Spooky Taco Skillet

• HEAT a skillet over medium high heat then add avocado oil. 
• ONCE oil is heated, add ground beef and onion to the skillet.  Break up the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Use a paper towel to soak up excess fat.
• ADD tomatoes, cauliflower rice and spices to the ground beef mixture.  Mix well. Allow to cook together over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until cauliflower rice is heated through.
• TRANSFER mixture to a round serving dish (a pie dish works well).
• SPREAD guacamole over the ground beef mixture (in the center) in a circle then add shredded lettuce, salsa and olives around the outside
• POUR ranch dressing into a sandwich sized ziplock bag.  Snip the end with scissors and pipe a spider web on top of the guacamole. Use the leftover olives to form a spider for your web. Serve immediately with lettuce leaves for creating wraps.

FOR THE BOO-NANAS

• REFRIGERATE a can of coconut milk overnight.
• WHEN ready to make, remove coconut milk from fridge and shake well to mix. Cut a banana in half in the middle, then cut in half lengthwise to make ghost-shaped pieces with a flat back.
• INSERT a popsicle stick into the banana, then dip into coconut milk. Add raisins for eyes and a mouth, then freeze on a baking sheet for 20 minutes or until the coconut milk is set. Remove and enjoy!

FOR THE JACK 'O LANTERN FRUIT SALAD

• CUT the top off of a grapefruit and use a pointed spoon to scoop out the fruit.
• USE a small sharp knife to cut in a jack o lantern face. FILL the hollowed-out grapefruit with your favorite fruits or a fruit and nut mix.

FOR THE MINI PUMPKINS

• PEEL mandarin oranges and add a small slice of celery, a spinach stem or a bell pepper slice as stalks! Place them all on a tray together and add beakers of Whole30-approved grain-free granola or a mix of nuts and dried fruit to complete the Halloween vibe.

• Hollow out and crave orange pumpkin with“barf” face
• Hollow out white pumpkin. Draw on skull facewith black Sharpie.
• Wash and cut assorted vegetables.
• Arrange on a platter as shown in photo:Pumpkin “barfing” guacamole, skulls head filled with “bloody” salsa, ranch in a cute cup or hollowed out bell pepper

For the Whole30 Homemade BBQ Sauce

• Combine all ingredients in a blender (discarding the hot water from dates). Mix until smooth. Store in closed container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

For the Bloody Witches Fingers

• TO make bloody witches fingers, cut 3 small slits in a hot dog, about an inch down from the end. This will be the finger’s “knuckles.” Make sure to only cut 1/3-1/2 of the way through the hot dog and not too deep. Repeat an inch below the first set of 3 lines, so each hot dog has two sets of 3 slits or two knuckles.
• ROUGHLY tear off the end of the hot dog furthest away from the second knuckle to create the illusion it was severed.
• COOK hot dogs either in a pan on the stove over medium heat or in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes till heated through and deep reddish/brown on the outside.
• ONCE cooked, use the BBQ sauce or ketchup to stick the almond “finger nails” on each hot dog finger. Dip the non-fingernail end into BBQ sauce or ketchup to simulate blood. Serve warm and with extra sauce to dip

For the 5 minute Whole30 ranch

• Combine all ranch ingredients in a bowl or blender and whisk or blend until combined. Add additional coconut milk to thin out as needed.

For the Carrot Pumpkin coins

• TO make the pumpkin coins, peel carrots and cut off end.
• AT the fat end of the carrot, holding lengthwise so you see the diameter of the carrot, cut a half a centimeter slit in the top of the carrot towards the middle of the carrot. Repeat a half a centimeter away, creating the beginnings of the “stem” of the pumpkin.
• CUT a slit perpendicular to the stem slits on each side to cut away or carve out the stem. Discard the carrot scraps you just cut out. You should see a rough pumpkin shape now when looking at the diameter of the carrot (see photo). Round out edges as needed with the knife.
• ONCE pumpkin shape is created, slice carrot into coins, creating mini pumpkin carrot coins. Serve with ranch and enjoy making veggies so fun and festive!

• CUT the apples into large wedges. On the skin side of the wedges, cut an almond shaped slit out of the apple to expose the flesh and make the “mouth.”
• PUSH 4-5 sunflower seeds into one side of the “mouth”, using the pointy end of the seed to stab into the apple. These will be your “teeth.”
• SPREAD almond butter onto the side of the “mouth” that doesn’t have the seed “teeth.”
• CUT the stem off the strawberries and slice vertically to create “tongue” slices. Place a strawberry “tongue” onto the almond butter of each monster apple.
• FOR the eyes, peel a banana and then slice small circles off the end. Use almond butter to attach a raisin for the pupil of the eye and then attach the banana eye onto the monster with more almond butter. We loved making both two eyed and one eyed mosters!
• SERVE immediately (if not, you will need to brush the banana slices and apples with a little bit of lemon juice to prevent from browning too fast).

• TO make tostones, peel plantains and cut into ½ inch chunks, cutting across the diameter to make “coins.”
• HEAT a shallow amount of cooking oil to high heat. Cook plantain coins in oil, for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from oil, salt, and smash with the bottom of a mug or a kitchen hammer.
• COOK a second time in the oil on both sides for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Remove from oil and salt again.
• CARVE your pumpkin to look like he’s “puking.” On a serving platter, scoop guacamole in front of and slightly into the pumpkin to create the “puke.” Layer cooked tostones around the guac for easy scooping. Always a hit at a Halloween dinner or party!

For the Easy Whole30 Guacamole

• Cut open and pit avocados. Scoop out avocado flesh into a medium bowl. Add all spices and mash. Finely chop cilantro (I use a small food processor to make this easier!). Add chopped cilantro to mashed avocado. Serve cold.

• PREHEAT oven to 250 degrees. Toss nuts with olive oil in a medium bowl until combined. Add spice and salt and mix well.
• LINE a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread spiced nuts on parchment in a single layer. Bake at 250 for one hour. Enjoy warm or cooled. Store in a closed container for up to a month.

• THE night before, fill the latex glove with water as full as you can. Seal the end (I used a small chip clip for this) and then lay flat in your freezer overnight.
• JUST before the party, blend the strawberries and juice in the blender, blending until combined. Pour the slushy strawberry mixture into a punch bowl and add the 4 cans of sparkling water.
• Take the frozen glove out the freezer and cut away the glove to get your frozen “severed hand.” Place the large hand ice cube on top of the punch bowl. Serve immediately.
• Bonus points if you serve your punch with eyeballs (my kids got a huge kick out of that–we found them at both Walmart and Dollar Tree)!