Greetings! We're coming up on a couple of holidays in the next month, so this week we're sharing tips on how celebrations can be both fun AND healthy, the connection between faith and food, and the power of school breakfast. As always please read and share!  

1. TOP STORIES

Healthy Easter Basket / Holiday Candy Alternatives: It's hard not to be overwhelmed by candy this time of year, whether or not you celebrate Easter. But non-candy treats can be just as fun! We're discussing alternatives in the Facebook Group, including: toys, slime, coins, seeds, flowers, plastic critters, chalk, bubbles, stickers and more! Stop on by to get some new ideas and share your own! And/or share ideas on Twitter using #GoodFoodForce! 

Tasty Holiday Recipes from Around the Web: Migdalia shares some great ideas for healthy celebrations, from yummy breakfast treats to more savory dishes. Check it out on the blog!

Also on the blog: My Game Plan to Protect Kids from Junk Food This Holiday Season. From modeling good behaviors to offering healthy alternatives, To-Wen shares some great advice and encouragement.  

Healthy Ramadan Toolkit: Although it's not yet Ramadan, we're bumping up this great resource providing useful tips year-round. Ramadan, as with many holidays and special times of the year, is the "perfect opportunity to engage holistically in an assessment of our spiritual, physical and emotional health," says Kameelah Rashad, Founder and President of the Muslim Wellness Foundation in the introduction.

Healthy Food for Healthy Communities: Toolkit for Faith-Based Organizations: We're happy to share this powerful resource for anyone interested in mobilizing their community of faith around food justice issues. As Lottie Minor says in the introduction the toolkit will "...help us collaborate, network and mobilize, so we can address health and wellness issues in our congregation and live happier, healthier, whole lives. After all, when women make positive strides, everyone benefits." Check out the toolkit for great tips on how to launch conversations, events and more in your community. (And remember, you can always find tons of great resources like these on the Good Food Force Toolbox page!)

Natural Egg Dyes: Also on the Facebook group, Rosemary suggested checking out natural easter egg dyes made with cabbage, beets, tumeric and more! Some tips from Rodale's Organic Life here. (Note: also check out Rosemary's mention of how to make homemade chocolate eggs. Mind = blown.). 

2. TIPS AND RESOURCES

How healthy is your county? Find out in the new County Health Rankings and Roadmap website, released this month by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

Coming soon: the fifth annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The First Lady is once again teaming up with PBS flagship station WGBH Boston, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to host the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge to promote cooking and healthy eating among young people across the nation. The challenge invites kids ages 8-12, in collaboration with a parent or guardian, to create an original recipe that is healthy, affordable, and delicious. One winner from each U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia will win the opportunity to be flown to Washington, DC and the opportunity to attend the 2016 Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House, where a selection of the winning recipes will be served. Find out more, and note that recipes need to be submitted by April 4th!

New study from Bridging the Gap shows that while school meals have become healthier, benefits vary among racial and socioeconomic groups. "Majority-black or majority-Latino schools were significantly less likely to offer fresh fruit than were predominantly white schools (adjusted prevalence: majority black, 61.3%; majority Latino, 73.0%; predominantly white, 87.8%). Schools with low socioeconomic status were significantly less likely to offer salads regularly than were schools with middle or high socioeconomic status..."

Middle school students who eat breakfast in school – even if they had breakfast at home – are less likely to be overweight or obese than students who skip breakfast, according to a new study by researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut and the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale School of Public Health.