This is the great time of year to enjoy apples!

Making your own apple sauce is really easy and it’s a great thing to make with
your kids! They can wash the apples, peel the apples and if they are comfortable with a knife then they can help you chop up the apples too! We sometimes like to have apple sauce as a treat after dinner and sometimes we just love having it as a little snack We prefer to make our apple sauce without sugar, we just choose a naturally sweet and juicy variety of apple like red or golden delicious!

All you need:

• 1 pound of apples
• 5 -6 tablespoons of water
• cinnamon (to taste – we like to use a lot of cinnamon!)

Wash the apples. Peel them, remove the core and then slice into small chunks. Place your apples into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and sprinkle in your cinnamon. Simmer the apples until soft. Be sure to stir often to prevent burning!!! We learned that the hard way Once they are nice and soft you can serve the apple sauce warm or cold!

Happy Healthy Eating

Kia

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

Join National Costume Swap Day for a Twitter Party!

Have your swapping questions answered, support and connect with swapping enthusiasts around the country, and share ideas about reducing waste, saving money, and the joys of greening your Halloween. Maybe even win some prizes!

When: October 4^th, from 9 to 10 pm EST

Where: Twitter!

Who: Follow the featured Twitter handles @CostumeSwapDay (host) @Green Halloween @CelebrateGreen @GreenAmerica @EcoMomAlliance

What you can to do to participate:

1. RSVP with us by sending a tweet to @CostumeSwapDay with the Hashtag: #CostumeSwap
2. Get into a nice National Costume Swap Day or Green Halloween mood
3. Follow our featured hosts: @CostumeSwapDay @GreenHalloween @CelebrateGreen  @GreenAmerica @EcoMomAlliance
4. Log into Twitter through Tweetchat.com on October 4^th a little before 9pm EST and put #CostumeSwap as the hashtag to follow
5. During the party, make sure every comment you submit has the hashtag #CostumeSwap (if you use Tweetchat, this will be done automatically) in it
6. Have some fun with a great group of people

Please, help support National Costume Swap Day by joining in on the fun. Also, please share this event with your Twitter network! Do this for your own swap’s benefit, and for costume swap supporters everywhere!

National Costume Swap Day is Saturday, October 13, 2012. To find a swap near you, go to: http://www.greenhalloween.org/CostumeSwap/find_2012.html.

For Questions about the party or about another event. Send a tweet to @CostumeSwapDay, post on the National Costume Swap Day Facebook Wall, or send an email to GreenHalloween@GreenAmerica.Org

By Wendy

Summer has flown by this year! And now Labor day is just around the corner and you’re trying to plan one more trip to the beach before you have to officially say goodbye to summer. Here are 5 easy ways you can stay eco-friendly at the beach with the family:

1: Pack up the car with as many people as possible, or use public transportation- this will not only help lower overall gas emissions and save you money, it’ll also make for some great family fun and some great pictures!

2: Use the designated walking areas instead of walking on dunes- beach grass and sand dunes help protect the land against the water and beach erosion. Using walkovers when we see them will help us keep the beach as wildlife flourishing.

3: Take everything you brought to the beach with you when you leave- whether they’re recyclable or not, be conscious of what you bring to the beach. Make sure you pack everything with you and disposing them in the right places. This helps prevent any remnant items from being left behind at the beach and potentially floating out into the water, which could end up hurting wildlife, such as fish, turtles, and other sea creatures.

4: Always pick up after yourself- The beach isn’t another bathroom or garbage can. Pick up all your leftover beach toys, snacks, and water bottles. If someone needs to use the restroom, use the public restroom. Pick up after your pets and dispose of their waste in the garbage.

5: Use eco-friendly sunscreen- if you’re at the beach, you’re bound to go into the water. Choose a eco-friendly sunscreen that uses safe ingredients to keep the water and wildlife safe of harmful toxins.

With these 5 easy tips on how to stay eco-friendly at the beach with the family, you’ll be able to help keep our beaches well protected and a ongoing summer destination for everyone.

What other tips do you practice to stay eco-friendly at the beach?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

By Wendy

Happy Friday everyone! The weekend is finally here. What are your plans this weekend? Taking the kids to the mall? Or maybe going out to watch the latest movie? Why not change up your routine and go out for a bike ride. Now that summer is here, it’s finally nice enough where you don’t have to drive the car to get to every destination.

Here are 5 reasons why to pick up your bikes and start riding:

1- All Over Workout: since roads often have twists, turns and hills to climb, bicycling allows your entire body to get a work out- from your arms, legs, and even your abs. Bike for 30 minutes to an hour and you’ll definitely find yourself working up a sweat and muscles working it.

2- You Can Do It Anywhere: biking riding is one of those things you can enjoy just about anywhere. All you need it a bike, a helmet, and some road.Visit BikeGeeky.com for the guideline & resources you need to pick your riding gears. Start taking short rides around the neighborhood to build up your confidence. Then you can start doing more exploring around your area. You never know what you may encounter on your bike.

3- Relieves Stress: exercise, whether it’s biking, running, or dancing, can help reduce your stress level and any symptoms of depression, while also improving your self esteem, you can improve your weight and use an appetite suppressant supplement for more results. The better you feel about yourself and life, the more productive you can be at home, at work, and to your family.

4- Decreases Your Gas Emission: whether you’re taking a bike ride to the park or to grab for few things from the grocery store, riding your bike instead of driving your car will help lower gas emissions. Do this a few times a week and you’ll not only be environmentally friendly, but also save up some money for that family vacation or some other big ticket item you were hoping to purchase in the near future.

5- Fun for All Ages: no matter what age you are, twenty or sixty, bike riding just makes you feel like a kid again. The speed you feel when you’re on a bike, the freedom you feel on an open road, the wind tousling your hair, it’s great a great feeling.

Bicycling outdoors is also a great way to get closer to Mother Nature and all the beauty this planet has to offer us. So go for that bike ride this weekend! Not only is it good for the environment, it’s also great for your health and your wallet.

What’s your favorite thing about bike riding?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

By Wendy

Kids love being creative. Whether it’s with crayons, markers, or paint- they’re crazy about it! Especially if it also means they’re allowed to get a little dirty. That is why I love the idea of making your own finger paint. It lets your kids get their creative juices flowing with paint, with their hands being their paint brush. And it’s all non-toxic! So if they accidentally get some on their face or swallow some, you won’t have to worry too much. It’s super easy to make and your kids will have much fun playing with it, indoor or outdoors.

What you need:

½ cup cornstarch

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

2 cups cold water

Your choice of food coloring

What to do:

Put all your ingredients into a medium pan and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Stir mixture until you start seeing it thicken.

Remove from stovetop quickly and let mixture cool.

Split mixture into a 3-4 batches.

In each batch, put a few drops of your favorite food colorings until you get your desired color.

Put each batch into separate air tight containers with lids to make it easy to store.

This batch of homemade finger paint is good for about 3 days. So if you see your finger paint getting a bit too thick, just whip up a new batch and you’ll be on your way to more finger painting fun. Or if you think you don’t need as much, you can always adjust the ingredients and make a smaller batch.

Another great non-toxic toy you can make with your kids is homemade play dough. They’re easy to play with, can be molded into lots of different forms, and keep kids busy.

What are your favorite do it yourself make at home activities for the kids?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.