Easter, Done Naturally!

A lot of the time Easter comes second only to Hallowe'en in terms of a sudden influx of sugary treats, and while this may be very exciting for kids (and, um, grown up kids) there are a tons of ways you can make Easter super fun while cutting back on the chocolate binge factor. We've put together a few ideas that work for lovely weekend even of you don't celebrate Easter!  

It’s not difficult to see why eggs are traditional symbols of spring, and of Easter, and while they appear in a vast variety of colourful and sugary forms around this time of year, regular chickens’ eggs are lovely just the way they are and can provide significant nutritional value, particularly as a source of protein and vitamin D. A bowl of simple, hardboiled brown and/or white eggs can actually look gorgeous on a brunch table. That said, decorating eggs—particularly with little ones—is really fun! If you’re keen to try a super natural, hands on approach that will extend the craft aspect of dying Easter eggs (this would be particularly appropriate for kids who are approaching the double digits) you can use a range of natural foods to create your own dyes, including beets, onions, turmeric, hibiscus, and cabbage. There is a fantastic, in-depth tutorial with beautiful images for this on the parenting blog Mommypotamus (cutest blog name ever) that we’d definitely recommend you check out: https://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally-with-everyday-ingredients/

Another thing you can take a natural approach to is the ‘grass’ used under the eggs in your Easter baskets and general decorations. This can be a creative way to use paper or newsprint destined for recycling: if you don’t have a paper shredder, just cut it into thin strips with scissors and if you want to involve the kids, get them to give the paper(s) a lick of green paint or a good rainbow crayoning before you start cutting! Once it’s all cut or shredded, just give it a scrunch (also fun for kids) and voila: nest material! 

Now there are a variety of dietary preferences out there, and we do acknowledge that the egg-centric nature of Easter is not particularly vegan friendly, though if you have a vegan cookie recipe you’re really fond of it can often be easy enough to make egg-shaped versions, and you can of course find vegan options for dark chocolate treats. But we thought that if you are vegan, or are hosting vegans, you might find this post from the awesome blog Oh She Glows super helpful as far as planning a spring brunch. It’s a total treasure trove of delicious sounding vegan recipes that would grace any gathering. 

And to add some excitement for the table for little ones, we offer the following:

That is exactly what it looks like: a simple pancake with a few strategically employed pieces of fruit used to turn it into an adorable baby chick! You can easily swap preferred fruits in and out here, it's basically just small triangle and circles. Using fruit rather than ice cream and sprinkles to embellish things means it becomes more nutritious rather than less, and because there are all kinds of gluten-free, vegan, you name it versions of pancakes available, you can tailor this chick to fit exactly what works for you and your family’s lifestyle. As a final note, we’d just add that it can help to keep in mind that not every element of an Easter basket or egg hunt needs to be an edible treat—small eco-friendly toys can be just as fun and exciting, and will last a whole lot longer :)

However you choose to celebrate spring, we hope you have a really lovely long weekend!