Spiralizer (aka Zoodle Maker) - Creates oodles of low carb zoodles and other spiral cuts of vegetable or fruits with a crank of the handle.
If Santa brings you a Spiralizer be sure to come back to the blog and make one of these favorite recipes:
Shelly's Chicken Zucchini Zoodle Noodle Soup
Shelly's Turkey Tetrazzini
Shelly's Greek Chicken Cucumber Noodle Salad
Shelly's Zucchini "Noodles" & Meatballs
Shelly's Chicken and Pesto "Zoodles" Zucchini Noodles (and leftovers Frittata)
Hand Blender (aka Immersion Blender or Stick Blender) - a handheld blender is a great gadget, especially for the Fall and Winter months. You can puree soups right in the pot, so you get the creamy, hearty soups you love without adding the extra calories, fat and carbs of adding cream or potatoes. You'd never guess this wasn't loaded baked potato soup thanks to my hand blender.
Bento Box - I do love my bento box meals. I love that it really makes me pause and think about the nutritional balance of my meal and having a convenient way to make meals portable gets me outside in the fresh air and vitamin D more. They have bags and ice packs and lots of fun colors. You will be the envy of the office break room.
More Bento Box lunches, FAQ's and an Online Source for them
My Bento Pinterest Page (tons of lunch ideas)
Blenders - So many choices Ninja, Vitamix, Oster, KitchenAid, Nutribullet, Hamilton Beach. All different price points from super spendy $$$ to more reasonable $$ but a good blender is must have for post-bariatric surgery and those embracing a health and fitness lifestyle.
Here's a blender I was given the opportunity to test out the other day. I think anyone who gets up super early like I do to go for an early morning walk or run would love it: the Hamilton Beach Sound Shield 950. I love to bring a protein shake along on my walk but most blenders sound like a jet engine is starting in your kitchen and I'm always afraid my neighbors are going to turn me in for noise ordinance violations. This blender avoids that neighbor dispute and/or angry family members with a drop-down sound shield that keeps the noise to a minimum. You can be even more stealth by making up a few pre-made smoothie baggies (scoop of protein powder, fruit or powdered peanut butter or frozen cubes of Greek yogurt to add even more protein) and toss them in the freezer. In the morning no need to bang cabinet doors & drawers looking for ingredients just grab the pre-made bag, dump contents in the blender, add milk of choice, blend and lace up your sneakers.
More Ideas: Travel Packets of Protein Powder with a Blender Bottle Shaker, Pedometers (get one for every family member and have step competitions, weekly winner gets movie night choice), a Cool Water Bottle, Tea Infuser Mugs or Tea Assortments, Fun Mugs, Gift Card to Omaha Steaks or subscription to Sizzlefish (Lean Protein), an Air Fryer or an Instapot (both on my list.)
Tomorrow, be sure to come back when I share a few more healthy gift-giving ideas including a few fun DIY and Budget gift ideas.
Important to Note: Be careful when giving gifts that have a healthy spin, gifts of this nature should be given to those who have expressed interest in and are already addressing their health or weight. Fat-shaming or trying to force someone to make a health change is mean, rude and in fact, can have the opposite effect.
