable these are!
YES!!! Mission: Accomplished! Thank you so much, Felicia!
That is such a cool idea! Simple but VERY effective!! What a beautiful little girl to 🙂 xx
Thank you, Hazel!!! Simple and effective is ALWAYS my goal! I told Aria that you called her beautiful, and she said, “Aww! Thanks!” then started either trying to bat her eyelashes or having some sort of facial spasm… LOL!
Those are spooky!
The Pink Paperdoll
Thanks, Abbie!!!
Your daughter is adorable! What a great, healthy Halloween snack–love this idea!!😊
Thank you so much, Jen!!! I had to stop reading her the comments when she started replying with a shrug and, “Yeah, everyone thinks I’m gorgeous. I know.” So humble… 🙈😂
How cute are these! And I love that you made it into a craft for her and her friends. So fun!
Thank you, Brenda! They loved it, too! They keep coming over asking if we have any more cheese eyes. 😂
These are too cute! I love that it fits a Halloween theme without being a sweet treat.
Thanks, Emily! Healthy Halloween treats are SO. HARD. to come by, I was super happy my little one enjoyed these!
I love these unique Halloween party treats. Neat idea
Thank you, Victoria!
How fun is this! My daughter loves Babybels and would think this activity was just so great. Also, thanks for the tip that these are on sale at Target!
Thank you, Corey! And you’re super welcome for the tip – I’m always happy to help other moms save some 💵!
These look so fun to make. My nephews would love these!
They were a blast to make! The neighbors and my little one all keep asking me to let them make more, but I keep running out of cheese!
LOVE this! Will definitely be using these at our upcoming Halloween party for our kiddos. Great (healthy) idea! 🙂
What a cute healthy snack! It is so easy to do, quick cleanup, and the kids can participate. These are cute little snacks anyway, but to make eyeballs is even better. (I have to kindly disagree with your daughter-green olives are the way to go-).
These are so cute. My niece is having a Halloween party this weekend, so this is something that my son and I will take for a party snack. Simple, easy and ole so cute! ♥
that is the absolute cutest idea ever. and so easy too!
These look so fun and cute! My kids are out of school for fall break and in need of activities! 😉
Such a fun idea! I used to live off Babybel
Hey Samantha! What a clever idea! And I totally understand having the grandparents undermine your healthy efforts! You’re right though, sometimes it’s not worth the fight and we just have to go with the flow! Happy Halloween!
I am such a HUGE fan of both cheese and olives (I’m a eat-them-out-of-the-jar kind of girl!), but these are honestly so freaky I don’t know if I could get through them 😂
Indya || tinyurl.com/thesmalladventurer
My kids love babybel’s, I’m not sure if they love unwrapping them or eating them more. But this is super cute and yummy for a halloween treat!!!!
Thank you, Sara! Aria goes back and forth about which part is her favorite, but with the Halloween wrappers, she seems to lean toward unwrapping being the most fun part right now!
Aw, what a cute idea! You’re lucky that your daughter will eat cheese, fruit, and veggies. My niece and nephew are pretty good about that too and *gasp* my eldest niece doesn’t even like chocolate! LOL
-Lauren
Doesn’t… like… chocolate?!?! I’m sorry, my brain cannot process that information. 😂 But in all seriousness, there are days I step on the scale and wish I didn’t like chocolate… lol!
Eek! These are just too adorable and so creative! I wonder if I could make a “to-go” version for my kids lunch boxes….!
According to their website, Mini Babybel can be kept out for 2-4 hours, and it’s perfect for lunchboxes. I did notice that it dried out a bit after being out of the wax for an hour or so – we only had one that lasted that long… 🙈 Maybe the cute little Halloween wrapped cheese with an olive slice and a little packet each of ketchup and mustard would make a portable version they could diy at school?
This is so fun Samantha! What a great idea, you are so creative and your daughter is adorable. Our girls are grown but I would love to do this with some of our friend’s grandkids!
Thank you, Lisa!!! I bet your friend’s grandkids would love it!
Such a fun idea! I love how they turned out!
Thank you so much, Danielle! We had a blast making them!
I love it! It’s great that Aria is so excited about activities. The snack look amazing. I may have to try them this weekend.
Thank you, Angela! I love how enthusiastic she gets – today we made Mummy Dogs with Mini Babybel cheese arms for lunch, and she was taking it so seriously, I couldn’t help but giggle. I love that kid!
Your daughter is the cutest ever!! These are such an awesome halloween food– SO spooky!
Thank you so much!!!
How adorable and creative!! Costco just started selling cheese that’s similar to Babybel. This is a great activity that I will keep in mind for future kids 🙂
This is such a cute idea. I’m personally not a fan of baby bells but my kids LOVE them. They eat one every day for a snack. This will be a fun one for the week of Halloween.
Carley || mrspigeonscoop.com
I love babybels and this is such a fun idea! Super easy too.
This is awesome!