Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hopping Down the Bunny Trail…..
At our house, the children have the traditional Easter Egg Hunt using plastic eggs with little goodies in them. They also each get a little basket, filled with some edible and non edible treats.
My daughter and family are coming from far. With all the packing and prep they need to do get ready for the trip, they are very busy. So, my daughter asked me if I would be able to find the Easter goodies for my grand-chiblets. I like to help out and this is not a big request, so I agreed.
Here is the funny thing. The Easter Bunny must be herbivorous-all bunnies are. And yet, the stores are filled with Easter Treats that are definitely not of plant origin. People like me, are out there snapping up treats that will please the little ones in their lives.
Some of the favorites, according to tradition, are cow’s milk chocolate in all shapes and sizes, jelly beans, and jujubes.
Heck, I remember getting all this stuff as a kid, as well as buying it for my own children
But, try buying cruelty free, Vegan Easter treats. This is not easy. I started at a bulk food store in my neighbourhood. I was delighted to see that there were so many kinds of foil wrapped eggs and bunnies and chicks. There were several different flavours , but, sadly, none of them were free of ingredients derived from nonhuman animals.
Okay, let’s check out the Jelly Beans. I thought that Jelly Belly Jelly Beans are vegan. I was sure I had heard that from my daughter, so I put a bag under the mouth of the cylinder holding these vegan delights and I pulled down the lever.
Ah yes, I was super pleased with myself as I watched these Vegan nuggets flow into my bag. That should be enough-some for the kids, some for the adults. At the cash, my mouth nearly fell open when I saw the price tag for the Jelly Bellys-$ 19.75. Yes, people, you read that right, $19.75 .
Can this be correct?
I asked the clerk?
Yes, ma’am, they are very high quality.
High quality or not, that is too rich for my blood, So, I politely declined to buy them. Thank goodness, I did, because they are not vegan. They have beeswax in them.
So, if you live in my area you may have seen me out and about yesterday (Grammie on a mission) checking out the ingredients on the backs of packages and boxes of Easter Treats that might be vegan.
I was on the lookout for:
1) Milk ingredients– from cows, goats or any nonhuman animal.
2) Glycerine (glycerol) – A by-product of soap manufacture (normally uses animal fat).
3) Stearic Acid – fat from cows and sheep and from dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters etc..
4) Gelatin – a nearly transparent, faintly yellow, odorless, and almost tasteless glutinous substance obtained by boiling in water the ligaments, bones, skin, etc., of animals.
5) Honey – Food for bees, made by bees.
6) Beeswax – Wax obtained from melting honeycomb with boiling water, straining it, and cooling it.
6) Lecithin – Waxy substance in the nervous tissue of all living organisms. But frequently obtained for commercial purposes from eggs and soybeans. Also from nerve tissue, blood, milk and corn.
I ended up buying some Swedish Berries, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Covered Almonds, Lindt Dark Chocolate Easter Bunnies and a few non food items.
If you are into making your own Easter Chocolate, here are a couple of recipes that I tried last year and they were very well received by my family. If you are like me and don’t have time this year, maybe next year.
1) Vegan Peanut Butter Balls I dipped mine in melted chocolate- scrumptious.
2) Homemade Lindor Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles – I used melted semi sweet dairy free chocolate instead of the white chocolate, which is not dairy free.
If you would like some hints about making your Easter a little or a lot Vegan, here is a great post to check out, The Vegan Mom.
If you like to make your own food for Easter Brunch, lunch or supper, here are some suggestions based on our planned repast.
Vegan Waffles with Cherry Sauce and Maple Syrup
Field Roast Sausage with condiments
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes I add a little Daiya Cheese on the top about heat for about ten minutes.
Annie’s Vegan View
Yes, we want to live in a vegan world and no, we do not want to send the message that it is okay to use nonhuman animals for any purpose, even if they are treated humanely (whatever that means).
But while we are advocating for our long term goal, I think that it is important to pay attention to the nonhuman animals who are suffering today, tomorrow and the next day. If I can do anything to relieve that suffering, then this is what I feel I must do.
I encourage you to add a vegan item to your holiday celebrations. This one small item will mean much to the being who is suffering because of our personal choices.
In all the ways that count, we are, after all, more alike than we are different.
May all beings be happy and free.
Now I’m really looking forward to Easter… mouth-wateringly (that’s a word, right?).
Hey Allison, I presume that you realize the Easter Bunny brings treats for the little ones. Alright , alright. I might have something for the adults!
Can’t to see you.
This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Best wishes!
Exactly where are your contact details though?
Hello!it is very nice to meet you and thank you for your comment. It is a topic dear to my heart as well. It is my goal to become super informed about what we are unknowingly putting into our bodies (Easter candy, aside, which we know is not healthy). Hoping to pass this info along.
I checked out your website. Interesting healing concept. I like it, especially the part about drug free treatment.
Under my logo and website name, Vegan Grammie Annie, dialogues about vegan life, there is a Menu. You can reach me by clicking on the Contact tab which can be found on the far right. I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks,Anne