Holiday celebrations are often a time to enjoy great food, the company of friends and family, and gift giving. The possibilities of gifts are endless. I thought I would provide a few ideas of gifts that you could make from your kitchen as well as purchased healthful food-related items.
 
Handcrafted Items that you prepare:
 

• Homemade herbal chai tea

  • Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker. I use Joi organic almond or cashew milk concentrate and no sweetener needed for my tastes – yum!

  • Ingredients for chai tea mix:

    • 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon (cassia is best)

    • 3 tablespoons ground ginger

    • 4 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom

    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper

    • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

    • ¾ teaspoon ground cloves

  • For serving optional:

    • 1 ½ teaspoons chai mix

    • 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice OR use 1 cup hot water and top off with non-dairy milk

    • 2 teaspoons red rooibos or black tea

    • A few drops of 100% monk fruit

  • Instructions:

    • To make chai tea mix, add all spices to a small jar and shake or stir thoroughly to combine. Will keep at room temperature up to 3 months. Or you can store it in the refrigerator if you prefer. Double the recipe if you intend to use it daily (it goes fast!).

    • To make a HOT chai latte, add suggested amount of Chai Mix and 2 tsp water to a mug (or small blender). Use a spoon to mix spices into water (or skip this step if blending). Then add warmed dairy-free milk of choice to your mug (or blender) and stir (or blend) to combine. If you prefer less non-dairy milk, I generally add to hot water, let steep a few minutes, and then simply top off with non-dairy milk. The spice mix can settle to the bottom, but blending really helps! Keep a spoon handy to give it a stir when drinking if the spices need to be dispersed.


    • To make an ICED chai latte, add suggested amount of Chai Mix and 2 tsp water to a serving glass. Use a spoon to mix into a loose paste (you want as few clumps as possible). Then add several big ice cubes and top with dairy-free milk of choice. Stir to combine.


• Soup mix – fill a glass jar with dry ingredients for a bean soup, layering different types of beans for visual appeal. Recipes adapted from Wholefully.

  • Italian Barley Soup Mix

    • Ingredients

      • 1 cup pearled barley

      • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (dehydrated, not packed in oil)

      • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions

      • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

      • 2 tablespoons dried basil

      • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

      • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

      • 1 vegetable bouillon cube

    • Instructions: 

      • Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Season to taste.

  • Split Pea Soup Mix

    • Ingredients:

      • 2 cups split green peas

      • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

      • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions

      • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

      • 1 bay leaf

      • 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube

    • Instructions:

      • Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the peas are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season to taste.

  • Coconut Curry Soup Mix

    • Ingredients:

      • 2/3 cup orange lentils

      • 2/3 cup green lentils

      • 1 tablespoon curry powder

      • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions

      • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

      • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes

      • 1 small dried chile pepper

    • Instructions:

      • Remove wrapper from bouillon cubes and add them, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of coconut milk to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the chile pepper before serving. Season to taste.

  • Five Bean Soup Mix

    • Ingredients:

      • 1/3 cup pinto Beans

      • 1/3 cup green peas

      • 1/3 cup black beans

      • 1/3 cup great northern beans

      • 1/3 cup kidney beans

      • 1 teaspoon dry mustard

      • 1 teaspoon paprika

      • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions

      • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder

      • 1 tablespoon oregano

      • 1 bay leaf

      • 1 small dried chile pepper (optional)

      • 1 teaspoon rosemary

      • 1 vegetable bouillon cubes

    • Instructions: 

      • Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus five cups of water and one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans. Remove and discard chile pepper and bay leaf before serving. Season to taste.

  • Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix

    • Ingredients:

      • 1 ½ cup black beans

      • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions

      • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder

      • 2 tablespoons cumin

      • 1 teaspoon celery seed

      • 2 bay leaves

      • 1 teaspoon chili powder

      • 1 vegetable bouillon cube

      • 1 small dried chile pepper

    • Instructions:

      • Remove wrapper from bouillon cube, add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus six cups of water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans Remove and discard the chile pepper and bay leaves before serving. Season to taste.

• Adventure bread mix – gift the dry ingredients in a jar

  • Adventure Bread Recipe - This is an amazing, nourishing bread that also happens to be gluten free and vegan – absolutely delicious! I slice this bread and store in the freezer for those times that a slice of bread is appealing. Recipe adapted from Mom’s Kitchen Handbook.

  • Ingredients:

  • Dry Ingredients

    • 2 1/4 cups rolled oats

    • 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted

    • 1/2 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), salted or unsalted

    • 3/4 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

    • 3/4 cup ground flax seed

    • 1/3 cup psyllium seed husks

    • 3 tablespoons chia seeds

    • 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

  • Wet Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    • 2 1/2 cups water

  • Instructions:

    1. Lightly grease 3 small loaf pans (about 5 3/4 x 3 1/4-inch) or one 8- or 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. I spritz the pan with avocado oil.

    2. Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

    3. Add the wet ingredients and use your hands or a sturdy spoon to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Be aggressive here, smashing everything together well.

    4. Transfer the mixture to the 3 small (or 1 large) bread pans, patting it firmly into the pans and smoothing the top so it's even.

    5. Cover the pans with wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

    6. When ready to bake, pull the pans from the fridge and remove the wrap. Put a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

    7. When the oven is hot, bake the bread until firm and just beginning to brown around the edges (about 45 minutes for the small loaves and 1 hour for the large loaf).

    8. Let cool for at least 2 hours. Don’t rush it; this bread is quite dense.

    9. Cut into thin (1/3-inch or so) slices and toast well.

    10. Store in the fridge, where it will keep for about a week, or wrap and store in the freezer.

• Green juice

  • One of my ‘go to’ favorite green juice recipes; makes 24 fluid ounces.

  • Ingredients:

    • 1 pound organic celery

    • 3 cups power greens or kale or spinach

    • ½ apple

    • 2” fresh ginger (less if not wanting it with a spicy kick) 

  • Instructions:

    1. Add all ingredients to juicer and pour into a glass jar. 

    2. Keep refrigerated.

• Turmeric Ginger elixir

  • I find the following recipe rejuvenating & refreshing; makes 24 fluid ounces.

  • Ingredients:

    • 22 fluid ounces water

    • 2” fresh ginger

    • 3-4” fresh turmeric

    • Juice of 1-2 limes (if juicy lime, 1 is likely good)

    • A couple of drops of 100% organic monk fruit extract

  • Instructions:

    1. Add ginger and turmeric to juicer.

    2. Mix in water and lime juice.

    3. Add monk fruit, if desired.

• Special fruit jams – are you a jam maker? I am not, but I’ve been lucky enough to be the recipient of some amazing jams, including the ‘best in the world’ deemed so by my children. ;)

• Fruit basket – who doesn’t appreciate a beautiful bowl of colorful fresh fruit?

• Assorted homemade treats packaged in a nice basket or box.

Not enough time or energy to make a gift, below are some fabulous options you can order & ship from home.
 
Gift ideas:
 

• Salad dressings

  • Farmhouse Lab – offers small-batch real food dressings, consciously sourced and handcrafted in California. These dressings are 100% certified organic and contain no wheat, nuts, dairy, or soy. For a 15% discount, use the promo code NATHOLIDAYS; valid until December 25th, 2023.

  • Primal Kitchen – offers healthful dressings, sauces, condiments, and pantry staples made from plant-based oils with no dairy or artificial sweeteners. Most products use avocado oil, an excellent option for salads and for cooking. For a 10% discount, use the promo code BUFFALO10 on all online orders.

• Olive oil

  • McEvoy Ranch – sustainably produced in Northern California, certified organic, early harvested to allow for the highest level of polyphenols

  • Brightland – California made artfully and consciously-crafted olive oils, vinegars; made by family farmers and local makers with the highest respect for ingredients and quality.

  • Frog Hollow Farm – A Bay Area organic farm that uses regenerative soil/farming practices. They sell extra virgin olive oil, fruit, granola, and various pantry items.

• Tea

  • Teance – located in Berkeley, Teance offers rare, high quality, handcrafted teas from family-owned farms in the finest tea growing regions of Asia.

  • Red Blossom Tea Company – A San Francisco company offering artisanal tea that is clean and naturally flavored.

  • Pique – Known for high quality teas that have been triple toxin screened for purity and bioavailability, Pique uses a patented cold extraction technology to preserve protective phytochemicals.

  • Republic of Tea - Specially designed air-tight, light resistant tins containing either full-leaf teas and herbs or our signature round, unbleached tea bags, free of unnecessary envelopes, strings, tags or staples. They also offer decaffeinated tea using a natural CO2 method.

  • Rishi – Offers premium tea and botanicals imported directly from growers across the world that use organic cultivation techniques as well as modern culinary innovation.

  • Tea Forte – Handcrafted luxury tea, Tea Forte’s signature pyramid infusers are made from lab tested, FDA approved, food grade, recyclable PET without the use of any chemical additives, colorants, or adhesives.

  • Yerba Buena Tea Company – Produced in small batches, this Oregon based company uses handcrafted organic loose leaf teas without any flavorings.

MUD\WTR – A coffee alternative consisting of 100% organic cacao, ayurvedic herbs and functional mushrooms, MUD\WTR is tasty. They now carry four varieties - a traditional chai made from black tea, a matcha version, and also two caffeine-free versions, one based from turmeric and the other made with rooibos tea. MUD/WTR contains no sugar or any sweeteners.

• Dark Chocolate

  • Pure Love - With no added sugar, artificial sweeteners, fillers, or sugar alcohols, Pure Love Chocolate uses 100% stevia. My personal fave – peppermint meltaways!

  • Mast – A high quality chocolate made from 100% organic cocoa beans, Mast products are gluten free and kosher. The dark chocolate is dairy free as well. Per Consumer Reports, Mast 80% Cocoa Dark Chocolate tested well under California’s maximum allowable dose level for lead and cadmium. Mast uses organic cane sugar as the sweetener; the dark chocolate contains 7 grams of sugar in each serving.

  • Ghiradelli – Based in San Francisco, Ghiradelli is the longest continually operating chocolatier in America. The Intense Dark Chocolate 86% Cacao also tested well under California’s maximum allowable dose level for lead and cadmium. The 86% cacao chocolate contains 4 grams of sugar per service in the form of cane sugar.

  • Taza – 100% organic, gluten, dairy, and soy free chocolate that was also reported by Consumer Reports to contain safe levels of lead and cadmium. They too use organic cane sugar as the sweetener with each serving providing 5-6 grams of sugar.

• Penzeys – spices and seasonings galore; the spices are from all over the planet and the seasonings inspired by all regions. Penzeys offers some great gift boxes or you can choose individual products too.

• Environmental Working Holiday Gift Box - A focus on Sustainable Swaps, this gift box is loaded with healthy products, tools and tips hand-selected by EWG scientists to help you make more sustainable choices, one product swap at a time.

Hope this newsletter perhaps provided you with an idea or two. Healthy holiday recipes coming in two weeks!

Be well,
Natalie