Easter is almost here, and for some of us, that means a big brunch followed by getting “hopped” (get it, hopped up) on candy — who can resist the big chocolate bunny and marshmallow Peeps? While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few Easter treats, weighing your basket down with chocolate, caramel eggs, and jelly beans can be the gateway to mindlessly snacking on candy for the rest of the week. Whether you’re making a basket for your partner or the little one in your life, keep reading below for some healthy ideas to sneak in some of these ideas among the candy.
Edible Gifts
Annie’s Cheesy Bunnies
Cheesy snacks make Easter-appropriate basket filler when they’re shaped like bunnies! I like Annie’s cheddar bunnies — which come in a whole-wheat variety varieties.
Graham Bunnies
Just like gold fish, Annie’s bunny grahams are a great choice for a pre-made version, which comes in a handful of varieties (such as vanilla, chocolate and gluten-free snicker doodle). They’re still cookies, so eat the bunnies in moderation!
Carrots
Hey, you don’t have to tell me carrots are not as cool as chocolate. I know. But, the Easter bunny loves them, right? Wrap a few carrot sticks with green ribbon, or fill small cellophane bags with baby carrots to jazz the veggie up. Toss a few individual hummus containers in the basket as well for a healthy dipper, my daughter loves hummus!
Hard-Boiled Eggs
While crème eggs, peanut butter-filled, and rice crispy chocolate eggs may take center stage on Easter, why not eat real eggs? This superfood-in-a-shell is just about 70 calories per egg and provides 6 grams of protein. Plus, they’re full of omega-3 fatty acids (important for heart health). And good news is that it’s ok to eat the whole egg! For perfect hard-boiled eggs, gently place them in a large saucepan, cover with about an inch of water, add in salt, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and add in cold water to the pan.
Skip the artificial dye and try homemade versions using ingredients like saffron (yellow), cabbage (blue), and raspberries or beets (red), spinach (green), and blueberries (purple).
Nut Butter and Fruit
To keep the carrots company, add in a few apples and bananas in that Easter basket. I like pairing them with Justin’s Almond Butter packets for a healthy fiber and protein filled snack. You can get these little packets of almond butter in the organic area in your local grocery store and Target.
Filled Plastic Eggs
Those classic plastic Easter eggs are a genius way to pre-portion treats. Fill them up with dried or dehydrated fruits or nuts. My kid loves nuts but not so much the dried fruit so I will probably skip the fruit and fill them up with seeds and nuts. You can also add in coins, give them some money and they will forget all about that chocolate!
Extra little fillers for the Easter basket:
Obviously, there are many more ideas but let me add on to more fun things to drop in the basket. For kids that are younger, you can add in puzzles, small toys, stickers, coloring books and watercolor paints, bubbles, packets of seeds and gardening tools–good activity for you and your children to do together, plastic eggs filled with glow sticks (to be used later for a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt), and Play-Doh.
For a egg-hunt, instead of putting candy in the eggs you can put in little stickers and whoever gets the most stickers in their eggs can win the prize like a stuffed animal.
Non–edible Gifts
Sidewalk Chalk
Whether this Easter basket is for a kiddo or not, sidewalk chalk is undeniably messy and fun. Egg and chick-shaped chalk are especially ideal, but any will do!
Jump Rope
Budget-friendly, yet full of potential, the jump rope is a portable fitness must-have. Get the whole family one and have a “jump off” contest. Everyone loves a friendly contest, right?!
Kite
Yet, another affordable gift– totally a fun and energy releasing gift that can make your little one smile for days!
EOS Lip Balm
Often a go-to stocking stuffer, Chap Stick and flavored lip balm also make for a great Easter basket filler. EOS lip balm is even shaped like an egg for a timely basket addition. The small spheres come in fun flavors like pomegranate raspberry, honeysuckle honeydew, and lemon drop. Instead of filling your basket with candy filled eggs get the EOS lip gloss eggs will still give off Easter with the same shape egg.
Stuffed Animal
These little stuffed bunnies and bears are always a child’s favorite. I always loved that when I was younger and I keep the tradition going with my daughter.
Books, Books and More Books
What a great thing to add in the basket is a Easter book, it can be religious or a funny bunny book. Whatever it is, kids of all ages love books!
Clothes
This may be boring to some, but this year our 5 year old will get her Easter dress. She just had a birthday and Christmas was just 3 months ago, she doesn’t need anything! So instead I’m getting her practical gifts that she really needs, like socks, underwear, tooth brush, tooth paste, body wash, dress, and tights (maybe some new shoes). She’ll be happy with a dress and new shoes, what girl doesn’t!
For the Older Children
Small Fitness Gear
When the Easter feast and candy have settled, gift your Easter favorite with some small fitness essentials like headbands, and athletic socks, athletic wear for the summer. Since spring means more time outdoors, get a mini-iPod or iTunes gift card for new music or fitness apps for your fit kid.
Gift Cards
For a small-sized basket filler with a lot of opportunity, throw in Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s allows the basket receiver to feed that coffee craving or pick up a healthy lunch once Easter has come and passed for those college aged kids.
Magazine subscriptions
Strong and Oxygen are very empowering to young women, and also Men’s Health and Women Health Magazine–give them the motivation with healthy information.
Now the EGG-ercise challenge
With each egg fill up each one with a new exercise, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, plank and walk-out planks. Hide them around the house after lunch and dinner and with your family. You all have to divide them between family (it is only fair) and perform a set of workouts, if you have a big family make sure to get a couple packs of the eggs to make sure you all get enough. You can make it a longer workout by do so more rounds of your set of exercises, or complete the exercises every hour on the hour! Make it a fun challenge to do with the entire family and get some of that EGG-tra energy out! Here is a little clip from last weeks radio show, I brought Kelly a little Easter gift to share with her friends: http://mix949.com/exercising-or-playing-at-work-you-decide/?trackback=fbshare
I hate to be the bear of bad news but….
Here are some of calories are in some of our favorite Easter treats, with of course, some examples of how much you have to do to burn the sugar rush off. This is just a another reason to hide those little exercises in the plastic Easter eggs for yourself!
The calorie burn is off of a 150 lbs. woman.
5 marshmallow chicks (140 calories):
- -Walk for 39 minutes or
- -Run for 1.5 miles or
- -Use the elliptical for 24 minutes.
1 cream-filled chocolate egg (150 calories):
- -Jump rope for 12 minutes or
- -Do yoga for 40 minutes or
- -15 minutes of HIIT workout.
15 jelly beans (160 calories):
- -Spin class for 25 minutes or
- -Go grocery shopping for 45 minutes or
- -Circuit-train for 20 minutes.
1 peanut-butter egg (180 calories):
- -Swim (freestyle stroke) for 15 minutes or
- -Do high-impact aerobics (Step) for 24 minutes or
- -Go bowling (2 people and continuously playing) for 55 minutes.
1 1/2-oz. solid chocolate bunny (240 calories):
- -Jog for 25 minutes or
- -Racquetball for 26 minutes or
- -Zumba for 30 minutes.
Remember 3500 calories makes a pound so think about that when you are reaching for more of that chocolate bunny or PEEPS. AND remember the sugar craving you will get for the days after. Those are killer!
Enjoy your Eater weekend, with what matter most. Make memories and celebrate with your friends and family!
Dayna