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.

By Wendy

I love bread. And baking bread is probably one of those things that everyone should learn. It’s one of the simplest foods you can eat but it really can go with every meal. And it holds tons of those essential nutrients to keep you full and energized for the entire day. Usually we pack sandwiches for lunch, which means going through at least one store bought loaf of bread a week. Instead of buying bread this week, we decided to bake it. You’ll be eliminating all those unknown ingredients that come with commercial food production but also more environmentally friendly.

What you need:

3 cups warm tap water, about 110 degrees Fahrenheit
2 envelopes (0.25 ounces) of active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey

5 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups all purpose flour, and stir to combine. Let it set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Combine 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour.

Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until it’s not too sticky – just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough.

Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard.

With your freshly baked bread, you can make toast, sandwiches, or even enjoy with soup. Here are some healthy soup recipes the whole family will enjoy.

Roasted Carrot Soup- this soup is good for you and fun for the kids to decorate and create their own designs.

Simple Tortellini Soup- healthy and easy to make, this simple tortellini soup is all about comfort and warming the soul.

Have you ever tried making your own bread?

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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 hot out and you can’t seem to think settle on something to eat. You don’t want something too heavy that’s going to sit in your stomach and raise your body temperature, but you want something light and refreshing. Why not make yourself a smoothie. Smoothies are an easy way incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet, especially if you have little ones who don’t quite enjoy their greens. And they’re easy to take with you on the go.  Usually made fruits, milk, sweetener and ice, these cold blended drinks are great to enjoy during those hot sweltering days. Here are 5 quick and easy smoothie recipes you can make:

Lynn’s Quick and Easy Fruit Smoothie- use any type of fruit and sweetener you have available in your kitchen with this versatile recipe using only fruit, milk, yogurt, ice, and a little bit of sweetener

Tropical Treasure Smoothie- filled with tons of healthy tropical fruits and a touch of spinach, this smoothie will give you the nutrients you need to get through the day

Pumpkin Smoothie- fall will be here before you know it. Try this healthy pumpkin smoothie if you’re in an autumn mood and in the need for a fruity drink with a little bit of spice

Banana Smoothie- because bananas are so rich and creamy, they’re great to use in smoothies. Use fresh or frozen smoothies to make this recipe

Raspberry Avocado Smoothie- avocados may sound a little odd at first, but it’s a great ingredient to add into smoothies

If you find that you made more smoothie than you can finish, don’t pour it down the drain! Repurpose them! Try pouring them into a popsicle tray and stick them into the freezer for a healthy popsicle snack to enjoy later.

What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?

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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.