Great Healthy Food Gifts for Christmas
The Christmas season can be one of the hardest times to buy presents for someone who is really into a healthy lifestyle. Maybe you should consider making them healthy food gifts for Christmas this year.
There are foods that you can use to put together a healthy and meaningful Christmas gift and it is a lot easier than you think!
And even if you know of a friend, colleague or family member that is usually healthy but likes to indulge a little at this time of year, then giving them some great healthy food gifts for Christmas will help to keep them on the straight and narrow once the holiday season is over!
Healthy Home-made Christmas Hamper
Hampers are an obvious choice at Christmas for those who love food but the stereotypical store-bought hamper is filled with treats such as jams, jellies, biscuits, cookies and cakes which may not appeal to those with a healthy lifestyle.
If you feel that a hamper is the right way to go then why not make your own hamper filled with healthy foods instead?
One of the easiest ways to do this is to make a wonderful fruit hamper which is sure to be a hit with your healthy friend, colleague or relative. Try to use fruits that are in season and ones that have a longer “shelf life” so that they do not go off before they can be enjoyed.
You will find that dried fruits such as prunes, apricots, cranberries and pears are a great option for your hamper because they will keep for longer.
Great healthy food gifts for Christmas in hamper form can also have a multitude of other fruit options including oranges, pears, apples, kiwis, cherries, peaches, dried banana chips and jars of olives.
A Christmas Ingredients Jar
As a great alternative to the fruit hamper, you can also give healthy Christmas food gifts in the form of a dried ingredients jar. This means taking a jar, attaching a healthy recipe to it and filling it with ingredients that can make a delicious meal or snack such as bean soup, granola bars or a power-packed oatmeal breakfast.
The gift recipient will only need to add the wet ingredients themselves to create a healthy meal.
All you need to do is measure out the dried ingredients in the right quantities, add them to the jar, seal it tightly and then decorate/wrap the jar so that it is pleasing to the eye.
One of the easiest recipes to use is a simple, delicious bean soup for which you will need: 1/4 cup of pearl barley, 1/3 cup of Romano beans, 1/3 cup of pinto beans, 1/3 cup of white navy beans, 1/4 cup of split peas, 1/4 cup of dried mixed vegetables, 1 bay leaf, 3 tablespoons of dried beef bouillon granules, 3 tablespoons of dried onion flakes and 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
Once you have these ingredients, it is simply a case of layering them into the jar and you are ready to go!
High-Quality Coffee and Herbal Teas
Anyone who is that health conscious is likely to know that a little bit of coffee each day (as in 1-2 cups) is actually considered healthy.
We are constantly being told that caffeine is bad for us and this is true if it is taken in excess. A little bit of caffeine each day from the likes of coffee can actually help boost our concentration and focus levels, helping us to get those little grey cells working to our advantage!
So if you are really stuck for great healthy food gifts for Christmas then a jar of a good quality coffee will be warmly welcomed by its recipient.
Other liquid refreshments make great gifts too, for those who do not drink coffee but like herbal teas for example. Herbal teas are advocated to help in a myriad of ways when it comes to good health; they can help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, act as cleansers for the digestive system (promoting a healthy gut) as well as making us feel calm during a stressful time.
The added bonus of giving herbal teas as a gift at Christmas is that there are so many to choose from so you will have no problems with picking some wonderfully pungent, colorful and delicious teas.