Yesterday was one of those days when I barely had a moment to sit down and suddenly it was 10:00 p.m. Do you ever have days like that? Emails go unanswered, phone calls don’t get made, and blog posts don’t get written…
One thing I did manage to check off my to-do list was preparing a few items for Meghan’s Easter basket. If you read my post about Halloween candy, you know I’ve been trying to delay giving Meghan candy for as long as possible. Halloween worked out well because she had no idea what she was missing.
Easter feels easier because I have more control. We don’t have to worry about neighborhood trick-or-treating choices; the Easter Bunny brings treats directly to our home—and I decide what those treats will be. Meghan still hasn’t tasted candy, but this year she’ll be allowed a few small pieces in her Easter basket.
I was careful when selecting the candy. I accepted that there would be sugar—this is one of those occasional treats we allow—but I drew the line at many common additives and ingredients found in mainstream Easter sweets.
For example, a typical Palmer chocolate Easter bunny lists ingredients like:
“Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel Oil and/or Palm Oil), Whey, Cocoa, Lactose, Skim Milk, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin, Artificial Colors (Blue #1, Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6 & Red #3). May contain Peanuts/Nuts.”
Walk down a standard Easter candy aisle and it’s hard to find treats without extra ingredients I prefer to avoid. These are the items I intentionally excluded when choosing Meghan’s candy:
– Any and all artificial food dyes
– Preservatives
– Partially hydrogenated oils
– High-fructose corn syrup
– Anything labeled “artificial”
Instead of hunting around multiple stores, I ordered candy online. Here are two places I used to source more natural options for our baskets (Tim and I get baskets, too):
Indie Candy: all-natural and allergen-friendly—useful when you need to avoid specific ingredients for allergy reasons.
Natural Candy Store: offers natural and organic candies made with familiar ingredients and also carries natural baking decorations for Easter cookies or cakes.
Even though I’ll put some candy in Meghan’s basket, it won’t be the main attraction. A healthier basket can be filled with non-candy foods or non-food gifts. Below are ideas to build a more balanced, fun Easter basket for kids of different ages.
Healthier Food Options:
– Raisins and other dried fruit
– Fresh fruit
– Homemade cookies or muffins
– Hard-boiled eggs
Non-Food Items for Younger or Older Kids:
– Books
– Bubbles
– Kite
– Seeds with gardening gloves and small tools
– DVDs
– Art supplies
– Board games
– Play-Doh
– Lip gloss
– Temporary tattoos
– Stickers
– Small toys such as cars or Little People
– Jump rope
– Sidewalk chalk
– Sand toys
Question: Do you have any great tips to add on how to build a healthier Easter basket?