Easter Basket Makeover
That's right... even the well-established Easter basket isn't safe from the Recipe Doctors clutches. Seriously though, I just want to give you some more healthful options in addition to the obligatory chocolate bunny. I would never in my wildest dreams suggest a chocolate-free Easter basket (unless that's what the recipient wanted).
There's a big difference between a basket that is wall to wall candy and a basket that has a few featured treat items but also includes other fun (non-food) surprises like fuzzy socks, little bouncy balls or adorable Kelly Dolls or Polly Pockets or Hot Wheels. For older children or teens (or adults) these items can be CD's, books, golf balls, or tennis balls. So here are my 5 tips for building a "better" Easter basket:
#1 Go for the chocolate but only include the items your basket recipient is truly going to enjoy. If their favorite candy bar is Milky Way, add a few Milky Way Eggs and call it a day. If your recipient enjoys pure chocolate, you could include a hollow bunny of high quality chocolate instead of a solid bunny (those are easier to eat anyway). If you have an M&M lover on your hands, you can opt for the Peanut M&M's, which are a more substantial snack because the chocolate comes with a dose of healthful peanuts. 1/4 cup (1.5 ounces) of peanut M&M's will satisfy most of us and it contains 220 calories and 11 grams of fat (some of which are healthful fat from peanuts), 4.5 grams saturated fat, and 4 grams of protein and a gram of fiber. Compare that to one of my favorite chocolate treats, Dove Truffle Eggs with 1 1/2 eggs (1.35 ounces) containing 225 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10.5 grams saturated fat, and 1.5 grams protein.
#2 Add fun fillers that encourage playing or sports. I think an Easter basket is a great opportunity to add toys and items that inspire physical activity. Just walking through Target the other day I found fun pink gold balls and tennis balls (I believe some of the proceeds go to fight breast cancer) and colorful Frisbees and badminton sets. At Walgreen's I found 4-inch soft puffy balls decorated with your child's favorite Disney characters. There are all sorts of small sports items that can help fill an Easter basket.
#3 Inspire playfulness and child-like fun (even with adults). There's something almost magical about sitting on the front porch in spring and blowing bubbles. Fill your basket with cool bubble blowing toys. Play-doh is always coming out with creative ways to play with colorful dough. I don't care how old you are, this can fun!
#4 Add something religious or spiritual. For a lot of people, Easter isn't a religious holiday but if it has a religious significance in your family, you can add something to the basket that reminds them about the spiritual aspect of the season--like small angel figurines, inspirational books, rosaries, religious jewelry, wall crosses, religious book marks, etc.
#5 Add healthful or interesting food items. You can add some interesting (age appropriate) food items to the basket too like sugar-free chewing gum (helps clean teeth), sugar-free breath mints ('nuf said), packets of flavored green tea to try (green tea is brimming with health benefits), little packets or cans of nuts, etc...
Wishing you all a lovely Easter filled with tossing Frisbees and blowing bubbles with your family, and of course, a few glorious bites of your favorite chocolate!
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Easter Recipes, Video: Easter Basket Basics
Technorati Tags: easter, easterbaskets, eastercandy, candy, chocolate, healthychildren
There's a big difference between a basket that is wall to wall candy and a basket that has a few featured treat items but also includes other fun (non-food) surprises like fuzzy socks, little bouncy balls or adorable Kelly Dolls or Polly Pockets or Hot Wheels. For older children or teens (or adults) these items can be CD's, books, golf balls, or tennis balls. So here are my 5 tips for building a "better" Easter basket:
#1 Go for the chocolate but only include the items your basket recipient is truly going to enjoy. If their favorite candy bar is Milky Way, add a few Milky Way Eggs and call it a day. If your recipient enjoys pure chocolate, you could include a hollow bunny of high quality chocolate instead of a solid bunny (those are easier to eat anyway). If you have an M&M lover on your hands, you can opt for the Peanut M&M's, which are a more substantial snack because the chocolate comes with a dose of healthful peanuts. 1/4 cup (1.5 ounces) of peanut M&M's will satisfy most of us and it contains 220 calories and 11 grams of fat (some of which are healthful fat from peanuts), 4.5 grams saturated fat, and 4 grams of protein and a gram of fiber. Compare that to one of my favorite chocolate treats, Dove Truffle Eggs with 1 1/2 eggs (1.35 ounces) containing 225 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10.5 grams saturated fat, and 1.5 grams protein.
#2 Add fun fillers that encourage playing or sports. I think an Easter basket is a great opportunity to add toys and items that inspire physical activity. Just walking through Target the other day I found fun pink gold balls and tennis balls (I believe some of the proceeds go to fight breast cancer) and colorful Frisbees and badminton sets. At Walgreen's I found 4-inch soft puffy balls decorated with your child's favorite Disney characters. There are all sorts of small sports items that can help fill an Easter basket.
#3 Inspire playfulness and child-like fun (even with adults). There's something almost magical about sitting on the front porch in spring and blowing bubbles. Fill your basket with cool bubble blowing toys. Play-doh is always coming out with creative ways to play with colorful dough. I don't care how old you are, this can fun!
#4 Add something religious or spiritual. For a lot of people, Easter isn't a religious holiday but if it has a religious significance in your family, you can add something to the basket that reminds them about the spiritual aspect of the season--like small angel figurines, inspirational books, rosaries, religious jewelry, wall crosses, religious book marks, etc.
#5 Add healthful or interesting food items. You can add some interesting (age appropriate) food items to the basket too like sugar-free chewing gum (helps clean teeth), sugar-free breath mints ('nuf said), packets of flavored green tea to try (green tea is brimming with health benefits), little packets or cans of nuts, etc...
Wishing you all a lovely Easter filled with tossing Frisbees and blowing bubbles with your family, and of course, a few glorious bites of your favorite chocolate!
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Easter Recipes, Video: Easter Basket Basics
Technorati Tags: easter, easterbaskets, eastercandy, candy, chocolate, healthychildren
Labels: holidays
