By: Stephanie Heino

Easter is approaching and we want to help you find the perfect healthy Easter menu for your celebration, so you don’t have to go crazy on the unhealthy options on that dinner table. If you are looking for anything from a casual, outdoor Easter brunch recipe to a formal Easter dinner recipe, we’ve got you covered. Instead of filling up on empty calories that will make you feel sluggish and heavy during the day, go the healthy route and feel great and energetic all day. And, listen — healthy doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out! There are plenty of great recipes online, and we compiled some of our top picks for you. These recipes taste decadent but are made using only healthy nutritious ingredients and techniques.

Healthy Vegan Brunch Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Measure out all the ingredients and add them to a blender. Blend together for about 60 seconds. Heat the teaspoon of olive oil on a non-stick pancake pan and add 1/3 of the mixture. After one minute, flip pancake over to other side. After one minute flip over again; it should be a golden-brown color. Do the same with the rest of the batter and you are done! Healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and filling pancakes. Enjoy them with fresh berries and a banana!

Grilled Wild Salmon and vegetables

Ingredients

• 4 small red onions, cut into 1-inch slices (about 1 pound)
• 4 Vidalia spring onions, quartered (about 8 ounces)
• 4 cipollini onions (about 4 ounces)
• 2 cups sliced fennel (about 7 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Directions

1. Prepare grill.
2. Place onions and sliced fennel in a large pan of boiling water; cook 3 minutes until tender. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain.
3. Toss vegetables with oil. Place vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until tender and lightly browned. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, fennel fronds, and parsley.
4. Sprinkle salmon with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place salmon on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 salmon fillet onto each of 4 plates. Toss pea tendrils with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette. Place about 1/2 cup pea tendril mixture over salmon. Add 1 1/2 cups grilled vegetables to each serving, and serve immediately.

Parsnip Spinach Cakes

Ingredients

• 5 parsnips, thickly sliced & roasted
• 1 handful spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 pastured eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

(If your parsnips are raw, bake in 400º oven for 20 minutes, allow to cool slightly, then proceed with recipe.)
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it’s doughy. You might need to turn it off and push the spinach leaves down towards the blades, then turn it back on to get it all to incorporate. Use your hands to form balls and flatten into cakes, about 1/3 inch thick. Bake in oven on 350º until browned and crispy. Serve warm and enjoy those delicious cakes!

Coconut Macaroons (Paleo-friendly, gluten-free)
(8 Servings)

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 2 ½ cups coconut flakes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites and honey with a fork
2. Briefly whisk in salt, then stir in coconut flakes
3. Place bowl in fridge to chill for ½ hour
4. Fill a 2 tablespoon scoop with batter, so it’s heaping full
5. Using your hand, firmly pack batter into scoop so it is level
6. Release batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
7. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, until macaroons are golden brown
8. Cool for 1 hour and serve

Brunch can get pretty heavy though, and the cocktails are no exception. On their own, most spirits average around 120 calories in a typical pour. Start adding fruit and veggie juice to the mix and that number quickly goes up — a Bloody Mary can easily add 350 calories and a ton of sodium to your meal. But since many people refuse to give them up, I will help you make healthier versions at home. In a way, it’s almost like having a salad in a cup, specially if you make it virgin!

Healthy Bloody Mary

A Bloody Mary doesn’t have to equal a glass full of empty calories. To healthify your drink, opt for making your own tomato juice or buy a low-sodium variety without added sugar or sodium, instead of buying the standard bloody mary mix or tomato juice. The spices in a typical Bloody Mary make all the added salt unnecessary. When making it, think beyond celery, olives and lemons, and pile on the veggies. Use green beans, asparagus, carrots, and radish for great results. To save even more calories, use low-cal shochu (tastes like vodka but has fewer calories) instead of vodka, or simply skip the alcohol and make it a virgin. By skipping the liquor you can really feel great by getting all the benefits from the veggies, especially the lycopene from all that tomato, when the rest of the group will feel sluggish after a couple of hours! Win!

Ingredients

• (Optional: 2 oz. of Organic Shochu)
• Fresh juice made from blended baby carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, asparagus, radish (you name it!)
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• Dash of organic ground black pepper
• Dash of organic sea salt

Directions

1. Pour a scoop full of ice into a metal shaker
2. (Add 1 oz of the shochu)
3. Add in the dash of black pepper and organic sea salt
4. Fill the shaker with the blended vegetable and fruit juice
5. Shake for a few seconds, or enough until the mixture is well blended
6. Pour into a high ball or pint glass.
7. Garnish with a celery stick.