Instead of dressing up in costumes and bringing candy to school on Halloween, my son's teachers have opted for a harvest party instead. At first, I was wondering if he was going to be disappointed -- he's so thrilled about his "army guy" costume. But he's really excited about the party. So am I. I see it as an opportunity to send him to school with a healthier treat to pass instead of miniature candies. Some ideas:

• Fall Harvest Sandwiches. This recipe is from Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Cut the sandwiches into bite-sized treats with fall-shaped cookie cutters.
• Make a homemade harvest trail mix with almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, dried apples, and candy corn.
• Modify the standard Rice Krispie treat and use whole-grain cereal (like Cheerios) instead. (This still isn't very healthy ... but at least it's an improvement.)
• Ants on a log or apple ladybugs are a fun and healthy snack.
• Make these healthy pumpkin muffins in a mini-muffin tray so they're bite-sized.

Alas, our farm days are over for this growing season. Our CSA farm closes up shop this week, a bit early due to the wet, wet summer; you should see the poor tomato plants. But the rain didn't ruin everything, as we have big, beautiful butternut squashes, just waiting to be cooked and gobbled up.

Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A as beta carotene, vitamin C and fiber, along with B vitamins, so you really can't lose by making the most of your winter squash.

One of our favorite dishes is a simple pizza with tomato sauce, roasted butternut squash, shallots and sage leaves, topped with prosciutto and feta cheese. How's that for a fun way to eat your squash?