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Did you know that Chocolate Milk is the “official” drink of Halloween? Me neither! This Friday, streets will be lined with ghosts, goblins and ghouls in search of sweet treats. Now, moms can make Halloween a little healthier for their kids by serving chocolate milk: The Official Drink of Halloween. Experts agree that lowfat chocolate milk is an easy, nutritious trick for “mummy” that won’t haunt anyone’s health!

Find healthy Halloween tips and festive recipes such as Minty Witch’s Brew, Gobblin-Good Rice Pudding, Chocolate-Strawberry Shivering Pops or Smoothies and more on the WhyMilk Halloween recipes page. I think this recipe for Oatmeal made with chocolate milk sounds really good!

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Magical Creamy Chocolate-Banana Oatmeal
makes Four 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups 1% lowfat chocolate milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small banana, peeled and cut into small chunks (3 ounces)

Directions
Bring 2 1/4 cups chocolate milk and the salt to a gentle boil in medium saucepan. Stir in dried oats and cinnamon. Reduce heat. Gently boil, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand for 2 to 3 minutes to slightly absorb excess milk in mixture, stirring occasionally.

To serve, stir in vanilla, then gently stir in banana. Spoon oatmeal into bowls. Pour 2 tablespoons remaining chocolate milk over each serving.
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Yum! Now, I know you are probably going into shock every time you buy a gallon of milk, because who ever thought that a gallon of milk would cost MORE than a gallon of gas? So what I’d like to point out is this- even at $4.00 a gallon, that still makes milk cost 25 cents for an eight ounce glass. That’s 25 cents to provide calcium, protein, and Vitamin D to your family. Milk offers more nutrients per penny than almost any other beverage option in the supermarket, at least among those that actually have nutritional value.

New online tools at whymilk.com show how you can get the most for your money at the grocery store by incorporating nutrient-rich foods like milk. The site includes comparisons to other beverages to show the nutrient and cost advantage per glass (http://www.whymilk.com/value_quarter.php) and offers suggestions for maximizing household grocery budgets (http://www.whymilk.com/value_cart.php).

Drink your milk! Mom says so :)