How to Make Healthy Easter Baskets For Your Little Bunnies

Easter is approaching soon, and the stores are already stocking their shelves with delicious chocolate bunnies, colorful jelly beans, precious sweet peeps and giant Easter baskets loaded with all kinds of treats and toys. This time of year can be as pleasant as Halloween for many sugar hungry children, but who says an Easter basket has to be full of addictive, teeth decaying, sweets?

If you don't want you children loading up on the Easter treats than opt for creating a home made Easter basket full of fruit, and sweets, the preparation will be fun, quick and easy, and the gift will prove special since it's a gift coming from your heart and one made using your already scarce time.

What you'll need to create the basket is inexpensive, you'll need;

A Large Easter basket- just the Easter basket- found in many stores like Walgreens, Wal-Mart or even your local dollar or grocery store. They can cost from $1-$8 depending on where you shop.

Colored grass -you can get multiple colors if you want to create a more lively basket. Cost $1-$3

Giant Plastic Eggs of various colors - I use giant eggs because it's a bit safer than the smaller ones that children love to place in their mouth. Cost $1-$5

A few pieces of loose chocolate candy or what ever candy your kids enjoy the most. You want to get candy that's small enough to fit in the eggs too. Cost $2-$4

A small toy or two Cost varies, but dollar stores, Building 19, or Wal-Mart can be an option

Your kid's favorite fruit, keep fruit size and quantity small, it will be less overwhelming and it will look more desirable to kids. Cost $5-$7

If you want to make a religious Easter basket for your child, include

A little blessing book, or a small prayer doll or stuffed animal as toys. You can even place a children's Bible inside of the basket, Precious Moments makes embossed bibles for boys and girls. If you plan on giving your child a cross- necklace you can place it inside of a plastic egg and put it in the basket with the candy filled eggs, make sure you put a little mark on it so you won't accidentally throw it away or loose it. Imagine the expression on your child's face when he/she opens this egg.

Once you have everything you need you can begin

1. Place some colored grass inside of the basket, leave about two inches from the top when filling, this is just so you don't overfill the baskets with grass. Baskets that are overfilled with grass tend to look sloppy.

2. Place the fruit directly in the center leaving some room on the outer edges of the circle.

3. Fill the giant eggs with 2-3 pieces of small candy. I use 6 eggs, but you may use as many as you please, Remember the less eggs the less candy. Once the eggs are all filled, start placing them around the fruit that you have placed in the center, you want the plastic eggs to encase the fruit. Try to use different color eggs, it gives the basket more vividness, and it will appeal more to your child.

4. If you have brought your kid a toy or two place them horizontally from each other, place one toy to the far right, and the other to the far left.

5. Finally tie a bright ribbon on top of the basket's handle.

(It's optional,) place 4 little Dum Dum lollipops in an upright position inside the basket in various places, so that they are sticking out the grass.

Try not to place candy in between the layers of grass, because it can be very frustrating for kids, to tear away at all of that grass, to try and find their candy. Placing everything on top of the grass will make clean- up easier.

-Have fun with the baskets, be creative, also instead of candy you can place your home made treats inside of the basket.

-Your kids can enjoy candy, just minimize their intake, and brush teeth right after they eat sweets.

-Always supervise young children with the baskets, as the eggs, small candy, toys, and grass can pose as a possible choking hazard.

Happy Easter Everyone!