Provide a safer, healthier Easter w/homemade egg dyes & other healthy tips

Provide a safer, healthier Easter with homemade egg dyes and other healthy tips

by Tony Isaacs

Coloring boiled eggs has been a longtime Easter tradition. So has including plenty of milk chocolate and other sugar-laden candies. However, many of the food dyes commonly found on grocers shelves are synthesized from petroleum derivatives and even coal tar. This year, provide a healthier Easter for your children by making your own safe dyed eggs and opting for healthier substitutes for most or all of the candies.

In addition, some food dyes based on natural ingredients may come from items you may not care to ingest. For example, the common red food coloring agent carminic acid comes from the dried, crushed bodies of pregnant scale insects.

Plant-based dyes for coloring Easter eggs provide a synthetic-free and bug-free alternative and their muted yet vibrant colors are far lovelier than their counterparts. Children seem to find that mashing food is also much more fun that simply dropping a tablet in a cup. As well, it is a great lesson in creativity and exploring which plant materials works in which way.

Some materials work best when they are boiled with the eggs (as noted below), and some work well made ahead and used for dipping or soaking the eggs. If you use juice, just use it undiluted. The longer you let the eggs soak, the more intense the color will be (for the boiled versions, you can remove them from the heat and allow to cool in the dye bath).

You can use your favorite egg-dying tricks here as well: Like crayons for a batik effect or rubber bands for a tie-dye effect. If you like a glossy egg, you can rub the dyed eggs with vegetable oil when they are dry.

Homemade Dyes

Blue
Canned blueberries and their juice
Purple grape juice
Red cabbage leaves (boil w/eggs)

Red
Red onion skins, use a lot (boil w/eggs)
Pomegranate juice

Yellow
Lemon or orange peel (boil w/eggs)
Carrot tops (boil w/eggs)
Celery seed (boil w/eggs)
Ground cumin (boil w/eggs)
Ground turmeric (boil w/eggs)

Green
Spinach leaves (boil w/eggs)

Orange
Yellow onion skins (boil w/eggs)

Pink
Beets, fresh or canned
Cranberries or cranberry juice
Raspberries
Red grape juice

Violet Blue
Violet blossoms
Red onion skins, less amount than you need to make red (boil w/eggs)

Lavender
Diluted purple grape juice
Violet blossoms plus squeeze of lemon (boil w/eggs)

Brown
Strong coffee
Instant coffee
Black walnut shells (boil w/eggs)

Yellow Green
Bright green apple peels (boil w/eggs)

Yellow Brown
Dill seeds (boil w/eggs)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-natural-easter-egg-dyes.html

Other Suggestions

Limit chocolates to small amounts of healthier dark chocolate.

Fill your own plastic shells with healthy items such as:

*Trail mix, mixed nuts, bagels or pretzel mix (you can also make your own trail
*Granola or popcorn mix and choose healthier organic items)
*Organic cereals
*Raisins, dried apricots or other dried fruit
*Coins or dollar bills

If you give out Easter baskets, make your own with healthier items, Besides the eggs cups, you can also use these healthy alternatives:

*Add books by children's favorite authors, along with fun and colorful Easter-themed bookmarks.

*Fill the basket with small stuffed animals and/or with toys your kids can use while staying active outside, such as sidewalk chalk, bubbles, balls and sporting equipment.

*Consider stocking the basket with small gifts designed to encourage creativity in your children, such as paints, brushes, puzzles, coloring books and crayons.

*Add various kinds of seed packets and some some gardening tools so your child can plant flowers or vegetables and watch them grow. Gardening is wonderfully healthy for children and spring is the perfect time for your children to pick up gardening. See:

Teaching Children Gardening Boosts Their Development and Health

Sources included:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-natural-easter-egg-dyes.html
http://www.lilsugar.com/Forget-Candy-Fill-Easter-Eggs-Healthy-Treats-2960645
http://www.ehow.com/how_2125738_create-healthy-easter-basket.html
http://www.tbyil.com/Teaching_Children_Gardening.htm