Easter Egglings

I have been on the hunt to find some "Sugar-Free Stand-ins" for the Easter baskets this year. No, I am not going to deprive my children of the traditional chocolate bunny and jelly beans, but, I will say we are cutting back considerably. We still have a "sugar hangover" from Valentines Day when my children got oodles of candy from classmates.

This year these cute little Japanese imports will take the place of some of the old sugary mainstays. These are called Egglings. They arrive in a cute little box (they came yesterday) and when you are ready to "hatch" your egg, you (or your child) takes a spoon, and cracks the top of the egg open. Place the Eggling in the terracotta dish (provided), add water, find a sunny spot indoors, and watch nature run its course.

The plant options are varied: cactus, mint, basil, parsley, chrysanthemum, phlox, petunia, lavender, red pepper, and wild strawberry. You watch the plant grow for 5 months, and then it is time to transport the Eggling to a bigger pot, or greener pastures outdoors. I am partial to cooking with fresh herbs, so I will admit that this gift is somewhat strategic- but hey, who says mom can't give a gift that gives right back, right?

Okay, they also have these cute little Nyyoki. Adorable. Cuter than any Chia Pet I ever met. They grow rye grass, which is essentially your front lawn (if you have one:) growing in one of these festive little easter-themed pots. The rye grass grows to full height in less than two weeks, which is great news for any of us who have kids with patience deficiency.

When the Nyyoki "hair" reaches its full height, you can cut it, style it, and watch it grow back. This is good news for all your budding child stylists out there. Nyyokis will be in the baskets at our house, in hopes that hair cutting "needs" will be filled by this plant, and that my four-year-old will start leaving her own hair alone. Plus, living in NYC, my children have forgotten what grass is, so I thought it was high time for a re-introduction.

My only disclaimer to this is post is that these little guys just came in the mail yesterday, and we have not actually begun the "hatching". Both the Eggling and the Nyokki have great reviews on every website I have seen, so I am optimistic it will work out great. I am spotlighting them now, because you have to mail-order them (or hunt for them here in NYC- they do exist is a few stores out here) and if you want them in time for Easter you should get "cracking" now to leave time for shipment. I will be officially reviewing them at the end of April, with pic's of how our little guys turned out, if you want to wait for the official word.

So, if you want your Easter to have a few less candy sprinkles, and still maintain some excited faces, Eggling or Nyokki may be the answer. They are available at Amazon and Brooklyn5and10.com , and run about $10 each. Right now you can purchase a set of three Easter Nyokki at Brooklyn5and10.com for $20.

If you have any other sugar-free Easter ideas, leave a comment and share! I am going to throw a few more easter ideas your way over the next little while-so stay tuned.