Major holidays seem to thrive on giving and receiving candy and sugar-filled sweets, and stores are inundated with these festively wrapped treats during the holiday seasons. Easter Sunday is this weekend, and an Easter basket’s main staple is, you guessed it, chocolate eggs, chocolate shaped like bunnies, and marshmallow peeps. Now don’t get me wrong, I love these things as much as the next person, my waistline can attest to that, but I think it’s a mistake to allow these delicious treats to be the majority of what fills an Easter basket.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t put any chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies into the basket, but there are other alternatives for basket fillers that will make Easter a little healthier this year. Here are some ideas that I use:
Treats:
- Homemade cookies – cookies like oatmeal raisin are more nutritious than a candy bar.
- Mini muffins – like banana or blueberry are healthier than snack cakes
- Yogurt covered nuts or raisins
- Trail mix
- Dyed hard boiled eggs – these are fun to make and a healthy snack
- Carrots – the Easter Bunny eats them after all, why not make them an Easter basket treat?
Miscellaneous Things:
- Coloring books
- Markers, crayons, colored pencils
- Other art supplies – color with water books or paints and paper
- Puzzles
- Magnets
- Playdough
- Books
- Stuffed animals
- Small toys – cars, dolls, animals
- Stickers and temporary tattoos
- Disposable cameras
- Plastic eggs filled with money – coins for piggy banks
Personally, I’m a great fan of the miscellaneous items and definitely suggest using them – they take up more room and fill an Easter basket to overflowing. Plus, the enjoyment factor lasts a lot longer than the candy or treats which are quickly eaten and forgotten.
Tweet This Post