Nothing says “Easter” like a basket full of jelly beans, chocolate eggs and marshmallow peeps. The “Martha Stewart” in us loves making and giving Easter Baskets---but we like ours minus the toxic chemicals, sugar highs and a tummy aches---so we figured out a way to fill them with healthier alternatives that are just as yummy and festive as the naughty ones. Here are the goodies that we recommend for a healthier basket this Easter:

1. Dark Chocolate: Cacao (the real, unprocessed stuff) is full of antioxidants and high in magnesium, which is an important mineral for heart health. For maximum nutrition, opt for an organic bar (organic bars almost always have fewer ingredients) that has a cacao content of 70% or more. Our pick for dark chocolate?  Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate!

2. Fruit Leather: Choose brands that are made of 100% fruit. Whole foods and Trader Joes both have great organic, 100% fruit options.

3. Carrots: Carrots aren’t as cool as chocolate, but the Easter bunny loves them and we do too.  Add some single serving packs of hummus to your basket or better yet---whip up a batch of homemade hummus, spoon it into mini mason jars and tie a ribbon around the lid. It’s easy to make and adds a special touch!

4. DIY trail mix: Mix in all your favorite nuts, seeds and dried fruits. For an extra antioxidant boost add in some superfoods (think goji berries, cacao nibs or dried coconut chips). And you know those colorful plastic eggs that are easily found in the Easter aisle at Target?  Grab some of those and fill them up with your trail mix and you’ll have a perfectly portioned and super cute Easter snack to add to your basket.

5. Fresh Fruit & Almond Butter: Whole Apples and Bananas are ideal for this because they are single serving fruits and go perfectly with almond butter. For the almond butter, we just LOVE the single serving packets of Justin’s (a local Boulder brand!) Almond Butter, which is available at Whole Foods Market.

6. Homemade Baked Goods: Think mini cupcakes, cookies and bars. Our favorite home baked treats this Easter: Coconut Carrot Cupcakes, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Lemon bars (all organic and gluten-free, of course;).  Don't fee like doing the baking yourself?  Try a local bakery that offers healthier alternatives.  In our hometown of Boulder, we are big fans of Kim and Jakes Cakes.

7. Pure Personal Care Products: Personal care products may not be an exciting addition to kids baskets, but it certainly makes the most exciting addition for teenage girls and adults! Think fruity lip balms, sugary body scrubs, luxurious lotions, simply scented soaps and creamy moisturizers.

In celebration of Easter and Spring (Oh my, there is so much to celebrate this time of year) we are offering a BUY 3, GET 1 FREE special on our award-winning scar cream, which also makes a great wrinkle cream. To take advantage of this juicy deal, simply add 4 tubes of CELSUS scar cream to your cart and use promo code BUY3GET1 at checkout to claim your FREE tube. Click here to order.

Have a “hoppin” Easter weekend!