I love Easter.

The crisp, cozy autumn weather and the warm spiced scent of Easter treats baking away. And of course, my little guy was born on Easter Sunday on his birth year, so it holds extra special sentiment.

While I love a celebration, I can’t help but feel Grinch-like as I buy Matchbox cars and board books for B’s first real Easter hunt. Good thing he adores them equally.

There was an internal shift for me a while ago driven by the kind of world I want my kid to be part of and I’m becoming more conscious of how my choices contribute to shaping that world.

[Tweet “Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you vote for the kind of world you want to live in.”]

You do it with your words, the things you give your attention to, the opinions you express, the people you invite into your life, the organisations you support. And you do it with your dollar.

Australians are set to spend $3 billion at Easter. I’ll just leave that head-spinning stat here.

On what exactly?
Mounds of sugar and cocoa mass wrapped in coloured tin foil.
And bunny eared ceramic bowls to display them in.
And tin buckets to collect them in while hunting.
And little mossy, green rabbits for your table.
And Easter wreaths for your door.
And half egg-shaped porcelain planters because, Easter!

Oh, apparently Easter trees are a thing. Google it.

On the humbling flip-side, over 2 million Australians seek food relief each year. According to Foodbank half of those are children. With the number of people seeking food relief rising the mere thought of the rest of us contributing to a $3 billion national spend on chocolate makes my heart hurt.

The symbolism of a holy day is marred by a gaudy, sugar-induced, foil-wrapped frenzy.

If you’re looking to minimise the amount of sugar-laden store-bought treats, here are some alternatives that are perfect for sharing, giving as gifts and making with little ones.

---

Easter Treat Alternatives

1. Healthy Hot Cross Muffins

Recipe (and above image) by Teresa Cutter

I’ve made these a few times with the addition of fresh grated apples. I made my own nut flour blend to up the good fat content and the brown rice flour is a cinch to make.

These are hands down my favourite and they make a cheeky healthy breakfast.

---

2. Raw chocolate peanut butter cups 

Recipe by This Rawsome Vegan Life

We always have a batch of these in the freezer. My little boy helps me stir the chocolate mixture together, although he isn’t so understanding when each layer needs time to set before he can get his tiny hands dirty again.

---

3. Raw vegan chocolate Bliss Balls

Recipe by This Rawsome Vegan Life

Who doesn’t love a chocolate bliss ball? There are so many great recipes floating around, I’ve linked to the recipe by Emily from This Rawsome Vegan Life here because hers are my favourite.

 

---

4. Brown Rice Crispy Treats

Recipe by Donna Hay

These are sitting on my Pinterest board for now but they’d make a gorgeous handmade Easter gift. Great one for the kids to get involved with too.

---

5. Chocolate Mint Almond Fudge

I’m a big fan of making fudge squares and gifting them in reusable glass jars. Raw, healthy, homemade and a beautiful accompaniment to a coffee. Thumbs up.

 

---

If you’re ditching chocolate altogether (go you!) here are some non-chocolate Easter gift ideas that are just as sweet.

1. Egg warmers

These super cute bunny ear egg warmers by FeltStory on Etsy.

---

2. DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs

Get creative and make a gorgeous, edible Easter table centrepiece with these Marbled Indigo Eggs via Alice and Lois.

---

3. Egg Tealight Centrepiece

Totally dig this waste-free craft by Little Inspiration. You can get creative with your colour scheme and add some essential oils to your wax for a scented gift.

---

4. Natural food colouring

If you’re colouring eggs here’s a great way to keep your crafts waste free and steer clear of synthetic food dyes. Recipe by Kaley Ann blog – perfect for little hands to play.

And how stunning is this neutral palette by That Kind of Woman.

---

5. Upcycled egg cartons

Visually stunning.  Creative. Waste-conscious.

This is one of my favourite gift packaging ideas. Perfect for housing mini versions of the Healthy Hot Cross buns above or individually wrapped portions of healthy homemade fudge.

Cut some flowers from the garden and decorate with some recycled ribbons.

---

That’s a wrap folks.

Would love to know if you try any of the recipes or craft ideas. And if you have any conscious tips of your own, share away in the comments.

Happy Easter beauties.

C.x