Easter is a wonderful time to reignite those aspirational new year’s health goals which may have begun to sag slightly in the summer sun. 

A lovely, four-day long weekend is the perfect time to create some nourishing, homemade treats to get your wellbeing back on track.Macadamias, which support heart, brain and gut health, make an easy, healthful addition to many traditional Easter recipes. Their soft, buttery crunch adds great texture to Easter buns and their flavour complements chocolate beautifully. 

They are also perfect if you want to try some treats that are fun and flavourful, but also good for you too!

Here are five macadamia swaps and substitutes for a healthy holiday:

 1. Try some wholesome Easter eggs. Instead of the usual chocolate eggs, why not enjoy raw macadamia bliss ball Easter eggs. They are Easter eggs but not as you know them! These clean-eating treats combine the creaminess of macadamias with medjool dates, coconut, cranberries and cacao… all blended into delicious egg-shaped bliss balls that are much healthier than your usual Easter fare. However, they do come with a warning: they are so delicious, we can’t guarantee that you won’t overindulge!  

 2. Chocolate covered macadamias make great substitutes for Easter eggs and are a fun activity to try during the break. Use vegan dark chocolate to create these munchable morsels that also make healthier gifts for friends.

 3. Adding macadamias to both sweet and savoury recipes over the long weekend can give you the nutritious boost you need to get back into the swing of things once the weekend is over. These macadamia brioche buns contain only a little sugar, but plenty of nutrient-filled macadamias. They make a good swap for hot cross buns.

 4. If you do decide to make something more traditional this long weekend, try these Hot Cross Buns with macadamia and cranberry. They are full of sophisticated flavours with a lovely crunch of nuts.

 5. This macadamia coconut and chocolate spread is a healthy way to slip that chocolatey flavour into your Easter without compromising on either health or taste. The recipe uses surprisingly few ingredients to create a moreish, chocolatey spread that you can use in baking – or just on toast.

Don’t forget to check out all our other macadamia recipes here. Happy Easter everyone!