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For many families, Easter offers a great opportunity to get everyone together for food and family fun but putting together a big meal can be both costly and stressful.  This year, cut down on both of these factors by planning ahead and filling your menu with seasonal ingredients.  Shopping for your ingredients locally will also help you get the freshest foods at the best price.  To help you pick the perfect foods to fill your family’s plates this Easter, here are some easy menu options featuring recipes from the Fill Your Plate blog.

Laid Back Easter Lunch

If your Easter traditions are low-key, this menu may be just right for a laid back Easter lunch.  Make the meal easy by offering a trio of lunch ready options for guests to mix and match.

• Cool Arizona Melon Soup features great local flavors like cantaloupe and oranges.
• Join the Party Salad features lettuce, peppers, eggs, cheese and bacon.
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps combine the great taste of farm-fresh chicken with the crisp crunch of lettuce.

Better Brunch

This brunch menu makes a great buffet but can also be served family style.  It is full of fresh flavors and local ingredients.

• Arizona Quiche brings together eggs, bacon, and chilies for a dish featuring some of the best of local Arizona farm products.
• Boss’s Baked French Toast is made with cinnamon raisin bread, blueberries, and raspberries.
• Artichoke Eggs Sardou features eggs, artichokes, and spinach.
• Bake up a basket of goodies everyone will love like Rosemary Muffins with Goat Cheese, Yummy Nutmeg Donuts, and Banana Bran Muffins.

Easy Elegance

If you are looking for something a little more upscale, this menu offers the elegance you want without giving up the ease you need.

• Orange Almond Salad is made from fresh Arizona greens and oranges.
• Honey Orange Glazed Ham offers a deliciously different way to serve up an old family favorite.
• Beets with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Parsley brings together some great spring flavors that will elevate the whole meal.
• Balsamic Green Beans with Pine Nuts
• Arizona Sunshine Lemon Pie provides the perfect way to end this elegant meal.

Very Veggie

Celebrate the spirit of the season with crunchy carrots rather than more traditional meats and make your vegetarian Easter menu a memorable one.

• Carrot Bread
• Carrot Ginger Soup (just replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock)
• Classic Minestrone Soup (veggie stock in place of beef stock
• Isabell Rousseau’s Carrot Salad
• Country Garden Salad  (without the chicken or serve it on the side for non-vegetarian guests)
• Carrot, Leek, and Turnip Saute
• Carrot Cake

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