Ellie Wilson

MS, RDN, CDN
Manager, Lifestyles and Wellness

BOO! Here it comes again, the official (unofficial) holiday of Halloween! There is no doubt, it is beloved by children and adults alike. The costumes, decorations and freaky/fun tricks and treats are wickedly delightful for those who participate before colder weather changes activity opportunities. To ensure it is fun for everyone, set expectations – your goblins and ghouls should know the food safety rules ahead of time to set the stage for happy smiles versus scowls and howls. Here are some ‘tricks” for caregivers hoping for a howling good time!

  1. Eat before treat – some great Halloween treat ideas to set the stage are right here (with spooky music!) on Price Chopper YouTube and Pinterest boards. That will make it easier to create the plan that parents/guardians must check items before eating. We have treats for adults too – pumpkin everything and fall favorites to fuel your fun is right here!
  2. Children should be taught – only to accept treats that are commercially wrapped. Throw away anything that is torn, has pinholes, or looks unusual in any way. Fresh fruit, if accepted, should be carefully checked and washed before eating.
  3. If your child has a food allergy, you already know that treats are tricky. Verify Epi-pens are not expired and are readily available. Always check the labels of each item. Some homes may have a teal-colored pumpkin to signal they have some treats without some allergens, but adults must still check the individual items before eating. The same goes for gluten free candy – The Celiac Disease Foundation has published their 2023 Gluten Free Halloween Candy list – you can download and print the pdf here.
  4. Ages and stages – some candies are choking hazards for smaller children. Gum, hard candies, peanuts and even small toys could be a concern. Check treats are appropriate and stay present while they are enjoyed.
  5. Managing added sugars at Halloween doesn’t have to be tricky! How much and how often should be part of the plan and discussed ahead of time to keep the howls to a minimum. A national poll shows 78% of parents plan for about two pieces of candy per day. That helps children learn candy can be part of eating well. In 2017, the Partnership for a Healthier America and the National Confectioners Association partnered to help with portion control and front-of-pack labeling, resulting in over 90% of candy and chocolates labeled to help your goblins and ghouls enjoy treats. Learn more at here.
  6. Enjoy the Halloween season – Top 10 ways to celebrate Halloween!
  7. Flashlights, candy, party supplies and more are all at our stores waiting for you to create a “monster” good time. Happy Halloween!

BWAH HA HA HAAAAA!!!!!!!

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Haleigh Eustis

Floral Intern

Happy Halloween! Considered one of the spookiest holidays of the year, it is understandable that one would want matching décor to go along with the theme. That being said, there is no such thing as a pure black flower to match the Halloween aesthetic to a spooky bouquet . . . until now! Lucky for you, there is a simple (and easy) way to achieve a pure black flower for the Halloween season. 

This Halloween, we are changing it up and dying flowers. I know what you’re thinking; how can you dye flowers? Well, it’s much easier than you think! 

What you need: 

  1. White flowers (They don’t have to be just roses, they can range from daisies, lilies, roses, baby’s breath, tulips and more.)  
  2. Water 
  3. A knife 
  4. Food dye (Both gel and drops are fine, just make sure you warm your water to melt the drops.)  
  5. A cup

Let’s Get Started:  

Step One: Take your flower of choice and clean the stem of all leaves. Other than the stem, we want no greenery on the actual flower itself.

Step Two: Once you have cleaned off your flower stem, make an “X” symbol at the bottom of the flower with a knife (be careful). This will encourage a better flow of water to the stem and petals itself.  

Step Three: Now, this is where the craft could become messy! Once you have decided on a black food coloring, place 7-8 drops of dye into your water. I prefer room temp to slightly warm water, but it’s up to you!  

Step Four: Once your water is dark in color, place your rose(s) in the water and let them soak for—at least—24 hours. After they have soaked your white flowers should be a dark shade of gray to black!  

TIP: Make sure you leave your flowers in the water even after they’ve soaked.

There you have it! A super simple way to create a beautiful and spooky bouquet for the Halloween season. Don’t want black flowers? No problem, you can choose practically any color to dye your flowers with. Follow the same steps for an array of unique flowers that are sure to catch anyone’s eye! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!🎃

Buy all your floral needs at Price Chopper/Market 32 Floral Department!

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Pumpkin Carving, Spooky Snacks, & More!

Mia Teal

E-Commerce Marketing Department

Halloween night is always exciting for the little ones. They get to dress up as anything or anyone, load their bags with more candy than they can possibly consume, and enjoy many laughs with friends. Oftentimes, the days leading up to Halloween are even more fun. We have some ideas for pumpkin carving and snack recipes that we want you to try! Keep reading if you dare…

Pumpkin carving is a great way to spend time with your family, friends, or partner. Friendly pumpkin carving competitions are also very common this time of year. Have you ever wondered why we carve pumpkins? Well, we researched this exact same thing and are here to give you answers!

While many may think that pumpkin carving began in the United States, that is actually false. Turnip carving (yes, turnips!) originated in England, Ireland, and Scotland. Carving turnips was a symbol of death and was used to scare neighbors. It was not until the 1800s when people from England and Ireland began immigrating to America that pumpkin carving began in the United States. Since there is such an abundance of pumpkins here this time of year, these groups of people began to carve pumpkins instead. Now when you carve your pumpkin for Halloween this year, you will know how this tradition started! Want to learn more? Check out this website Halloween History: Why We Carve Pumpkins

This Halloween, we want to inspire you to try some new treats that the family will love. Whether you want to make a new dessert with the kids, or if you have a Halloween party to attend, we have you covered. Check out some of our fun, easy-to-make Halloween recipes from our Pinterest page!

Reese’s Bats : Reese’s and Oreos? Who can say no to that! With only a few simple ingredients, these are sure to be a fan favorite!

Mini Mummy Pizzas: Try these Mini Mummy Pizzas for an appetizer at your next party! But beware, these will go fast!

Rice Krispie Treat Monsters: These super easy Halloween Rice Krispie Treat Monsters are the perfect snack for the kids or addition to your Halloween get together!

Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers: These cute Halloween peppers are perfect for lunch or dinner! Even better, you can season the meat with any kind of spice. There is no right or wrong way to create these peppers.

Check out our YouTube page for more Halloween inspiration!

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

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Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  Scarey Pumpkins BOO! Did Halloween sneak up on you too? Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up I took every single excuse I could to wear a princess dress and ran with it. (I mean there was also the free candy thing, but who doesn’t love running around in a poofy ball gown?) Now that I’m 23 and trick or treating is no longer an option, more creative measures have to be taken to celebrate this spooky and sugar high inducing holiday. For adults, even those who are reluctantly adults, there a couple of fairly simple and budget friendly options that can be planned out in almost no time at all! The Scary Movie Marathon A movie marathon is an easy and fairly cheap way to get the spook factor in. Even though video rental stores are no longer a thing, RedBox sometimes has seasonal offerings and for around $1 a night you can’t really go wrong. Another option is to ask your friends to bring over their favorite scary movie DVDs if they have any. I personally don’t believe any scary movie marathon is complete without The Shining, a film from the Scream series, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. I am sure there are some horror aficionados out there who will disagree with me, but these are the scary movies I grew up not being allowed to watch, so obviously they became my favorites….well at least once they stopped giving me nightmares. Now for those who are feeling nostalgic I would recommend the Halloweentown series or Nightmare Before Christmas (or really anything done by Tim Burton since he has mastered the art of being creepy and awesome without being terrifying.) And there is simply no such thing as a Halloween movie marathon without Hocus Pocus. I don’t care what you are doing when Hocus Pocus is on TV, you sit down and watch. iStock_000048683394_MediumBut the pillowcase full of free candy is still missing. Now this is the true tragedy of growing up. What hits the sweet spot (see what I did there) is inviting your friends over for a spooktacular movie marathon with Halloween themed baked goods and snacks. One of my favorite Halloween time movie snacks is this sweet and salty popcorn recipe featuring peanut butter and the sugary goodness known as candy corn!  Now I have personally decided that the calories from candy corn consumed in October simply do not count. So I recommend adding it to as many snacks as possible such as Halloween themed trail mix and cupcakes. The Halloween Party Now if you do not think it is fun to watch movies that are meant to terrify you, a more low-key affair may be more your style. And by low-key I mean anything from a few friends over to a raging costume party. Halloween can also be the perfect excuse to throw a masquerade party(I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade party so I’m just throwing that out there.) At any Halloween event costumes should be required, it does not hinder your cool factor to dress up, in my opinion it makes you more awesome, but let’s talk about planning this thing. No matter how extravagant your Halloween affair may be (or how big your party budget is) there are plenty of easy food and decoration ideas, using a lot of things you may already have around the house. Creepy pictures can be printed out and put into the frames you already have, and food dye can go a long way for making regular drinks look like something you’d find in the Haunted Mansion. Instead of having all the lights in your house on, save some electricity and use candles where you can.Black Label with Halloween Party on Wood Painting items is also a fairly cheap way to decorate, but is obviously more permanent. Using black paint on every-day items can go a long way in creating a spooky feel for your party. Try painting your pumpkins in addition to carving them and I’m sure you will win spookiest house on the block. (Plus make sure you save the pumpkin seeds while carving, you can bake them to make a tasty snack!) Whether it’s black painted pumpkins, frames, or other items, matte black paint can make decorations look eerily goth, but not childish (chalkboard paint is another cool option here, since you can then write and draw on the decorations as well.) As you may have guessed with my ramblings about the black paint, black is my go to decorating theme for Halloween (and let’s face it, for everyday life), but I’m also a girl who happens to love glitter. A can of black glitter spray paint costs around $4 and can be purchased at any home improvement or craft store. I personally believe that glitter can be added to almost any decoration depending on the feel you are going for with your party, but beware once you put glitter on one thing it will get everywhere, there’s just no stopping it. As always check out our Pinterest board for more holiday recipes and ideas! What are you dressing your furry friend up as this Halloween?  Send in your pet photos to our Halloween Pet Photo Contest sponsored by Nestle Purina for a chance to win 1 of 2 $100 Price Chopper gift cards.  All participants will receive an exclusive offer through email to treat their pet to something delicious- $1 off any 2 Friskies or Beggin Strips treats.  If you’re looking for more exclusive pet offers, join our Pet Club for monthly email newsletters fill with great articles and coupons! Email your photos to [email protected] by Friday, November 2nd to be entered!  We will choose one dog winner and one cat winner to each recieve a $100 Price Chopper gift card.  Read official rules here. Want to win a FREE Halloween party for your kids?  Tell us about the best Halloween costume either you or your kids ever wore! Halloween is one of the most creative holidays of the year!  We’re getting into the Halloween spirit here at Price Chopper and we want to help you do the same!  Tell us about the BEST Halloween costume either you or your kids ever wore and one lucky fan will win a FREE kids Halloween party! Comment below and on our Facebook page to be entered to win a ½ gallon of apple cider, a pumpkin-decorated message cookie, a pumpkin pull-apart cupcake cake, a single layer pumpkin cake and plates, cups and napkins! Check out our “Fall in Love with Fall” board on Pinterest for some excellent Fall decorating and baking ideas!  Also, don’t forget to stop into your local Price Chopper to check out all of our tasty fall treats in our Bakery!  We have everything you need to make your Fall celebrations complete!  All entries must be received by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 19th 2012. Limit one entry per person. Don’t forget to comment below AND on our Facebook page for a chance to win.  Read the official rules here.  Good luck!