Easter is just around the corner, bringing with it a bombardment of chocolate delights and other sweet treats for our little ones to enjoy. If you’re worried the Easter Bunny is going to bring his friend the Tooth Fairy along with his this Easter, take a look at some of these fab sugar swap ideas to help your kiddies enjoy the festivities whilst avoiding dental dramas.
- Fruit bunny faces
If you’re looking for a cute and quirky way to get your kids to enjoy more fruit, injecting a little creativity in the kitchen can go a long way. Try using a round slice of fruit (e.g. pineapple or melon) for a face, banana halves for ears, blueberries for eyes, a raspberry for a nose and carrot sticks for whiskers. You could even create a mouth from a drizzle of jam to present your little ones with a fun and friendly looking bunny. These are fun for both you and the children to make, and can be enjoyed as a fun snack or a fruity dessert.
- Rice cake chicks
Rice cakes are a yummy and healthy snack option and you can easily convert them into all manner of different animals using a little imagination and some brightly coloured fruits or vegetables. Add a yellow pineapple beak, a couple of raisin eyes and some little carrot feet to make your rice cake chirp to life!
- Healthy Easter muffins
Muffins are a delicious and versatile treat but are usually laden with sugar and full of calories. Rather than using traditional recipes, why not opt for healthier versions, such as such as sweetcorn and basil or sugar-free fruit muffins? They taste spectacular and are much better for your kids than their sugary alternatives. There are tons of recipes online and on social media sites like Pinterest.
- Sugar-free smoothies
Shop-bought smoothies boast numerous health benefits but they can be deceptive in terms of their sugar content. If you make your own smoothies at home, you can control what goes in and you’ll be making your kids a tasty and healthy alternative to fizzy drinks. Dentists such as those in clinics like Sparkle Dental Boutique highly recommend making your own smoothies instead and with the wide combination of flavours to try – who wouldn’t want to have a go? Make it fun for the kids by choosing whacky colours and getting them involved in the process. Popular smoothie ingredients include apple, kiwi, cucumber and mint for a fun bright green smoothie and strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapefruit for a purply-pink hue. If your children are a bit picky about finding bits of pulp in their drink, use a blender that liquidises the fruit rather than just blending it together for a silky smooth drink.
- Easter chick dippy eggs
Boiled eggs and toast soldiers are a popular treat among children, so why not add an Easter twist and turn your shell-free eggs into little chickens? Peel away the shell and use a triangle of yellow pepper for a beak, draw on two eyes using a liquorice pen and create a feather crown out of grated carrot. Voila!
- Carrot bundles
Carrots can be enjoyed both cooked and raw, but some children aren’t keen on the idea of eating them in their bare form. To make carrots a little more interesting to youngsters, why not cut up some carrot batons and tie them with colourful ribbons? These are a great snack to hand out to your little Easter bunnies at parties or Easter Sunday gatherings.
- Breakfast cereals
During the Easter holidays, it’s sometimes tempting to let our kids indulge in sweet treats, but all that sugar has major health complications in the long-run. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and beginning with a healthy, filling breakfast will fuel your child for the day ahead. Swap sugary breakfast cereals and toast covered in jam and chocolate spread for a bowl of porridge with honey and fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals or brown bread with a little butter.
- Dipped strawberries
Strawberries are bursting with vitamin C and are usually a big hit with kids due to their sweet taste and bright, fun colour. If you don’t want your child gorging on chocolate bars and Easter eggs, dipped strawberries make an excellent compromise. Cover half the strawberry in melted dark chocolate and freeze until later. Once defrosted, these are a delicious Easter treat that also contain health benefits!
- Mini vegetable gardens
Vegetables are a notoriously tricky terrain for parents, but if you’re willing to get arty in your quest to get your child to try new things, creating masterpieces out of vegetables might just do the trick. Mini vegetable gardens are relatively easy to make and depending how adventurous you’re feeling, you could add little Easter animals like chicks and bunny rabbits. You can create a green lawn with broccoli, lettuce, peppers or courgettes and make flowers out of peppers, tomatoes and carrots. Getting the children to help out and make their own mini gardens will make them more likely to try eating them afterwards.
- Healthy bird nests
Bird nests are traditionally created with chocolate rice crispies or cornflakes, but you can swap the sugary cereals for healthier ingredients for the same visual effect. Mini breadsticks and shredded wholegrain crackers can provide a healthier version of Easter nests and these can keep the kiddies feeling full until dinner time. You might also want to swap the chocolate mini eggs for sugared almonds or dried fruit for a lighter alternative.
Encouraging your children to eat healthily can be difficult, especially at a time of year when there are so many chocolatey treats around. That said, it is possible to enjoy Easter without putting your child’s general and dental health at risk. Sugary treats are fine in moderation, but these healthy sugar swaps will help you to navigate the holidays without any tooth troubles. If you’re stuck for Easter ideas and want some inspiration, visit sites such as Instagram and Pinterest for images and instructions on how to produce some amazing edible creations.
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