Controlling those candy cravings

Here's a scary thought: In a few short days there will be more candy in your house than leaves in your yard. How do you manage the mound of candy your children so eagerly collected?

First off, distribute candy over time, say the dietitians at Insight Psychological Centers in Chicago. Let children savor their Halloween bounty by having a few pieces of candy for an after-dinner dessert.

Other advice includes:

• Balance sweets with fruits and vegetables. Provide nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks to help your child form healthy habits. Aim for five servings a day.

• Keep candy out of your child's room. Keeping candy in the kitchen is a good way to help children monitor how much they're eating. Giving children complete control over their loot may result in a few belly aches.

• Keep candy in hard-to-reach kitchen cabinets, in the basement or garage. If candy is kept in an inconvenient place, you're less likely to impulsively grab that sweet treat.

• Track how much you eat by keeping the candy wrappers as a visual reminder of just how many treats you've eaten.

Tricky pies: You know Halloween is a big candy holiday, but did you also know it's also one of the top pizza delivery days? Yep, delivery drivers keep busy ferrying fresh-baked pies to hungry ghouls and goblins.That may be slowly changing.According to a recent trend report released by Palermo's (the Milwaukee-based pizza that's the official pizza of the Chicago Bears), frozen pizza sales are up 7 percent.It's easy to transform a frozen pie into a Halloween treat.Use black olives, red or green peppers, spinach or basil to create a jack-o-lantern design; or try tossing roasted pumpkin cubes and shredded provolone onto an alfredo-sauced pizza.Here are some other pizza facts to consider as National Pizza Month, also known as October, comes to a close:bull; Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day.bull; The average consumer eats pizza nearly three times per month.bull; Pepperoni continues to be America's favorite topping with more than 250 million pounds of pepperoni consumed on pizzas annually.Meet and eat: Rub elbows with celebrity chef Ming Tsai on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at a special dinner that will feature recipes from his new book #8220;Simply Ming: One-Pot Meals.#8221;Tsai, who entertains audiences with his East-meets-West cuisine on PBS's #8220;Simply Ming#8221; will sign copies of his book following dinner.The evening starts at 5 p.m. The tasting menu costs $68; add $30 of you want the wine pairing. The book costs $30.Reserve your seat at by calling the restaurant at (773) 772-6170. bull; Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends during Restaurant Radio Chicago, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560 AM.