Healthy Easter Snacks, Bunny-Themed Treats Recipes

Holidays involve way too much candy and too many sweets. But what's an Easter basket without jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and candy eggs? A lot healthier. With one in three kids overweight or obese, says KidsHealth, it's time to rethink our sweets craze. I've been dieting and lost 96 pounds by substituting sweets with healthy alternatives. Here are good-for-you Easter treat and snack recipes. 

Easter Fruit basket. Who says the Easter bunny must deliver candy? Why not fill it with juicy red strawberries, plump blueberries and blueberries, succulent green grapes, golden mango, yellow bananas, jolly oranges and cheery apples? Toss in a few 70-percent cacao (good for you) dark chocolate Easter candies. But you don't have to with this festive fruit rainbow. Or omit candy and give toys. 

Cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon basket. To carve melon into a basket, make two cuts down halfway into melon lengthwise, a about two inches apart. This is the handle. Continue around to meet at the other side of the handle, to carve out  a little under one quarter, on each side. Use a melon baller to remove melon or a knife to cut in chunks. Clean out the rest to form the basket. Mix melon balls or chunks with other melon balls. Add pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, strawberries, mango cubes, blueberries. Or whatever fruit you like in your fruit salad. 

Hunny Bunny Cookies. Skip chocolate Easter bunnies and make healthier bunny cookies. Mix half cup butter or light margarine, half cup of honey or blue agave syrup, two cups whole grain flour, one teaspoon baking soda and half teaspoon cinnamon. Roll out and cut like sugar cookies. For bunny shape, cut circle head and two small ovals for ears. Blend peanut butter, nonfat yogurt and honey for frosting. Or blend coconut sugar, yogurt and light butter for white icing. Decorate with raisin eyes, pretzel stick whiskers, raspberry or cherry nose and apple pieces for buck teeth.

Happy Bunny Basket. What would the Easter bunny like in his basket? Veggies! Make a bunny-friendly Easter basket by filling a salad bowl with lettuce and your favorite vegetable toppings: carrots, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, sprouts and, of course hard-boiled Easter eggs!

Sure it might not substitute for a candy-filled basket, but kids will love eating what the Easter Bunny eats!

Easter Egg-stravaganza. After dying hard-boiled eggs, return them to the fridge to keep fresh. Use in these yummy treats.

--Angel eggs (like deviled eggs only better!) Cut egg in half. Carefully remove yolk. Mash with celery seed, pepper, horseradish mustard, dill pickle relish and light mayonnaise. Refill yolk cavity. Sprinkle on dill and paprika.

--Healthy bunny-wiches: Spread Laughing Cow light cream cheese on slice of rye bread. Tint some cream cheese pink with berry, grape or beet juice. Cut cooked egg in half lengthwise. Remove yolk. Cut semi-circles from base of whites. Fill yolk cavity with pink cream cheese and place on bread for ears. Place cut off bits on bottom for paws (make little slits for toes). Slice yolk. Place olive slice in center of slice for eyes. Use grape tomato for nose, matchstick carrots whiskers and almonds or pumpkin seeds for teeth.

Our kids are very healthy and none has weight problems. They loved these fun Easter candy alternatives as much as sugary treats! 

How to Make Vegan Veggie Burgers for Lent and Weight Loss

Cookouts are great for anyone who isn't on a vegan diet, fasting from meat,  trying to  lose weight or eating gluten-free. Veggie burgers make great alternative protein sources, but they're pricey. $6 for 9 ounces of veggie burger is pretty steep. How about whipping up some delicious veggie burgers from scratch? They're so good that even the omnivores will be demanding seconds. Here are some optional ingredients. 

Beans: The basis of most veggie burgers is beans. Select vegetarian refried beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, turtle beans (aka black beans) or lentils. If you use dry beans, cook until very tender. Mash the beans into a nice soft paste.

Avocado, Egg or tofu: As with meatloaf, a veggie burger may contain egg to hold the burger together. You can substitute tofu to create a solid burger for your vegan or egg allergic diners. 

Grain: Grain also holds the burger together and provides a complex carbohydrates. Couscous is a quick cooking grain that you can add to your veggie burgers. Cooked brown or basmati rice can be blended into your burger. Oat bran, coconut, or almond flour work well also. My favorite is gram or besam (chickpea flour). All of these but couscous are gluten-free. You can add mashed avocado as a binder, too. 

Nuts and seeds. Make veggie burgers from ground walnuts, almonds, peanuts or pecans. I like to use up mixed nuts in my veggie burgers. Favorite seeds are sesame, chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. 

Vegetables: What would a veggie burger be without veggies? Choose your favorites. Mine are shredded carrots (vitamin A), green and purple cabbage, Portobello mushrooms, sweet or  Vidalia onions (selenium), broccoli, green (red, yellow, orange) pepper, cilantro, celery, radish (daikon and regular), garlic, watercress, cauliflower, alfalfa and spicy (clover, radish, broccoli) sprouts

 

Salsa. No time to chop or dice? Blend in a good natural salsa like Newman's Own (Artichoke-Lime is my favorite) or Muir Glen.

Spices and seasonings: Bragg's Liquid Amino ( healthy salt substitute), pepper, smoked paprika, ginger, cumin, turmeric, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill. 

Sub water for lemon or lime juice and blend all ingredients. Fry in light olive oil or avocado oil. 

 

Here are some regional veggie burger variations:

German: Add a touch of sauerkraut, apple, caraway seed and onion to your veggie burger base.

Mediterranean: add pesto, tomato and mushroom into your burger base.

Southwestern: add salsa, corn, colored peppers, cumin and cilantro to your bean base.

Central African: blend beans with ripe plantain or bananas.

Middle eastern: blend in couscous, chickpeas, tahini, besam, cumin, eggplant and garlic. Serve with homemade hummus. 

Creole: garlic, onion, paprika and Tabasco sauce will make your veggie burger dance.

Polynesian: Add molasses, pineapple, pepper, onion, ginger, lime juice and sugar to your veggie burger.

Thai: Blend in peanut butter, liquid amino or soy sauce, ginger, bok choy, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges and brown sugar.

Shape the mixture into patties. Grill or griddle in a small amount of olive or avocado oil. Think "outside the hamburger" and have some fun with these delicious oh-so-healthy veggie burger options! Eating like this was part of how I lost 100 pounds without weight loss drugs or surgery. 

Vegan, vegetarian and Pescetarian Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner

I originally wrote this article for Labor Day but these vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian recipes work great for any holiday or celebration with vegetarian diners. Here are meatless grill recipes using your broiler. Use these vegetarian fish recipes for

Lent. The Catholic Church observes a Lenten fast in the dead winter to follow Jesus to the cross and

Easter. For 40 days, Catholic families eat simpler. For some, a Lenten fast means avoiding meat, dairy

and sweets. And it also means a LOT of hungry people if you have a big family. 

So proactive Catholic moms develop an arsenal of meatless, vegetarian Lenten Kitchen recipes. Vegetarian and pescatarian is how most of the world eats, so these meatless grill recipes for Lent a Catholic in solidarity with the poor.

Lenten Kitchen Veggie Bean-y Burgers. Meatless grill recipes must include veggie burgers but they

don't have to be store bought. Save money and make your own recipes for Lent. Donate saved

money to those who always go hungry. This practices the Lenten virtue of almsgiving. Mash any

kind of canned beans (adzuki, garbanzo, white, kidney, lentils) and add a little flaxseed, chia seed and

avocado (for binder, fatty acids and fiber). Chop any of your favorite veggies--peppers, onions, celery,

carrots, squash or yams.

Lenten Kitchen Fish Haters Fish Recipes for Lent. The best fish for meatless grill recipes are marlin,

tuna or swordfish steaks. Season with lemon juice, dill, rosemary, garlic, light olive oil butter and

cracked pepper. These fish recipes will fool picky eaters into thinking they're eating chicken, beef or

pork. If you're eating kosher, you can have blue marlin and tuna but not the swordfish.

Lenten Kitchen Pescetarian Platter. If you like fish, try meatless grill recipes with trout, whitefish or

salmon. These medium-bodied lake fish grill beautifully on a lower flame. Wrap in foil and spray with

cooking spray or olive oil. These delicate saltwater fishes can be served baked or or broiled. Baste

with fresh lime, rosemary, dill and butter sauce. Pan fry delicate lake fish like perch, whitefish, smelt,

blue gill, sunfish and bass. For lovers of breaded fish, use cod, pollock or catfish (avoid tilapia and

swai as they're very fishy tasting). Try Cajun fried fish--wash fish fillets and leave wet. Make breading of corn meal, cracker crumbs, lemon juice powder, red pepper, crushed bay leaves, oregano, file, garlic, dill and onion powder. . Fry in high heat avocado or olive oil on medium. 

Lenten Kitchen Seafood Kebabs. All grill recipes are better on a stick! Baste fish chunks, crab, shrimp

or scallops or with olive oil or melted butter. Season with Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, pepper

and paprika. Add mushrooms, green or orange pepper chunks and grape tomatoes to kebabs. Spray

with cooking oil. Good luck getting at any of these recipes for Lent. You'll have to fight the hungry

mob off with a skewer!

Lenten Kitchen Quesadillas. Make seafood kebabs as you did above, but season with cumin and

cilantro. Wrap in toasted corn tortillas and add cheddar and Monterray Jack cheese, chopped onions

and tomatoes and baby spinach. Serve with fresh fruit and non-alcoholic Mojitos (limeade, mint

leaves, sliced limes and crushed ice). Perfect for a winter fiesta. These vegetarian fish recipes will feel

more like feasting than a Lenten fast!

Lenten Kitchen Very Vegetarian Fish Recipes. To grill, wrap fish aluminum foil coated with olive oil.

Add asparagus spears. Or, for a greener wrap, place fish in large grape leaf or romaine lettuce leaf.

You can place the skewers and heavier bodied fish directly on the grill, but watch them carefully.

Keep cooked and raw foods separate on your grill. Don't dribble juices from raw meats or fish onto

cooked foods to avoid contamination. Don't cook on a high flame; fish cooks quickly. Fish is done

when the flesh turns from translucent to opaque and separates or flakes away from bone.

10 Great Tomato Snack Recipes with cancer fighting lycopene

Are you a tomato addict? Could you eat tomatoes for breakfast, snacks, appetizers, lunch and

supper? That's great because tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and lycopene (which is great for prostate

health and sexual prowess.) And, in the news, you can kick cancer butt with lycopene foods. Along

with cancer fighting lycopene, tomatoes have few calories, no fat and are satisfying. Here are the 10

best tomato recipes, tomato appetizers and healthy vegetarian breakfast recipes with tomatoes.

These cancer fighting tomato recipes help with weight loss, too.

Cancer fighting breakfast recipes of tomatoes and hummus: Mediterranean hummus, or tahini with

chickpeas, has become is a go-to protein supplement. For a snack, cut a tomato in bite-sized pieces

and dip in hummus (Greek hummus or hummus with pine nuts are the kinds). Make your own hummus

by blending chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and tahini. For low calorie weight loss hummus swap olive

oil for liquid from chickpeas.

Vegetarian breakfast recipes with grilled tomatoes: These healthy tomato recipes are filling, quick

and light. Dip tomatoes in panko crumbs seasoned with rosemary, basil, sage, garlic, onion and

thyme. Or use seasoned textured vegetable protein. Sauté or grill in olive oil, truffle oil or non-stick

cooking spray. Top with fresh basil and crumbled feta cheese.

Bread and tomato salad breakfast recipes: Chop tomatoes, onions, green peppers (or any color

peppers) and cucumbers. Add fresh basil, rosemary, sage and stale bread cubes. Dress with olive oil,

pomegranate vinegar, cracked pepper and a dash of salt. Add crumbled feta cheese or Parmesan

cheese if desired. These easy tomato recipes use up leftover bread and vegetables. It makes

delicious, healthy delicious lunch. Bread salad is low in fat and full of healthy goodness. Or make

cancer fighting tomato recipes without bread, using couscous. Add chopped mint, lemon juice and

parsley instead of basil and you'll have tabouleh.

Tomato sandwich breakfast recipes: Toast two slices of light oat grain bread. Spread with low-fat

cream cheese. Layer with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and spinach. Season with black

pepper. Or swap bread for whole grain bagels and plain cream cheese for salmon cream cheese and

you'll have light bagels and lox. Or serve on English muffins, for eggless vegetarian Mc-Tomato

Muffins

Lycopene loaded tomatoes: Remove stem and core of tomato. Mix feta, Parmesan, shredded

mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese with pepper, chopped onion and garlic. Chop mushrooms and

mix by hand. Add shrimp for super fun breakfast recipes. Fill center of tomato. Grill or broil until

cheese is melted.

Tomato cucumber salad: For these vegetarian breakfast recipes, slice fresh cucumber and tomato

and fresh basil, sage, rosemary and red or sweet onion. Blend blend EVOO olive oil, mayonnaise, sour cream, acai vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables. Add chopped green pepper if desired.

Pizza pasta salad breakfast recipes: Cook and drain Barilla Protein Plus pasta. Barilla Protein Plus has

fewer calories with extra protein and omega. Chop Roma or salad tomatoes or slice a quart of grape

tomatoes in half. Add chopped onion, green pepper, green and black olives and cubed Colby cheese

or feta cheese. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar or white vinegar. Add sliced

mushrooms if desired. Season with black pepper. Chill.

Fiesta vegetarian beans and rice: Blend equal portions canned (drained) beans with cooked Jasmine,

brown or wild rice. Add sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, avocados, garlic, green

peppers, canned chilies and pineapple, mango or papaya (if desired). Season with cumin, red pepper

and chili powder. Serve topped with melted cheese. Use any canned beans but the best are adzuki,

black (or turtle) beans and black eyed peas.

Lycopene filled breakfast recipes of tomatoes in cottage cheese: Cottage cheese has been a dieter's

delight for decades. Low in fat and high in protein, cottage cheese is a healthier dairy product. You

can use Greek yogurt, too. Dice fresh tomatoes and blend with cottage cheese and pepper.

Cancer fighting breakfast smoothies. Blend chopped tomato, grapefruit, black raspberries,

strawberries, blueberries, carrots, spinach and Greek yogurt for off-the-charts lycopene tomato

recipes.

Mediterranean Diet: Best Healthy Diet in Town

Did you know eating a Mediterranean diet stops Alzheimer's disease and brain shrinkage? The Los

Angeles Time reported on Oct. 21 that the brain shrinks in old age (that's why the elderly slow down

and suffer memory loss associated with Alzheimer's). But happily, you can slow aging by eating more

fish, less meat and other brain food swaps on the Mediterranean diet. Following the Mediterranean

diet helps with weight loss, heart health and a bunch of other condition, too. Here are more brain

food swaps to slow aging, lose weight and improve health.

One thing that deters people from starting new diets is that they are afraid they'll have to eat weird

things or buy expensive "diet" food. That's what's cool about the Mediterranean diet: it features

common, simple foods, sourced locally and simply prepared. Senior citizens aren't known for liking

new foods. They like foods they ate it as kids. And that's what the Mediterranean diet is: lots of

vegetables, legumes (think soup beans), whole grain cereals (oatmeal), fish and monounsaturated

fatty acids like olive oil (instead of transfat or saturated fats). And the old folks love it because it isn't

processed junk food. It's homemade like mama used to make. And those elderly people tested who

ate a brain food Mediterranean diet had larger brain volumes than those who didn't.

Here are other Alzheimer's busting Mediterranean diet food swaps. Eat light, whole grain 35-calorie

per slice bread over regular bread. Regular bread has a shocking 2-3 times as many calories as diet

bread. Diet bread loses calories, high fructose corn syrup, transfat and sodium, but retains fiber and

fatty acids (essential brain food to lose weight and slow aging). Eat flaxseed, chia seed, almonds and

oatmeal instead of cereal or toast for breakfast. Drink lowfat milk, not skim (too little good fat) or

whole milk (too much fat). Trade butter and mayo for olive oil margarine and mayonnaise. Use

avocados instead of spreads, milk, eggs, oil and fats, even in baking.

Greek yogurt doesn't just slow aging, it can stop Alzheimer's in its tracks! Greek yogurt is super

healthy, with antioxidants, probiotics and acidophilous, plus it has double protein. Make Greek yogurt

smoothies. Add fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit, apples, melon or bananas.

Walmart's 4-pound frozen blend of strawberries, peaches, mangoes and pineapple has only 70

calories per cup. Add an Emergen-C packet (for metabolism boosting, antioxidant vitamin C) and light

almond, cashew or coconut milk and blend. Swap sour cream and cream cheese for Greek yogurt or

avocados.

Slow aging and increase brain health by reducing salt. The highly-rated DASH diet advocates cutting

sodium to lose weight, too. Eat low sodium vegetable soups. Make homemade veggie soup by dicing

summer squash, zucchini, tomato, celery, purple cabbage, peppers, mushrooms and onions. Simmer

in a broth made salt-free Spike, salt-free Mrs. Dash, Bragg's Liquid Amino, sea salt or Himalayan pink

salt. Add a little liquid smoke or chipotle for a bite.

Swap hot dogs, lunch meat, sausage and bacon for light turkey and chicken deli meat. Serve fresh

chicken sausages and turkey hot dogs. Skip meat altogether and try a nut and seed vegan burger.

Roast a big portabello mushroom or sweet potato and serve instead of meat. Eat more fish. Broil

salmon, swordfish, pollock, cod or tuna steaks. Season with lemon juice, dill and Greek yogurt. How's

that for yummy brain food swaps to slow aging and beat Alzheimer'