Homemade organic pumpkin pie is the typical pie fare at a green Thanksgiving dinner, but a really good organic apple pie can substitute in for more pie choices or stand alone as the official Thanksgiving pie.

For this apple pie I used organic apples I already had on hand, not all Granny Smith as usual

Choosing Your Organic Apples

You may have heard that some apples are better than others for apple pie. In my experience this is true to a point. For example, if I use only organic Granny Smith apples, I never have an issues with watery filling, which works out since my family likes a tart pie. If I use different apples I have a harder time keeping the pie from being over-juicy, but there are ways around that, as I’ll show in the recipe below.

On average, Granny Smith (with enough sugar to combat tartness), Bramley, Jonagold, Rome,  Honeycrisp, Cameo, Jonathon, Pink Lady are considered nice apple pie apples. More mealy or overly soft and mushy when cooked apples like Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Galas, McIntosh and Cortland are apples to stay clear of. Really, simply aim for the freshest, most local organic apples you can. This will improve your pie’s flavor.

The above said, type of apples to use in pie is a pretty huge debate among serious apple pie makers and everyone has an opinion. To see what some other people think, check out the following:

• Apple pie taste test
• Lots of opinions about pie apples
• Picking the best pie apples

To sum up, you’ll need to experiment and find your own favorite apple combo. A fun way for a green family to obtain apples is to head to an organic you-pick farm or the local farmers’ market.

Organic Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

*Makes enough for one pie.

• About 6 cups of organic apples, washed, peeled and cut into slices or small chunks.
• 1 cup organic sugar.
• 2 tablespoons organic flour.
• 1 teaspoon organic cinnamon.
• A good dash of organic nutmeg.
• 1 tablespoon organic butter, if you’re making a shortening crust. Not necessary if making a butter crust.
• Optional – experiment with dashes of other spices if you like.

Organic Apple Pie Crust Ingredients

I’ve already written some tutorials on pie crusts. First read – Organic Pie Crusts 101. Then choose one of the pie crusts below to make.

• Homemade Organic Shortening Pie Crust
• Homemade Organic Butter Pie Crust

Note, that I make apple pie with a butter-based crust, because it tastes awesome.

How To Make Organic Apple Pie

• I usually cut my apples into slices, but this time went with small chunks

   

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• Mix your dry ingredients

   

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• Coat your apples with flour, sugar and spice

   

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• Get your dough ready for the bottom crust

   

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• 6 cups equals a nice mound of apples in your pie

   

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• Getting ready to make a lattice top

   

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• Starting the lattice top

   

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• Once you're done weaving, trim your edges

   

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• Press the edges of the top and bottom crust together no matter what sort of top you're using

   

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• If you have a butter crust, your pie will benefit from some chill time before baking

   

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• Homemade organic apple pie fresh out of the oven

   

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• Make your pie crust first, especially if you’re making butter crust, which will need to chill.

• In a small bowl mix your flour, sugar and spices.

• Pour dry mixture over sliced apples and mix to coat the apples.

IF you used a more juicy combo of apples, as I did for this pie (see image at top of post) put your apple mixture into a colander over a bowl and set it in the fridge, to allow some of the juices to drain out. Some people like to add a little extra cornstarch to their dry mixture to combat juicer apples or cook them a bit first, both of which can also help reduce juice, but I don’t do this because it’s too much extra work.

IF you used a harder, less juicy apple, simply mix the spices in with the apples and you’re done. I never ever drain Granny Smith apple, for example, and my pies aren’t too watery.

• Place your apples aside and get your bottom crust ready.

• Once the bottom crust is ready, pour the apple mixture into it.

• If using a shortening crust, dot the top of your apples with your tablespoon of butter. If using butter crust, the butter dots are optional, but likely unnecessary.

• Put your pie into the fridge and get your top crust ready. Roll it out flat and place it atop your pie, then pinch the top and bottom crusts together (fluting if you like), or get your dough ready to make a woven lattice pie crust top.

Apple pie with slits cut - image ©foobean01 via sxc.

• If you chose a single sheet crust for your pie, cut small slits into the crust to allow your pie to vent as it cooks. If you went with a lattice top, obviously no vent slits are needed.

• If you like, sprinkle a little organic sugar on top of your pie (I always do for a little sparkle).

• If you made the butter crust, place your pie back in the fridge for a little bit (20-30 minutes) to allow the crust to firm up a little before you bake. This helps avoid a pool of butter in your oven. If you made a shortening crust, you can bake right away.

• Cover the edges of your pie with foil or a silicone pie crust shield.

• Bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degrees oven.

• Remove foil from pie edge and bake another 25 minutes at the same temperature.

• Take pie out of oven and allow to cool before cutting and eating. Letting it cool allows the last of the juices to set better, thus avoiding an overly juicy pie.

What kind of apples do you use for apple pie? Just curious, after the debate above.

Homemade organic pumpkin pie goes hand-in-hand with a green Thanksgiving, but it’s also great at other times of the year. Not only is pumpkin pie yummy, but organic pumpkins are super-packed with vitamin A, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate, calcium and more.

Choosing Your Organic Pumpkin

I’m not very keen on making my own pumpkin puree. It’s a lot of work and I’m not totally down with the texture (grew up on canned). However, be aware that currently there are zero BPA-free pumpkin purees packed in cans. Considering we don’t buy that many canned food items, I don’t feel too guilty about buying canned organic pumpkin. However, if you want to totally avoid BPA from cans, your other options are posted below.

• Find a local organic pumpkin and make homemade pumpkin puree - here’s another recipe for pumpkin puree. SAFETY NOTE: Canning pureed pumpkin is not recommended, you’ll need to freeze your homemade puree.
• You can substitute pumpkin butter oz. for oz. for puree. And most comes in a BPA-free jar. But it will cost more and you’ll have to taste it first, as most comes with spices added, and adjust your pie recipe from there.

Latimore Valley Farms has organic pumpkin butter. Muirhead Foods has local, jar-packed, but not organic (I don’t think) pumpkin butter, plus helpful recipes for pies.

Homemade organic pumpkin pie ingredients

Organic Pumpkin Pie Filling Ingredients

*Makes enough for one pie.

• 15 oz of pumpkin puree (almost two cups – using a flat two cups is a-ok).
• 14 oz can of organic sweetened condensed milk - IF you don’t want to use cans, you can substitute 1 and 1/2 cups organic milk + 3/4 cup organic sugar for the sweetened condensed milk.
• 2 organic eggs, slightly beaten.
• 3/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon.
• 1/2 teaspoon organic nutmeg.
• 1/4 teaspoon organic ginger.
• 1/4 teaspoon organic ground cloves.
• 1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Organic Pumpkin Pie Crust Ingredients

I’ve already written some tutorials on pie crusts. First read – Organic Pie Crusts 101. Then choose one of the pie crusts below to make.

• Homemade Organic Shortening Pie Crust
• Homemade Organic Butter Pie Crust

Note, that I make pumpkin pie with a shortening-based crust, because a butter crust, with pumpkin filling seems way too rich to me.

How To Make Organic Pumpkin Pie

• Get your crust ready first - more important if you're making butter crust, because it needs to chill

   

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• Slightly mix your ingredients - never over-mix or cracking can occur

   

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• Pour slowly into the crust to avoid splatter and drips on the crust

   

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• Use some of your dough to make cute pie toppers or extra pie crust cookies

   

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• The finished super-star organic pumpkin pie

   

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• Mix pumpkin puree, spices and salt.
• Add your milk, eggs and vanilla to the pumpkin spice mixture and blend in gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
• Pour pumpkin mixture into your prepared crust.
• Cover the edges with foil or a silicone pie crust shield.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes.
• Take your pie out of the oven right away once the middle looks almost set, and a knife inserted comes out almost totally dry, with a wee bit of moisture still on it.
• Allow your pie to cool, then store it in the fridge.

What’s up with organic pumpkin pies cracking?

Many people have issues with pumpkin pies cracking. Usually this is because, one, you over mixed your pumpkin filling, thus messing with the texture. Never beat, whip or otherwise savagely mix your pie filling.

Two, cracking can occur if you over bake your pie. The middle of a done pumpkin pie will still appear a bit jiggly. A knife inserted will come out mostly, but not 100% perfectly clean. Once your pie hits this stage, take it out of the oven. It’ll finish setting up outside of the oven.

Fun Little Organic Pumpkin Pie Touches

Add some EASY cuteness: As noted in organic pie crusts 101, I’m hilariously designed challenged when it comes to shaping pie crusts. That said, to add some easy cuteness, I make sure to set aside a little bit of pie dough when I make my crust. Then I cut cute shapes out of it with cookie cutters, sprinkle them with organic sugar, bake them for a few minutes, then when my pie is done, I place the shapes on top – sometimes just one in the middle, sometimes many smaller shapes on each potential piece. For Thanksgiving, consider sweet autumn cookie cutter shapes – everyone thinks this is adorable and they forget you suck at pie edges.

Add some frozen whipped cream: My son doesn’t like plain whipped cream, but he does like it frozen. Make some organic homemade whipped cream. Place a dollop of the whipped cream on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon if you like and freeze. Once frozen, you can store these mounds in a freezer-safe container, then transfer to pie pieces as you serve.

Make mini pies: People love having their own mini pumpkin pies. Use some cute mini pie dishes or even a stainless steel muffin pan to make tiny personal pumpkin pies. See muffin cup pies or make mini pies in tiny pie plates and simply bake for about five minutes less than a large pie.

Add some spice and flavor: I don’t like pecans, but some do. You can grind up 1/2 cup pecans, and press them into your bottom crust, before pouring in your pie filling. You can also add spices like nutmeg and cinnamon to your dough while making it, to add more flavor.

Other Yummy Organic Fall Recipes

• Pumpkin cupcakes
• Homemade organic applesauce
• Honey oat bread
• Organic veggie pot pie

Child with pumpkin image ©Garrison Photography via sxc. All other images ©Jennifer Chait.

I’ve been celebrating Buy Nothing Day for years. This year, I’m even more encouraged to celebrate, because Buy Nothing Day falls on November 25th, my birthday. Buy Nothing Day was originally launched by the folks at Adbusters, and it’s pretty simple to participate. Buy Nothing Day encourages people to skip the Black Friday madness and choose other, better alternative activities instead.

Below is the awesome Buy Nothing Day video – it was made back in 2005, but it’s still relevant. By the way, when it first appeared, many media networks like MTV and ABC banned this commercial, deeming it too hard-core for American consumers.  Lame.

Most people know about Black Friday. It happens every year, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Stores hold massive sales and people head out in droves to shop. There are some huge issues with a holiday that celebrates massive consumerism though, such as…

• Black Friday is a huge time waster. You could spend the day with your family instead of spending it in a stressful, crowded store check-out line. It’s a holiday weekend for pete’s sake, don’t you have better stuff to do?

• Black Friday encourages the gigantic “Buy more, buy bigger” mindset that’s already in place in this country.

• Black Friday is not eco-friendly, because it’s a day focused on buying as much stuff as possible – not healthy for people or the earth. Plus, most retailers who participate in the Black Friday shenanigans don’t carry safe, green, non-toxic products, and because it occurs all on one day, you don’t have time to research before you buy.

• Black Friday sets a terrible example for your kids. Kids are bombarded with consumer issues every single day. The last thing kids need is a holiday telling them how cool it is to buy, buy, buy.

• Black Friday doesn’t help you make smart consumer choices because it happens so quickly. There’s no time to think through purchases. You have to buy right now.

• Black Friday make people do incredibly greedy, money-minded and lame things. Seriously – read this.

• Black Friday is not peaceful. No argument on earth will convince me that consumerism, mixed with long lines, mixed with stress, mixed with fighting over products and other nonsense connected with Black Friday is a healthy way to live. A peaceful living mindset is tied intrinsically to eco-living. When you buy less, live healthier and make positive choices, a certain sense of calm begins to take over your life , which can lead to a greener lifestyle as well. Less clutter, less competition, more peace, and more green.

People who are healthy and happy, and not stressed over stuff can stay more balanced and have more time to figure out how to invest in a greener world. You don’t have to shop, shop, shop on November 25th. You could make a statement by not shopping at all.

• Stuff to do on Black Friday that in no way involves shopping.

Instead of shopping, use Black Friday as a day to go on a hike, play board games, hold a gathering for friends you missed over Thanksgiving, or whatever you like. If you REALLY must participate, consider a buy something responsible day instead.

I’ve made pumpkin muffins before, but I’ve never been able to find a decent pumpkin cupcake recipe. Usually pumpkin cupcakes end up more like muffins – a bit stiffer and a little more heavy. But a decent cupcake should be lighter and fluffier in my opinion – more of a treat vs. a breakfast muffin.

Then finally, this year, I found a really good pumpkin cupcake recipe. Light, spicy and bonus, stands up well to glaze, which is a perk, because I’m not a frosting fan. Most cupcakes soak up glaze leaving the glaze uneven and sketchy, but these are heavy enough that the glaze coats them nicely, without sinking in. These are very easy and fast too.

However, they are very cupcake-like (i.e. sugar induced). The pumpkin helps offset the sugar nicely though, and these aren’t too sweet. Just letting you know ahead of time that these aren’t health-muffins, but if you need a fast cupcake recipe for a Halloween party, these are perfect. I made a few dozen for my son’s school Halloween carnival.

Organic pumpkin cupcake ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose organic flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 and 1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup packed light-brown organic sugar (I made some with dark brown sugar, and they came out okay)
• 1 cup granulated organic white sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted organic butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) organic pumpkin puree or avoid BPA in cans and make homemade organic pumpkin puree instead

Mix your batter:

• Get your baking pans ready by coating them with a light spray of olive oil or lightly spray some reusable silicone baking cups.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• In a larger bowl, whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and eggs until smooth.
• Add dry ingredients to the larger bowl and mix until smooth.
• Mix in pumpkin puree.
• Bake in a 350 degrees oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops spring back a bit when touched.
• Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely before glazing or decorating.

Decorate your organic pumpkin cupcakes:

• organic pumpkin cupcakes

   

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• decor ideas

   

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• organic pumpkin cupcakes

   

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• organic pumpkin cupcakes - decorating ideas

   

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• organic pumpkin cupcakes - decorating ideas

   

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• It's a good idea to leave some plain for folks who don't like glaze - P.S the other cupcakes in this image are chocolate vanilla marble

   

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• organic pumpkin cupcakes - decorating ideas

   

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Note: You’re going to go through the glaze process twice. If you make too much glaze at once, it’ll get stiff and gloppy in the bowl. This recipe made me about 2 dozen cupcakes, so one batch of glaze works for about 12 cupcakes.

• To make your sugar glaze melt 4 tablespoons of organic butter in a small saucepan – don’t let it brown! Immediately pour over 1 and 1/4 cups of organic powdered sugar. Add 4-5 teaspoons of organic milk, a dash of organic vanilla extract and whatever food color you like, and whisk until smooth.

• Working VERY quickly, dip the top of each cooled cupcake into the glaze, swirl it a bit to let the glaze settle right and place your cupcake on a wire rack. Some of the glaze may drip off, so place a clean dishtowel under your rack.

• Repeat the glazing process with your other cupcakes.

• This glaze should be totally set in about a half hour to an hour. After it sets you can decorate your cupcakes with frosting if you like. If you want sprinkles or sparkles, add them as soon as you glaze.

To color your glaze:

I suggest using non-toxic, natural food coloring. I had a fit with this batch of cupcakes (shown in the gallery) because I ran out of natural food coloring, and although I checked about four stores, NO ONE had natural food coloring in stock. Annoying! This is a longer post topic, because you shouldn’t have to order natural food coloring online. It should be stocked in stores (right?) So, sadly, my lovely organic cupcakes have regular old food coloring in the glaze. I did use gel, because gel coloring goes further in my opinion, so you use less, but I was still pretty annoyed.

Tips:

• If your cupcakes are for a party, and you need liners for people to hold onto, aim for eco-friendly liners. Because mine were for a school party, I needed liners, so I used If You Care Unbleached Large Baking Cups, which are unbleached and chlorine-free. Normally, I’d skip the liners altogether.

• I left a batch glaze free for people who wanted only organic and/or no glaze.

• These keep well for a few days – even glazed.

• If needed, they could likely be frozen, but I would freeze them glaze-free.

These are wonderful warm, right out of the oven, but also taste good cooled.

More Halloween recipes:

• Organic Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
• Homemade Organic Caramel Apples
• DIY Healthy Organic & Fair Trade Hot Chocolate
• Homemade Organic Applesauce

I know, I’ve been semi-absent lately, but I’ve been spending a lot of time working on a new blog for my son’s school. If you’re in PDX, Cedar’s school, Village Free School is well worth checking out.

Village Free School is an awesome democratic school in SE Portland, and the least expensive private school in the PDX area and now there’s a blog where you can learn all about it.

The Village Free School blog will be covering all kinds of cool stuff, such as:

• Village Free School current events, projects and more.
• The opportunity to learn more about Village Free School, democratic education in general or possible other education alternatives.
• Current happenings and research in the democratic school arena.
• See what it’s really like to be a democratic education student, parent of a free school student or staff at the school.

Visit the Village Free School blog. At the very least, I suggest you check out 101 Ways To Get Educated.

Review summary: CLIF Kid Organic Full Moon Brownie ZBaRs are a healthy Halloween treat option that kids will actually enjoy.

Product: CLIF Kid Organic ZBaRs from Clif Bar & Company. This season, they’ve unleashed a new Halloween flavor - Full Moon Brownie ZBaRs.

Use: Created for kids. Good for a snack or when paired with fruit and milk can be a decent fast breakfast. This ZBaR flavor makes the perfect Halloween treat bag item too.

Cost: At my local grocery store zBaRs can cost $3.00-$4.00+ per box (6 per box). A better deal is to buy these in bulk, such as from Amazon or at the Clif Bar website, which works out to 78 cents per bar.

Ingredients: Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Soy White Chocolate (Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Soy Flour, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla Extract), Organic Oat Flour, Organic Fig Paste, Organic Soy Butter (Organic Soybeans, Organic Soybean Oil, Salt), Organic Cocoa, Organic White Coating (Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla Extract), Natural Flavors, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Sunflower Oil, Salt, Baking Soda.

I already did a major review of zBars in general. Read that review to learn more about this healthy snack: CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR. You can also read my review of the company – Clif Bar & Company.

Green & healthy benefits:

The new Full Moon Brownie flavor is a delicious chocolate brownie with white chocolate chips – making this a treat that kids will actually eat and enjoy on Halloween. Each wrapper is Halloween-cute with autumn colors and spooky little trick-or-treaters. Plus, the white chocolate chips are drizzled on, creating a fun Halloween look. 

• Delicious chocolate brownie with white chocolate chips … a yummy and nutritious twist on a favorite treat.
• USDA certified organic.
• Each bar is low fat, made with whole oats, and contains 12 essential vitamins and minerals kids need every day.
• No high fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils and no artificial flavors or artificial colors.
• Non-GMO sourced ingredients.
• Full disclosure – the company lists ingredients at their website, on the boxes and on individual bar packaging.
• Clif Bar & Company has many eco-friendly perks as a company and very few cons. Learn more about Clif Bar & Company in general.

What we thought: 

Cedar is no stranger to zBaRs – he eats them often. However, he was impressed with these bars due to the spooky packaging. He was equally enchanted with the creative white drizzle, and said he thought it was a fun new look for zBaRs. Flavor wise, he ate these up -quickly. I was a little surprised he liked them, because he’s not the biggest chocolate fan. In fact, in my first zBaR review, he flat out said, “The chocolate brownie zBaRs are too sweet.”

His reasoning behind the chocolate change of heart was…. the packaging. He said, “These are for Halloween right?” Then chomped it down and said, “Yum.” I asked if this would be a good treat to give out on Halloween over candy, and Cedar concluded that sure, he’d take them if they were being handed out on Halloween night.

I did think these were still a little sweet, but not TOO sweet and I think the sweetness will make them friendly for the typical kid on Halloween.

Were there any negatives?

• So far, during my grocery store sweeps, it’s been impossible to find this flavor at the grocery store. I’m guessing they’ll roll them out a little closer to Halloween (although, hey, stores, you’re cutting it close).
• These have more packaging than homemade bars. But on the flip-side, we recycle the packaging, homemade bars won’t have quite as many nutrients and it’s not a good idea to pass out unwrapped goodies on Halloween.

Overall score:

5 little trees out of 5. Normally, I’d have given these a 4.5, because I don’t advocate buying packaged goods over homemade. That said, at this time of year, when you’re looking for a super Halloween treat that’s not quite so sticky, surgery and sweet, these are perfect, so the Halloween flavor got a bump up score-wise. Cedar was perfectly fine about considering these bars over Halloween candy, so I’m guessing other kids will be as well.

• Buy Full Moon Brownie ZBaRs
• Visit the Clif Bar & Company website.
• Join Clif Bar & Company on Facebook.
• Read their blog.

See my green product rating system and green product rating criteria or read more green product reviews.

Last week we had many days of sweater weather (yeah, already) and even had to turn on the heat twice. It seems early for the heater and extra blankets, but it was cold! This week we’ve had a little more sunshine, but the chill last week was enough to get me thinking about fall and winter energy, and how to conserve it.  If it’s getting cold in your neck of the woods, some of the following small steps can help you to conserve energy and save money on heating costs during the fall and winter…

1. Dress for the weather. My son is a shorts in winter type and I have to admit that I’ve been known to wear tank tops with light cardigans in the winter. Maybe some folks’ blood simply runs hot – who know. Still, if you are cold, check your outfit, it may not be warm enough for the weather.
2. Close off any unused space in your house such as a guest room or unused family room – by close off, I simply mean shut the door.
3. Turn off heaters in unused rooms and close the vents.
4. Keep windows and doors closed as much as possible.
5. If you live in a dry area, like we used to (New Mexico) get a small humidifier. Air that’s nice and moist vs. dry feels warmer.
6. Keep shades open during the day, especially if the sun pops out for a visit. Pull down shades at night.
7. Try some inexpensive weatherization techniques.
8. If you have a fireplace keep the dampers closed when you’re not using it.
9. If you have a separate air conditioning system make sure that the AC system is covered during the cold months to avoid energy loss.
10. Co-sleeping keeps you warm at night. This is unconventional for some American families and not usual for families with older kids, but if you have young children, co-sleeping keeps you warmer and allows you to cuddle.
11. Use an organic wool comforter on your bed. These cost more than typical blankets, but last forever and really hold in the heat at night.
12. Experiment with your thermostat. Setting it back even just 10 degrees will result in more than 15%+ savings and you may not even notice you turned the heat down.
13. Install a programmable thermostat. This way you won’t forget to turn off the heat when you leave – so long as you keep a pretty average schedule. Make sure you also set it to a lower temperature at night.
14. Hang out as a family. If you eat dinner in your warm kitchen, cuddle on the couch or play board games at night together, it’ll keep everyone in one place – which is warmer than everyone spread out.
15. After cooking dinner (or another meal) leave the oven door open to allow the leftover heat out. *NOTE – obviously do not do this if you have young children in the house.

Image ©hortongrou via sxc.

I think some super sweet Halloween treats are perfectly justifiable. However, it is nice to have some healthy options on hand as well.

Healthy halloween treats - better than candy corn

This first Halloween treat is an icy Halloween smoothie that I found a long time ago in Fitness Magazine. It wasn’t organic, but you can change ANY recipe to make it organic, so I did. Babies, kids and adults like this smoothie.

Halloween Smoothie:

• 1 cup organic canned pumpkin
• 1 cup organic milk (you can use soy if you like)
• 2 tablespoons real, organic maple syrup
• 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure Fair Trade, organic vanilla extract
• 1 cup ice

To make your smoothies (makes about 4 servings):

Blend everything, minus the ice until you get a nice smooth mixture. Add ice and blend until thick and creamy. If you want to get crazy, garnish with organic whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon or chocolate sprinkles.

The second treat of the day is a pumpkin seed bar I found in Taste for Life, many years ago. This treat is a healthy way to use up extra Halloween pumpkin seeds, and if you have leftovers of this treat, you can leave them out for hungry winter birds.

Pumpkin Seed Bars:


Mix 1 and 1/2 cups of organic pumpkin seeds with 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. In another bowl mix 4-5 tablespoons of organic honey along with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or orange extract. Mix the seeds and berries into the honey mix until well combined. Coat a basic loaf pan with organic butter or organic olive oil (just a little) then press the seed mixture in.

Chill in the fridge overnight. Cut into pieces and serve. This treat is tasty and very portable. You can also try it with other dried fruit instead of cranberries like apples or blueberries and even add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can serve both of these treats together at a Halloween party or as after-school snacks too.

Image via Spiders at stock.xchng

Fall is a really good time of year to plant trees, at your home, or elsewhere. However, if you’re planting a tree near your home, not in a wide open space, you will need to take some planting tips into consideration. Think about how you’ll see the tree, once it’s taller, from your home’s windows. Consider how the colors of the tree will appear during various times of the year. Following are some general tree planting tips that can help…

• If you’re planting a tree that will eventually exceed 20 feet at maturity, be sure to plant it at least 15 feet away from your house.

• Carefully consider the type of tree you’re planting. Will it shed petals or leaves all over the lawn or not? During which season. Is this okay with you or not?

• Consider how trees will look in the rain and snow. My friend had a gorgeous line of trees along the walk to his house. They looked great – in the spring and summer. However, during the fall and winter, water and snow would fall on said trees, collect, and as you walked up the path to the house, streams of water, and sometimes cold mounds of snow would fall on you. Not only was this pretty darn annoying, but falling clumps of snow can actually pose a danger to smaller kids or cars and other plants.

• Dwarf fruit and smaller flowering trees need to be planted at least ten feet apart.

• Never plant a tree under the roof overhang or near utility lines.

• If you’re not sure about planting space, keep in mind that it’s always better to space trees too far apart, rather than too close together. It can help to speak with an expert at your local tree nursery.

Image ©johnnyberg via sxc.

Autumn is my favorite season. Here in Oregon, it’s rainy and cool, but not too cold. The trees look amazing, the air smells crisp and everything is cozy. Here are some nice, eco-minded ways to kick off the 2011 fall season…

Clean up the land: National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is this Saturday, September 24, 2011, and there’s plenty you can do to help. NPLD is an annual national effort to improve and enhance public land. This year, more than 180,000 volunteers are expected at more than 2,000 sites across the country to celebrate public spaces by planting trees, removing trash, building trails and bridges and restoring water resources. NPLD is an excellent opportunity to help the environment as you explore amazing outdoor spaces with your friends and family. Find an event near you.

Learn to make bread: With the days getting longer, cooler and dark, nothing is better than a bowl of soup and a slice of delicious homemade organic bread. Homemade bread is SO much easier than you may think too, plus your house will smell wonderful.

Snag an organic pumpkin: Plan a trip to your local organic pumpkin patch – fun for the kids and totally necessary for spooky Halloween jack o’ lanterns.

Ban excessive stuff: Get ready to ban Black Friday and celebrate Buy Nothing Day instead. I’ll post more later on this, but here’s last year’s primer. Better yet, start planning ahead for a homemade Christmas or other winter holiday event with some amazing homemade gifts.

Get outside for a fall nature walk: It’s getting chilly but everything looks so much better in Autumn. this is absolutely the best time of year to see nature. Bonus, a fall nature walk gives you a great excuse to warm up with some Fair Trade, homemade organic hot chocolate and maybe a sweet fall treat afterward.

Plant a tree: Anytime is a good time for tree planting, but Autumn is a really good time. Plus, this isn’t just fun, it’s a way to help the planet breathe a little clearer. Get some tree planting ideas.

Fun fall crafts just for the kiddos:

• DIY Recycled Luminaries
• Create some AMAZING Autumn Conker Crafts – seriously, you will faint. These are so cute.
• Make a recycled autumn tree collage.
• Place a recycled bag leaf bouquet on the table.