Features this Month:

• Celebrate Halloween at the Y
• Halloween Safety Tips
• Native American Festival & Mini Pow Wow
• A Healthy and Inexpensive Recipe

Have a Happy -not Harrowing- Halloween: Safety Tips

Halloween is an exciting event for kids and adults alike. In fact, Halloween is America’s second largest commercial holiday. Still, the mix of nightfall, dark costumes, masks, copious amounts of sugar and gaggles of children dashing across driveways and streets can prove precarious.

Consider these tips from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to keep your Halloween from becoming harrowing:

• No treats on the trail. Insist kids do not eat any treats before an adult has inspected them for evidence of tampering.
• Flame resistant costumes are a must. When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant.
• See and be seen. Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists. For dark costumes, trim with reflective tape to ensure your little trick-or-treater is visible to motorists. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
• Carry a torch. To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
• Function first. Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling. And wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Yes, that means you too princess. Cinderella may sport glass slippers but you’ve only got 60 minutes or so to fill that Halloween bag!
• It’s for display only! Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.

Finally, children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. And for those kids old enough to venture out solo, only visit homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.

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A Healthy and Inexpensive Recipe

Confetti Chicken Wraps

- makes 6-8 servings

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large orange bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
• ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
• One 15 1/2 –ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• One cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup pre-shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup salsa
• Six to eight 8-inch flour tortillas
• ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream, optional

How to prepare:
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, cumin, and chili powder and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the beans, corn, cheese, and salsa and cook until the mixture is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, uncovered, and heat in the microwave until warmed through, 30 to 45 seconds. Assemble by placing the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Wrap burrito style and serve with sour cream as desired.

Nutrition Info Per Serving:

330 calories, 8g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 510mg sodium, 41g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 24g protein

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