My little monsters and I took a trip to Flint recently, where we rode the Ghost Train and did a little trick-or-treating at Crossroads Village. At the end of the trip, we had a little bag full of candy. I quickly sorted through all of it before my little goblin could get his hands on any gluten-containing goodies. I brought my own bag of "safe" candy, which I poured into his little white trick-or-treating bag first. Then, I only added the things I knew for sure were gluten-free: Smarties, fruit snacks, Air Heads. The rest went into another bag for closer inspection.

A lot left me with questions, so I scoured a few lists online when I got home and did a little more research.

Here is the best quick list I found. It was helpful, especially with many of the "mainstream" candy brands. It also has a short list of the "don't eats" that I found helpful.

Here is what we ended up with in our bags (probably a good indicator of what's coming on Saturday):

An apple (gluten-free and casein-free)

Act II Butter Mini Bag (gluten-free)

Smarties (GFCF)

Betty Crocker Halloween Fruit Flavored Snacks (GFCF)

Almond Joy bar (GF)

Hershey Bar (GF)

Butterfinger bar (GF)

Clark bar (GF)

Nestle Crunch bar (NOT GF- Contains barley)

Air Heads strip (GFCF)

Kit Kat bar (NOT GF- Contains wheat)

Caramel squares - no label

Judkin-Adkinson Candies assorted fruit slices (NOT GF as far as I can tell by the ingredients - "modified food starch" and "natural and artificial flavors" makes me nervous)

Mounds bar (GF)

Tootsie Rolls (GF)

Ce De Candy Necklace (GFCF, it is made by Smarties)

In the backup candy bag:
Skittles
Starburst
Enjoy Life chocolate bars
Yummy Earth gummy bears
Yummy Earth organic suckers (Whole Foods has this brand)

Enjoy the Halloween. There are plenty of yummy treats out there that everyone will be goblin!

Tip: Going to a special event or party? Pack some doughnuts (such as Kinnikinnik), especially if you want little ones to feel included.