Easter Basket Ideas: Alternatives to chocolate

 Alternatives to chocolate-laden Easter Baskets

by Cari Coulter

Here are a few chocolate free ideas to fill your child’s Easter basket:

1. Most jelly candies, hard candies, and lollipops are fat free- my biggest tip for a healthier Easter basket is to include a couple of these nonfat candies with things like dried cranberries or other dried fruits, mini fruits like cutie Clementine’s and Chiquita mini bananas (kids love kid-sized fruits- there is even a brand called Lil Snappers that makes smaller versions of fruits for kids).

2. Fun non-food items such as Easter themed socks, stickers, or books, chalk, bubbles, stuffed animals are all great alternatives to fill a basket or individual eggs.

3. Including toys that promote outdoor activity like a jump rope, bouncy ball, cardboard plane or kite kit, gardening tools (seeds, gloves, and shovel- you could even use a watering can as an Easter basket) are fun and visual ideas for kids.

Cari Coulter RD, LD, Program Director Wellspring Wisconsin. Cari is a registered dietitian and previously served as Wellspring New York’s nutrition instructor during the 2006-2008 summer seasons. She graduated with honors from Miami University with a BA in psychology and a minor in nutrition and completed her dietetic coursework at NYU’s Steinhardt Graduate School before heading to the University of Houston for her dietetic internship. She has since worked in both clinical and corporate health environments, but has happily returned to Wellspring to serve as the Wisconsin Camp’s director. During the rest of the year she resides in Katy, Texas with her husband Dave and yellow lab Gabe.