Inspired Healthy Giving
Standard fruit baskets are like the egg whites omelets of the gift world. You know they are good for you, they just fail to excite. But when everyone is up to their eyeballs in rich, fatty, over-the-top food, a respite from that can be a truly welcomed gift. It just has to be inspired, intriguing, absolutely delicious and fun. Here are some ideas for healthy gift giving that are sure to elicit ho-ho-hos instead of ho-hums.
Get Exotic
Instead of the run-of-the-mill fruit basket, create one using a small, beautiful selection of exotic fruits (pomegranates, star fruit, gold kiwis, persimmons). If you can’t find exotic fruit at your local store there are a number of on-line sources available.
Deliver Breakfast
A breakfast basket of whole wheat pancake mix, fresh oranges, a jar of real maple syrup, and a pound of top notch coffee beans is fun, delicious, and will inspire the recipient to start the day off right.
Give Energy
Who doesn’t need an energy boost at holiday time? Whip up a batch of these energy bars and put them in a decorative tin. Include a fun, personal note about the giftee’s energy needs like: “Energy for shopping” (maybe include a gift card to their favorite store) or “Energy for dealing with your family….”
Energy bars
From The Food You Crave
Cooking spray
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Place all the ingredients, except the maple syrup and eggs, in a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.
Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 20 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
Makes 20 bars, each about 3 x 1 1/2 inches
Serving size: 1 bar
Per Serving:
Calories 133; Total fat 5g (Sat fat 0.6g, Mono fat 1.8g, Poly fat 2g); Protein 5g; Carb 20g; Fiber 2.5g; Cholesterol 21mg; Sodium 19mg
Excellent source of:
manganese
Good source of:
fiber, phosphorus, thiamin
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