Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we have a most special and delectable sweet just in time. Introducing, Surf Sweet’s NEW Organic Fruity Hearts.

Our lightly sugared all natural Fruity Hearts are fruity, sweet, and irresistibly fun. Fruity Hearts are certified organic watermelon and cherry heart-shapped gummies made with organic sweeteners and organic fruit juice. They include 100% of Vitamin C per serving, are allergy-friendly, gluten-free and vegan, so you can feel good about sharing with your lovies. Think outside the conventional chocolate box. Try something NEW that is fruitfully delicious and naturally good in oh-so-many ways.

Surf Sweets Fruity Hearts are one of the only all natural and organic Valentine’s Day candy options available. What better way to show someone you love them than by giving them delicious better-for-you Valentine’s Day Candy. Available for a limited time!

Available nationwide at Whole Foods Market and other natural food retailers. To find a store near you, please visit our store locator.

Also available online at:
Alice.com
NaturalCandyStore.com
Navanfoods.com
LuckyVitamin.com

Fruity Hearts are:
Made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners
No corn syrup
No GMOs
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Made in a nut-free facility
Vegan

Be sure to stay in touch with us on Facebook. You just might win your very own stash of Fruity Hearts for Valentine’s Day.  Delish.

It’s Cyber Monday, and as many of you may be shopping online today, we thought we would we share 10 of our favorite organic and natural stocking stuffers under $20.

• Clementine Art offers modeling clay, paints and crayons that are all natural, certified non-toxic and environmentally friendly, all for under $14. Even the packaging is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled and reusable materials. www.clementineart.com

• Empower and energize your teenage daughter with hellomellow lip butter (immune boost) from MyEarth360.com for only $12. This 100 percent natural lip butter deeply moisturizes and protects lips with an “immune boost” of warming herbs (including peppermint) that stimulate the body, mind and spirit. www.myearth360.com

• Keep your kids’ tootsies snug in. Maggie’s Organics Organic Cotton Children’s Athletic Socks at KidBean.com. These soft, cozy, organic cotton socks for kids are made from long-staple organic cotton. They are naturally whitened with hydrogen peroxide (NO chlorine) and dyed with low-impact dyes. www.kidbean.com

• Girls will love Shains new BFF Kits, which include two adorable recycled bracelets, 75 letters, 10  numbers and 15 icons to express how she feels about her BFF. They’re available in 21 colors, some in translucent glitter, for $19.95. www.shainsware.com

• Teenage sons will appreciate a recycled bike tub night out card case at UncommonGoods.com for only $15. It’s sleek and simple, and handmade in Seattle from used inner tubes collected from bike shops. It’s perfect for those occasions when he doesn’t want to be weighed down by a bulky wallet. www.uncommongoods.com

• Teach your child to make a BIG difference in “iddy biddy” steps with the Idbids Eco-friendly Starter Kit at HazelnutKids.com for $20. The kit includes one nine-inch Idbid plush toy handcrafted using 100% organic Egyptian cotton that has been colored with natural organic dyes, organic cotton cinch sack for child to wear, storybook and field guide printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly inks and an online reward program. The kid’s packaging is made from recycled and eco-friendly materials and includes paper doll cutouts and a playland insert.  www.hazelnutkids.com

• For the younger kids, Wett Giggles makes adorable animal nail brushes encased in a fun, sudsy, natural glycerin handmade bar of soap that encourage good hygiene – for only $10. Each bar is made individually with essential oils and shea butter. www.wettgiggles.com

• The tots will love Plan Toys toy cars and trucks – made from natural, chemical free rubber wood and finished with non-toxic and child friendly colors for $8.99 and up. www.oompa.com

• Little girls will fall in love with Corolle Minireves Dolls at Planet Happy Toys. Soft and light, they have squeezably soft bodies, a soft phthalate-free vinyl face, painted eyes and a rattle inside that jingles softly. Available in a variety of ethnicities and clothing colors, each doll comes with a super soft blanket. Plus, all Corolle dolls are made from non-toxic materials and lightly scented with vanilla for sensory appeal can be machine-washed on gentle cycle – Just $9.99. www.happyplanettoys.com

• No stocking would be adequately stuffed without fruitfully delicious and naturally good Surf Sweets^® gummy candies and jelly beans. And you need not look far – they can easily be purchased online at NaturalCandyStore.com, Alice.com and Amazon.com. Delicious, all-natural and organic Surf Sweets are gluten free, casein free and allergy friendly, and contain no synthetic dyes or artificial colors. Prices vary…one 2.75 bag of Surf Sweets Gummy Bears are $1.99 each at www.naturalcandystore.com.

Thanksgiving is almost here! As you give thanks and spend time with your loved ones, here’s an easy craft that makes a delicious treat too. These adorable turkeys will make everyone giggle. Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Crispy Treats

Ingredients:

Rice Crispy Treats Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or butter substitute
• 10 oz marshmallows (all natural and/or vegan varieties are available, such as Dandies or Suzanne’s Ricemellow Creme, which is gluten-free and free of corn syrup)
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Seed Butter or Peanut Butter (omit if making classic rice crispy flavor)

Turkey Decor:

• Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, Sour Berry Bears or Gummy Swirls for the “feathers”
• Sunflower seeds for the “beaks”
• Chocolate chips for the “eyes”
• Cranberry for the “little red waddle”
• Sunflower Seed Butter or other nut or seed butter for “glue”
• Toothpicks to hold the candy in place.

Method:

To Make Turkey Crispies

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat (with sunflower seed or peanut butter if using). When melted, add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal and mix well.

While still warm, use your hands to form the mixture into two sizes of balls: a larger size for the body and a smaller size for the head. Use a toothpick to attached the “head” to the “body”. Then assemble the feathers by sliding Gummy Bears (about 3-4) onto toothpicks and attaching the toothpicks to the body. Use sunflower seed or peanut butter for “glue” to tack on the eyes (chocolate chips), little red waddle (cranberry), and beak (sunflower seed). And poof, you have an adorable and declicious turkey. Gobble, gobble. Have fun and enjoy!

Thanks to Ali of Give Me Some Oven for this ingenious idea!

For more edible craft ideas that are also kid friendly, visit Busy Bee Kids Crafts.

Surf Sweets is proud to be a National Sponsor of Green Halloween®. Created by a mom looking for healthy, green alternatives for Halloween, Green Halloween has become the go-to source for amazing “eek-o-friendly” ideas that are fun, healthy, affordable, and not-too-time consuming. It inspires parents, children, teachers, schools and other organizations to be healthier in their celebrations, fostering a holiday that is a happy and healthy for our kids and our planet. Thank you Green Halloween for helping to change the tide! Surf Sweets will be supporting Green Halloween by donating 1% of all snack packs sales for the next year.  Be sure to have your supply of Surf Sweets on hand. It’s the tastiest, “better for you” candy option. So, swap your conventional candy for something that’s better for you AND the earth.

To help spread some green inspiration for Halloween, here are some creative ideas from Green Halloween. You can learn more about Green Halloween and find additional resources at, www.greenhalloween.org

General ideas for having a Green Halloween

It’s really not ALL about the candy. Kids have the MOST fun when their parents get involved and have fun themselves. Part of being green is focusing on people instead of things, so try to reduce the amount of ‘things’ you incorporate into your Halloween by increasing the focus on fun. Here are some ideas for making your Green Halloween fun for your kids and for you:

• Make a big deal of your child’s costume – getting dressed, taking pictures, etc.
• Have a neighborhood party and forgo trick-or-treating all together. Ask your child’s school to consider making their Halloween celebration green as well.
• Have a charity-themed party. Instead of giving out prizes for games, allow children to pick from a list of charities and make a donation in their name.
• Talk to your neighbors about what they will be giving away in advance. One option is to trick-or-treat only at homes where you know Green Halloween items will be passed out.
• Show your Green by displaying your own Green Halloween sign and ask your Green Halloween neighbors to do the same. Turn looking for the signs into a hunt for treasures. The Green Halloween sign on your own door will announce to trick-or-treaters that they’re in for a great surprise!
• Give kids a full, healthy meal before they go out trick-or-treating so they are not hungry.

If your child does collect candy:

We all know Halloween candy can become a stockpile that lasts for weeks. Candy is fun and delicious, and should be enjoyed. But it’s always smart to set limits, especially you have bags full of candy. Here are some suggestions on how to do just that and make some “better” candy choices.

• Have a candy swap or trade: let your kids swap the conventional candy they collect for a candy that is all natural and organic, like Surf Sweets! Surf Sweets is free of artificial colors and flavors, corn syrup and GMOs. So you can feel good about giving them to your little ones (or indulging yourself!). You can also do a trade and offer little gifts or give them a “pumpkin point” for each piece of candy they collect. Use pumpkin points to “buy” a toy or do a special activity with your child.
• Invite the Halloween Fairy to come to your home. Tell your child a story, or use our book to talk about how the Halloween fairy turns candy into magic fairy dust and so needs as much candy as she can get her hands on. Explain that if a child leaves his bag of candy outside on the porch, the fairy will gladly come to take the candy, and because she will be so grateful for the help with her fairy-dust-making, she’ll leave in the candy’s place a very special gift. Some parents make the exchange while their child is brushing their teeth, others wait until their child is asleep. Either way, make a big deal of it! Act surprised! You may also want to consider letting your child keep a small amount of candy and leaving the rest out for the fairy. Please don’t donate your leftover sweets to charity, though. Other people’s kids don’t need the candy either.
• Let them choose a limited amount of candy to eat (for example, one piece for each year your child is old). In many cities, the leftover candy can be recycled and turned into compost! Just be sure to remove candy from its wrapper first.

Courtesy of Green Halloween®, www.greenhalloween.org

September 13^th, is National Celiac Awareness Day. I know what you may be thinking; isn’t May National Celiac Awareness month? Yes! In May, we’re lucky enough to have 31 days to spread the word about Celiac Disease. But Lawmakers have given us one more day, delcaring September 13^th as a day of recognition, in honor of Dr. Samuel Gee, a physician who gave us the first clinical picture of celiac disease. (Thank you Samuel Gee!)

So, in honor of National Celiac Awareness Day, we’d like to spread the word on Celiac Disease. Did you know?

• The average person with celiac disease waited 11 years for a correct diagnosis (wow!)
• Half of all people with celiac disease are asymptomatic and do not show symptoms. (wow!)
• Delay in diagnosis can result in damage to the small intestine, which leads to increased risk for malnutrition, anemia, lymphoma, adenocarcinoma, osteoporosis, miscarriage, congenital malformation, short stature and disorders of the skin and other organs! (wow!)
• Celiac Disease is linked to many autoimmune disorders, such as thyroid disease, systemic systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, liver disease, collagen vascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome. (wow!)

THIS IS WHY SPREADING THE WORD ON CELIAC DISEASE IS SO IMPORTANT! So, please join us and share the knowledge.

What is Celiac Disease? Celiac disease (CD) is also referred to as gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE), gluten intolerance, or celiac sprue. It is considered to be the most under-diagnosed common disease today, potentially affecting 1 in every 133 people in the USA. It is a chronic, inherited disease, and if untreated can ultimately lead to malnutrition. Gluten intolerance is the result of an immune-mediated response to the ingestion of gluten (from wheat, rye, and barley) that damages the small intestine. Nutrients are then quickly passed through the small intestine, rather than being absorbed. To develop celiac disease (CD) three (3) things must be present: 1) you must inherit the gene, 2) consume gluten, and 3) have the gene triggered. Common triggers may include stress, trauma (surgeries, pregnancy, etc.), and viral infections. Approximately 1 in 20 first-degree relatives could have CD triggered in their lifetime. The disease is permanent and damage to the small intestine will occur every time you consume gluten, regardless if symptoms are present.
(Source: Gluten Intolerance Group of North America)

If you’d like to learn more about Celiac Disease and a Gluten Free Diet, there are MANY helpful resources available to you. Below are some great starting points, that are chockful of information, resources and ideas for living gluten free.

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America – www.gluten.net
Celiac Disease Foundation – www.celiac.org
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness – www.celiaccentral.org
Celiac Sprue Association – www.csaceliacs.org
Celiac.com – www.celiac.com
Living Without – www.livingwithout.com

The National Celiac Awareness Foundation, has also created “13 Ways to Celebrate Celiac Awareness Day“. Get inspired, and be well! We of course, also recommend treating yourself to some Surf Sweets – ALL our candies are gluten-free!