#BaptistHealthy Easy Eats: Bunny Face Brown Rice Cake

Easter is right around the corner. While sheltering at home, you might have missed the piles of candy bunnies and chocolate eggs.  As we know, more holidays have become strongly focused on food, sweets and treats.  Here are a few ideas on how to have an Easter holiday celebration that every bunny will enjoy.

These family-friendly tips encourage creativity while cutting back on added sugars — without cutting back on fun.

• Plan an Easter Egg Hunt! Get kids moving around the house, apartment or backyard. Use plastic eggs or have the kids make them (paper, scissors, markers, and imagination). Hide a ‘golden egg’ that has an extra special prize such as cash. See who can find the most eggs!

• Modify Easter Traditions at Home. Don’t lose sight of the reason for the season — Hope has and will continue to triumph. Get the family dressed up for virtual church services at home, snap some pictures, enjoy a homemade brunch with healthy sweet potato hash and virtual family gatherings via Facetime.  Here’s one brunch dish idea that is also rich in Vitamin A to strengthen your immune system.

• Focus on Fun, Not Food. Plan fun activities inside your home, such as egg decorating, Easter coloring sheets and word searches you can find and print from the Internet, or creating Easter baskets for yourselves or those in need.
• Munch on This. Tasty, easy-to-prepare Bunny Face Brown Rice Cake Recipe. Don’t have all the ingredients? It’s okay. Get creative and modify at home with what you have.

Bunny Face Rice Cakes

Ingredients:

• Brown rice cake, lightly salted
• Creamy Swiss cheese, spreadable cheese wedge or hummus
• Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Celery for whiskers
• Radishes, sliced for eyes
• Black olives
• Cucumbers, sliced for ears
• Carrots for garnish

Preparation:

• Place a brown rice cake on a plate.
• Spread the creamy Swiss cheese, spreadable cheese wedge or hummus across the rice cake.
• Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and use for a nose.
• Slice the celery, julienne style, and place alongside the nose for whiskers.
• Slice the radishes and use 2 slices for the eyes.
• Place the 2 black olives on top of the radishes.
• Slice cucumbers, use 2 slices and place on top of the rice cake for ears.

Nutritional information (Bunny face brown rice cake, one serving):  Calories 135, Fat 4 g, Carbohydrates 15 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 215 g.

About the Author:
Lucette Talamas is a registered dietitian with community health at Baptist Health South Florida. She holds a bachelor’s degree in food science and human nutrition from University of Florida and a master of science in nutrition and wellness from Benedictine University. With additional experience as a clinical dietitian, Ms. Talamas enjoys providing practical nutrition information to promote healthy lifestyles that can help prevent and manage chronic diseases. Her expert tips and advice have appeared in print and broadcast media, including The Miami Herald, South Florida PBS, CBS Miami, Telemundo and Univision. Active in professional nutrition organizations, Ms. Talamas received the 2018 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award from the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.