On Easter Treats: I’ve Become That Person
I remember trick-or-treating one Halloween with my twin and arriving to a house where the porch light was on, the door closed and a stool set up with a basket on top. We knew an older woman lived there, so we figured the basket was there for us trick-or-treaters. What could it be, we wondered. Twix?! Reeses?! No, what if it’s Snickers?!?!
It was boxes of raisins. A sign above the basket read, “please take only one.” Yea, lady, no need to worry, seriously. We walked off shaking our heads.
Raisins?! Raisins?! That’s almost as bad as handing out toothbrushes on Halloween!
Easter was no exception for our anticipation of sugar and my parents always delivered. I can still taste a white chocolate and Oreo Easter bunny I was given. I remember my mom saying, “you don’t have to eat it all today.”
Duh, I don’t have to, mom! But I sure want to!
I ate it all that day. And it wasn’t even hollow. D’oh!
Older now. Wiser. And certainly less fun, I wonder if I’m slowly transitioning into that old lady who hands out boxed raisins and crushes the hearts of children everywhere.
As I perused the aisles of Target yesterday in the attempt to pick out Easter goodies for my niece, I kinda worried. I saw all of my childhood favorites – Peeps, Cadbury Eggs, plastic eggs filled with every chocolate candy I grew up binging on — Butterfingers, M&Ms, Reeses — stacks and stacks of different flavored Easter bunnies, jellybeans, cake mixes alongside Easter-themed frostings…I couldn’t help but wonder where to draw the line between not being that aunt who gives her niece raisins, the person who doesn’t project her insecurities about the past onto a 3-year-old who has no idea what a binge-eating disorder is and who has responsible parents to dole out the goods, and staying true to the little voice inside of me that said, “you can be a fun aunt AND still be vegan AND still be health-conscious.” That’s a lot of quandary to encounter in the middle of an aisle at Target, eh?
I think I’m just at that point where I’m beginning to wonder who I will be as a mother and standing there between the Dora-themed chocolate eggs and sheep-topped Pez dispensers, I had a glimpse of just how incredibly paralyzed I felt in determining what was the right thing to do. Is it rude or presumptuous to forgo giving your niece non-vegan goodies because you are vegan? Is one little pack of candy made with high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40 really the devil? Am I simply falling victim to nostalgia and marketing campaigns by thinking I really need to buy any of this anyway?
How will it be with my future (way future) children? Will my kids feel jipped and trade their lunch money for the taste of Twinkies and Ding Dongs that are forbidden at home? Will I actually “forbid” any food?
Then, doubt and insecurity vanished. No way! There really is no need to compromise. I’m going to be that cool mom that bakes the best and most delicious treats out there that are also purposefully healthy and vegan! And, if my kids want to taste a freakin’ Twinkie, they can go right ahead because I know they’ll end up disappointed and feeling bad for their peers who think those dessert-freak-of-natures are actually good. And, since I’m sure they’ll be googling and youtubing right after they pop from utero, I can show them this and ask them to google “where does gelatin come from.” Gotta love the information age. I think my approach will be all about open and honest communication.
That, and traumatizing them with this! BUAHAHAHAHHA!
I am evil.
While I think what, how and why you eat what you do is important, I think it’s more important to empower children to start thinking about those things for themselves. And perhaps simply lead by example when they’re too young to care? I can only sit here arm-chair theorizing.
Anyway. I decided to forgo the candy for my niece with the exception of some Florida Natural jelly beans made from fruit concentrate. There will be plenty of candy from elsewhere, guaranteed. And she can enjoy the cool activities and dvd of the Velveteen Rabbit that I got her instead 
I do wish, however, that they had a vegan version of this chocolate bunny because this is insanely cool in a sick and twisted way that I fully appreciate…
And it would tie in great as a sequel to The Velveteen Rabbit, right? This is what happens to the stuffed rabbits that actually got incinerated dun dun dun! They turn zombie! And then into chocolate? Hmm there are too many meta narratives going on here, I can’t keep up.
Ok, spill. Am I the only one who’s had an identity crises in the middle of a food aisle? If you have children, how do you approach what you feed them? If you don’t have kids, and already worry about it like I do, how do you think you’ll approach it?
If you’re interested in making your own Easter treats this year, why not try some of the following?
- Oh She Glow’s Spring Chick Cupcakes [here]
- Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Healthy Easter Ideas [here]
- Vegan Dad’s hot cross buns [here]
- Golubka’s raw vegan quail eggs (these seem rather difficult to make yourself, but I just admire how they did this!) [here]
- VegWeb Vegan Cadbury Eggs [here]
- Vegan Sugar Cookies [here]
<3,
The Cranky One
Tags: Easter, vegan desserts
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My parents tried to force their way of eating on me (they were very meat and potatoes and my mom didn’t understand how to season anything) and it just made it so I picked at the food they gave me (I remember once being served liver and onions w/okra and eggplant – there is not a THING on that plate that didn’t make me want to hurl) and snacked on anything else I could get my hands on easily before/after meals. I remember being friends with a girl because her mom served grilled cheese sandwiches.
Someday IF I have kids, I plan to raise them eating healthy (not forcing what I eat down their throat, but seeing what healthy food they like and encouraging more of it), but we all can enjoy SOMETIMES treats that aren’t super healthy because it will be the exception.
And it’s my theory that kids having treats occasionally is ok, because they then run around and play and burn it all off, it’s us adults that sit and eat that bag of candy and then take a nap…
Eh, I’ve been sort of a laid back parent. One thing I won’t do is be a member of the “clean plate” club. I encourage my child to try everything, but if she doesn’t like it, she’s not required to eat it. If she wants more, she can have more. But I also let her stop when she’s full.
I’ve allowed her tastes to broaden, and she’s encouraged to eat things she likes that are healthy (she particularly likes sushi and roasted chicken, peas, corn on the cob, and cooked broccoli) and she gets to pick at least 1 dinner menu each week.
She eats “junk” when she wants it, and doesn’t when she doesn’t. It takes her several weeks to empty her halloween bucket. (In fact, I think there’s still a few pixie stix in there…)
She’s also the thinnest kid I know. Her doctor’s fussed at me about “making her eat more” to which I just roll my eyes. She’s happy, she’s healthy, she’s not lacking in energy. I’m not going to “make” her eat.
Love this post. No kiddos yet but when/if I have kids what kind of mom am I going to be? Gosh I think about it ALL the time. My 27-year-old uterus and my brain must have some weird psychological connection these days.
I am pretty certain I will raise my kids as vegetarians (until they are old enough to make the decision themselves) but as far as the vegan card goes?? Not really too sure yet. That is a more difficult battle to fight. I suppose it will also depend on how my mate feels about the issue. But candy and fast food will never ever play starring roles in my household. As a matter of fact, they won’t even play minor rolls. It’s just as easy to make sweet and delicious treats in a healthier style anyway.
I know you follow Mama Pea so let’s just say when I am a mother I hope to be just like her
Good decision on the more natural jelly beans!
OMG, I totally think about stuff like that all the time. I think I DID buy raisins this past Halloween. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy the other junk. I’m sorry. Oh and I also baked some brownies… this was for an office trick or treat event
I these aren’t vegan, but there are some companies that make organic candies – like Newman’s Own and Justin’s have peanut butter cups – at least they are HFCS free!
I had missed that you are a twin… Me too. Wondering if you and her shared the same struggles? Mine never got as heavy as me only 240 to my 345.
Anywho– currently pregnant and after 6 1/2 years of maintenance I wonder about this. I think about it a lot. Only way is to lead by example. The rest? I’ll take it as it comes.
Let me tell you, I’m definitely comforted by the fact that my boyfriend is vegetarian/part-time pescatarian like I am. Luckily, we had already talked about how we would approach dinner time before he “turned,” and we decided our children would be part-time vegetarian and I would not be responsible for either buying nor cooking the meat that they would consume with him. Now, of course, they’ll be vegetarian until they are old enough to buy and cook for themselves.