Saturday, September 22, 2012

DIY packaging Ideas for Allergy Safe Homemade Halloween Treats

This Halloween if you are opting for homemade treats for handing out to the children, whether because you are vegan or want to avoid any allergy incidents- packaging might have been a concern. We have collected the best packaging ideas for homemade and baked treats like cookies, brownies, candy and safe chocolate.
Use these innovative and simple ideas to add your personal touch to the delectable goodies you’re handing out. You can modify these ideas to suit the Halloween spirit and decorate the packaging in your style.
1. Repurposed Containers: This is a great idea for packing cookies and dry baked treats. It is convenient and also encourages green thinking. Empty Pringle cans work great for this, but you can use any container with a lid. Gently wipe clean the container and decorate the exterior using contact paper, ribbons, paints and glue. You can decorate it with a Halloween theme- the options are endless.
2. Useable Textiles: You can use hand towels, kitchen towels or cloth napkins to wrap homemade desserts like brownies. Put the dessert in a re-sealable plastic bag, place it at the center of the napkin, gather the edges and tie a pretty knot. You can also make rolls tied with ribbons.
3. Clear Cellophane: This kind of packaging is similar to the cloth packaging, except that it lets the yummy treat inside to be seen. You can buy a roll of cellophane and cut small squares to make see through bundles by bunching the edges together, or candy shaped packaging by bunching them at two ends.  Use ribbons to tie the knots and you can wrap cookies individually or some chocolate covered candies.
4. Paper Cones: These are extremely simple to do. You can make your own with the desired paper, buy some popcorn cones at the market or even use party hats. These are easy to decorate for adding the Halloween touch. You can use them to handout caramel popcorn and other bit sized treats.
Go ahead; let your creativity run a little wild this Halloween using these great packaging ideas for delicious homemade goodies.

Image url: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6100/6261472868_8b922458fb_o.jpg

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Vegan Smores

Believe it or not, making vegan smores is a breeze! Today there are plenty of vegan products available so you can plan a smores making extravaganzza on your next outting, camping trip, or if you simply want to have a special treat. Making vegan smores is easier than you may think!
Here’s what you need:
1 package of vegan marshamallows
1 package of vegan graham crackers
1 package vegan chocolate bars
Then over an open flame, slowly roast the marshmallow to a golden brown. To get it that way, put it on the roaster, hold it slightly above the flame, and slowly turn it so that all sides ov the vegan marshmallow get browned. Once it is done, place it on a graham cracker piece that has been topped with a vegan chocolate bar. Add another graham cracker for the top, and press it down slightly so that the vegan marshamallow begins to spread out over the vegan chocolate.
With the marshmallow being warm, it will begin to melt the vegan chocolate, creating a masterpiece of a dessert! You may even want to add in a little natural peanut butter for an added flavorful bonus.
Not sure where to get vegan marshmallows and vegan chocolate? No problem! You can purchase vegan marshmallows online, at health food stores, and places like Whole Foods Market. There are a couple of brands, including Sweet & Sara’s and Dandies. These brands are gelatin, as well as egg and dairy, free. When it comes to vegan chocolates to make your smores, we offer the per Our Mini Bars Milkless come in packs of 12 bars and are the perfect size for making individual smores.
Vegan smores is within reach. And they are delicious! Plan your next vegan smores event today!
 Our products do not contain any milk derivitives, gelatin, eggs, or any other animal products. Check out our vegan chocolates today!


 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Dont Be Scared Be Safe- Halloween Tips for Parents of Kids with Allergies

Candies are hard to resist, especially Halloween candy. It can be a difficult time for those with food allergies. Most Halloween candy treats contain either dairy, nuts or egg- the most common allergens among kids. As a parent, you are often left with no choice but to not send your children trick or treating. Explaining this to the children is hard. However, there are a lot of bright ideas and tips that can help you making Halloween fun and safe at the same time. There is no reason that a child with food allergies should not enjoy Halloween to any lesser measure to other kids. But it takes some watchfulness and planning.
You can’t celebrate Halloween with no treats, so prepare in advance and buy a variety of safe Halloween treats like Allergy Safe Chocolates and candies that do not contain any ingredients that your child is allergic to. If your kids are older, it’s a good idea to familiarize them with candies and treats that are safe. Alternate treats like cool stickers, toys or piggy bank money could also work. Keep the following tips in mind to keep the tricks away from the treating.
• You can plan something completely different like a movie night, slumber party for your kids and their friends, or even a Halloween scavenger hunt for safe treats or ther rewards.
• Keep the emergency medicines handy when going trick or treating.
• If you wish to let your children go trick or treating, you could give the neighbors safe Halloween treats in advance to hand out to your child.
• Or you could carry your own allergy free chocolate treats to swap with the ones they collect.
• Once home, sift through the collected candy to separate the safe and potentially harmful candy. Trade the unsafe candy with allergen free Halloween treats, or non-good gifts depending on their age.
• Read the ingredient labels carefully, even the smallest quantity of an allergen can trigger an allergic reaction.
• Donate Left-over candy to underprivileged children, children’s hospital, or kids who could not go trick or treating.
Keeping these tips in mind you can keep the allergy scare out of ‘trick or treating’.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Vegan chocolate? You bet!

You may have wondered, as many other people have, if chocolate is vegan. The answer to this question is yes and no. Chocolate itself starts out being vegan, but not all of the chocolate you come across may be. It all depends on what people put into it and what they do with it. The good news, however, is that there are vegan chocolates, and they taste amazing!
Whether you are a vegan yourself, know someone who is, or you have allergies or intolerances, there may come a time when you are in need of some vegan chocolate. Many people do not realize that there are “hidden” ingredients that may render chocolate non-vegan. If you are buying it as a gift for someone else, it’s important to know what vegan chocolate is, and that it does indeed exist!
    The good news about vegan chocolate is that there is no compromising on flavor. In fact, most people find vegan chocolate to be superior to milk chocolate because you actually get more of the chocolate taste, and less of the milk taste. Vegan chocolate also tends to be more satisfying and is higher in antioxidants.
    What can make chocolate non-vegan? Those chocolate varieties that tend to have milk or milk byproducts in them, for starters. If there is milk, or any of its derivatives, it is not vegan. Some of the ingredients you need to watch out for that make it non-vegan include milk, lactose, whey, butter, cream, nougat, casein, milk fat, and a variety of others.
    Vegan chocolate does not contain any of these milk derivatives, nor does it contain any eggs, gelatin, or other non-vegan ingredients. At Premium Chocolatiers, we specialize in providing top-of-the-line vegan chocolates that are sure to please. Whether you are looking for Halloween Vegan Chocolate and candies, Thanksgiving vegan chocolates, vegan chocolate truffles, or you would like vegan chocolate gifts for someone, we have you covered!