The Switch Witch (Save Your Kids From Halloween Candy Overload!)

                                         

 How do you handle Halloween Candy Overload in your house?

My son just got braces this year, and he, for one will NOT be partaking in all of the caramel/gummy/crunchy candy-madness this time around, thankyouverymuch.  Not to mention the amount of JUNK that goes into candy bars these days!  As long as I'm writing out the $130 check to Dr. Toolson each month, there will not be any corn syrup-y candy going into that boy's mouth when I'm not looking!    My other son is a complete sweet tooth and can barely contain himself with all of the candy he collects.  I'm pretty sure if I didn't monitor it, we would be reliving the ONE YEAR I actually let him put his Easter Basket in his room for ONE DAY, andthat night he threw up.  His comments:  "Ugh, I shouldn't have eaten all that candy in a day." What I discovered:  27 wrappers shoved behind his dresser.  Twenty-seven.  (He was 8).

 So what to do?  I mean, they want the candy and it's not "fair" to take it all away from them, right?  After all, they traipse all over the neighborhood sweating profusely in face masks and scratchy costumes, all for the unlimited amount of "free" candy they collect.  Last year the pillowcase from just one of my kids weighed a little under 8 pounds.  That's a whole lot of candy my friends.  That took hours to collect and his feet were killing him when he finally gave in and went to sleep.  And yet, I manage to get it away from them both, every year. How you ask???

Enter, the "Switch Witch!"  The Switch Witch is the Tooth Fairy's sister, a friendly good witch that comes in and takes your unhealthy candy and replaces it with a toy, or some other wanted item, along with healthier candy options.  In our home, she leaves "Unreal" candy, found at Target. 

It is candy just like the familiar favorites:  Reese's, Milky Way, M&M's and Snickers.  Just without the corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, GMO's, fake flavors and colorings, preservatives and gluten-free!

HOW DOES IT WORK???

The kids find this letter on the morning of Halloween:

 
I am the Switch Witch and I have a very special job to do on Halloween night. I take away sweets and junk from children and I swap them for good-for-you candy, lovely toys, stickers and shiny coins!
Late on Halloween night, when everyone is tucked up in bed, I fly through the sky on my broomstick looking for sweets.
If you would like a visit from me, leave your sweets on your kitchen table and I promise to leave you something nice.  Those nasty sweets rot your teeth and are very bad for you, so I’m ever such a nice witch!
You could also leave me a letter or a drawing – I love to hear about the spooky things that children get up to at Halloween. I collect the sweets in a large black sack that I carry on the back of my broomstick. My cat Tricksy flies on the back of my broom – she takes care of the sack and tells me when it is full.
I will only come to children who are fast asleep in bed – I am magic so don’t forget, so I’ll know if you are faking it!
                            Happy Halloween!!!  XO, The Switch Witch 

I know some orthodontists pay kids $5 per pound for candy also, which is a great option, but so your kids still get to actually enjoy some candy this Halloween, consider letting them "switch" some of it       out for more acceptable kinds, like Unreal.

              Chocolate Caramel Nougat Bar:

                  170 calories per regular sized bar

                    7 g fat

                    28 g carbs

                  130 mg sodium

                    19 g sugar

                4 g protein 
    Bonus: I can pronounce everything in it!

 

There's a cute book you can order off Amazon all about the Switch Witch also: 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=switch+witch&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=2012378139&ref=pd_sl_4znjsb8wzu_p

Happy Halloween!
~Bridget

A Healthier Halloween Candy Substitute That's Better For You and GMO-FREE! (And no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils either!)

 

UNREAL started with a simple question from a kid:
"Why do the foods we love the most have to be so bad for us?" 

IT TOOK A QUESTION FROM A 13 YEAR OLD
The morning after a night of trick-or-treating, Nicky woke up to find that his dad had confiscated most of candy. Angry, Nicky set out to do some research and prove to his dad that candy isn’t so bad for you. Nicky knew, of course, that candy wasn’t good for you, but he didn’t know just how bad most candy is. Nicky learned that the worst parts of candy, stuff like partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, chemical preservatives and loads of sugar (“the junk”) aren’t there to make it taste better. They’re there to make candy cheaper to produce and last longer on shelves.
Nicky had a hunch that, without the junk and so much sugar, candy could taste even better. And if he could show that candy could be unjunked, maybe other companies would pay attention and unjunk their candy. With the help of his dad and his older brother, Kris, he set out to prove his idea right. 

PROVING CANDY CAN BE UNJUNKED™
Nicky started calling chefs, hoping to find one to take up the challenge of creating a candy that tasted as good as his favorites without the junk, but no one believed it could be done. Finally, Kris’ research led Nicky to a well-known professor of food science at the University of Bristol, in England, who referred him to Adam, a master chef in Spain. After hearing Nicky’s idea, Adam was so inspired that he brought together a team of chefs from across Europe to try to recreate America’s most popular candies—without the junk. It was during this time that Nicky and Adam developed UNREAL’s mission to “unjunk the world.

Adam and Nicky began their journey by deciding what they’d leave out of the reinvented candy: corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and GMOs. They also set a goal to reduce sugar by 50% per serving (so far, they have achieved a reduction of 40-48% per serving, but are continuing to innovate until they achieve their goal). They decided that the key ingredients had to be responsibly sourced, thereby supporting farming communities and preventing the destruction of rainforests. Dairy needed to come from pasture-raised cows that were antibiotic-free, with no added hormones. Why? Just because it’s the right thing to do for people and the planet.

This wasn’t easy. To recreate the taste of Nicky’s favorite candies, the team had to test nearly 1,000 recipes to generate just five reinvented candies. The team also had to come up with a way to keep candy fresh on store shelves without the use of chemical preservatives.

They have done the "impossible!"  In place of the junk, they’ve added more of the good stuff, like more cacao, real caramel, and peanuts. They've also added more protein and fiber from real food, so that each candy has a low glycemic index.


To find a retailer near you, click this link:  http://getunreal.com/find-unreal
You'll be surprised to find it at places like Target, Wegmans andAmazon.com!

I hope you consider buying a "better" candy this year for your Halloween treats and giving your kids a healthier option.  They have imitated almost every popular known "favorite" candy out there, so there's sure to be some your family will love!  This Halloween, give out real "Treats!"

Boo!
~Bridget

Free2Work App....(And shame on Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, DC and Kindle)

Have you heard the buzz lately getting louder and louder concerning the child labor in other countries, and the importance to be socially responsible (and become more aware of what other people may go through so that we can walk into a store and pick a pair of shoes, pants or a sweater off a rack and take it home)?  

Lately I've really been trying to be a more conscious consumer and buy USA made items, from decor in my home to clothing in the store, I am now really paying attention.  

I just discovered a great FREE app called Free2Work that allows you to scan bar codes and look up products to learn how they relate to trafficking and other labor abuses.  Free2Work provides consumers like us with information on forced and child labor for the brands and products we buy and love.  

HOW IT WORKS:

Free2Work grades companies on a scale of "A" to "F" based on their efforts to prevent and to address forced and child labor.  It is categorized into different industries, like Apparel, Chocolate, Electronics, Jewelry, Toys and Sports Equipment.   Below, you can see that one of the more popular brands, "Lululemon," does NOT fall into a very attractive category, (making me secretly feel happy that I no longer need to feel compelled to throw $115 at a jacket that most likely cost less than $5 to manufacture using horrendous conditions somewhere in a third-world country that exploits children

to make money)....  

 The same logic applies to the faves of my 'tweens, and this mama will no longer be purchasing clothing from any store that is supporting child trafficking AND assaults my senses with overly loud music, obscene amounts of toxic-smelling cologne wafting through the vents and overly-perky sales associates who appear as if I am interrupting them when I ask to have my kids let into a dressing room to try something on....no mas.  For realz.

                           

I am NOT surprised to see Walmart on the list....is anyone else?  They have long been slowly poisoning us with their store brands full of toxic chemicals, cheap and harmful fillers and carcinogens. No surprise to find their clothing is also disgracefully made... Frankly, I'm a little shocked that they didn't receive an "F."

I encourage you to download this app for FREE and take it along with you.  If something doesn't come up, it will usually identify it and the information is recorded and sent to be reviewed and possibly added.

I received an education about many other industries I was unaware of, like "Jewelery"and "Electronics"  for example.  Look at the intro information they provide:

 

 Suddenly....I am not that excited to use my Kindle.  I know Apple isn't on this, so perhaps an iPad Mini is a better option....

                                        This education about Jewelery sure woke me up....

 

 ....and I appreciate the links to even MORE information if you want it.  Clearly a lot of work went into this app.

 

Let me just say, "Shame on you Disney," a company FOR kids that EXPLOITS them.  Disgraceful.  If anyone should get an "A" it's Disney.

You may be wondering who actually scored high grades? 

Well in the grand scheme of things, I think I'll be walking through the doors of the Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy/Piperlime conglomerate a lot more, and also good old affordable H & M.  

To find the "A's" you're just going to have to go download this for yourself!  You'll be glad you did.

~Bridget

Happy Thought...

 

~Bridget

Crockpot Banana Nut Bread

 This is a recipe out of one of my fave cookbooks:

 I've been using this book for days because here in Always-Sunny San Diego, the 85 degree humid heat makes me want to leave the oven off as much as possible lately. (Seriously, where is Fall?)

This is an easy recipe to make but it took longer to prep than my usual go-to recipe because of the steps involved.  I must say it's totally worth it because even though the bread didn't come out looking as pretty, it tastes fantastic!

In general, CrockPot slow cooker recipes are developed for the medium-sized slow cooker, or one that accommodates 3 1/2-4 quarts.If you're not sure what size yours is, there's an easy way to check its capacity.  Just fill a measuring cup with 8 ounces of water.  Pour it into the stoneware, then keep track of how many cups it takes to fill the stoneware to the rim.  Remember 2 cups = 1 pint, and 4 cups = 1 quart.  If your slow cooker holds 3 1/2-4 quarts, you should get 14-16 cups of water into it, and so on.

So here's the recipe:

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour   (may substitute a gluten-free kind here)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup butter (which is approx 5 1/3 tablespoons if you're cutting it from a cube like I did)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (I only had light Karo syrup on hand & it worked)
3 ripe bananas, well mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.  Grease and flour CrockPot slow cooker.  (I generously sprayed Baker's Joy spray/powder inside mine).  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in small bowl and set aside.

2.  Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it's light and fluffy.  Slowly add sugar, eggs, corn syrup and mashed bananas.  Beat until smooth.

 Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture.

 Add walnuts and mix well.

 Pour into CrockPot slow cooker. 

 It doesn't fill much of the CrockPot but it will rise a lot.

I have an oval-shaped CrockPot but the round size is the same.

Cover, cook on HIGH 1 1/2-2 hours or until a toothppick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

It will take a long time to show "brownness" and you'll notice it around the edges, not the top.

 

 This is what the picture inside the book claims it will look like:

 And this is what MINE looked like:

(Brace yourself, it's not *quite* the same...

however I did mention at the beginning it tastes REALLY good!

In my defense, my son told me that if he saw it in the cafeteria, he'd think, "Trash!" but since his Mom made it he would give it a try.  His first words were, "Oh my gosh!  This tastes better than any other banana bread you've ever made!  You should call this the Ugly Duckling Banana Bread!

 It may be due to the fact that I neglected to follow step #3:

"Let cool, then invert to a serving platter."

 Here it is all cooled off:

This is the top: 

And this is the underside (it didn't burn!):

Another lesson in NOT judging a book (or bread) by its cover!

~Bridget