Stop Stressing About Holiday Gifts!  We’ve Got You Covered With These Dietitian Approved Gifts

Gift giving can be tough! I’m pretty good at finding the perfect gift for someone, but a lot of people all at the same time?  That’s a struggle for me.  So, while I’m building my gift list for my family and friends, I thought I would share some of my ideas and some things I’ve purchased before.  

Seasonings, Spices, and Herbs.

Turn that plain ‘ol chicken breast or fish filet into something different with some flavor!  Check out Penzey’s Spices for all your seasoning needs.  From individual spices and herbs, to gift boxes with perfectly curated seasonings, you can’t go wrong.  Not sure what to pick?  How about a gift card?  You can even shop by dietary restrictions- like salt free.  My husband used up his gift card and keeps ordering more!

DIY Kits to Make Something Fun

The winter months are long and dark, so time to light it up in the kitchen.  If you can think of it, there is probably a kit for you.  Check out Uncommon Goods for a bunch of fun kits.  Perhaps a DIY Mochi Ice Cream Kit for your brother’s new girlfriend.  How about a Make Your Own Rainbow Bagel Kit for the white elephant at work.  There are tons of food related kits out there for every taste preference- hot sauce, cheese, root beer, pasta, you name it!  There are even cocktail making kits!

Classes to Learn Something New

    I’m still sticking with Uncommon Goods. Did you know they offer classes as well?  Even better, get a kit WITH a class, like this 90 minute CoffeeTasting class.  Williams Sonoma offers in person and virtual classes as well.  For December there are a couple baking sessions that yield some very yummy looking cookies or a delicious pie. Advanced level gifting is finding a local class to gift.  I found my husband a bread making class in our local town.  I picked up all the ingredients and supplies, I wrapped them for him to open, then he used them over the next two months to log on to the virtual classes that came with the gift to make us some bread!  Win (gift for him) win (bread for me).

The Gift of Life

Ha!  A little dramatic, but how about growing food  in your own home, even in the winter!?  You could go with an herb kit to bring some fresh greens into the kitchen like this one from The Urban Leaf Store.  Or, if you really like the person (or have a black thumb like me and need all the help you can get), go all in with an AeroGarden and have all the herbs you want, whenever you want.

Don’t forget about the kids

Kids will totally dig a gift to get them into the kitchen (as a parent, maybe not so much, man can they make a mess!)  But, research shows getting them involved in the kitchen can help expand their palettes.  So, what about the gift of a cooking club?  Raddish Kids will send your child (or children) a monthly package with recipes, a new kitchen tool, and a collectable pin!  You can even specify baking or cooking.  To go along with their subscription box (or as a stand alone gift) how about some kid sized kitchen gear?  These knives are kid approved (by my kids at least!).  This set comes with  knives, a cutting board, and more, so they’ll be quite the sous-chef!  If that’s not enough, this set comes with everything a child could need for baking AND cooking, plus a nice case to keep it all organized (yay for parents!).  If your kids aren’t old enough for slicing and dicing, a great investment is a learning tower.  This is the one I have.  It can hold both my kids at the same time (great as a space saver, not so great when “she’s touching me!”), and it has an adjustable height.  Full disclosure, I got mine second hand and love it, so you don’t need to buy it new (save the planet).  There are less expensive versions; I know Aldi has one for $89, if you can find it.  Luckily, there are various ones to fit every budget, space, and requirements (like do you need it to fold away or hold more than one kid?).  We’ve had it for years and I don’t regret it for a second!

From the Heart 

If you’re looking for  something nostalgic, look no further than a personalized cutting board?  Get the tissues ready when you customize it with a traditional family recipe!  Even better, order a few for your mom, sister, brother, kids… boom done!  I’ve been eyeing this up for years, I just have to find the perfect recipe.  You can also find personalized casserole dishes or bakeware depending on the recipe you choose.  I personally have, and love, this photo coffee mug.  It’s 20 ounces!  Those tiny 11 ounce mugs aren’t going to cut it for me.  It has a couple pictures of my kids and appropriately says “but first, coffee”.  Customize to the person- travel mug, wine tumbler, you name it, you can put a photo on it!

One last idea, shop local!  I put together a gift basket a couple of years ago with pasta and sauce from our local Italian deli, spreads from the sandwich shop, cocktails from the distillery, coffee from the local spot, and a couple other odds and ends.  It was a hit!  

What have been your successful food related gifts?  Help out your fellow gift givers!

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.  For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.  Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.  We’re here to help.