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The Art of Eating Halloween Candy; Part 7 in the Art of Halloween Series

10/30/2014

Now I know I promised in the next Art Of Halloween series a project and I will share it as it will be just as great for Thanksgiving too; but I came across an article of what I thought had some vital information. You see if you are anything like me you miss going Trick Or Treating as a kid. So you may be tempted to dress up and hunch down and brave the door to door faking the "I swear I'm a teen"..."really"...or settle for second best and eat the left over bowl of candy you doled out to the kiddies. Maybe you are one of those who sneaks into your kids treat bag and say...well maybe just one. Well this post comes just in time for you. Being a big kid means that the treats you choose out of the bag goes straight to the hips, belly and god knows that booty train following behind on low steam. I swear I have a caboose on top of that.

Consider these numbers: Three miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups fill your belly with more sugar than a glazed doughnut "Get in my Belly!"; half a pack of Skittles has more sugar than a scoop of Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream Ice Cream; nine Twizzlers carry as many calories as a Wendy’s Double Stack Burger. That’s scary! Here are some after Hallows eve tips; tit for tat which treats to choose that wont go straight to fat. Just swap outlined here just once and you’ll see, nearly 400 calories saved would be better for thee.

Tit Column "Don't Eat"

WORST “FUN SIZE” CANDY BAR: Butterfinger 100 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN TWO BREYERS PURE FRUIT BERRY SWIRL POPSICLES!

Many candy bars are high in sugar. Many are high in fat. But Butterfinger has magical ability to be high in both. Adding even one “fun size” Butterfinger to your food intake every day is enough to add more than 10 pounds to your body in the next year. There’s nothing fun about that.

Tat Column " If you Must..."

Eat This Instead: 3 Musketeers (that's the name btw do not actually eat 3...)

63 calories, 2 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

WORST CLASSIC FRUIT CANDY: Brach’s Airheads (3) 140 calories, 1.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 19 g sugar

MORE SUGAR AND CALORIES THAN ½ CUP OF EDY’S SLOW CHURNED MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP!

Here’s the basic formula for an Airhead: Sugar and filler carbohydrates, artificial colors and flavors, and partially hydrogenated oils—the source of trans fat. Dum Dums might not be nutritional paragons, but they do have two noteworthy advantages over Airheads: 1. No heart-wrecking oils, and 2. They’re made from hard candy. That means they dissolve slowly on your tongue, letting you enjoy the sweetness over time and preventing you from feverishly tearing through Airheads. Cool Dum Dum Halloween trick: Wrap each in a white tissue, secure with a small rubber band, and have the kids draw faces on these “ghosts” to hand out to the neighborhood trick or treaters.

WORST MINIATURE CANDY BARS: Twix Miniatures (3)

150 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated, 15 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN TWO FUDGSICLE ORIGINAL FUDGE POPS!

Twix has the worst saturated fat profile of any candy in your kid’s trick-or-treat bag. Think about it like this: Each serving of these bite-sized candies carries 20 percent of the saturated fat you should consume in an entire day. Switch to Tootsie Rolls and you’ll cut your calories by more than half and trim your total fat intake by a whopping 79 percent. (Better yet, treat yourself to some quality dark chocolate. It’s one of 8 Fatty Foods That Actually Make You Skinny and the intense flavor will give you your chocolate fix in fewer calories.)

WORST CHEWY CANDY: Brach’s Milk Maid Caramels (4)

160 calories, 4.5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 16 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN ½ CUP OF HAAGEN-DAZS CHOCOLATE SORBET!

Doesn’t Milk “Maid” sound a lot like Milk “Made”? But rest assured—they’re not the same. This candy contains a couple milk derivatives (whey and “lipolyzed butter fat”), but it hardly constitutes a dairy product. Plus, 90 percent of the fat is saturated. That’s bad news for your heart. If you enjoy the challenge of fighting chewy candy out of your teeth, switch over to Now and Laters and save more than 100 calories per serving.

WORST SEASONALLY THEMED CANDY: Reese’s Pumpkin (There goes my favorite...)

170 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 16 g sugar

MORE CALORIES AND SUGAR THAN FIVE NABISCO GINGER SNAPS!

This one should send your gimmick radar into the red zone. If it were flavored with pumpkin puree that would be one thing, but it’s not. It’s an oversized peanut butter cup shaped in a pumpkin-like mold. And what price do you pay for such fanciful novelty? Nearly two-thirds more calories than a regular Reese’s peanut butter cup. If you want to create a festive atmosphere, stick with Candy Corn and you’ll save yourself the calorie hangover.

WORST MINT CANDY: Junior Mints (1 fun size box)

76.5 calories, 1.35 g fat, 1.13 g saturated fat, 14.4 g sugar

AS MUCH SUGAR AS 3 CHIPS AHOY! CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

Junior Mints are hard to resist because they’re poppable; you feel like you’re getting a lot because you get to enjoy them over and over until the box is gone. What you’re actually getting more of, though, is calories and sugar. Stick with Charlie Brown’s ambiguously gendered girlfriend, Peppermint Pattie, and cut your calories by a third. (Thirty calories may not seem like a lot, but that’s enough to add more than 3 pounds of flab every year to your fine frame.)

WORST CRUNCHY CANDY: M&Ms Peanut (1 fun size bag)

90 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 9 g sugar

MORE SUGAR AND CALORIES THAN A CUP OF HONEYCOMB CEREAL!

Wait a minute, you might be saying—aren’t peanuts good for me? Not when they’re wearing a spooky costume of fat and sugar. You can satisfy your desire for chocolately crunch, and save sugar, fat and calories, with the pretzel version. The salty-sweet combo will also make them more satisfying. (If you’re genuinely hungry, turn to one of the 50 Best Snack Foods in America rather than filling up on candy.)

WORST LOLLIPOP: Blow Pop (1 regular)

70 calories, 0 g fat, 13 g sugar

AS MUCH SUGAR AS 5 CUPS OF KIX CEREAL!

Blow Pops are a pure rush, but not the good kind. If you’re looking for a great seasonal option to handout on Halloween, grab a box of Caramel Apple pops. The combination celebrates the season at less of a caloric cost than a Blow Pop. Plus, we all know the gum is a throw away since the flavor is gone in minutes. The caramel on the outside of these pops make them last longer, keeping you from diving into the rest of your candy stash.

WORST CHEWY FRUITY CANDY: Skittles (fun size package) 60 calories, 0.6 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 11.3 g sugar

MORE SUGAR THAN 3 KEEBLER SANDIES SIMPLY SHORTBREAD COOKIES!

Repeat after me: If it’s your waist you want to whittle, keep your fingers off the Skittles. Sugar, corn syrup and food dye—that’s all you’re getting from a package of Skittles. Starburst cuts the sugar nearly in half by using apple juice concentrate to add extra sweetness and cut down on the corn. (Don’t get us started on food dyes. Red dye comes from one of the 9 Bugs You Don’t Know You’re Eating.)

WORST PEANUT BUTTER CANDY: Reese’s miniatures (5)

220 calories, 13 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 23 g sugar

AS MANY CALORIES AS TWO CANS OF RED BULL—AND NEARLY SIX SUGAR PACKETS WORTH OF SUGAR!

The American Heart Association says an adult woman should have no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day. Reese’s manages to pack almost that much into one serving of these miniatures. Maybe they should be called “maxiatures”? (Why not ditch the candy altogether and treat yourself to a dessert you’ll actually savor from our list of 10 Restaurant Desserts Under 400 Calories?)

WORST JELLY CANDY: Mike & Ike (1 small box)

Eat This Instead: Spangler Dum Dum Pops (3) (Yes you can eat 3 this time...Yea!)

60 calories, 0 g fat, 11 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Tootsie Rolls (3) Yep 3 of them. And sorry I know that isn't a "Real" Tootsie roll, but dang how cute is that kid ...and...yeaaaah don't eat your kid either.

70 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 9.5 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Now and Later (4) 4 pieces...nod.

53 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Brach’s Candy Corn (11)

81 calories, 0 g fat, 16 g sugar

Ok guess I skip both of these...Candy corn...Blech.

Eat This Instead: York Peppermint Pattie (1 snack size piece)

60 calories, 1 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 11 g sugar

Seriously this is almost the same thing and they taste better! This one is an easy swap!

Eat This Instead: M&Ms Pretzel (1 fun size bag)

60 calories, 2 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 7 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Caramel Apple Pop (1 regular)

60 calories, 0.5 g fat, 10 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Starburst (fun size w/ 2 pieces)

40 calories, 0.8 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 6.7 g sugar

Eat This Instead:

M&Ms Peanut Butter (2 packages). Ok I am all over this one. I love these and it will cure that crave for the peanut butter cup plus you will feel like you are eating more.

190 calories, 11 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 17 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (mini pack)

35 calories, 0 g fat, 7 g sugar

These are all of course just suggestions but you will be able to see the above and recognize them at a glance. Staying healthy is hard when you have so many health issues like me. Look at your body and mind and understand what a creative piece of fragile artwork you are. Try to make wise choices and most important of all: Be safe on Halloween. Wear reflective gear. Take flashlights. Use reflective tape on treat bags. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Have fun!

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The Art Of Halloween Part6

10/23/2014

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This is part 6 in a series based on The Art of Halloween Preparation. I want to share with you a fun homemade Ice Bucket. As you can see on the right this is the finished product.

Super simple to do as you can see but we will cover the basis anyway just in case you are design challenged like me lol.

You need to get a rather large pumpkin and make sure that it sits well on the bottom. You don't want it to tip over with your ice and drinks in it. Using a knife you will cut around the pumpkin cutting off the top 1/3. To make a perfect cut you can thumb tack a string on the 1/3 cut spot and wrap it around the pumpkin back to your starting point. Make tick marks along the string with a sharpie.

You can vary the look by cutting pointed teeth across the top or a wave. When done with your cuts remove the top and clean out the guts. Save your Seeds for baking! Nothing more healthy than pumpkin seeds and delicious too. Then just fill with ice and add drinks if you wish. A very artistic touch for your table that is simple to do. Now want to try something else? Draw a face or design on your pumpkin with the sharpie. Or glue on pieces of decorations like buttons, ribbons and sparkles to decorate how you want. You can also cut pieces from the left over top to make ears and eyes. Just a reminder to try and use permanent colors as the pumpkin will get wet from use and anything non color fast will run dye onto your table cloth. Now that would be the kind of gory mess you don't want.

Hope you are enjoying these economical ways to enjoy Halloween. Next time we will talk about a fun way to carve mini pumpkins that is cute as a button and a whole lot easier to do.

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The Art of 3D

10/22/2014

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As I work my way through learning 3D rendering on my own I occasionally come across some incredible mini videos that makes me say "OMG I want to be this good some day." So sit back and watch my new FAV mini movie called "A Tale of Momentum & Inertia" . Maybe some day I will get this good...Enjoy!

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The Art Of Halloween Preparation Part 5

10/21/2014

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This is part 5 in a series based on The Art of Halloween Preparation. I want to share with you a fun homemade treat bag. As you can see on the left this is the finished product.

Maybe you are on a budget or are having a birthday/Halloween party. This Treat bag idea is fun and simple and the kids can join in the fun too!

What you will need.

Cello Bags. I have found a site with amazing Cello bag prices. 100 5X7" Bags for $1.16.

What?! Yep and many other sizes for a great price. When you get 100 it means you will have more for another project somewhere down the line. You can find them here: http://www.giftsintl-us.com/cellobag.php

Next you will need some clothes pins. The old fashioned wood kind would be best and you can get them anywhere even the grocery store. You will need one per bag.

Then head on over to the freebie page and find some bugs to print out. You can find them under the Halloween section or under insects. Or try any of the other fun Halloween images we have or make your own bugs like the ones pictured. Print them onto Card stock and you and your child can color them together.

Cut out, then glue a standard clothespin to the back of each. Portion out store-bought candy and one of your jars of homemade slime, (See Halloween Prep4) into the small cellophane or little paper bags and pinch each closed with a bug clip. Walla! Simple, adorable, fun!

Best part? An inexpensive way to impress the kids coming to your door making them want to come back for more. Nothing is more fun then hearing a child say to his friends "This is the house I told you about last year."

Join us for The Art Of Halloween Preparation Part6 where we will design awesome Indian Corn Treats using images from GrafXQuest. Thanks for coming all the way from your place to mine today.

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The Art of Halloween Preparation Part4

10/3/2014

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This is part 4 in a series based on The Art of Halloween Preparation. I want to share with you a fun alternative to candy to give to your trick-or-treaters and or to make with your kids. These are also great party items for treat bags for classes. We will cover homemade treat bags later in the series but today we are going to cover making Ooze that you can use! As you can see on the left this is the finished product. You can add flys, googly eyes or plastic spiders and eyeballs and you can get these items at the Dollar store!

There are many jars you can find and use for this project. I am including this link for the fun purple jars on the right. I have ordered from this company before and the product was excellent quality and inexpensive. The 4 oz. jars they have in the purple would be perfect for our project since they look so Halloweenie and yes "Halloweenie" is a technical term. Please note that I do not endorse any company but I will point out where I got things as well as any good deals I find. In this case you can get 24/4 oz. plastic purple containers with lids for $13. 92 not including shipping. If you do the math it comes out to less than .60 cents a jar. Now depending on if you want to use this as a party favor or for trick or treating these will go over great since they are so cute. I am so digging the purple over the clear. The 4 oz. jars are unit #0066-08. Here is the link for the jars: http://www.sks-bottle.com/fin133y.html

Moving on. To make your own Ooze you will need the following; Note this recipe is for each jar or you can split it so adjust accordingly:

Jars with Lids
2 Tsp Guar Gum (available at Health food stores)
2 Tsp Borax
5 1/2 cups Hot Water around 110 degrees (So boil and let sit a bit till it cools down)
A few drops Green food coloring
Strainer
Spatula
Print out labels; Double sided tape for this or a glue stick to adhere labels to top of jar.

To make the slime you will take the Guar Gum and stir it together with green food coloring and 4 cups of hot water in a glass bowl (Glass;to assist with non staining and cleanup). Once the concoction is mixed you will push this green stuff through a strainer with your spatula to remove any lumps. Set this aside. Next take your borax ( Adults only here) and mix it with 1 1/2 cups of water till its dissolved then slowly stir it into your Guar & Green booger mixture. I know you were thinking it at this point come on. Once mixed let it cool down in the glass bowl.

Now all you have to do is decant it into your awesome purple containers and add your plastic creatures. I also found some cool "Slimy Spider" Labels on Martha Stuarts' for Slime which I have included here for you to print and add to your lids. Or you can make your own using our cool free Vintage images. Just secure with double sided tape or glue stick.

slime-labels-clip-art-1014.pdf
File Size:	111 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Now the cautionary to ruin your fun. Just remember this stuff can stain so be sure to supervise play, keep off clothes, carpets and pets. Do not eat it and its not for kids under 3-4 years of age. Borax, sodium tetraborate decahydrate, is not acutely toxic and a very significant dose of the chemical is needed to cause severe symptoms or death. Even so please please use caution when mixing it with the water. Do no breath the fumes and make sure only an adult does the borax step so as not to breath in fumes and or powder. Borax is after all a cleaning chemical and I say always err on the side of caution. As like anything too much of a good thing can be harmful. Have fun at your own risk.

Join us for The Art Of Halloween Preparation Part5 where we will design cute treat bags using Vintage images from GrafXQuest. Thanks for coming all the way from your place to mine today.

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The Art of Eating Halloween Candy; Part 7 in the Art of Halloween Series

Tit Column "Don't Eat"

Tat Column " If you Must..."

WORST JELLY CANDY: Mike & Ike (1 small box)

The Art Of Halloween Part6

The Art of 3D

The Art Of Halloween Preparation Part 5

The Art of Halloween Preparation Part4

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Tit Column "Don't Eat"

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