The Easter Bunny needs some good suggestions for healthier Easter basket goodies that don’t include loads of sugary junk. If you’re like us, he will still bring some of the sweet treats, but nothing like he used to back before we knew better.
What ideas can you share with the Easter Bunny for either small toys and other non-food Easter goodies, or less junky treats?
Thank you and I’ll be sure to pass all your comments and information along to him. 🙂
- Counteracting the effects of junk food – this post is good for after Easter, also the comments have great Christmas stocking stuffer alternatives that would work for Easter baskets, too.
My kids are still really young (9 months, 2.5 and 3.5). The older two are getting bubbles, fun Band-Aids (Toy Story and Hello Kitty), a coloring book, and some water balloons. I also bought each a tiny box of goldfish crackers from the dollar section at Target (something I NEVER buy, and they think is a real treat). I was going to do an egg hunt with natural Yummy Earth gummy bears and lollipops, but then I found out that my MIL already bought stuff to do an egg hunt at her house after church on Easter. I know it will be standard grocery store candy, so I’ll probably let each kid eat the candy from one or two eggs, and then I’ll throw the rest away once we get home. Once they’re older, I plan on buying most of their candy from them, but they’re young enough that they won’t notice it is gone.
Colored Hard-Boiled eggs.
Young kids don’t really care what they’re hunting so it’s easy to make your own traditions. We had baskets of toys growing up with just a little candy hid around the house in Easter grass.
At our house, we mostly enjoy finding hard boiled eggs we’ve dyed and a special meal. This year my sob will get a little candy, but only enough to enjoy that day.
Would your kids like something like coconut-date rolls, or “fudge” made with coconut oil or butter, cocoa or carob, and maybe some soaked nuts or shredded coconut, all mixed together and then refrigerated? They might be a bit messy after sitting out for the hunt. 🙂 Maybe chocolate-dipped fruit like berries?
Our church had a huge Easter Egg Hunt today, and my son so wanted to participate. I knew it would all be eggs filled with candies he can’t have, so I made up a bunch of eggs to use to trade with him. We don’t do refined sugar at our house – I don’t even buy it. But for this, as a special treat, I filled his eggs with organic jelly beans that I bought at Harvest Health Foods (a mini bag, and then I split it up and put about 5 beans in each egg) and little individual Dagoba chocolate Bites, and Endangered Species Bug Bites, and Heavenly Organic Honey Chocolate Mint patties. He was VERY happy to exchange the Egg Hunt Eggs for his special eggs. For his Easter Basket, he’ll have a few more of those filled eggs, ClifKids Twisted Fruit Ropes, Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, with some larger eggs filled with Matchbox Cars (he’s 6), then also a DVD or book.
EB always included a book (springtime subject, like ducks or lambs), maybe fun shoestrings, or new tennis shoes/sandals, jump rope or paddleball. I always had homemade cookies or cupcakes and trail mix.
EB also always delivered on Friday night, meaning Saturday was Easter Basket day, not Sunday! My boys enjoyed the basket all day Saturday, then Sunday morning the focus was back on the risen Savior. The real reason for Easter.
My son has just started enjoying chapter books so he will get a new chapter book, bookmark, and perhaps a book light he can use in bed. And an enjoy life boomy bar.
Just got my son’s “basket” today which is a little tote bag full of some new BPA free plastic wear, a spiderman puzzle, a wooden pinwheel for the garden and a bug catching set with a net, magnifier and bug house.
This year the kiddo’s are going to get a Larabar, homemade chocolate chip cookies, beef jerky, and a box of Annies Mac and cheese. We also do an Easter egg hunt and put money in the Easter eggs and pieces of paper with the items that won’t fit in the eggs like a jar of peanut butter , Mac and cheese, Larabars, fruit strips.
My husband always has to have a basket, as well as our boys. He doesn’t eat much chocolate because it keeps him up at night. For years I put the same chocolate bunny in his basket. After Easter I would put it back in the freezer until the next year. Get it out, put it back. I think I finally threw it away!
Great question! I just realized today that I only have a week to come up with stuff for five Easter baskets. Ack!
I’ve already bought my daughter two cute flower pins for her hair. I was going to head to Five Below and pick up some airplane kits for the middle two boys. I’ll probably pick up an electronic accessory for my oldest, and a big ball for the toddler.
I am still doing food in the baskets, but this year the food will come from Trader Joe’s. My kids love the fruit rollups and the cookies. Some organic chocolate would be well received, too, I’m sure. 🙂
Our baskets always come with some new summer pjs, a book or two and always eggs with quarters and dollar bills. There is also a bottle of bubbles because that always makes us feel like summer is just around the corner!
Although we don’t do Easter Baskets, we sometimes give the 3 boys a gift. This year it will be the 5th in the series “What’s in the Bible”, by Phil Vischer. He is the Veggie Tale guy. These videos are great for older kiddos.
I’ve tried to make it a point to not make all those candy rich holidays so candy based at our house because I grew up with a major sugar problem and now have to deal with the after effects. I don’t want my girls to go down that road if I can help it. They will get one small dark chocolate bunny, a book each, a movie to share and a couple small fun toys. I make them special treats on a regular basis to avoid all the processed ingredients they are allergic to and they love those. They would be just as happy with a basket of homemade treats or clementines and cucumbers I’m sure. Seriously. The younger you start, the easier it is to avoid the sweets!
Great ideas ladies! We do a toothbrush to compensate for the candy. They only get one small bunny (about the size of a silver dollar) and a mini bag of m&m’s (their favorite)! We do swimsuits (need them anyway) a book and a CD or DVD. Because the grandparents go crazy, we can trade them candy for coins. That works sometimes for Easter and Halloween! Blessings!
My kids are now too old for Easter baskets, but if they weren’t they would get beef jerky and beef sticks from U.S. Wellness meats. They love those!
Though we don’t do the “easter bunny” our kids are getting dark chocolate covered almonds and macadamia nuts, beef jerky, their own bottles of water kefir “soda,” and outside toys like airplane gliders and a kickball.
I do an Easter Egg hunt and put coins, funky erasers, those sticky animals, bracelets, tattoos and stickers in them. In their baskets I usually do bubbles, a kite, action figures, markers, etc. Oh and usually find some sort of natural candy to put – usually those vitamin c pops.
My kids are small yet–2 1/2 and almost 4. I put a lot of small toys in the Easter baskets, a little candy of the more natural & sometimes homemade sort, and we have fun coloring Easter eggs, since they LOVE hardboiled eggs anytime.
We just shopped for the kids’s Easter “baskets”. They will each get a book and a craft kit of some sort from us–part of the restocking of the house for summer activities. Then the Easter bunny will bring them each a small chocolate bunny and some socks. Somehow socks became an Easter tradition without me being aware that it was happening! Of course we’ll dye eggs to be eaten as deviled eggs the following week
We always include a cool looking toothbrush and tube of toothpaste in candy baskets.
My girls are still small, so they are getting plastic eggs with coins for their piggy banks, kids’ gardening gloves and tools, maple candies, and color/paint books. My mother-in-law always makes them their own baskets, as well, and those are usually filled with toys, clothes, and not-Mom-approved candy. The girls usually trade in their candy for a toy they really want, instead. I hit up the natural candy store last year, which was a fun treat, but most of the candy’s still in the girls’ “stashes.”
We are reducing the craziness of last year’s candy haul. We will still let them participate in church and school Easter (plastic) egg hunts. At home, we are going to dye real eggs with Easter symbols and scriptures on them and hide those while the kids watch an Easter cartoon of the resurrection. In their baskets, I’m going to a friend’s house to make chocolate easter candy. It may still be chocolate but with one bunny and 3 or 4 small pieces specially made for them from mommy seems more special. I’m also including a book of boy poems for each of them and, depending on the relatives gifts, some bubbles or small toy or Easter activity book to do during church. We are really trying to keep the focus this year while still having the fun stuff of hunts, candy, and maybe a fluffy sheep. 🙂 Happy Easter everyone.
the easter bunny always brings the kids some type of outdoor activity. like tennis ball and rackets or croquet set, etc. there is also candy. this year I spent way too much at the natural candy store for dye-free easter basket candy. i’ve also been honing an easy coconut butter based chocolate recipe and got cute easter molds to make them in. yum. easy recipe, all nourishing foods, no guilt whatsoever. i actually snack on these during the day when i’m ravenous and don’t have time to stop and make lunch yet. the fat from coconut and almond butter keeps me going until i can make a real food lunch. doesn’t hurt that they taste amazing.
https://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2011/04/real-easter-chocolates-simple-anyone.html
Depending on age, my twins are getting sippy cups, bath/beach toys, and snack catcher cups! Also a few books and some spring time socks and flip flops 🙂
I have a question for anyone here, what is the difference between HFCS and corn syrup?
Rebecca, this post (don’t miss the comments) has everything you ever wondered about those products: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/meet-a-woman-on-a-mission-to-rid-the-food-supply-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html
Kelly
Kelly,
My friend told me there is a syrup on the market that doesn’t have HFCS in it, but the first ingredient is corn syrup. In the link you gave me, it stated Corn syrup = 100% glucose and HFCS is a blend of fructose and glucose. I am thinking that neither of them are great to eat. She should be giving her children something else, like maple syrup. That has sucrose and traces of fructose and glucose. Besides it having those items it also has minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. What should I tell my friend?
I doubt its organic, so it’s got GMOs, too. I’d only use organic corn syrup (not sure if there even is such a thing though) for the rare recipe like pecan pie (although I think at that same link there were alternate recipes for that), & definitely use real maple syrup for breakfast syrup since it’s natural, easy to find, & has some nutrients like you said. 🙂
My mom used to give us a book and something pretty to wear to Easter Sunday services – ruffled socks, sparkly jewelry, a pair of white gloves. I was a girly-girl & a bookworm, so I loved it. The jellybeans generally went unnoticed in the bottom of the basket to be discovered and pitched the following year.
@ mommyofmany, I love the idea of easter eggs with money in it. I think I will use that idea this year.
Any other ideas you would like to share?
Thank you Kelly for bringing this up. I went grocery shopping on Tuesday and was trying to figure out what I wanted to to do. I wanted to doeven less candy this year. So, I have chocolate bunnies in my cupboard right now. Guess that is less.
I haven’t done much planning this year, I need to get my bottom moving since it is only a week away.
As the years go on and more children were added to the family, my ideas changed. Instead of having a basket for everyone in the family, we have a family basket. That help reduced the candy. Then I started putting in less and less candy. We usually add in, one chocolate bunny for each member (8) and a bag of jelly beans. Added to that, we usually have a family movie, bubbles, chalk, and some kind of fun summer toys. Because my children are getting older, two teens in the mix, I need to plan differently.
Ok, I think will have family movie again. Then I will go to the our local teen hangout and get a gift card for the two teens. I also want to give the other children special drinking bottles and garden tools. Then something small for everyone. Not sure what yet.
Hi Kelly!
I just posted a recipe for Chocolate / Carob Coconut Nests filled with Fudge Eggs.
Here is the link: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/desserts/chocolatecarob-coconut-nests/.
Hope the Bunny likes them!
adrienne, if I have time, I’m planning a home-made easter candy recipe round up post to go with my chocolate recipe. may I link to your Coconut nests? Post goes up Tue/Wed next week.
Last year I had a good response for a couple of t-shirts in the basket where the easter grass would be and different colors of fabric paint tucked into plastic eggs arranged cutely on top. This year we are making our own candies and I am getting those little Moleskine journals from the bookstore where I work and decorating the fronts of them with each childs initials.
Renee, I love the special presents you give your children at Easter. Those gifts sounds like the making for some great & fun childhood memories! Here’s an Organic Dark Choc Easter bunny: https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/Chocolates/organic-easter-chocolate/organic-easter-bunny.aspx?utm_medium=feeds&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=1006&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=45353132303031303032
Dear Carly,
Just posting a corrected link for this particular chocolate bunny — Happy Easter! https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/organic-dark-chocolate-bunny.html
Whoops- I lost my comments the first time because I didn’t leave my email addresss 🙂
Love Susan’s treasure hunt idea!
Our family tradition is to receive new kites, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, flower and veggie seeds- or anything that takes us outside and celebrates new life. Four years ago we dumped a bag full of comet goldfish from Meijer in our pond- they are still there!
I’d also like to know where to find real dark chocolate EBs…
Like Renee, the EB brings outside toys and art supplies for my daughter. Just like Santa, the EB brings my daughter only what she knowns she will need for the spring/summer. Very little candy in her basket. The candy she does receive are the natural candies from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Oh, the EB also hides special red colored eggs (hard boiled) outside (if nice weather) or inside for her to find. These eggs are then taken to the cemetary and place on the gravesites of my grandparents and greatgrandparents on Easter afternoon.
Oh I love this idea – we’re going to put these on my Dad’s and nieces’ graves, thank you for that special idea!
We have bought some soft toys and plastic eggs with toys inside. However I am still desperate for some substitute for chocolate so can you please share your recipes or links? What is your mock choc recipe Susan??
This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately given my six year old is on the SCD and can’t have any of the typical bunny-delivered treats. I was thinking of asking him to do a treasure hunt with one nice toy at the end because I am trying to clear clutter and don’t want anymore small items entering our house if I can help it. I came up with a pretty decent SCD legal chocolate-like substitute and may pass along the recipe to the Easter bunny so he can make Easter themed mock chocolates to include in the hunt. Looking forward to reading other ideas!
My children appreciate the plastic egg with the dollar in it the best!