Even if you don’t quite understand those families who go hard for Halloween (guilty!),there’s something to be said for parenting during this time of year. Yes, your family’s schedule is more packed than usual with tricky trays, tailgates, costume parties, and fundraisers, but pretty much any parent would agree that fall and its corresponding holidays are the best time to make core memories. Isn't that what this time of year is all about?

Luckily, it’s never too late to start new festive traditions with your kids—and not all of them require a lot of time, effort, and/or money to execute. One simple way to add a little spooky to this season beyond orange-and-black home decor, dressing up, and trick-or-treating is by making themed breakfasts on or in the lead-up to Oct. 31. 

But hear me out—these are the super low maintenance kind, no actual cooking skills needed. Even a “from the box” parent (yeah, guilty again) can put together these Halloween-themed breakfasts. Bonus: they just might entice your kid to actually eat before leaving for school and they’re easy enough to make with the kids…a win/win for everyone, really.

Here are five healthy-ish breakfasts inspired by this season’s spookies (and sourced from social media, of course) to consider making for or with your crew this month:

1. This ghost toast requires only three ingredients and can be modified to fit your kid’s palette. You’ll need toasted bread, a topping such as peanut butter or nutella, and a banana, with its tip cut off and then sliced lengthwise. Use straws of varying sizes to cut out the ghosts’ eyes and mouth.

2. For a Halloween twist on a bagel and cream cheese, finagle a glob of cream cheese into a cute little ghost and slather him onto a whole grain wrap (if you’re not the artistic type, you can spread the cream cheese into a ghost-shaped cookie cutter). Line the rim with any fruits or veggies your little one loves—cherry tomatoes and basil do the trick here—and finish off his face with blueberries.

3. These monster mouths made out of croissants will certainly bring the smiles. Slice the (store-bought!) French pastry in half and stuff it with anything of your family’s liking that resembles teeth—think mini marshmallows or apple slices—and coat with cream cheese, jelly, and/or nut butter. You can up the protein factor by adding in slices of ham or turkey that “hang out” of the monster’s mouth.

4. Aren’t these Frankenstein smoothie bowls just the cutest? To make the green base, mix half a honeydew, 2 bananas, 1 mango, 1 cup of green grapes, and 2 kale leaves into a blender. Then decorate Frankenstein’s face with fruits such as red grapes for the hair, bananas for the eyes, and cacao nibs to mimic the effect of his stitched-up mouth.

5. Spider web cinnamon rolls are almost too cute to eat. Bake the buns according to package directions (honestly, you can’t go wrong with good ol’ Pillsbury cinnamon rolls ) and hand-trace a spider web over each one with melted white chocolate. Alternatively, you can coat your cinnamon buns with store-bought or homemade pumpkin frosting, and use chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth to create cinnamon bun Jack o’ lanterns.

What’s your kids’ favorite Halloween breakfast? Any fun Halloween traditions to share?

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