Healthy Dinners For Pre-Trick-Or-Treating

You may or may not be as excited as your kids are about Halloween. While  you're probably still trying to find a store that isn't sold out of that perfect costume or the materials to make the perfect one yourself, your kids are practically itching to get out the door with candy bags in hand. Every year, they look forward to it all: the spooky treats you bake especially for them, the creepy decorations you put up, and heading to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin. But what are they excited for most of all? Hands-down it has to be trick-or-treating.

Click here for the Healthy Dinners For Pre-Trick-Or-Treating (Slideshow)

Fun-sized everything has been taking over store shelves for months now in anticipation of this sweet night. After all, to be the coolest on the block you have to make sure you dish out the best candy to the trick-or-treaters.

So you have everything set: their costumes are on point, your candy game is tight, all that's left is what to feed the kiddies before the trick-or-treat madness begins.

If you aren't careful, your little Captain America or glittering Elsa will hit the streets on an empty stomach with a giant pillowcase for candy to satiate them. They'll be shoveling Starbursts and Tootsie Pops in their mouths at a rapid pace. A few hours later, pounds of candy will have been consumed, and you'll have children bouncing off the walls or exhausted kids crashing from that sugar high.

To avoid these results, plan ahead and put something healthy in their little bellies. Forget that not-so-great-for-you pizza that other Halloween-stressed parents might serve, and pull together something with nutritional value. Try healthy proteins to keep them fuller longer, so that they're fueled all night for their trick-or-treating adventures. Opt for vegetables with vitamins that pack cleaner energy-boosters than grease-laden alternatives. These quick and easy recipes are sure to please your trick-or-treaters.

All you need is a cape, 'cause now you're "Super Parent!"

Healthy Chili

Not just a game-day staple, chili can be that perfect meal to keep you and your kids full before headed out this Halloween. Healthy chili can warm bellies and provide protein and energy to keep kids going. This kid-friendly dinner can be prepared in advance and makes great leftovers. You can even sneak a few vegetables in, too.

Almond Encrusted Chicken Nuggets

What kid doesn't like chicken nuggets? Spruce up the old standby with an easy almond meal crust instead of that gluten-heavy breading. Skinless chicken breasts pack a big a protein punch and are lighter on the calories.