How to Create a Lactose-Free Easter Basket

Enjoying Easter festivities can be difficult if you're allergic to milk ' especially if you're a kid. This Easter basket is full of goodies that will make them forget all about those chocolate Easter bunnies.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 12 Large Plastic Easter Eggs
• Easter Grass
• Lactose-free Cookie Recipes
• Easter Baskets
• Dairy-free Candies
• Ingredients For Dairy-free Cookies
• Toys

1. Start with your standard Easter basket and fill the bottom with colorful Easter grass.

2. Stock up on nonchocolate Easter candy. True, most of what you find in the Easter aisle is chocolate, but if you look hard you can find dairy-free treats such as Starburst fruit jelly beans, jelly chicks and rabbits, and egg-shaped jawbreakers.

3. Check your local organic and health food stores for candy bars that are dairy-free.

4. Bake a batch of dairy-free cookies. There are plenty of recipes for macaroons, carob brownies, gingersnaps, peanut butter cookies and other kinds of lactose-free cookies on the Internet.

5. Buy a dozen large plastic eggs and fill them with inedible toy surprises for your child: stickers, his or her favorite trading cards, and sidewalk chalk. In one egg put a $5 or $10 bill.

6. Toss in a couple of larger toys, along with the plastic eggs. Consider the latest Playmobil set or a stuffed animal or doll.

Tips & Warnings

• Tempting as it may be, don't put fruit ' or any other blatantly healthy food - in the basket unless your child really loves it. Apples may be great, but they can't compete with a chocolate bunny.
• Since vegans don't eat any animal products (including milk or eggs), vegan Web sites are a good place to find dairy-free recipes.