Healthy Options for Easter Treats
Easter is another holiday over the course of the year that is chock full of sticky, gooey candy and foods high in sugar and fat. These kinds of foods can be hard on the health of your teeth, leading to increased chances of decay.
Newberg dentist Dr. Jennifer McLeod and her team at Newberg Family Dental encourage patients of all ages to avoid these kinds of foods, but it can be tough. Here are some ways to provide healthy snacks without taking away any of your family’s Easter fun!
Focus on Bunny Treats
What is a bunny’s favorite snack? A carrot, of course!
If you want to help your kids eat like bunnies, provide a bunch of baby or cut carrots that are easy to reach. Allow them to dress up their carrots with a wide range of dipping choices, including hummus, peanut butter, almond butter, spinach dip, or ranch dressing and let the healthy snacking begin!
Colorful Egg Salad
One of the most enjoyable parts of Easter is coloring the eggs. Once the eggs have all been found, it’s time to turn them into a healthy and colorful snack! Peel the shells from each decorated egg and create a colorful and tasty egg salad. Serve this on bread as a convenient answer to what’s for lunch or dinner, or make it more of a snack with pita chips along with garnishes of carrots and celery for extra crunch.
A Playful Easter Salad
Salads basically combine a wide variety of vegetables and fruits that are delicious and wholesome. To make these fruits and veggies a bit more fun for your kids this Easter, provide choices of fruits and vegetables cut into shapes that could be made into a bunny.
Allow kids to create their bunnies on a large lettuce leaf as a “canvas,” encouraging them to be creative. One example is to start with a slice of pineapple for a cute bunny face. Carefully cut apple slices to make the bunny ears, and cut olives, cucumber or carrots can be used to make a bunny nose, eyes, and whiskers. Help younger children cut out the shapes they need and watch the healthy creativity unfold!
Spring Nests for Healthy Snacks
Easter is a hallmark of the spring season. Usually you can find nests made out of chocolate and coconut, which isn’t the healthiest of snacks. For a healthier version, crumble about 5 or 6 large shredded wheat pieces into a bowl with 3/4 of a cup of coconut. Add 1/4 cup brown or organic sugar if desired and stir. Add 1/2 a stick of melted butter to start (you may need to add a bit more).
Press this mixture gently into muffin cups to form the shape of nests. Bake them for ten minutes at 350 degrees. Once they’re cooled, remove them from the pan and fill with fresh fruit or yogurt for a delicious treat!
Spring is a great time to get some dental spring cleaning done for your teeth! Call our dental office in Newberg, Oregon at 503-254-8287 to make an appointment.