How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs with out Chemicals

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I like few issues greater than a basket full of colourful Easter eggs. Easter is necessary to our household and certainly one of our favourite instances of the 12 months, however I usually discover myself irritated with the over-commercialization of what I take into account a non secular vacation. I additionally get peeved when Easter will get was an excuse to let children (and ourselves) over-indulge in treats crammed with sugars, meals dyes, and synthetic components.

This 12 months, I’m making an attempt to make our celebration of Easter extra centered on the precise cause for the vacation. (Hint: It doesn’t have something to do with a bunny that brings eggs!)

Easter is a liturgical time of celebration, and one of many largest feast days within the church, so I’m glad to let the children get pleasure from some treats. I’m opting, although, to maintain a few of our favourite traditions with wholesome and pure twists.

Let me clarify why!

“Natural” Easter Eggs and Easter Baskets… Too Extreme?

I admit I don’t actually perceive the Easter custom of a bunny (they don’t lay eggs) delivering plastic candy-filled eggs and baskets. I feel giving our youngsters heaps of junk meals at Easter (and different holidays) units a precedent that associates celebrations with unhealthy meals. To me, there are higher methods to develop good meals habits for a lifetime.

This might sound excessive to some. Certainly, there may be nothing unsuitable with an occasional indulgence in a meals that’s lower than wholesome. But I feel most involved dad and mom would agree that youngsters nowadays are getting these indulgences a bit too usually. From the birthdays of each child of their class at college to Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Easter, and so on., there are greater than sufficient alternatives for teenagers to get the message that enjoyable and celebration = unhealthy tasty candy meals.

(Perhaps that’s only a pet peeve of mine, although?!)

But let me get off my soapbox… on to Easter eggs!

How to Dye Easter Eggs Without Chemicals

Eggs are certainly one of our favourite meals, so I definitely don’t have any issues with the eggs themselves. (As it’s possible you’ll guess, it’s the plastic, candy-filled variations I take situation with.)

It seems that the harmless-looking colour tablets that you just drop into vinegar water to dye Easter eggs include dangerous chemical compounds that would have an particularly unhealthy impact on some children. True, we don’t eat the shells, however since eggshells are permeable and a few children are so delicate to the results of synthetic meals dyes, I assumed it was price exploring extra pure choices.

Option 1: Store-bought Egg Dye

To dye Easter eggs naturally the simple approach, use a protected, pure meals coloring and blend in accordance with the next ratios:

Option 2: Homemade Egg Dye from Beets (and Other Fruits and Vegetables)

If you don’t have pure meals coloring round (we regularly don’t), you may also use random fruits, veggies, and herbs to perform the identical factor. We tried this a couple of years in the past and might be doing it once more this 12 months.

Below are the meals that may be added to boiling water whereas cooking eggs to make varied colours. You may also juice or boil the components, cool, add vinegar, and use it as an everyday egg dye:

• Blue Coloring: Add a cup of purple cabbage or blueberries to the water when boiling the eggs.
• Green Coloring: Add a cup of spinach or a couple of teaspoons of spirulina to the boiling water. You may also juice greens, combine the juice with vinegar, and use it as a cool dye as soon as the eggs are cooked.
• Red/Pink Coloring: Pomegranate or beet juice is added to the boiling water. You may also put a few tablespoons of vinegar in pomegranate or beet juice and apply it to pre-cooked eggs as a cool dye.
• Purple Coloring: Add grape juice to boiling water or soak pre-cooked eggs in grape juice/vinegar combine.
• Yellow/Orange Coloring: Add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric or saffron to the boiling water, or boil these spices in water, cool, and blend with vinegar for a cool dye.

Some notes: These pure variations make pastel-colored eggs which I feel are extra lovely than the neon eggs created by the synthetic colours. Just a warning, although, you received’t be getting any florescent shades with these strategies!

Strategies for Easter Egg Hunts

I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of Easter egg hunts and would forgo them fully, however the children do actually stay up for them. Unfortunately, they normally end in a big bag of sweet that in some way disappears when my children are sleeping (possibly the Easter Bunny stole it!)

In the previous, we’ve additionally hidden hard-boiled eggs for them to seek out (the canine discovered those they missed!) or simply had a household day exterior that concerned a variety of different actions. Last 12 months, we did a treasure hunt with clues that led to a greater prize (seeds for them to plant in their very own little corners of the backyard). 

While I desire the options as a substitute of an egg hunt, this 12 months I’m letting the children take part within the Easter egg hunt at church, eat a few items of the least offending sweet, after which I’ll trash the remainder after they go to mattress.

Healthy Candy-free Easter Basket Ideas

I don’t have any drawback with Easter being a time of festivity and small items. As I discussed earlier than (in all probability an excessive amount of!), it’s the plastic, candy-filled components of this celebration I take situation with. That being stated, I like baskets and retailer the whole lot in them, so our youngsters get a (reusable) basket every year crammed with (non-sugary) goodies.

Here are some concepts we’ve tried through the years which have been successful!

Grow Your Own Grass

Using wheat, alfalfa, or clover seeds, develop grass in a small dish that can match within the backside of your basket. Use this as a substitute of the plastic Easter grass that you just discover below the sofa in September. Kids love the novelty of rising grass indoors, and as a bonus, grass is meant to be nice at cleansing indoor air. You may even plant it exterior with the children after Easter. If you aren’t up for rising your personal grass, shred paper in a shredder and use it as a substitute. Recyclable when carried out!

Instead of a Basket, Give Your Child a Flower Pot

In the pot, put a small pair of gloves, a pack of heirloom seeds, and a small shovel, and let your little one develop their very own container backyard. There are even pre-made totes for this. Herbs are one simple possibility, and youngsters can use them within the kitchen! This is assured to supply enjoyable longer than plastic toys and pixie sticks.

Check Out Thrift Stores

We are on a finances, and doing Easter baskets for every child positive provides up! Check out native thrift shops for some enjoyable items for Easter baskets. For occasion, one 12 months every of our youngsters bought a film, a ebook, and a few sneakers, and I spent lower than $10 whole.

Adopt a Family Pet

If you’re courageous, take into account a small pet. This reinforces the “new life” focus of Easter and might be much more thrilling than sweet and toys. Just be humane! Only undertake a pet for those who plan to maintain it and take care of it, as many child chickens, geese, and rabbits are deserted after Easter.

Give Healthy Foods Instead of Junk

If your children are wanting ahead to edible treats, substitute some treats with ones which might be wholesome and enjoyable. Consider beef jerky, fruit, nuts, or do-it-yourself power bars. Really courageous? Make some do-it-yourself “peeps” with my probiotic marshmallow recipe.

Check out this put up for another Easter basket concepts! Happy Easter!

What are your favourite methods to dye your Easter eggs? When it involves sweet, do you persist with wholesome variations of the same old treats or simply let the children benefit from the unhealthy variations for a day? I’d love to listen to your suggestions and methods under!