My sister last weekend asked if I could help my nephew (who is in year 7) with an assignment that looks at the nutritional value of foods. The assignment asked him to graph the nutritional information of 3 foods, and then discuss the nutritional value of each. Wow, what an awesome assignment. I LOVE IT!
She asked me what foods I thought he should look at. Knowing my nephew has a bit of a sweet tooth, my suggestion was that he complete the assignment on 3 foods he likes to eat. This way he gets to learn about the food that he is putting into his mouth as well as answering the assignment. A cunning plan to see just how much he really wants to eat them after he understands what’s in them and how they can affect his health.
What’s this all got to do with Healthy Easter Treats you ask.
Well it just happens that a Cadbury Easter Box was on hand when I gave them both a quick lesson on how to read the nutritional label and also understanding the ingredients. The box consisted of a larger Easter egg and a variety of mixed soft centred Roses chocolates. I know Cadbury are delicious, I do, but suffice to say, the ingredients label was nothing short of scary. When I started reading out the ‘numbers’ and what they are derived from, I think we were all a bit shocked. Some of the colour ingredients were derived from Petroleum, others from animals and insects. And don’t even get me started on the potential side effects they may have.
So with this knowledge, I decided I would be hopping mad not to check out some other Easter Chocolate options that I could make at home. And what’s better, it can be a fun activity to do with the kids too. (Of course, the Easter Bunny was already prepared so there are a few bought eggs but these will be rationed now).
Here’s a few Healthy Easter Treats for you to try.
Bunny Tails by Veggie Smugglers (this is one of my all time favourite blog sites)
Sugar Free Chocolates by I Quit Sugar (also another awesome site)
I combined both of the above recipes to create what the kids called Banana White Ferrero Roche chocolates (see picture). I took the Veggie Smugglers idea and used the I Quit Sugar recipe to make the chocolate. BIG.HIT!
I also attempted to make my own top deck chocolate using the I Quit Sugar recipe but failed, so I turned it into a marbled chocolate instead (also in picture). I broke the chocolate up a little too early before it had hardened hence, I got some weird shapes. Not withstanding these 2 mess ups, the chocolate tastes delicious. This is quite often what happens in my kitchen – the first attempt misses the mark a little, but I bounce back with next attempt. I am looking forward to trying again. Hopefully the ones below I will get right the first time, but even if I don’t, I am sure I have taste testers who will still happily eat it no matter what it looks like.
Chocolate Easter Bunny’s by Alice at The Whole Daily
Raw Chocolate by The Raw Food Mum
Raw Chocolate Coated Caramel Yolo Balls – found on Food Matters
I am going to try making the Chocolate Coated Caramel Yolo Balls next. And as I don’t have a bunny mold, I will use The Whole Daily’s recipe to make Chocolate Frogs (I have a frog mold courtesy of hosting a Harry Potter birthday Party for Indrani last year – it was unreal, check it out here).
Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for making Healthy Easter Treats. If you don’t already have coconut oil, cacao butter or cacao powder, you can get them from your health food store. Don’t let the price frighten you – they are all wonderful products, with incredible health benefits and they last quite a while too. And really, you can’t put a price on the health of yourself and your kids, right!