It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day so we thought we’d share a favorite treat we like to make for our daughters class for their Valentine’s party. Her teacher asks that 3 families supply goodies and 3 families supply healthy treats in order to ensure the kids aren’t going to end up full of sugar by the end of the day. These lovable little ladybugs make a great treat and they’re really cute!

What you need: Adapted from Batter Up Kids: Delicious Desserts ~ Makes 16 ladybugs

16 seedless Green or Red Grapes

16 (6 inch) wooden skewers or toothpicks

16 whole strawberries

32 mini chocolate chips or dried black currents

Directions:

Step 1.  Wash your grapes and strawberries

Step 2.  Cut the grapes in half

Step 3.  Slice off a strip on one side of the strawberries (this will help them to sit flat on the plate)

Step 4.  Place a grape on a toothpick sliding it all the way to the end

Step 5.  Next place the strawberry on the toothpick and slide it down to touch the grape

Step 6.  Gently score a line at the top of the strawberry to create the appearance of wings

Step 7.  Finally, carefully push the pointed ends of the mini chocolate chips (or dried currants) into the strawberry to make the ladybug’s spots.

Happy Healthy Eating
Kia

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

We caught up with Creative Kismet blogger Regina M. Lord recently, out of Tuscon, Arizona (Corey’s hometown!)  and discovered that she has some very crafty Valentine’s to share with the people she loves.  Regina is a talented artist and blogger that will be featured from time to time on Green Halloween and we look forward to sharing her talents with you!  As the busy mother of two boys, she still manages to do an exchange with her fabric be my Valentine bookmark. Check it out and make your own!

Find out what Creative Kismet is all about!

Be My Valentine's Bookmark's

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

You can also follow Green Halloween on twitter!

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.

(These ideas were featured today on Northwest Cable News)

Eek! It’s Valentine’s Day card time! What are you sending to school?

Packs of pre-made cards are typically made from virgin trees. With schools across the country celebrating this day ‘o love & friendship, imagine how trees are needed to supply all the cards!

100% Post-consumer waste cards can be hard to come by, so here are a few fun, green ideas to consider as an alternative.

Seed embedded card

Wool felted hearts

Sole Mate “card”

Catch more of Lynn & Corey’s eco-Valentine ideas on CelebrateGreen.net.

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.

On Valentine’s Day, when we’re enjoying the chocolate given to us as gifts by the people we love, most of us are not aware that there’s a side to chocolate that’s not too sweet.

That’s why Green America has launched a National Week of Action, February 4-14, 2011, for screenings of the film The Dark Side of Chocolate.

During the week of action, Green America is also asking us to send a special Valentine’s Day card to Hershey’s CEO, David West, asking him to “have a heart”, eliminating child and forced-labor by shifting to Fair Trade Certified cocoa. Further, Green America has a similar online letter-writing campaign, asking Hershey’s to commit to sourcing 100% Fair Trade Certified cocoa by 2012.

What Fair Trade Certified chocolate means:

• Chocolate was produced without human trafficking and without forced or child labor
• Chocolate was produced under standards that protect environmental and human rights.

To get involved in the cause, gather friends and family together to host a screening of the The Dark Side of Chocolate. Get your screening kit here.

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

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.

It’s hard to believe that January is almost over and Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Have you been keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions?  Carry your resolutions through to February with these fun and simple ideas to having a little bit of heart for Valentine’s Day.

Use old recycled cards to make a special Valentine's Card

Resolution #1: Convert your love of volunteerism.  How to do this? By sending out handmade valentine’s to the cause of your choice.

For example, you could sit down with your children and send out handmade Valentine’s cards to soldiers to support our troops.

Craft: Handmade Valentine’s Cards

What You’ll Need: Red and pink construction paper, recycle old cards, crafting scissors, a glue stick, and any stickers, buttons, fabric or other recycled materials that you can find around your house.

What to do? Cut out red and pink hearts, some small and big.  Overlap your hearts with the glue stick.  Now for the fun part!  Take the cut outs from the images on the old recycled cards and glue into a design.  Now add sparkles, stickers, and anything else that strikes your fancy!  Then follow the troop link to send out your specially hand crafted, eco-friendly card.

Resolution #2: Heart your body.  How to do this? By spending time in nature while stealing a workout and your heart!

For example, hiking is one of the easiest ways to fall in love with fitness.

Work-Out: Easy, breezy walking while picking up the pace accelerates your heart rate while boosting feel good endorphins.  So easy that even the kiddies can do it!

What You’ll Need: A good pair of walking shoes and a hiking trail.  Check out your local parks or map out a hiking trail.

What to do: Lace up your sneakers and hop on the trail.  Being in the heart of nature gives you an appreciation for this planet.  It makes you feel connected.

Laurali Star stops to enjoy the view

Resolution #3: You can still be sweet as candy without the sugar!  How to do this?  By choosing your Valentine’s Day sweets wisely for your family.

For example, substitute a regular cupcake recipe by replacing eggs and oil with applesauce to create a fluffy, light texture.

Healthy cupcakes with fruit snack toppings

Recipe: Healthy Choice Valentine’s Cupcakes

What You’ll Need: A box of gluten-free cake mix in the flavor that you like, applesauce, omega 3 enriched flax seeds, Greek yogurt mixed with organic honey for the frosting, and real fruit snacks for the topper.

What to do:  Follow the gluten free box recipe as usual except replace oil and eggs with applesauce and sprinkle flax seeds into the mix.  Pour into cupcake tins and bake.  After cooling, frost cupcakes with Greek yogurt and honey.  Then let the kids top with sugar free fruit snacks in heart shapes.

You can also follow us on twitter!

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

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.