“If you follow a special diet, be sure to include calcium rich foods.  Calcium is an important nutrient, especially when you or your child is on a dairy-free (casein-free) diet. Calcium is important for strong bones, as well as supporting muscle contraction, heart function, and neurotransmitter release,” says Julie Matthews, Certified Nutrition Consultant and Autism Diet Specialist who is a partner with autism treatment and recovery group, Generation Rescue.

One of those calcium rich foods is olives. I remember eating them off each finger as a child, simply because it was fun. The saltiness appealed to me, but it might not to all kids. So here enters the fun. My friend Charmaine brought these to our Halloween party last year and they were a hit with all the kids. This recipe is for a plate full, but you can make as many at a time as you’d like.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20-45 minutes depending on method used for hardboiling
Yield: 1 dozen
Special equipment: egg cooker

6 hardboiled eggs
1/4 c. mayonnaise (or GFCFSF alternative, like Spectrum Canola Mayonnaise)
salt and pepper to taste
18 whole black olives

1. Cook eggs via egg cooker, or place cold eggs (directly from the fridge) into cold water that reaches an inch above the top of the eggs. Place the pot over high heat until the water comes to a full boil, then immediately remove pot from heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 12 minutes for medium eggs, 15 minutes for large eggs and 18 minutes for extra large eggs. Drain eggs and fill pot with cold water to cool (you can add ice cubes). Once eggs are completely cool, they will be quite easy to peel.
2. Peel eggs and slice in half, length-wise. Remove the yolks to a bowl, setting whites aside.
3. Add mayonnaise to yolks and smash with the back of a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spoon yolk mixture into egg white “cups”.
5. Slice all olives in half, lengthwise. Place an olive half upon filled egg. Slice two more halves into legs for each side of the spider, and arrange accordingly.