What do we want to put in our body?
What do we want to give our friends? Our family? Our children?
What message do we want to send?

Every year, an increasing number of children and adults prefer healthier, more thoughtful, homemade Purim baskets without excessive amounts of sugar and preservatives. Instead of gifting extreme amounts of sugar and potential health disorders, we can give an energy of health and abundance.

This requires some work in the kitchen, which can, when working with the children, create fun, enjoyable family time.
We wanted to share with you some ideas for Purim baskets that were created by Efsharibari – in the cluster of Judea and Samaria authorities, Southern Sorek, Beit Hakerem, Western Negev, Eastern Negev, Eastern Galilee, the Galilee and the valleys.

Pampering and Healthy Purim Basket (Hebrew)
Health Purim Basket Booklet (Hebrew)
Health Recipes for Purim Booklet (Hebrew)

Healthy Purim: healthy eating tips for the holiday (Hebrew)
Vayikra - happy Purim with a prize-winning mishloach manot (Hebrew)

The prepared Purim baskets, typically packages of industrialized snacks and sweets, can be replaced by much healthier options, and by games such as masks and gragers that match the holiday spirit.

Healthy Purim basket

the following video presents ideas for healthier ingredients, and proposals for fun, personal and baskets you can prepare with your children:

Video: healthy Purim basket

Replace processed or store-bought products with alternatives you can make at home. Here is a quick and easy to prepare snack to add to your Purim basket: make sweet pumpkin muffins, which are loved by both children and adults, with this easy 5-step recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 300 g whole flour (= 2 ½ cups)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 115 g sugar (= a little more than ½ cup)
• 2 medium eggs
• 125 ml canola oil (= ½ measuring cup)
• 1 tub yoghurt 1.5% (200 ml)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Steam the pumpkin until soft. Drain and mash. Leave to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar.
• Mix the eggs, yoghurt, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, together with the pumpkin. Stir.
• Avoid over working the mixture.
• Transfer the mixture to a muffin tin.
• Bake for about 20 minutes at 180 ° Leave to cool and remove from the tin.

More suggestions for Efsharibari Purim baskets (that adults will love too)

• Sliced fruit, muffins with dried fruit, fruit teas
• Homemade granola, unsweetened yogurt, a selection of dried fruit
• Zucchini spread, pesto, sesame pretzels, almonds and nuts, orange juice
• Personal-sized vegetable and cheese quiche, tomato jam, rye crackers, a bottle of red wine
• Apples of different colors, grain snack bar with apple, apple pie, apple cider

Happy Purim!

Further reading

Healthier Purim Baskets, Ministry of Education Website (Hebrew)
Purim baskets, at the Health Ministry’s Department of Nutrition Website