By Wendy

We are always looking for healthy and delicious snacks to give our family. So why not make these yummy granola bars. They’re not only good for you but also easy to make and pack as snacks wherever you go. And it takes minutes to prepare! What you need:

Dry Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 cups of dried fruits and nuts

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together.

In a separate microwave safe bowl, combine the wet ingredients and microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds.

Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix until the wet ingredients are distributed all through the dry ingredients.

Put the mixture into a shallow, lightly greased pan. Spread and flatten it out in the pan and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.

Take out from the oven and let it cool. Cut into approximately 16 bars. Wrap granola bars separately for easy grab and go treat!

What is your favorite granola bar recipe to make with 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

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Sweet and refreshing, they’re a healthy snack that is easy to eat at home or on the go. Nutrition wise, it’s low in calories and a good source in fiber and vitamin c. But sometimes apples start to brown too quick, forcing you to throw them away and waste money. Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a company dedicated to taking the tree fruit industry to the next level, has created a new breed of apples that solves this problem.

They’re called Arctic Apples. Using biotechnology, Okanagan Specialty Fruits has created a way to stop the enzymes in apples that cause brownness from triggering.  They’re raised and harvested the same way as all other apples. And keeping the fruit from browning helps retain some the antioxidants that are lost when bruising and browning does occur.

Arctic Apples are still under review with government regulators and should be available for purchase in the near future. In the meantime, here are some apple products you can purchase that don’t brown and are organic:

Bare Fruit Organic Fat Free Dried Cinnamon Apple Chips – lighted dusted with organic cinnamon; these baked organic apple chips are a great healthy snack that is low in calories, high in fiber and naturally sweet.

Organic Dried Apples – these dried apple rings are certified by CCOF and contain no additives or preservative.  They also make similar versions with other fruits. Enjoy and store them in fridge for up to 6 months.

Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce – Certified organic apple sauce packed in cute snack size containers, which make packing lunches a breeze

Cadia Organic Gravenstein Apple Juice – made from 100% organic Gravenstein apples from Somona County, California

How do you like to eat your apples?

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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

The key to most fast food chains is targeting children. Growing up, going to McDonald’s was always something we looked forward. Our parents would order us happy meals, usually consisting of a hamburger, french fries, soda and a great toy, some sort of Disney character that would keep us occupied for hours.

However in recent years, Disney has been trying to promote a healthier lifestyle for families and kids. First it started in their parks and resorts, and now it’s happening in their advertising, promotions, and sponsorships.

Disney recently announced that it will no longer accept any new advertising deals from foods that are considered fast food or high in fat/sugar and does not meet government dietary guidelines on their tv channels, radio stations and websites, where their core demographic is children. This will make Disney the first major media company to take such a bold action to promote healthy food consumption. This won’t go into effect until 2015 due to existing contracts, but it will change how companies similar to Disney market to children.

Let’s take part on this in promoting a healthy lifestyle in our homes with these easy tips:

Keep clean, ready to eat fruits and veggies in the fridge or on the kitchen counter so they are within reach for the kids and family to snack on during the day, instead of giving them the opportunity to reach for a sugary snack.

Make your own frozen treats to keep cool this summer by combining unsweetened fruit juice, water and fresh fruit. Pour into an ice try, add wooden sticks, freeze until solid and enjoy!

Always keep peanut butter in the pantry. It goes well on everything- wheat bread with jelly, smeared on apples, or even dipped with celery sticks.

Some other fun snack recipes you can whip up at home are Juicing, Healthy Pizzas, Bento Boxes, and even Eating Rainbows.

What are some of your favorite fun snack recipes to your 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

Summer is officially here. It’s time take the grill out of the garage and start the barbeque! Call the family, make the salad, and get the hotdogs and hamburgers ready. They’re the perfect condiment. So perfect that a group of engineers at MIT have also created a new liquid called LiquiGlide used to coat the inside of condiment bottles for an easier pour and not waste a single drop.

My favorite ketchup is Krazy Ketchup. It was created by moms who wanted to give their kids a great tasting ketchup. It’s also 100% Certified Organic and rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Potassium.

For you DIY moms, here’s an easy homemade ketchup recipe you can make at home:

What You Need:

1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in puree

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

What to Do:

Blend the can of whole tomatoes in a blender until smooth

Cook onions in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until softened, about 8 minutes

Add blended tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour, stirring more frequently toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching

Puree ketchup in 2 batches in blender until it’s smooth. Chill covered, at least 2 hours to help flavors develop.

Cooks’ note: Ketchup can be chilled up to 3 weeks

But what else can you do with ketchup? Here are 5 things you can do with your new found ketchup besides putting it on your burger:

1. Shine Your Copper Pot and Pans- the acidity in ketchup helps to remove the tarnish build up, making your pieces shine like new. Apply a thin layer of ketchup on your copper pan for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry.
2. Keeping Your Silver Pieces Bright and Sparkly- ketchup can also remove the grime that builds up on silver jewelry and other pieces. Pour ketchup into a bowl and dip silver pieces right in for 20 minutes. You may want to scrub hard to reach places. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
3. Fixing of Chlorine Damaged Hair- it helps to remove the icky green that you sometimes get after being in swimming pools. Just apply ketchup all over your hair and let it marinate for about 20 minutes. Wash hair thoroughly and you should see results.
4. Making Fake Blood During Halloween- ketchup makes great imitation blood for those vampire and zombie Halloween costumes for the kids
5. Finger Painting for Toddlers- let kids use ketchup to paint their food to make it eating more fun and nutritious.

What other things do you use your ketchup for?

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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

Sugar- who knew the combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen could be so sweet? Whether it’s that sugary snack you consumed to get yourself through the work day or the chocolate cake you made with the family this weekend, we have all come to assume that the key to staying healthy is consuming in moderation. Well, think again.

In the part two series of “The Skinny on Obesity”, Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and Elissa Epel with the Center for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment at the University of California, continue to discuss the impact of sugar on disease rates around the world.

Recent studies have found sugar to be the #1 contributor of obesity and obesity-related diseases. This is due to the way the two components in sugar, glucose and fructose, metabolizes in your body: as both fat and carbohydrates! This is the culprit of excess weight gain in people all over the world. Glucose, our good sugar, is energy multiple parts of your body can use and run on, whereas fructose, our bad sugar, can be only be used by your liver, just like alcohol. People need to change habits now and Lose Belly Fat to make a change for a healthier world.

Studies have also shown diseases that are linked to excessive fructose consumption, such as hypertension, obesity, and addiction; also appear in diseases linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Who knew? It’s due to the ethanol component in alcohol that creates the same toxic effects in your body as fructose.

So how much fructose is safe for us to consume?

It’s recommended to consume no more than 25 grams of fructose per day; 10-15 grams per day if you’re already overweight or have/at risk of any diseases linked to excessive fructose consumption.

Are there any sugar substitutes we can try?

Yes, herb stevia and dextrose (pure glucose) are your best options and can be found at any of your local health food stores. Other sugar substitutes, such as cane sugar, honey, date sugar, coconut sugar, brown rice syrup, fruit juice, molasses, maple syrup, sucanat, sorghum, turbinado or agave syrup, all contain high amounts of fructose.

How about products that say low fat? Are they safe?

According to Leptitox reviews when fat is removed from foods, the flavor is also removed from it. So when you see food that is deemed low fat, you’ll always find added sugar or high fructose content in the packaging.

Let’s limit the consumption of high in fructose foods whenever possible. Maintain a diet with whole, preferably organic, foods that have no added sugars and other chemicals. Your body will thank you.

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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.