(via flickr)

According to the National Confectioner’s Society, more than 40% of adults take candy from their own candy bowl. It’s also suspected that close to 90% of adults will take candy from their child’s candy stash. [i] Think about it. If there are 50 calories in a bite size piece of chocolate and you sneak a couple pieces here, one more piece there, and then a final two pieces later … that could really add up!

Of course you are concerned about your kids having a healthy Halloween, but don’t forget about your own needs, too. Instead of over indulging and instead of stressing out about the calories, try these five tips to avoid sneaking candy from the candy bowl.

1 – Don’t Pass Out {conventional} Candy, Share Healthful Snacks or Treasures

Green Halloween® was founded on the idea that Halloween can be healthy AND fun. While conventional candy around Halloween may be tough to avoid 100% of the time, you can do your part by forgoing the candy bowl at your house and instead filling a bowl with treats (and treasures) kids will love and you can feel good about noshing later such as Larabars, Cascadian Farm Granola Bars, Stretch Island Fruit Leather, Jammy Sammys and Glee Gum. Dozens of ideas can be found here.

2 – Wear a Complicated Costume

A costume that comes with gloves or long nails, for example, will make it hard to open those tricky candy wrappers. Do yourself a favor and dress up as a werewolf or a one armed-pirate for Halloween.

3 – Make a Low-Cal Dip and Keep Veggies Close By

When your kids bring home candy and you feel the urge to snack on it, choose to dip celery into a mango salsa dip or a slice of green pepper into a cilantro yogurt dip. Both of these homemade dips will last in the fridge for a few days, so there’s no reason not to whip up a couple batches of dip during Halloween time.

4 – Drink a Big Glass of Water

No, this isn’t just something people say. A recent study found that drinking two cups of water before a meal will make it easier to eat less and help you feel full longer. [ii] Before you set out to trick or treat, you should drink a full glass of water for the same benefit.

5 – Say “Trick, Treat, or Jumping Jacks”

There’s proof that exercise suppresses your appetite[iii]. When your doorbell rings or your little ones ring your neighbor’s doorbell, encourage the kids to get their blood flowing with jumping jacks.  You can do the same right alongside them.

Guest blogger Sara Lancaster writes about dips, sauces, and her featured dip festival, Dipstock, (happening right now in time for Halloween) over at her blog, Saucy Dipper.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

When it comes to Halloween safety, the first thing that comes to mind is the safety of our children. Often we overlook another important family member, our pets! HomeAgain came up with various tips for their October newsletter on how to keep your beloved pets safe this Halloween.

1. Keep the candy for the kids.
Although chocolate is a well known pet-safety hazard, artificial sweeteners and other candy ingredients are also dangerous for your pet. If you want to give your cat or dog Halloween treats, ones from the pet store are just the trick.

2. Watch for escape artists.
On Halloween night, you’ll probably be opening your door for trick-or-treaters every few minutes. Make sure to check that your dog or cat stays inside after each visit.

3. Make sure your pets are clearly tagged.
It’s easy for an animal to escape on Halloween night, so make certain that your pet is wearing a collar with contact information on it. Brighter colors are easier to see! Don’t have a collar tag? Buy one, now!

4. Consider your pet’s temperament.
If your animals are frightened of strangers, loud noises, or children, keep them in an area of the house that’s away from the front door. The sights, colors, and sounds of Halloween can be stressful for even the calmest pets.

5. Keep your pets close to home, particularly the black cats.
Unfortunately, Halloween brings out the dark side of some people who may use the holiday as an excuse to torment or otherwise injure an animal they find lose on the street. So keep your cats well feed with some tasty canned cat food and keep them inside.

6. Think about the children.
Even if your pets are good with children, not all children are good with pets. It may be a good idea to keep your pets away from a child who could startle them into an aggressive or defensive attack.

7. Avoid costume drama.
Make sure you choose a Halloween costume that’s safe for pets. Avoid strangulation hazards and parts that affect vision or movement. If your dachshund looks completely miserable dressed up as a hot dog, then let him out as soon as you’ve taken a few photos.

8. Be careful with the decorations.
A Jack O’Lantern with a candle or glow stick in it may be beautiful for you, but it’s also fascinating for your pet. Reduce the risk of singed whiskers or poisoned bellies by keeping dangerous decorations out of your pets’ reach.

9. Minimize stress while you’re away.
If you plan to go out for a party or other Halloween fun, leave the radio or television on. The noise can mask loud noises your pets hear from the outside festivities.

10. Remember to keep it fun.
Whatever you do, don’t let worrying about pet safety ruin the evening. With a few simple precautions, there’s no reason why you and your pets can’t have a boo-tiful holiday full of frightful, and pet-safe, fun.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Boy do we have a treat for you! This smoothie is not only delicious and nutritious but has a “surprise” in stored for the drinker!

How to make a Halloween Eyeball Surprise Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 8 leaves romaine lettuce or two cups baby spinach
• 1 cup frozen peaches
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
• 2 cups water
• Stevia to sweeten ( a little goes a long way!)
• Red or green grapes, add after pouring into cups, these are the eyeballs!

Instructions:

Place all ingredients except for grapes in blender and blend well. Pour mixture into cups and add grapes for the “eyeball” affect. To make the smoothie thicker, add les water or add 2 TBS flax meal before mixing. Enjoy these spooky treats for breakfast or anytime on Halloween to counteract the other, less than optimal treats!

Recipe contributed by Maria Rippo, founder of www.TheGreenSmoothieChallenge.com

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

We want to have a HUGE shout-out to HolidayLEDs since they are helping us promote a greener Halloween this year and “help people commit to reducing the environmental impact of their Halloween celebration” by holding a contest called the Green Halloween Pledge! All they ask is for people who are planning to commit to the Green Halloween Pledge to do at least 5 actions from the following list:

1. Swap costumes with someone rather than buying a new costume. This is a great idea and one of our favorite Green Halloween Tips.
2. Purchase your costume, or its components from your local thrift shop.
3. Use LED Halloween lights to decorate instead of incandescents.
4. Collect candy in a reusable container rather than a disposable bag. Or better yet, make a fun project for your kids by having them make their own Halloween bag out of reusable or recyclable items you have around the house.
5. When trick-or-treating, walk, instead of driving door to door.
6. Carry a shakable or hand-crank LED flash light instead of one that is battery powered.
7. Make your own Halloween face paints.
8. Give away one piece of candy instead of handfuls.
9. Purchase an organic pumpkin.
10. Buy your pumpkin from a local farmer.
11. Purchase an edible variety of pumpkin and paint, instead of carving the pumpkin. Then bake and eat the pumpkin when Halloween is done.
12. Roast & eat your pumpkin seeds instead of tossing them.
13. Use 100% beeswax or soy candles in your jack-o-lantern instead of paraffin candles.
14. Give away healthier alternatives to conventional candy.
15. Compost your leftover candy.
16. Donate your leftover candy to troops overseas.
17. Compost your pumpkin.
18. Make crafts out of candy wrappers.
19. Pack décor away carefully so that it can be reused next year.
20. Text “Boo 5” to 27138 to donate $5 to support the Green Halloween® initiative.

Participants of the Green Halloween Pledge will be automatically entered in a random drawing. One lucky participant will win a $150 gift certificate redeemable at HolidayLEDs.

So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t taken the Green Halloween Pledge yet, do so now! Visit HolidayLEDs’ Green Halloween Pledge page for details and step-by-step instructions for entering the drawing!

Everyone here at Green Halloween is immensely grateful for HolidayLEDs for holding this contest and we’re so glad we were able to inspire others to be more conscious of environmental waste during holidays.

SPECIAL NOTE: Just in time for Halloween! Save 15% on LED Halloween lights at HolidayLEDs.com with coupon code GHWEEN15 now through October 31st.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

We are blown away at this beautiful DIY Halloween mantle created by the talented Regina of Creative Kismet. She made it by taking random objects in her storage which goes right along with our philosophy of recycling and re-using to celebrate a greener Halloween! Many kudos to Regina for following this philosophy while creating such a lovely piece of decor for her home and hearth.

It’s not too late to look around what you’ve been storing up in the attic or the garage to see if there are treasures there to make your very own Halloween mantle piece. You may never know what long forgotten objects are awaiting to be used by your creativity!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.