We thought that in addition to reminding you to check out www.GreenHalloween for ideas, we’d pass on some tips from our fellow green bloggers.

1. From green blogger and independent crafter Becky Striepe, comes an idea for a simple Halloween scrap banner. And if you’re into banners, here’s a paper one we created last year.

2. Do you read Healthy Home magazine? If not, you should. You can get awesome ideas for all things healthy and green, like this BPA-free pumpkin puree that’s easier than pie to make.

3. Lots of parents today are opting out of masks and choosing face paints instead. But these can contain chemicals that you don’t want on your children’s skin. What to do? Make your own! You can check out our recipe here, and for more ideas, check out this article on Greenwala by Danika Carter, or this one from Diane MacEachern at Big Green Purse.

4. Great tips on avoiding GMO sugar this Halloween from My Healthy Green Family.

5. Emily Roach at Random Recycling loves roasting pumpkins seeds. Here’s her recipe.

6. From Robbie Schneider at Going Green Mama, what to do with that mammoth Halloween stash.

7. The Smart Mama, Jennifer Taggart, suggests using tee tree oil to keep your carved Jack-o-lantern from molding. And Danika Carter, from Your Organic Life says adding those little silica gel packets works well too.

8. And finally, Tamara Rubin, writing for DrGreene.com, explains how to avoid exposing your kids to lead during Halloween festivities.

What’s your favorite eco-friendly Halloween tip?

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Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.

By Wendy

With Halloween only a month away and you’re trying to come up with fun party snack recipes the kids will enjoy but are also healthy. Instead of giving the kids a sugary snack, try raisins. They’re just as sweet as any other sugary treat, but they’re 100 times healthier with loads of antioxidants, potassium, fiber and tartaric acid that keep your digestive system happy. Eating ¼ cup raisins equals a single fruit serving.  With vitamin C and a ton of other vitamins, you’ll want to enjoy these all through the year.

Pumpkin Raisin Party Cupcakes- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin… all the spices used in these Pumpkin Raisin Party Cupcakes make me think of autumn!

What You Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 can (15-ounces) pumpkin

1-1/4 cups Sun-Maid Natural Raisins

Decorating sprinkles

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
Combine all ingredients except raisins in a large bowl.
Beat on medium speed until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in raisins. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
Bake25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely. Spread frosting on cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.

Frosting: Beat until smooth 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup softened butter, 3 ounces softened cream cheese, 2 to 3 teaspoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add orange food coloring, if desired.

Shortcut recipe: Add 1-1/4 cups Sun-Maid Natural Raisins to a spice cake mix. Bake as package directs. Frost cupcakes with prepared vanilla frosting adding orange food coloring, if desired.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

For more raisin recipes like this, go to Sun-Maid Recipes. Sun-Maid has tons of recipes using raisins that you and the family can enjoy throughout the year.

How do you enjoy your raisins?

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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! Planning on staying local this long Labor Day weekend for some good ol’ grilling in the backyard like us? Here’s a great turkey burger recipe we’ll be trying this weekend from Applegate Organic & Natural Meats: Turkey Burgers with Fruity Salsa de Verano. The sweet and salty flavors sound so delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Here’s how you can make it at home:

What you need:

1 package Applegate Organic Turkey Burger

1 ripe mango, diced

1 ripe peach, diced

¼ cup red onion, diced

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

½ tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp blood orange juice

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

2 avocados, sliced

4 whole wheat buns

What to do:

Combine all other ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix and set aside.

Grill organic turkey burgers until well done.

Assemble the burgers, with lettuce and avocado on the bottom bun, the turkey burger, and then top it all off with your fruit salsa and the top bun.

Eat and enjoy!

If you’re not into turkey or a burger person, here are 10 vegetarian recipes you can try on the grill. Lots of yummy vegetable recipes to make on the grill and even some fruity ones for dessert!

What are you doing with the family this Labor Day weekend?

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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

It’s always great to have some frozen treats in the fridge, especially when it contains my favorite fruit, the watermelon. Watermelons are delicious and contain lots of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, all helping you to keep your body healthy. If you’re looking for a frosty and fruity dessert, try this watermelon sorbet recipe. This refreshing sorbet is great for dessert or just to enjoy as a snack. It’s also a healthier option to ice cream. Here’s how to make it:

What you need:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

6 cups watermelon chunks, (4-pound watermelon), seeded

2 tablespoons lime juice

What to do:

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This should take about 45 minutes.

Cover mixture and refrigerate until chilled. This should take around 1 hour.

Place watermelon and lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth.

Set a sieve over a large bowl and press the puree through to remove all the tiny seeds.

Whisk in the sugar syrup.

Pour the watermelon mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze until ice crystals form around the edges, which should take about 30 minutes.

Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer. Repeat every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen.

Put mixture into a container and place in the freezer for 1- 1½ hours to harden.

How else do you like to enjoy your watermelon?

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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.