Questions Answered: Maximize the Easter Basket
Tammy posed what I think is a great question and topic on the Healing Cuisine facebook page:
"What are everyone's ideas for Easter? I grew up with the traditional candy basket!! My kids have gotten that the last few years, but I really want to change it up without breaking their hearts. Would love your ideas! I know fruit is a good thing to add, but what about for the fun egg hunts? What to put in each egg besides little trinkets?" - TammyAnd here I was looking for inspiration on what to write about in the Easter theme. Well thank you Tammy! I really think this will help a lot of Maximized Living families and keep our kids healthy! So here is a list of my ideas. If you have some of your own, maybe you've even done a Maximized Easter basket for your kids in the past, please share your ideas in the comments section. We can all use the help! :)
Food Ideas:
- Lara Bars (20% off thru 3/31/11!!! Look for the ones with the lowest sugar: Tropical Fruit Tart, Peanut Butter Cookie, Apple Pie, Blueberry Muffin -- 17-18g of sugar from dried fruit. High, but a better option than candy!)
- Dark chocolate covered almonds (They look like little chocolate eggs! Buy in bulk at your co-op.)
- Make a double batch of "Cocoa-Nut" Bites
- My faaavvorite recipe that I've ever invented: Loaded Chocolate Protein Bars
- Dried berries (maybe mix with the chocolate covered almonds?)
- Kale chips
- Archer Farms organic fruit strips
(or find at Target)
- Nutiva organic hempseed bars (They're 50% off right now!)
- Packet or two of Vega mix (Vanilla Chai is my favorite and kids LOVE it! Find the single packets at Whole Foods.)
- Their very own jar of Coco-Hazel-Nut Spread (Advanced Plan Nutella!! OR layer with raw almond butter in a cute container!)
- Packets of flavored Stevita stevia (orange
, strawberry
, cherry
, lime
, grape
...)
- Their favorite homemade cookies, brownies, or cupcakes
- A stainless steel lunch box and fill it with fresh snacks (sliced apples and almond butter, organic rice chips and homemade salsa, homemade applesauce, pita chips and hummus)
- Stevita Stevia-dent natural gum (cinnamon
or mint
)
Non-Food Ideas:
- A new book (either for story telling
or one your child can read
themselves)
- Coloring book with all-natural crayons
- A Klean Kanteen in your child's favorite color
- A new Easter-themed DVD: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown; Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo; Bug's Bunny Easter Funnies; The First Easter Rabbit; Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail
- Homemade bubble mix in a fun bottle
- All-natural playdough
- Natural bath toys
and an organic bar of soap
- Movie theater coupons/gift certificates
- MiEssence lotions or body care products
- Jigsaw puzzle
- All natural art supplies
- Outdoor games (jump rope, a ball, bike helmet, natural sidewalk chalk, kite)
- Packet or two of organic flower seeds to plant
- A new board game or deck of cards
- A mixed CD of your child's favorite songs or new songs
- A new natural toothbrush and fluoride-free toothpaste (kids LOVE this natural lemon toothpaste from MiEssence)
And don't forget last year's How To post on Natural Easter Egg Dyeing. I recommend using natural hard-boiled eggs vs. plastic eggs for your egg hunts. Plastic eggs are made of plastic. These are handled by our kids, hands then go in their mouths, and in many cases even the plastic eggs end up in their mouths. Control what you can and keep the dangerous BPA plastic out of your kids and home, not to mention the risk of lead paint used to dye the plastic. Get your family involved in Easter egg dying the day before. My mom always had us go to our rooms after Easter morning church to change into play clothes then hang out while she hid the eggs throughout the house. (We lived in Michigan...snowy Michigan. You can do the same thing in your backyard!) So if you're worried about "when will I hide the eggs, I don't want them to spoil!"..take a tip from my mom and put your kids away for a half hour while you get the hard-boiled eggs set out. They'll find them within the hour and you can pop right back in the fridge when the festivities are finished. ;)
8 comments:
Great post. I am a grandmother and will be adding such treats as fruit and nuts. Homemade fruit roll ups. Pencils and crayons. I may borrow a few ideas from your list. Thank you for sharing.
Know what I just learned? There's quinoa flour! Any ideas of what could be conjured up with quinoa flour?
Thanks girlfriend!
You're welcome Frannie! Happy Easter! :)
Yes, Janelle, quinoa flour!! :) It's a Core Plan flour, so I don't use it often. It contains some gluten, too, and Dave's intolerant. However, you can sub quinoa flour for white or wheat flour in any recipe, it's a 1:1 ratio. It's got a unique flavor, nothing harsh or anything, but you'll want to add a little more spices or sweetener to the recipe to adjust. Quinoa flour pancakes are a fav of mine. Very fluffy! And breads turn out great, cookies... That's about all I've played around with so far. If you come up with good recipes, send my way and I'll post in your honor! ;)
super cute pic btw, Janelle!!
I always look forward to Easter baskets, and I'm 27! My mom always packs ours with a book, trail mix, some dark, homemade chocolate bark(made with stevia, of course!), and when we were little, rainboots! I remember looking forward to a book and new rainboots more than the candy.
Dr. Johns has several Xylitol based candies, lollipops and caramels that you can order from his website. Just remember to moderate your consumption of xylitol products or you may end up in the bathroom! Also - xylitol is toxic to dogs, so don't let your dog steal a piece of candy from their basket.
The toughest part of Easter for me is the chocolate. My daughter is allergic. Boo, I know! It sucks horribly, and we're hoping she grows out of it (she's not quite 3). We really have to be creative when it comes to stuff to put in her basket. Thanks for all the ideas!
If you use the coupon code AADP on www.DrJohns.com they will give you 7.5% off any order
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