Holidays... Healthy snack ideas for Easter
EASTER HOLIDAYS... LET'S BE HEALTHIER!
Healthy Snacks Ideas for Easter
Are you on the hunt for some healthier, blood-sugar-friendly Easter treats?
With Easter on the horizon, temptation is everywhere!
The shop shelves are lined with inviting boxes containing indulgent chocolate eggs. Here are some amazing sugar-free alternatives to Easter eggs.
Candy can easily become a focal point of Easter.
In addition to including these less sugary treats on the menu, try to make the holiday more about FUN than food. If you go to a community Easter egg hunt where the eggs are filled with candy, have your kids pick a few of their favourites to eat right away and then save the rest for later. If you do a hunt at home, opt for filling the eggs with items other than candy (small toys, stickers, bouncy balls, coins, bracelets, etc.).
Look at egg hunts as a way to get your kids outside and moving—which may hopefully help their blood sugar stay within range!
Eggs Bunny
6 eggs
4 radishes
12 fresh chives
24 black peppercorns, whole
400 g (850 ml) cheddar cheese, or any other cheese
1. Boil the eggs for at least 8 minutes so you can cut them into halves without the egg yolks running.
2. Place the egg halves on a plate with the sunny side down. With the tip of a knife, cut two semi-circular slits for the ears. Cut the radishes thinly and gently push down two slices into each egg.
3. Poke two tiny holes for the eyes and push in a black peppercorn for each eye.
4. Put a chive leaf under each egg so it looks like a tail.
5. Dice the cheese and place next to the mice.
Eggs Chick
6 hardboiled eggs
1.5 tbs Plain Green yogurt
1.5 tbs Low Fat Mayonnaise
1/2 tbs Sundried tomatoes, chopped very finely
1 tsp Dry mustard
1/8 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Small Carrot
12 Peppercorns
1. De-shell the eggs and cut the top 1/4 off each egg making sure to save the top (it’s the head topper!). Then, cut a very small sliver of egg off from the bottom so that it’s able to stand upright.
2. Very carefully, use a small spoon (I use a baby spoon and paring knife) to scoop out the yolk from the egg being extra careful not to break the egg. Once all yolks have been scooped into a bowl add in the dry mustard, sundried tomatoes, yogurt, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill.
4. Prepare the carrots. Peel the carrots as usual. Then, use the julienne peeler to strip the carrot into thin stems and cut them so they’re roughly 3/4 inch long. You need 42 small pieces (36 for the feet and 6 for the noses).
5. In each egg, poke in six carrots towards the bottom to mimic “feet” on chickens. Do this for all the eggs, gently placing them on your serving tray when finished. Fill a piping bag with the egg mixture and carefully pipe the mixture back into each of the eggs making sure it comes up about half an inch over the top. Careful not to fill the eggs too much so they explode.
6. Take the tops of the eggs and carefully place them on top of the yolk mixture at an angle leaving room for a “face.” Next, take the tweezers and place the peppercorns in for eyes and the triangle carrots in for the nose.
That’s it! Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Devilish Chicks
8 extra-large eggs, hard-boiled
Your favorite recipe for deviled egg filling (I like to use real mayonaisse, salt, pepper and just a sprinkle of celery seed. Some people like to add prepared mustard)
4 pimento stuffed olives, sliced thin
1 carrot for cutting feet and beak or a red bell pepper for beak
Place eggs in saucepan of cold water.
Bring to a boil over med-high heat, STIRRING GENTLY AND CONSTANTLY, *this keeps the yolks in the centre.
Boil and gently stir for 2 minutes.
Place on tight fitting lid and turn off heat.
Let sit for 25 minutes.
Carefully put eggs into bowl of ice water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Carefully peel eggs, rinse with cold water, place on paper towelling. Cut a thin slice off bottom of each egg so they stand up. With a paring knife, cut top third of egg off in a zig-zag patter and carefully remove tops. Scoop out the yolks. You may need to use your paring knife to break up yolks inside to get them out without breaking the white.
Place yolks in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork or pastry cutter and add enough mayonaisse (as you like) to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and mustard or celery seed, if desired.
Overfill bottom egg white "shell" with filling, place top "shell" on carefully pressing very gently. Place two olive slices for "eyes", pressing them into the filling gently.
Push 2 triangles of carrot or red pepper into filling to make beak. I also cut 'feet' from a thin slice of carrot by cutting out several triangle shapes from the circle of carrot.
Easter Bunny Porridge
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups milk, soya milk or water
Small pinch of salt
Chocolate dots (or currents)
Apricot jam
Chocolate ice-cream topping
Halved strawberries
Red apple, cut into segments for the ears and thin strips for the whiskers
1. Combine the oats and milk or water in a large saucepan, cooking at a medium heat.
2. Add salt and stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Cook at a steady simmer, stirring regularly, until it forms a smooth, creamy porridge (approximately five or six minutes). Cook for longer if your family likes thicker porridge or add a dash of milk/water if they prefer it runnier.
Decorating time
1. Pour the cooked porridge into bowls.
2. Add two apple segment ears to the top of each bowl.
3. Place two chocolate dot eyes in the centre, with a small drop of jam underneath each one for the cheeks.
4. Carefully draw a nose and mouth with chocolate sauce and add apple whiskers.
5. Serve with strawberries on the side.
For young ones, adjust the toppings to your toddler’s eating stage. Try cooked apple for the bunny ears if you prefer.
Carrot Patches
hummus
baby carrots
curly parsley
small terra cotta pots
1. Spoon hummus into small cups that will fit inside the pots.
2. Shortly before serving, poke a hole in the carrots using a toothpick and insert a small piece of parsley. You’ll want 3 to 4 carrots per pot.
3. “Plant” the carrots in the pot by putting the carrots in the hummus. As a bonus, you can also send home carrot seeds with the pots so each person can plant their own carrots at home!
Cheese and cracker Chicks
2 large whole wheat crackers
2 slices of cheese—marble or cheddar will work
1 baby carrot
Handful of spinach leaves
Black gel food colouring and toothpick
Sharp kitchen knife
1. Using your kitchen knife, or a smaller circle cookie cutter if you have one, slice your cheese into circles that are slightly smaller than your crackers. Place these cheese slices on each of your crackers.
2. Using your knife again, slice three thin rounds off your baby carrot. Two of these rounds will be the chick’s feet. For the third round, cut a triangle out of it and place on the chick for the beak.
3. With the remaining piece of baby carrot, slice thin strips lengthwise using your knife. You’ll need about six of them for the chick’s head feathers.
4. Grab a handful of spinach leaves and place around the chicks for added nutrition and colour.
5. Finally, using a toothpick and a tiny dab of black gel food colouring, dot two eyes on each chick.
Easter Nest Bagels
2 bagels
4 Tbs cream cheese or hummus
1 large carrot
¼ cucumber
First split each of the bagels in half. Pop the bagel halves into the toaster and toast until golden brown.
Spread your choice of hummus or cream cheese over the cut side of each bagel half.
Using a julienne peeler, cut the carrot into thin straw-like strips. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, you can also use a sharp knife to cut the carrot into really thin strips or you could even grate the carrot instead.
Arrange the carrot strips on top of each bagel half to form nest shapes. Depending on the size of your carrot, you may need to cut some of the strips in half to make this easier.
Cut egg shapes from the cucumber slices using a round or oval shaped mini bento cutter.
Place three of the cucumber eggs into the centre of each bagel nest.
Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Note: If making for an Easter gathering, get ahead by cutting the carrot strips and cucumber eggs, storing them in the fridge in a plastic bag or air-tight box up to a day in advance.
Easter Bunny Pancakes
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Per bunny face:
One banana
2 blueberries
1/2 strawberry
1 cheese single
1. Heat a skillet with cooking spray and while you’re waiting, stir all the pancake ingredients until blended.
2. For each bunny face, you’ll make three pancakes – one large around 5 inches, and two small around 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You might want to consider a pancake dispenser if you like perfection!
3. Cook pancakes until the edges are dry. Flip and cook until golden. Remove from the grill and organize on your plate as shown on the bunny face.
Peel a banana and slice about 1 inch off one end.
4. Cut the long portion into two ears. Cut three pieces from the remaining inch. Two of the circles will be eyes. Cut the other circle in half and create the teeth.
5. Cut a strawberry and add the nose. Add the blueberries on the eyes.
6. Cut the cheese single into strips and make the whiskers.
Serve!
Bagel Bunnies
Mini bagels
Cream cheese
Two apples – one red, one green
Banana
Chocolate chips
Two strawberries
Mini circle cutter (optional)
1. Slice and spread your bagels with cream cheese.
2. Cut two wedges from each apple to make bunny ears, then balance them under the bagels.
3. Cut two slices of banana and place them toward the bottom. Use a fondant mini circle cutter to cut a nose from a piece of red apple skin. If you don’t have a cutter, you can easily freehand a triangle nose, use a strawberry tip, or throw on an extra chocolate chip.
4. Place two chocolate chips on each bagel for eyes, wedging the pointy tip into the cream cheese.
5. Cut off the tops of two strawberries, then slice each in half.
6. Place two strawberry halves under one bagel to make a bowtie, and the other two halves on top of the other to make a hair bow.
Serve for breakfast or as a snack. Hoppy eating :)
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