Gift Guide for Healthy Foodies

After moving out of Brooklyn to a place where our kitchen is all new and shiny (we even have a dishwasher! New Yorkers share my awe) I was so excited to put this list together. I love cooking, but it’s that much more fun in a well-laid out kitchen with new appliances. 

Today’s gift guide is for the healthy chef and the healthy foodie in your life. You know, the person who grinds their own coffee beans, who has six different oils for various styles of cooking, who reads all the recipes and then makes up their own healthy spin on them. 

If you’re just checking out this post, all this week I’m sharing gift guides with a fitness theme! If you missed it, here is yesterday’s post on gifts for yogis and Monday’s post with gifts for runners. Come back tomorrow and Friday for two more gift guides! And just a disclosure that this post includes Amazon affiliate links, meaning if you click on one of these awesome gifts for healthy foodies and buy it through Amazon, I’ll get a small commission at no cost to you. 

The Fine Fit Day Gift Guide for Healthy Foodies:

1. It wasn’t until I was at my mother-in-law’s over Thanksgiving and I needed to salt some almonds for a kale salad (yes, recipe will be coming!) that I realized how amazing the fancy sea salts are. I used her pink Himalayan salt and I swear you can taste the difference. It’s one of those things you don’t generally buy for yourself, though, so show your foodie friend some love and give her this Gourmet Finishing Sea Salt Collection from The Flavory.
2. The humble Crock Pot – it’s one of those things I scoffed at for my registry when I got married, received as a gift a couple of years later and use constantly. Great for soups and stews, as well as all kinds of crazy stuff you never knew you could do in a slow cooker (search for slow cooker recipes on Pinterest and be amazed).
3. I LOVE my Blendtec. It was a farewell/housewarming gift from a friend when I left Brooklyn and it has been used every single day since it took up residence on my counter. First, I used it for smoothies. Then, I used it to make baby food. You can also do sauces, frozen yogurt, ice cream and nut butters! My friend’s sister even uses hers to make homemade almond milk. 
4. Another gadget that has made a big difference for my cooking (and yes, I received this as a gift!) is the KitchenAid Hand Blender. I love making soup, especially this potato and leek one and this broccoli cheddar one, and it was such a pain to be transferring small batches to a blender, then back to the pot. This immersion blender has made it simple.
5. A friend of mine swears by Mark Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything. She shared tips with me from the book that I use now in my cooking. So I’m kind of hoping to receive this Food Matters Cookbook as a gift. It’s a cookbook based on his Food Matters book – basically it’s recipes with the healthy, eco-conscious, socially-conscious cook in mind. Sign me up.
6. I admit, I thought pod coffee was kind of well…crappy, until I was last in Australia and tried the pod coffee at my parent’s house. It’s kind of amazing. The brilliant thing is it just makes ONE cup. This would have been helpful when I was pregnant and trying to work out exactly how many beans to grind for a single cup in my electric drip. It will also come in handy now when I feel like a coffee in the afternoon. I’ve heard Nespresso is killing it with this machine.
7. Meal planning is such a key part of cooking and eating healthy and this menu chalkboard from Etsy is a great way to meal plan and decorate your kitchen at the same time! (see lots more examples on Etsy here!)
8. I can’t use herbs I buy quick enough before they start going bad. I also have a black thumb, so I can’t grow them. This Herb Keeper from Cuisipro is what I need!
9. For fridge and freezer organization and for guaranteed BPA-free storage, glass is where it’s at. Try these Popit! glass stacking tubs for all your leftovers.
10. Um, it’s organic. And full of, I don’t know, endorphins? Happy juice? Healthy foodies need chocolate too, you know. Green & Black’s Chocolate is the bomb.
11. An oil mister is a great, reusable alternative to aerosol oil sprays, when you’re trying to use less oil while cooking. Try this Evo oil spritzer.
12. We bought GreenPan frypans and saucepans a couple of years ago and they’re amazing. They’re totally non-stick, so easy to clean and also broiler friendly. 
13. Pizza can be healthy. Especially if you make it yourself (which is all I’m doing since we moved to Vermont). A pizza stone like this is perfect for someone who wants a professional crust from their homemade dough.
14. Mason jars are awesome for making your own jams, using as drinking glasses, or as vases, pen holders, whatever. They’re stylish and casual all at once. So your healthy foodie will love these measuring cups disguised as a stackable Mason Jar. Super cute.
15. Kitchen anti-fatigue mats are usually a horrendous beige color and even though they make your legs feel amazing (even when you’re making a risotto you have to stand and stir and stand and stir and stand…) Get yourself a cool patterned one like this mat from Tenby !
16. Huddleson Linens make the most beautiful, stylish table linens. They’re high quality and the patterns and colors are perfect for just about any color scheme. Mainly they have geometrics, solids and simple patterns, but I’m a sucker for putting a bird on it, so I chose the Lovebirds pattern  to show you. This would be a gorgeous, unexpected wedding or housewarming gift.
17. I “met” the brainchild behind Blissful Eats, Nicole Culver, via Instagram, when we were both pregnant with our second babies. 🙂 She is lovely, down-to-earth, passionate about what she does and a kick-ass businesswoman. She also makes this delicious granola. Check out her online store for cute holiday packs as well!
18. If you’re a regular shopper at a farmer’s market, you probably already take your own tote bags, but do you still use the clear plastic bags for separating produce? Check out these awesome produce bags you can slip inside your reusable shopping bags and feel lime an environmental warrior!
19. Oil is a must have for any cook. When you’re trying to cook healthily, you may try to reduce oil in cooking (like with the spritzer above), which is why these ‘finishing’ oils from Baja Precious, delicately flavored and delicious, come into play. A tiny drizzle over your finished meal add just enough flavor without being unhealthy.

Are you drooling yet? Or ready to get into the kitchen? This might have been my favorite list to put together…so far. Don’t forget to keep checking in this week (or you can subscribe for new posts by email here) to see the last two gift guides in my healthy-fitness-gift-guide-palooza all week long! 🙂