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Homemade Christmas Food Gifts
Categories:
Healthy Lifestyle
22,October,2018
What makes homemade edible treats a great gift?
They say the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, so why not treat your friends and loved ones with a homemade present from the kitchen?
Edible gifts are...
- personal, creative and come from the heart.
- perfect for any occasion.
- the ideal stress-free alternative to shopping in overcrowded stores.
- fun and easy to make!
Have we convinced you to try making your own gifts? Read on to be inspired by our gift ideas below. All ideas can be made with kitchen appliances available in stores and online.
Unusual Food Gifts
Whether it’s a hearty dish or something sweet, anything is possible with a little creativity...and help from the Internet! Food gifts don’t always have to be something edible. Cosmetics and skincare products such as face masks and creams can be prepared in your own kitchen following a few simple steps. Besides, you don’t necessarily have to spend lots of money to create something special. You can easily recreate one of the many recipes found online to prepare gourmet food gifts for friends and family members using ordinary and inexpensive ingredients.
Food Gift Ideas without Thermomix
Nowadays, countless ideas for Thermomix recipes can be found on the Internet, but not every household has one of these devices. Not to worry, it’s not absolutely necessary! There are many dishes that can be prepared without the help of a Thermomix.
For most homemade recipes, a good High-performance Blender is enough to easily make gifts from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Long-lasting Christmas Food Gifts
Many homemade presents have the advantage of having a long shelf-life. So the person receiving the gift can decide for themselves when to enjoy them.
Among other things, these include:
- Marmalades, Jams & Chutneys
- Dried Fruit and Vegetable Chips
- Granola or Muesli bars
- Spices, Tea and Coffee blends
- Oils and much more
Homemade Muesli
- 4 cups Oat Flakes
- 1 cup Chopped Almonds
- 1 cup Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1 cup Coconut Flakes
- ½ cup Maple Syrup or Honey
- ½ Tsp. Cinnamon
Mix all ingredients in a blender and add the honey or maple syrup. Spread the mixture on a non-stick baking sheet and dry the mixture out in the oven at 60°C for 2 to 4 hours, or until your muesli is crunchy.
You can also make other treats with this mixture, like biscuits or tasty breakfast bars!
Food Gifts for those with a Sweet Tooth
Fruity jams and marmalades, homemade sweet spreads and even creamy liqueurs are wonderful gifts to give (and receive!) at Christmas time. Especially those that use winter spices such as cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. Try making some creamy eggnog or some spiced mulled wine for those cold winter nights.
Savoury and Spicy Food Gifts
Food gifts don’t always have to be sweet! Savoury treats give just as much pleasure as sweets. How about a delicious basil pesto, a spicy salsa, homemade oil or aromatic salt?
You can also make tasty vegetable chips from kale or beetroot as well as beef jerky with a food dehydrator. These and other recipes can be found on our blog in the category "Health Recipes".
Vegan Food Gifts
You will most likely have one or two vegetarians and/or vegans in your circle of friends. Since their dietary needs are a little trickier, we recommend browsing through the many recipe ideas that can be found online. The advantages are obvious: you know the ingredients because you bought them yourself in the supermarket, giving you the freedom to adapt the recipe to your friend’s taste.
If your loved one suffers from certain food intolerances or allergies, they will be touched to know that you consciously created a personalised healthy food gift just for them.
How about an extraordinary mango chutney or a delicious spicy salsa? Try our creamy spinach spread recipe:
Creamy Spread with Cashews and Spinach
- 1 cup cashew nuts, soaked
- 1 cup water
- 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Large handful of fresh spinach
- ¼ large onion
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- Crushed black pepper and tricolor peppercorns.
1. First, soak the cashew nuts for 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Rinse and drain the cashews and mix with all other ingredients (except the spinach, garlic and pepper) in a blender until you reach a smooth consistency.
3. Finely chop the spinach and crush the garlic. Add to the spread mixture with a little black pepper and mix until well combined.
4. Decorate with crushed tricolour peppercorns and store in glass jar. It will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
Homemade Christmas Food Gifts in a Jar
Gifts in tins or glass jars are not only tasty and extremely durable, but they can also be a decorative keepsake. Whether coloured, clear, simple or with pretty patterns, homemade edible goods in an original glass jar, are made even better.
Homemade colourful pasta, delicious risotto mixes, spreads, baking mixes for bread or cakes are just some ideas to get you feeling inspired.
Fancy Food Gift Wrapping Ideas
Isn't it always a pity to see how quickly wrapping paper ends up in the bin? We don't think it has to be that way. Instead of wrapping paper, why not use other sustainable and original materials? A chequered tea towel, for example, with bows and pine branches not only looks nice, but it is also practical and reusable.
More Gift Packaging Ideas:
- Old newspapers, maps, calendar pages or old music sheets
- Natural baking parchment paper
- Shoe boxes or other packaging cardboard (kitchen rolls, etc.)
- Reusable tin cans
Try it for yourself. By not using gift wrap, you not only produce less rubbish, but you can also save money.
Even though homemade Christmas food gifts are not necessarily expensive, they always come from the heart, and it is well known that the way to the heart is through the stomach.
Homemade food is not only a popular gift at Christmas time. These gift ideas can be used as an original gift for guests at any time of the year!
The Vitality 4 Life Team wishes you all a Merry Christmas!
