As I was cooking this week, I thought you might like some Health-Conscious holiday gift ideas from your favorite dietitian (if I’m not your favorite dietitian, I sure want to be).
An additional benefit to my search for living a better life is finding more ways to help my clients. Good news! I have found some real gems. You, or someone you know, might like these Health-Conscious gifts too.
Kitchen Products
My mother gave me kitchen items for Christmas when I was starting out on my own. I still have many of them and think of her with love when I pull them out. You can’t beat good products that make things easier in the kitchen.
Nowadays I use America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) for advice on top rated items in the kitchen. They do thorough product testing and announce their winning pots, pans and utensils. I keep a “wish list” of the winners for future reference. I have a well stocked kitchen but like to upgrade with the best options.
When my daughter Annie moved out on her own, I bought her the highest-rated pots. I admit I probably went over the top with that, but they’re designed to last decades. Maybe she’ll remember me when I’m gone and she pulls out a pot.
Anyway, on to some ATK top-rated gift ideas that I love.
Thermapen Mk4
This reliable meat thermometer is accurate, quick and easy to use ensuring our meats are done perfectly. It comes with a temperature guide for specific meats.
Starpack Spoonula I use it every time I cook because it cleans out every bowl or pot better than anything else. I like it better than a spoon or a spatula.
Kitchen Knives
Victorinox 8” Swiss Army Fibrox Pro Chef Knife and…
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Paring Knife These 2 knives do almost all the cutting in the kitchen. A good knife makes a huge difference.
Cole & Mason Fresh Herb Keeper
I often pay $3 for fresh herbs at the grocery store if I don’t have them in the garden (or my neighbor’s garden). Often, I had to throw out over half of them because they wouldn’t keep when stored conventionally in the fridge. Not anymore. Herbs stay fresh much longer in this keeper with water.
Resources to get meals planned and on the table quickly
You probably should think about how the recipient of this gift would take it. Would it be like getting a vacuum cleaner as present? Anyway, I can highly recommend these for a busy person who wants to eat good food at home without too much time involved.
“Peas and Hoppiness” Meal Guides
I have tried and really enjoy Ann Kent’s program where members get flexible meal guides every week which includes delicious recipes that are very clear and easy to follow. Ann grew up on a farm and knows about food and cooking. Like me, she’s a dietitian who wants to help people enjoy good food and not stress about what to make for dinner. She provides menus, recipes that anyone can make (in a reasonable amount of time), and a grocery list; plus more.
Eat What You Love
Quick & Easy: Great recipes Low in Sugar, Fat, and Calories by Marlene Koch is one of my favorites. Never too many ingredients or hard to find items, recipes are delicious and never too high in calories. It’s 75% off on Amazon for a time ($6.59 for hardcover instead of $27).
Inspiration to live a better life with fewer struggles
These were all eye-opening to me and helped me understand things in a better way.
The Illustrated Happiness Trap
How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris and Bev Aisbett. Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), you can begin to let go of impossible expectations (like always being happy) and learn how to live a rich and meaningful life. This is a fun and easy read that really had me seeing things in a new way.
The Ten Percent Happier App
After Dan Harris, a meditation skeptic, found that meditation made him less stressed and 10% happier, he is now spreading the news. This app is great for learning how to meditate, and has over 350 guided meditations.
Did you know that it is not possible to stop your thoughts? That is not what meditation is.
I love this app with all the experts teaching courses. Mindful Eating, taught by Dr Jud Brewer who studies how our brain forms negative behavior patterns and how to create lasting change, leads a course that shows options for how to handle cravings and stress eating.
Now that I have written about some of my new favorite things, I’m not sure all would be considered great gift ideas. (Some people don’t like “door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.” –Sound of Music reference, in case you didn’t get it).
Anyway, always remember who’s receiving the gift (my husband probably wouldn’t get excited about a Dutch oven, but he loves his rice-cooker). What would they like? These all resonate with me.
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