Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner? I have 5 and 3.5 year old boys and are welcoming a third boy to our family in the first part of the new year. I knew the holidays were going to speed up this last part of the pregnancy, but I am also trying to slow down and enjoy every minute we can as a family of 4.
Some of our favorite holiday traditions are of course visiting Santa, decorating a gingerbread house, looking at Christmas light shows, listening to Christmas songs, watching Christmas movies, and of course making Santa cookies on Christmas Eve. A couple new things we are doing this year is a Polar Express train ride in our jammies and going to see a children’s theatre production of Rudolph. Tis the season!
Being present is sometimes hard when we are swimming in activities (even the fun ones) and never ending to do lists, but man am I putting in every effort. Not to mention deciding to launch this new online wellness platform in the busiest month of the year – crazy?! Maybe so but I just didn’t want to wait any longer.
One of my missions is helping families make better choices to improve their overall wellness. What better time to start doing this than when a lot of us are buying gifts for others and likely accepting gifts as well. Consider adding some of the items in my first Embrace Wellness Holiday Gift Guide to your list to jump start you on a journey to making better choices!
The stocking stuffers and first few gift ideas are things we have incorporated into our home during our journey to decrease plastic and other toxic products in the kitchen. There is a fun idea for your kids, some must have kitchen gadgets and also a bonus gift just for you!!
Embrace Wellness Holiday Gift Guide
Stocking stuffers (under $10)
Bamboo Utensils
This is a simple and cheap change you can make in your kitchen as a swap for plastic spoons and spatulas. One downfall for some might be the need to hand wash, but regardless a great stocking stuffer. I have a few other pieces linked in My Favorites section.
Stainless Steel Straws
This is a great alternative to plastic straws. We use them for smoothies most often, but lots of people like straws in their water bottle also, so consider switching them out to stainless steel.
Gifts
Roasting Pan
This large stainless steel pan will set you up for meal prep success by roasting tons of veggies for the entire week. Check out my last post to see how simple it is.
Pyrex
An inexpensive and versatile replacement for plastic containers. They come in tons of sizes, are freezer safe and dishwasher safe. I prefer to hand wash the lids because those are still made of plastic, so avoiding heat can help prevent melting and leaching of chemicals. If you can only get one thing, choose this! I urge people to quit microwaving their leftovers in plastic containers or on styrofoam plates.
Hydroflask Water Bottles (for the entire family!)
I don’t leave my house, and quite frankly any room in my house, without bring my Hydroflask water bottle with me. They have adult sizes, including ones specifically for coffee / tea, and even kid sizes. They are made of stainless steel and the company offers a lifetime warranty, which is great for heavy users like our family. Having two small boys I needed something I could rely on not breaking and they have lasted, without issues. I have replaced the lids a couple times, but again free of charge through their website.
Mason Jars
Oh how I love mason jars. We use the wide mouth jars for drinking glasses, but they are also great for storing food leftovers, making dressings, overnight oats, chia cups, etc. One note of caution: not all sizes are freezer safe, so check the manufacture website to prevent shattering in the freezer.
Xtrema Ceramic Cooking Pots and Pans
One of the last bigger changes we made in our kitchen was to our cookware, simply because price was a consideration, as I imagine it is for most of you. I opted to ask for a new pan for every birthday and Christmas until I received a set I felt could manage most of my cooking. I ended up with 7 total pieces. Ceramic cookware was the material I felt was the best for my family after lots of research on leaching of chemicals when cooking. There is a learning curve because you need to cook at LOW temperatures, but I am a total pro now if I say so myself. (FYI: cooking at low temperatures is best anyway to avoid nutrient loss). They have a How To Use section on their site, including some videos. Now is a great time to buy because there are holidays sales. In addition to those sales, you can use the code Savex10 for an additional 10% off.
Curious Chef Cooking Collection
We got this for our oldest son last year and he loves it. Now our middle son even is getting in on the action. If you aren’t ready to get the entire set, there is a three piece knife set that we actually got first. This is a great gift to get your kids in the kitchen and excited about cooking. I don’t love the plastic, but think the benefits of kids learning to cook and love being in the kitchen outweigh.
Blender
This is a bigger investment but one I do not think you will regret. We use a Blendertec blender, which offers an 8 year warranty. They are great for smoothies, soups, homemade almond butter or almond milk, and the list goes on. If you are interested in making one small change to your diet, consider downloading my FREE guide on Building a Nourishing Smoothie.
Knife
You have to have a good knife! I have been married for almost 9 years and one of the things we registered for was a good set of knives. We chose J.A. Henckel after reading reviews and talking to local retailers and have not been disappointed. We have a few different options but my number one go to daily knife is the 7 inch Santoku.
Fermentation Set
I imagine many of you are not familiar with fermented foods or if you have heard of them, aren’t really sure what they are, why they are needed and certainly don’t have any interest in making your own. If you are adventurous DIYer and want to give it a try, here is a great starter set. I will be talking more about fermented foods as we get to know each other better, but consider checking out my Gut Health Reboot Program or BEST Life Guide, where I share more information on fermentation, benefits, and ways to incorporate these amazing foods into the diet for optimal wellness.
Dyson Tower Air Purifying Fan
We have slowly bought multiple of these fans for each of the bedrooms in our home. We all love to sleep with a fan on at night, but this one is particularly great because it helps purify the room as well. It removes pollen, allergens, mold particles, benzene, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, odors and household fumes. Great way to decrease your exposure to some environmental toxins.
BONUS: Treat yourself (or a loved one) to some better quality wine!!
Wine, wine, oh how I love thee 🙂 About a year ago I was introduced to a company that is taking drinking wine to another level. This wine is a step above organic and only sources from small farms with very strict guidelines in natural, sustainable and biodynamic farming. They are dry farmed (which means uses no irrigation) to produce wines that are lower in alcohol and sugar free. They are lab tested to be additive free (currently there are 76 approved additives that can be used in wines), sugar free (less than 1g/L), low sulfite (less than 75 parts per million), and ensure a lower alcohol content (10-12.5%) where normal wine is 14-15%.
I can’t say I drink this wine 100% of the time, but do make a conscious effort to because quite frankly I feel better about it. Alcohol is toxic in certain doses but drinking Dry Farm Wines allows me to enjoy some great quality wine and not compromise my morals of trying to live the healthiest lifestyle I can.
This wine comes as a subscription box shipped to your door for free. You can select 6 or 12 bottles, red / white or a mix with monthly or every other month delivery. You can cancel, pause, adjust your bottle or delivery timeframe frequency whenever you want. Best part is when you sign up through this link, they have been so kind to offer my readers an extra bottle for only a penny. This is an ideal time to get your wine ordered so it will be to you in time to celebrate the holidays.
I hope you are enjoying this holiday season as much as we are and that this guide helps you think of some ideas of items to get for your loved ones or add to your own wish list!
What else are you asking for this year?! Let me know in the comments.
Until next time,
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