With the rate of childhood obesity on the rise, try something new. This year, buy healthy snacks instead of candy. You don’t have to sacrifice flavor, either. Low-calorie or low-fat doesn’t mean it has to taste bad.

This is one time that toys are okay. According to my kids, you can never have too many toys. An Easter basket is about getting a special treat. No one said those treats had to be edible. Small hand-held electronic games are available at stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys ‘R Us for less than ten dollars. Card games like Yugioh and Dungeon Dice Monsters are winners with kids these days. For the younger set, try dolls or action figures.

Jelly beans versus dried fruit. Jelly beans would be great if it wasn’t for all of the sugar. You can never eat just one or five for that matter. Dried fruit offers nutrition and taste in the same bite-sized portion as jelly beans. Ocean Spray® makes a snack called Craisins®. They are dried sweet cranberry snacks in different flavors. Also, Sun-Maid®, best known for their raisins, makes dried fruit treats including yogurt- and chocolate-covered raisins. My favorite is dried apples. Kids won’t believe they’re eating something that’s good for them.

Snack size versus regular size. If you add candy to your basket, smaller is better. Choose snack-sized morsels like Three Musketeers® or Peppermint Patties®. These candy treats are lower in calories than other choices. Just add three or four for a sweet treat instead of chocolate bunnies or cream eggs.

Store bought versus homemade treats. We all enjoy going to the store and getting bubble gum and cupcakes, but do you really know what’s in what you are eating? Most if not all marketable treats started in someone’s kitchen. That means they were homemade at one time. Let’s take Rice Krispy treats® for example. The recipe was on the cereal box before they became a pre-packaged item in the store. At home, low-fat ingredients can be substituted to create delicious treats for the Easter basket. When you know what’s inside your food, you feel better about serving it to your kids.

Easter baskets don’t have to be chock full of junk to be fun. Healthy additions make you a better parent without sacrificing taste. Teach children to eat right while they are young so that they develop a lifetime of good habits.

Want to do more than the traditional Easter egg hunt this year? Kids love to have fun and play games, so plan an entire party around the Easter egg hunt and make an afternoon of it. Here are some ideas for activities you can do to make your party a hit. And, don’t forget the prizes.

Pin the chick on the egg? Since this is Easter we must tailor the games to fit the occasion. Take a piece of white poster board and draw a large egg on it. Cut it out and pin it to the wall. Give each child his or her own piece of construction paper. Let the children draw and cut out their own baby chicks. When they are done, fold a piece of tape and stick it to the back of each chick. Blindfold each child in turn and let them see who can put their chick closest to the center of the egg.

Word games anyone? On the internet, do a search for Easter word games. They have printable pages like word search and word scramble that are grouped by age. Give a prize to the winner of each word game.

Duck, Duck, Goose! Everyone knows this one. All the children sit in a giant circle. One child will walk behind the others tapping each “duck” on the head until they decide which one of their friends will be the “goose”. The “goose” has to get up and chase the first child. If the first child makes it back to the empty spot without being touched, then the second child becomes the new “duck”.

Easter necklaces. Pre-cut strips of construction paper in pastel colors. Show the children how to make chain links. Fold the paper in a circle, dropping a spot of glue on one end and pressing the two ends together. For each new link, fold the paper in a circle around the previous link so they form a chain. When the chain is long enough to fit over your head when held end to end, add one more link to join the two ends of the chain.

Treat time. Serve snacks like little sandwiches, juice, and a small dessert. For a change, use cookie cutters in the shapes of Easter characters to cut the sandwiches. For the dessert, try making lemon squares. There is a good recipe on www.foodnetwork.com.

You don’t need too many activities to keep children happy at a party. As long as they know it will end with an “egg”citing Easter egg hunt, they will have fun!

For kids, dunking plain white eggs into a bowl and watching them turn a different color is almost magical. Here are a few ideas to help minimize the mess this year.

1. Try stickers. If you are not attached to the traditional method of egg decorating, this is a way to minimize the muss and fuss during Easter. Stickers make easy decorations. They leave nothing to clean up afterwards. And, there’s nothing tricky about it. Just purchase ordinary Easter stickers and stick them onto the eggs. Presto!

2. Dye eggs at the stove. Avoid the mess that comes with sitting your children at the table with their own dipping cups. Mix the dye ingredients in a five quart Dutch oven. Wrap an apron around the child. Let the child take the dried boiled eggs and place them in the dye solution. When the eggs are ready, use a slotted spoon to lift the dyed eggs out of the pan. The slots leave less liquid on the spoon which means less liquid on the stove, the floor, you, and the kids. Spoon the eggs back into the carton. Place the cartons in the refrigerator until time to use them.

3. Work on the kitchen floor. The lower you are to the ground, the shorter the distance a boiled egg has to fall. Spread an old vinyl tablecloth on the floor. Give each child an apron and a pair of exam gloves. The gloves can be purchased from any medical supply store. Gloves allow the children to dip the eggs with their hands instead of a spoon. When they have finished, have them take their gloves off and throw them away.

4. Purchase a ready to use Easter egg kit. PAAS® has been making egg decorating materials for years. Each year they seem to come up with something that will make the egg decorating process easier and faster. They feature egg wrapping kits which create virtually no mess at all. The pre-formed pattern is ready for the decorator to transfer to the dried eggs. They also offer egg cups with their own dipper so you don’t need spoons at all. You can purchase PAAS® products wherever decorating items are sold, including most grocery stores and craft stores.

Egg decorating is great for everyone, but no one likes to clean up at the end. Make it easier on yourself this year, Mom and Dad. Try these tips for some good clean fun.

I Scream You Scream We All Scream for Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a product of fresh, un-aged cheese that comes from cow’s milk. It was created in the United States in the late 1800’s and is very popular today, adding texture, delicious taste and richness to all kinds of recipes. There are several ways to use this scrumptious cheese; below are some of the most popular.

Bread Topping
Without a doubt, cream cheese is known as being one of the most widely used spreads for a bagel, toast, roll, crackers, and more. Cream cheese is the perfect texture and is usually nice and thick, making any bread most delicious. Cheesecake
If you love cheesecake, it is most likely due to it’s main ingredient; cream cheese. Cream cheese is known for being very thick and rich and provides a wonderful taste to this ever popular dessert.
Cream Cheese Dips
If you are looking to make a great holiday appetizer or party dip, don’t forget the cream cheese. Cream cheese is extremely appealing and goes very well with crackers, snack chips, and mostly anything else you can come up with. It can be added with other ingredients to make a easy fruit dip. Cream cheese also makes a perfect spread for fruit pizzas.

Cheeseballs
A staple for many parties when are parents were young, the cheeseball is really time less. It is a great choice for any occasion. And it is so easy to put together. Just take softened cream cheese and mix in a cheese of your choice such as cheddar or gouda, mold into a log, then roll in finely chopped bread crumbs. Chill for a few hours and serve with chips or veggies.

Cream Cheese Icing
Cream Cheese is a great idea for frosting, instead of choosing sweet, choose the luxurious taste and texture of cream cheese.

Pastries
Cream cheese is a most desired filling in many types of pastries such as croissants and is added to a variety of pastry crusts.

Hot Cheese Melts
Cream cheese is also a great addition to crab melts and other hot cheese fondues. You can mix it with many great ingredients such as salsa, cheese, chili, etc.

If you love the taste of cream cheese, but are trying to lower your fat calories, you should know that there are several lowered fat cream cheeses available and even a couple non- fat cream cheeses at your grocery store. Moreover, if you love the taste of cream cheese, you may want to try the French version of cream cheese- Neufchatel. This cheese is very similar to cream cheese, except that it has ripened and is often less thick due to no emulsifiers added.

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Find The Best Ever Cream Cheese Fruit Dip Recipe: Go To http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/cream-cheese-fruit-dip.htm

Spring has sprung, Easter is nearly here.  One of the most popular holidays is Easter and part of the reason why this holiday is so much fun is the food associated with it.  If you are preparing an Easter meal with your friends or family this year, here are some great tips for some delicious Easter recipes.

Maple Syrup Ham and Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
One of the most enjoyed types of food to eat at Easter is ham and you can sweeten up the taste of ham by adding some delicious maple syrup.  While your store bought maple syrup should do the trick, try to purchase maple syrup that is 100% pure and not made from corn syrup.  Adding pure maple syrup will add a sweet, delicious taste that your friends and family will enjoy.

You can quickly accompany your maple syrup ham with some tasty sweet potatoes smothered in minature marshmallows.  Sweet potatoes should be your maple syrup ham’s best friend.  For an extra treat, add minature marshmallows and you will definetly get some smiles from children and adults alike.

Easter Bunny Cookies
Even though chocolate bunnies are essential to Easter, cookies can also be a great treat.  Just like Christmas cookies are fun to bake and tasty to eat, so can Easter bunny cookies.  Most grocery stores, discount stores, and craft shops sell Easter Bunny cookie cutters to design your favorite chocolate chip or sugar cookie into some creative Easter bunny shapes.

Easter Egg Cup Cakes
Easter Egg Cup Cakes are a wonderful way to add enthusiasm to the holidays for your little ones.  Easter Egg Cupcakes are a simple and fun way to add color to any Easter dinner dessert.  Instead of using cup cake holders, try to use small waffle cones instead to hold your cup cake mixture.  Once baked, add coloring, sprinkles, candy, etc. to your creation.

Easter Bunny Carrot Cake
Easter bunny carrot cake is a great way to add color and fun for the whole family.  What goes better with bunny rabbits than carrots and a yummy carrot cake goes with an Easter dinner.  You can simply buy a carrot cake and decorate the top by hand.  Many people create their own icing adding food coloring to color the carrot cake to look like an Easter egg.

Easter Cocktails
For those adults that like to top off their dinner with a delicious alcoholic drink, there are many tasty cocktails that compliment the mood of an Easter dinner.  For example, certain liquors come in many different colors such as grenadine for red, blue Curacao for aqua and mixing clear liquor with assorted fruit juices for multi colored Easter drinks. For those that crave a cocktail sans the alcohol, it’s easy to add color to your meal with a host of fresh fruit smoothies, just by adding fresh fruit with cream or milk.  Some people even add a little yogurt to the mix.

If you are looking for a great way to enjoy your Easter this year, take a look at the previously mentioned Easter recipes.
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Would You Like To Offer Heathful Goodies In Your Easter Baskets This Year?  Why Not Try These Creative Healthy Easter Basket Ideas:   http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/article-easter-basket-idea.htm” >http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/article-easter-basket-idea.htm

We had our illustrator come up with a printable coloring sheet for Easter, and I love how it turned out! Feel free to share this with your family, friends, playgroup, church, whoever you can think of.   You can find it here:  http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/easterbunny.pdf 

ENJOY!

Christine