Something that I really love about having my own little family, is the opportunity to create our own culture and traditions. Part of our family culture that we're going to focus on developing this year, is not putting so much emphasis on treats & candy for the holidays. The things that matter most and that we remember are the fun activities and people we share them with, right? It is birthday month for me too, so I've got a massage scheduled and a REAL soccer game we're going to enjoy for the Easter weekend. Those are both WAY better than sweets any day!
I wanted to share some ideas of non-food and "healthier" treat options (homemade and purchased) for easter baskets for the kids (& big kids!). Hopefully it will get your mind going on options your family will love! I've also listed some ideas that would make great candy substitutes for an easter egg hunt! My son isn't quite a year old yet and so my plan is to put together 1 family easter basket this year for us all to share. We really love sharing in our family anyway, so I think it will be a great option for us :)
Alright, let's get the brain-storming going!
Non-Food Ideas
- Books
- Puzzles
- Games
- Stickers (easter egg-size friendly!)
- Inexpensive Jewelry (rings, earrings, & some bracelets will also fit into easter eggs)
- Watch
- Small toys
- Apparel (t-shirt, hat, new summer flip flops, etc.)
- Bubbles
- Money - It doesn't have to be much. I loved finding dimes, nickels, & quarters in easter eggs way more than candy as a kid! Maybe throw a dollar bill in a couple of the eggs, just to spice things up :D
- Any non-food "stocking stuffer" type of gift
Homemade "Treats"
- Icebox (chocolate chip) Cookies - I'm going to make some of these for my son, minus the chocolate. He LOVES them!
- No-bake Cookies
- Macadamia Nut Coconut Cookies
- Lara bars - These are easy to make or you can buy them too.
- Dark Chocolate Almond Bark
- Home-made Fruit Snacks
- Jerky
- Check out other whole food treats here
If you really feel the need or don't want to put in the time to make any easter basket treats, here are some ideas and a few that are going to be going into our family Easter basket. They can be found at just about any health food store. I tend to emphasize really dark chocolate because it's still really satisfying, has very little sugar in it, and even has some health benefits you can read more about here. Sweet, right?!
"Healthier" Treats
"Healthier" Treats
- Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup - You'll never look at Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the same after trying one of these babies!
- Clif Kit's Organic bars - I love that these typically have 5 ingredients or less.
- Green & Black's 85% dark chocolate bar - You may need to start with 70%, most kids will still enjoy the chocolate that dark. I've actually found these for the best price at Wal-Mart's that carry them.
- Trader Joe's 73% Dark Chocolate Almonds - These are the darkest chocolate-covered almonds I've been able to find at the stores I shop at.
I'm thinking of just buying one of each, so we can enjoy sharing them together. Just remember, more is not always better :) What ideas do you have for a "healthier" easter this year? Is anyone skipping treats altogether?
Did you step up to this week's challenge and "unplug" from electronics by 8pm last night? I found that I didn't plan quite as well as I needed to. There were a few things I wished I had prioritized to get done before 8pm last night that had to wait until this morning. Hopefully I'll plan ahead better today!
