Who says Halloween is all about the candy? We at Green Halloween want to share a little of nature’s candy with you. This is a fun way to introduce vitamin packed fruits into your child’s diet.

Frankenkiwi

Use a vegetable peeler to take off this skin, leave a little for the little guy’s hair. Dig out seeds for the mouth, eyes, and head bolts. An oval cutter gives the eyes some depth. What a monster!

Screaming Bananas & Clementine Pumpkins

These treats are super simple!

Ghosts – Simply peel the bananas and slice in half. Add a chocolate chip (point down) into the banana as a mouth. Break off chocolate tips to use as the eyes. Or, melt chocolate and drizzle on the facial features.

Pumpkins – Peel the clementines then add a celery stalk as the stem.

Ghost Berries

Cover the srawberries with your favorite natural yogurt brand. Plain with a dash of honey or a vanilla flavor will complement the berries. Drizzle chocolate eyes and enjoy!

These ideas come from Little Inspiration and Tinkerbean

For more healthy snack ideas this Halloween follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

So it seems like a gust of cold air blew through the neighborhood this evening. The temperature is well below 60°. It’s quite a shock after weeks sweating in the 90° heat. Of course, October 31st will likely be chilly and it’s important to be prepared.

This costume, which comes from Fiskars designer Lisa Storms, is a great solution. The costume uses a long-sleeve shirt, but a sweatshirt could easily be substituted. You can also sewing scraps from around the house.

So, grab that old stained shirt and get started!

This owl costume is simply a brown shirt with rows of fabric ovals sewn beginning at the bottom. Trace the ovals and cut them out. Then sew the pieces on with a needle and thread. Fabric glue or safety pins will also get the job done.

For the hat:

Turn a knit cap inside out. Cut off a semi-circle from the top, then sew the large remaining hat piece back together. Circles and a triangle glued to the hat complete the cute face.

Viola! An owl with a cheap and eco-friendly coat of feathers.

I would say, now we might finally know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, but this is Green Halloween! Give your owl Yummy Earth Lollipops instead!

For more ways to stay warm this Halloween follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

Halloween is a great time to teach your kids about agriculture and botany. Where exactly did that pumpkin you bought for your jack-o‘-lantern come from? How much work does it take for one to grow?

Well it took competitive pumpkin grower Matt Radach of Camano Island, WA 119 days to grow his prize-winning gourd. Radach documented his process in this awesome time-lapse video below. His pumpkin came in 6^th place at the Washington State Fair at 636lbs. I wonder what Radach plans on doing with that beauty? It would make one big pie…

A pumpkin is a great fruit to learn about, as it is low in calories, fat, and sodium, yet high in fiber. They are also a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, iron, and potassium. For a fun pumpkin treat, try our pumpkin smoothie recipe.

For more fun pumpkin facts, check out this “gordgeous” History Channel video on everything you ever wanted to know about the pumpkin. And if your preteen wants to get inside the head of a teen pumpkin grower, have them rifle through the pages of the novel Squashed.

Thank you Radach for giving us a video to make the growing process more transparent. Call us when you decide what to do with that pumpkin.

It all started on a hike in the Rocky Mountains. “How can I combine taste, healthiness, and convenience in one snack?” Lara Merriken wondered. Upon her return, Lara (pictured below) began experimenting and creating snack bars in her own kitchen, using her friends and family as a focus group to determine what tasted best. Lara would successfully answer her question and go on to create LÄRABAR, a full line of simply made snack bars that are good for you and good for the planet, available across the country.

The key to LÄRABAR’s success is its simplicity. They are committed to the idea that food doesn’t have to be packed with all sorts of complex ingredients, just wholesome, natural ones. Each LÄRABAR, ALT Bar (a protein packed snack), über Bar (just nuts and fruits for a big crunch), and JOCALAT Bar (a sweet chocolate bar) contains no more than nine ingredients, of which all are certified organic and GMO-free. LÄRABAR also caters to a range of special diets like gluten-free, vegan, kosher, raw, low-carb, and nut or soy allergy diets, because no one should be exempt from eating tasty and healthy snacks. LÄRABAR isn’t just focused on offering natural and healthy treats though.

The environment is equally important as the customer to LÄRABAR. Every LÄRABAR wrapper is made from 31% bio-material and are recyclable through the TerraCycle Program. All you have to is send in your used wrappers and they’ll be used to create various products like benches, chairs, or bike racks! LÄRABAR is also a proud member of the Non-GMO Project, fighting to expose the harmful aspects of GMO’s. LÄRABAR has a strong donations program as well, offering their bars to events like The Detroit Marathon and The Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo.

LÄRABAR is a brand based on passion for natural and healthy snacks along with a commitment to the environment. They understand that complexity isn’t necessarily best, by offering simple and wholesome snacks that rival many others in taste. If your’e craving a delicious snack that is healthy while also keeping the planet in mind, LÄRABAR is perfect for you!

For more information on LÄRABAR, check out their website at www.Larabar.com, Facebook page www.facebook.com/Larabar, or on Twitter @Larabar.

Happy Saturday!

Hopefully you and your little rascals have room for some playtime today (and you have time to do some errands). Here’s a great weekend afternoon activity – a milk carton haunted house!  The great thing about this project is that your structure can be any style you desire. Architecture nerds, go crazy! I am hoping to make a Hogwarts inspired castle. You can also incorporate toy cars, LEGOs, or other figurines.

You’ll need:

- Empty cardboard milk cartons
- Newspaper, origami paper, or pages from a novel
- Card stock or watercolor paper
- Pens and paint of your choice
- Glue stick
- Craft glue
- Candy

Directions:

- Thoroughly rinse and dry milk cartons.
- Completely cover cartons in paper.
- Draw windows and doors onto card stock and paint. Cut them out and attach to the front of the milk cartons.
- Fill cartons with candy.
- Use craft glue to seal containers closed.

Send us pictures of your haunted mansion! We would love to see these rad pads. Get in touch at greenhalloween@veritey.com

For more craft ideas follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

This activity comes from the blog Little Lovely. Thanks for the idea!