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Posts Tagged ‘pumpkin’

The Goods on Goodie Bags

Friday, October 11th, 2013

The healthy treats and treasures you are giving away this Halloween deserve to look good! What better way to showcase how special they are than with some snazzy goodie bags? Perfect for your next party. Feel free to improvise with recycled materials.

For goodie ideas, check out our list of treat alternative, Candy Cheat Sheet, and twitter party tips.

Pumpkin Pouch Party Favors

  • Orange crepe paper
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Greenfloral tape
  • Treasures to wrap up

For each pouch, cut two 10-inch diameter circles from the paper. Stack two circles and put the goodies in the center. Gather the outer edges of the circle to form a pouch. Twist the paper above the treats. Wrap the “stem” with floral tape. You may need to trim excess paper before binding. Twist a piece of tape around a pencil to make vine tendrils.

Full-moon Flavor Bags

  • Brown paper lunch bags
  • Stamps + ink pad
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Hole punch
  • Black ribbon or seam binding

Stamps the bags with fun words or pictures and fill with goodies. Fold corners back. Fold top of bag 1 1/2 inches down. Make a 2 inch paper moon. Glue moon to front of bag in top right corner. Punch two small holes through moon and bag 1/4 inch apart. Repeat in another spot in the moon. Cut two 5-inch pieces of seam binding and thread through the holes; knot to form bats (they will also secure the bag). Trim wings with scissors. To watch a visual demonstration, check out this video (just avoid all the candy she has in that bowl!).

Hand them out to your guests, and watch as they marvel at these precious bags and their delicious contents.

These crafts are from the book Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts.

For more party ideas follow us at facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

 

Relax! It’s Monday

Monday, September 23rd, 2013

Mondays are tough. But, just because it is the start of the workweek, doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself! And what better way to do it than with natural ingredients free of harmful parabans? Plus, you can use the Green Halloween team favorite gourd, pumpkin! Rich in Vitamin A, these homemade beauty treatments will help you relax and let you concentrate on what an awesome eco-friendly Halloween you are going to have!

Pumpkin Mask

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons canned pureed pumpkin
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
  • I recommend to use under eye masks

Directions

Mix all ingredients and apply to face. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse. Voila! Smooth beautiful skin.

 

Pumpkin Exfoliant 

Ingredients

  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup organic coconut oil (other oils can be used, but coconut oil is thicker than others at room temperature)
  • 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spices (I combined cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger)
Directions

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (but save them to roast!). Roast pumpkin for 30 minutes or until tender. Canned pumpkin puree can also be used, but I prefer fresh. Scoop the pumpkin puree into a bowl and add the sugar, oil and spices. Mix well and jar. Yum! An exfoliant that smells like pie.

To learn more about pumpkins, check out this post and this post

These natural beauty ideas come from Mother Nature Network and Green Global Travel

For more natural remedies  follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

From Seedling to State Fair

Monday, September 16th, 2013

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 6th 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.

 

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

I always think of Halloween as the true start of the holiday season. After the costumes come off and the jack-o-lanterns blown out, the next two months seem to disappear in a blur. With parties to prepare for and events to attend, healthy eating can sometimes fall by the wayside. But instead of simply resigning to the idea, why not begin a few new healthy holiday traditions this year?

This easy oatmeal recipe is as tasty as it is healthy. Vitamins A and C from the pumpkin can help boost your immune system, fiber from the whole grain oats will keep you feeling full longer, and if you choose to add walnuts you’ll also get a dose of those all-important Omega 3′s.

Happy eating!

Pumpkin Oatmeal

1/2 c old fashioned oats

1 c water

1/4 c pumpkin (organic canned pumpkin works great)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp brown sugar

walnuts or raisins if desired

-Combine in bowl and microwave 2-3 minutes.

Julie Lane, Treeswing School Liaison Volunteer