Ideas for an Organic Easter

With Easter coming up, it’s time to make a plan. And that plan should include healthier natural options. Last year was our first Easter after switching to organic foods. I didn’t have a blog then so I didn’t write down everything we did but I do have some pictures from the occasion. I remember doing something wrong with the natural egg dyes. I don’t remember if it was that I didn’t include the vinegar or if I followed something else incorrectly. We also tried to do all the dyes the day of, so that was a bad idea to begin with. My poor husband was such a trooper through all my crazy ideas. He tried to help me with all of that but we just didn’t have enough time and really should have done some experimenting prior. Our bunny cookies turned out great though! But some of the frosting did get a little runny, as you can see in the picture towards the bottom of this post.

My kids loved everything we did, even if it didn’t work out. It was a fun experience and they didn’t miss all the junk they had in previous years, or the big stuffed bunny that only gets played with for a couple days. It’s all about family, fun, and making memories. As long as we are together doing something, they are happy. Holidays have really got out of control. They can be whatever we make them. So let’s make them great! Our kids will only be young for a short amount of time and then they won’t be into any of this anymore anyway.

 

Easter baskets

 

The Easter Baskets:
We reuse the baskets and the ‘filling’ (grass, shredded paper, whatever you want to call it). And I put things like color books & crayons, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, any small toys, stickers, Annie’s bunny fruit snacks, one of our chocolate bunny cookies (recipe below), and there are natural candy options out there. I have even got them a cool new shirt, rolled it up and stuck it in their basket.

bunny egg holder

 

Dying Eggs Naturally:
We tried dying the eggs naturally and I think it could work, but they have to sit in the dye for a longer period of time and we didn’t wait. This would be good especially if you will be eating the eggs after the kids hunt for them. And I hate to see them go to waste. Here’s a great recipe for the natural egg dye, by MommyPotamus: http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally-with-everyday-ingredients/. I bought these bunny egg holders to dip the eggs in the dye (see the picture to the right with Tyler holding one – isn’t he just so cute???) 🙂 I really don’t remember where I got them. It could have been Walmart or Target. But I just recently saw a tip on using a whisk to hold the eggs while dipping them. That sounds like a great idea!

 

Filling Plastic Eggs for an Egg Hunt:
We reuse the plastic eggs every year and fill them with little toys, stickers, tattoos, erasers, money, etc. You could have a golden egg that has either a $2 bill in it or a larger amount of money. And if you still want to do candy there are organic candy options out there. I have found candies that look like M&Ms but they don’t have any artificial colors and jelly beans at Trader Joe’s that are made with fruit/vegetable extracts for the colors. Another idea is to do a scavenger hunt with the plastic eggs! I think I will do that this year since the egg dying didn’t work out last year and I may not be up to trying it again this time. But I might try it again the following year. 😉

 

bunny cookies

 

bunny cookie cutterRecipe for the Bunny Cookies

Cookies: I used this sugar cookie recipe and then used the bunny cookie cutter to the left: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sugar-cookies/detail.aspx (using organic ingredients, real butter, and cane sugar of course). Here’s a similar bunny cookie cutter on Amazon:

Frosting: I used these ideas for coloring the frosting and then just mixed powdered sugar with milk to make the frosting (keep mixing and adding until you have the right consistency): http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-ways-to-make-organic-diy-food-coloring.html. Spinach is definitely great for green and you don’t taste it. Carrots works for orange, turmeric is that golden color you can see on one of the bunny cookies in the picture. Red cabbage for blue and purple, and beets make a great red/pink! You don’t taste the beets either. Then I melted carob chips or dark chocolate chips for the chocolate frosting.

Update: I made these cookies the following year. It’s the same cookie recipe using the cookie cutter to make the bunny shapes, and I made some circles that are like the eggs. Then I just melted some chocolate chips (add a little milk while melting on the stove if you want), and drizzled or spread it over the top. So easy!

chocolate bunny cookies

 

Easter Breakfast:
For a fun Easter breakfast, you could use the cookie cutter shown above and make bunny-shaped pancakes. My Apple Cinnamon Pancake recipe would be perfect. You can dress them up however you like. Make a face using fruit, add a little whip cream, or just plain with real butter and real maple syrup. Or another breakfast idea is the quiche recipe shown below.

bunny shaped pancakes

 

Easter Brunch:
Quiche would make a great Easter brunch! Here’s the recipe: http://organicfibromommies.com/2013/12/quiche-two-ways/. You could also make quiche cups. I haven’t tried making the quiche cups using my quiche recipe but there is a recipe in the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook  

quiche two ways

 

Appetizers:
Here are my party appetizers for some ideas. We like to do deviled eggs, a fruit and veggie platter, and cheese & crackers usually. Party Appetizers: http://organicfibromommies.com/2013/12/party-appetizers/.

 

Easter Dinner:
For Easter Dinner we usually bake a ham, with some baked macaroni ‘n cheese on the side.

Here’s my Baked Mac ‘N Cheese recipe: http://organicfibromommies.com/2014/03/baked-mac-n-cheese/.

baked mac 'n cheese

 

Easter baskets 2 And last but not least, something funny. When the kids woke-up last year and saw their Easter baskets, they were just shocked that the Easter bunny knew they eat organic. You can see how shocked Tyler is. 😉

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