I certainly don’t go“all out” for every holiday throughout the year, but I love having a little something special for the kids for certain days. For Valentine’s Day we had sprinkle-filled waffles topped with strawberries and they each had little Valentines to enjoy after school. And for Easter, I wanted to have little Easter baskets that they could hunt for and find on Easter Sunday!
We were at my in-laws for Easter last year so they covered the egg hunt and baskets, but this year I had fun assembling a little basket for each boy with things that they’ll love to open. The joy of hunting for eggs and seeing what is inside is still very high on their list of fun things to do, so prepping the eggs and the baskets was fun for me too!
ALDI not only has my pantry staples, as well as so many other food options, but they are also stocked with everything you need for Easter right now. I had to pick up some brown sugar for the muffins, and couldn’t avoid the Easter section to browse their candy and toys! You simply cannot beat their prices and how easy it is to shop their store. Plus, I’ve found great fresh produce at ALDI and grabbed some blueberries and raspberries for the muffin recipe I’m sharing below!
I filled their Plastic Easter baskets with eggs and grass from ALDI. In the plastic eggs, I put little action figure toys, Choceur Chocolate Coins, and other Easter candy. I also added two huge bubble wands that they will love playing with outside! I stashed the baskets away until Easter Sunday when I’ll sneak downstairs early and hide them.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy a few Specially Selected Truffle Eggs while I was assembling their baskets!
My mom was always good at hiding our Easter baskets when we were kids, so I remember that it seemed to take FOREVER to find them. I have fond memories of searching around the house while my dad made breakfast, and hope my kids will feel the same as they grow older and we celebrate more Easters!
One of my favorite breakfast recipes is for Triple Berry Muffins. The recipe makes about 20 muffins which allows me to make them ahead of time and freeze any leftovers. They reheat well in the oven, but I don’t put them in the microwave as they will get a little too soft and soggy. Reheat thawed muffins for about 10-12 minutes at 300 degrees(but the right oven temperature may vary depending on your oven!).
Triple (or Double!) Berry Muffins
15 minutes prep time, 20-25 minutes bake time, makes about 20 muffins
3 cups Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baker’s Corner Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baker’s Corner Pure Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Stonemill Salt
1 1/2 tbsp SimplyNature Ground Cinnamon
1 1/4 cups Friendly Farms Whole Milk
2 large SimplyNature Organic Cage Free Brown Eggs, beaten
1 cup Baker’s Corner Granulated Sugar + 1/2 cup Baker’s Corner Brown Sugar
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, in a large bowl, combine dry ingredients(except sugars) well. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Gradually combine without over–mixing. The batter will be a little bit more liquid-y than usual at this point. Add berries(I used raspberries and blueberries!) and sugar and gently fold into the batter. The dough will be quite thick.
Use a cookie scoop and fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown around the edges. You may need to adjust your oven temperature depending on your oven, I found mine to bake best at 350, but you may need to bump yours up to 375.
Experiment with different berries as well! I’ve used blackberries in the past but haven’t tried strawberries yet. Please let me know which berry combination you try in the comments!
Whether you are prepping for Easter, or just doing regular grocery shopping, be sure to check out ALDI! You can find the nearest store by clicking here!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says · 03.21.18
Aww, I wish I received Easter baskets like this when I was a kid! We don’t really celebrate Easter here but I would’ve loved it! The sweets, the toys! 🙂
Those muffins look delicious. I’m putting together baskets for my husband and parents and I love the idea of adding in homemade baked goods! Thank you for the inspiration! xAllie http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
You have a nice blog and a wonderful family. i wish you good luck also i invite you to visit my blog on argan oil and the benefits of the moroccan argan oil : http://www.arganoilpro.org
Wow, sponsored Easter baskets! Is there anything you don’t get a kickback for? Honestly, it’s hard to know what you really like since every post has sponsored good. I remember a post you had a year or so ago for Head and Shoulders shampoo- do you really use it? I didn’t think so!
Erin, be kind or say nothing. This is how Kate makes her living but there are PLENTY of posts where she uses things that are not sponsored at all. You can probably make your own decisions as to what to try and what not to try. Good lord. Also I’ve heard Kate recommend H&S to readers who complain about scalp dryness. Just stop it for heaven’s sake.
Erin – I completely agree with you. When I visit a blog and see that the blog post is sponsored I usually skip it. It’s a real turn off seeing so many things sponsored. Sure every once in a while I can see how it’s necessary if you want to make extra money, but it seems like every other day. Hell, I would like a product too if I was being paid to talk about it.
Your readers are what keeps this blog afloat, take that away and you might have to go back to being a hairstylist. I enjoy reading your blog most of the time, but if something is being sponsored or I see #ad by it, i’m definitely skipping it, and most likely wont purchase whatever is trying to be sold.
I realize a few people giving you criticism isn’t going to change your habits, since i’m sure the money you get from ads is nice. But I see a lot of people feel this way towards people who blog for a living.
just my two cents.
Laura, like Erin, you also need to chill out. You are clearly capable of making your own decisions as you choose to skip the sponsored content. Good for you! Let Kate earn a living and move on.
These are the BEST kind of sponsored posts – a recipe, a craft idea, holiday goodies, etc. Sure, the recipe calls for a specific brand of eggs, but the reader can discount that and enjoy the recipe anyway. If we want to keep recieving free content, then creators have to keep finding ways to monetize their work. These kind of sponsored posts, as opposed to “OMG I LOVE THIS SPECIFIC PRODUCT” are the best option for monetization with little interruption to the reader’s experience. You get paid for your job, and so should Kate.
Erin, every post is not sponsored and it is clear that you don’t understand that advertisements are a source of revenue for this site. I’d happily have a civil conversation about it if you are interested in chatting about sources of revenue.
Regarding Head and Shoulders, I used it very often when I lived in the north and occasionally use it during the wintertime here to combat extreme scalp dryness as I have psoriasis on my scalp.
While you’re complaining about free content, the rest of us are happily printing a muffin recipe to bake for our children, right after we skillfully style our hair using tips we’ve learned from Kate. Then we get to go to Aldi with pretty hair to buy muffin ingredients. If you don’t want any of those things, Bye, Felicia!
A great recipe and different, thank you. However, you are clearly committing a crime by earning a living and providing for your family, who ever heard of such a thing? xx
I love Aldi!! It’s kind of strange the first time you shop there, with the paying a quarter for a cart and bringing your own bags, but the prices just cannot be beat. I also love the small store size. It’s nice to be able to grab everything you need and be out the door in 15 minutes instead of having to wander up and down huge isles. Have a Happy Easter!
Could someone weigh in on Aldi vs. Trader Joes? I believe they have the same parent company? I LOVE Trader Joes- from their prices to their products- and can’t imagine shopping anywhere else. However, we have an Aldi nearby so I’m curious if it’s worth trying to switch?
Kate, did you get the little figurines at Aldi as well? Did they have other little things to put inside besides candy? Just looking for some non-candy options. Thanks!!
Kate I love all your post! Your different interests in many things informs me and I enjoy it! From makeup to clothing to the exciting news about the lil guys, who are both adorable and soon to be a big help to mommy with the new baby on the way! Kate your great look forward to reading more!
I used to love Easter when the boys were younger. Our neighborhood hosts an Easter egg hunt for the entire neighborhood. Everyone (who wants to participate) drops off 25 filled eggs (per child) at one house. On the Saturday before Easter, the Easter bunny (parents) hide the eggs in our neighborhood park sectioned off by age. Then all of the kids line up and are sent to their respective age area. It is a great time! But my boys are 13 and almost 15 now and it gets harder every year to keep it an exciting time. Any ideas for teenagers? Thanks!
I love Aldi and I love that you love it, too! We just had a brand new store open in my city. A brand new one! It was so exciting! I went to the grand opening and everything! Thank you so much for putting yourself out there and making recommendations. I’m always so anxious to tell a friend to try something because what if they don’t like it? And to do it on here, I feel that takes a lot of courage. Everything you’ve ever recommended I love, though! Thank you so much, Kate!
These muffins are delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I used 2/3 cup each of blueberries, blackberries (cut in 1/4s… they were big!), and diced strawberries! Yum!
comments
Aww, I wish I received Easter baskets like this when I was a kid! We don’t really celebrate Easter here but I would’ve loved it! The sweets, the toys! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Those muffins look delicious. I’m putting together baskets for my husband and parents and I love the idea of adding in homemade baked goods! Thank you for the inspiration! xAllie http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
You have a nice blog and a wonderful family. i wish you good luck also i invite you to visit my blog on argan oil and the benefits of the moroccan argan oil : http://www.arganoilpro.org
Wow, sponsored Easter baskets! Is there anything you don’t get a kickback for? Honestly, it’s hard to know what you really like since every post has sponsored good. I remember a post you had a year or so ago for Head and Shoulders shampoo- do you really use it? I didn’t think so!
Erin, be kind or say nothing. This is how Kate makes her living but there are PLENTY of posts where she uses things that are not sponsored at all. You can probably make your own decisions as to what to try and what not to try. Good lord. Also I’ve heard Kate recommend H&S to readers who complain about scalp dryness. Just stop it for heaven’s sake.
appreciate the support Katie!
Erin – I completely agree with you. When I visit a blog and see that the blog post is sponsored I usually skip it. It’s a real turn off seeing so many things sponsored. Sure every once in a while I can see how it’s necessary if you want to make extra money, but it seems like every other day. Hell, I would like a product too if I was being paid to talk about it.
Your readers are what keeps this blog afloat, take that away and you might have to go back to being a hairstylist. I enjoy reading your blog most of the time, but if something is being sponsored or I see #ad by it, i’m definitely skipping it, and most likely wont purchase whatever is trying to be sold.
I realize a few people giving you criticism isn’t going to change your habits, since i’m sure the money you get from ads is nice. But I see a lot of people feel this way towards people who blog for a living.
just my two cents.
Laura, like Erin, you also need to chill out. You are clearly capable of making your own decisions as you choose to skip the sponsored content. Good for you! Let Kate earn a living and move on.
These are the BEST kind of sponsored posts – a recipe, a craft idea, holiday goodies, etc. Sure, the recipe calls for a specific brand of eggs, but the reader can discount that and enjoy the recipe anyway. If we want to keep recieving free content, then creators have to keep finding ways to monetize their work. These kind of sponsored posts, as opposed to “OMG I LOVE THIS SPECIFIC PRODUCT” are the best option for monetization with little interruption to the reader’s experience. You get paid for your job, and so should Kate.
thanks Leah! Seems pretty simple to you and me but some people don’t understand.
Erin, every post is not sponsored and it is clear that you don’t understand that advertisements are a source of revenue for this site. I’d happily have a civil conversation about it if you are interested in chatting about sources of revenue.
Regarding Head and Shoulders, I used it very often when I lived in the north and occasionally use it during the wintertime here to combat extreme scalp dryness as I have psoriasis on my scalp.
While you’re complaining about free content, the rest of us are happily printing a muffin recipe to bake for our children, right after we skillfully style our hair using tips we’ve learned from Kate. Then we get to go to Aldi with pretty hair to buy muffin ingredients. If you don’t want any of those things, Bye, Felicia!
A great recipe and different, thank you. However, you are clearly committing a crime by earning a living and providing for your family, who ever heard of such a thing? xx
I love Aldi!! It’s kind of strange the first time you shop there, with the paying a quarter for a cart and bringing your own bags, but the prices just cannot be beat. I also love the small store size. It’s nice to be able to grab everything you need and be out the door in 15 minutes instead of having to wander up and down huge isles. Have a Happy Easter!
Just to clarify, you don’t have to pay for a cart since you get your quarter back when you return the cart!
Could someone weigh in on Aldi vs. Trader Joes? I believe they have the same parent company? I LOVE Trader Joes- from their prices to their products- and can’t imagine shopping anywhere else. However, we have an Aldi nearby so I’m curious if it’s worth trying to switch?
Kate, did you get the little figurines at Aldi as well? Did they have other little things to put inside besides candy? Just looking for some non-candy options. Thanks!!
Kate I love all your post! Your different interests in many things informs me and I enjoy it! From makeup to clothing to the exciting news about the lil guys, who are both adorable and soon to be a big help to mommy with the new baby on the way! Kate your great look forward to reading more!
I used to love Easter when the boys were younger. Our neighborhood hosts an Easter egg hunt for the entire neighborhood. Everyone (who wants to participate) drops off 25 filled eggs (per child) at one house. On the Saturday before Easter, the Easter bunny (parents) hide the eggs in our neighborhood park sectioned off by age. Then all of the kids line up and are sent to their respective age area. It is a great time! But my boys are 13 and almost 15 now and it gets harder every year to keep it an exciting time. Any ideas for teenagers? Thanks!
I love Aldi and I love that you love it, too! We just had a brand new store open in my city. A brand new one! It was so exciting! I went to the grand opening and everything! Thank you so much for putting yourself out there and making recommendations. I’m always so anxious to tell a friend to try something because what if they don’t like it? And to do it on here, I feel that takes a lot of courage. Everything you’ve ever recommended I love, though! Thank you so much, Kate!
Love your blog! I have been following you for years.
This is random, but in the last picture in this post, there are two amazing pieces hanging on either side of your fireplace. Where did you get them?
Thanks!!
I am making these muffins right now! They smell delicious. Happy Easter
These muffins are delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I used 2/3 cup each of blueberries, blackberries (cut in 1/4s… they were big!), and diced strawberries! Yum!
Thank you so much for sharing.I have found it extremely helpful…
Thank you so much for sharing. I have found it extremely helpful… I will keep these things in mind !