Stocking Stuffer Ideas

This is one of my favorite times of year. Christmas is full of celebration, friends, and family. There are wonderful meals, smells, and memories. It's a time to be thankful and giving.  So, today I'm giving you more than 100 ideas for stocking stuffers. I divided the gifts into categories, so you can give gifts your friends and family will love.


Bakers

- Apron

- Spatulas

- Blind baking beads

- Candy thermometer

- Cooling rack

- Cookie scoops

- Cupcake liners

- Gel food colors

- Meringue powder (to make royal icing)

- Sprinkles

- Icing bags

- Icing tips

- Icing couplers

- Measuring cups

- Measuring spoons

- Vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste

- Flavored extracts

- Pastry Brush

- Rolling Pin

- Spacers for rolling pin (This ensures evenly rolled dough or fondant.)

- Fondant

- Squeeze bottles for icing or melted chocolate

- Cookie Cutters

- Oven mitts

Coffee & Tea Connoisseurs

- Coffee mug

- Travel mug

- Aeropress coffee maker

- Gift card to their favorite coffee shop

- Loose leaf tea

- Tea strainer or tea infuser


DIY-ers

- Drill bits

- Swiss-army knife

- Safety goggles

- Work gloves

- Level

- Hammer

- Screwdriver

- Tape mesure

- Gift card to their favorite DIY store

Foodies


- Bench scraper

- Pasta roller attachment

- Small cutting board or serving board

- Finish salts

- Seasoning blends

- Nut mixes

- Homemade treats

- Homemade hot cocoa mix

- Homemade caramel apple cider mix

- Magazine subscription

- Potted Herbs


Grillers

- Spatulas

- Tongs

- Apron

- BBQ seasoning blend

- Homemade BBQ sauce




Golfer

- Golf balls

- Golf tees

- Golf glove

- Ball markers

- Hand warmers

- Hat

- Golf towels

- Golf gift card


Host or Hostess

- Salad tongs

- Serving spoons

- Pie slicer

- Cake cutter

- Cake stand

- Cheese board

- Cheese knives

- Cheese labels

- Fig spread


Movie Lover

- DVD

- Movie Tickets

- Popcorn

- Candy


Outdoorsmen

- Gloves

- Hat

- Hand warmers

- Swiss army knife

- Fishing lures

Pamper

- Candles

- Bubble bath

- Bath bombs

- Scented lotion

- Nail polish

- Body scrub

- Gift card to a spa

Reader

- Book

- Magazine

- Bookmark

- Gift card to their favorite book store



Sporty

- Headbands

- Phone armband

- Athletic cushioned socks

- Scented Epsom's salt

- Wireless earphones



Tech Guru

- USB cords

- Memory card

- Chargers

- Headphones

- Video game

- iTunes gift card

- Amazon gift card


Traveler

- Neck pillow

- Eye mask

- Noise-cancelling headphones

- Travel-sized toiletries

I hope these ideas are helpful for you to come up with great gifts for friends and family. I know this time can become stressful because there are many things to do and enjoy. Let's all try to relax, enjoy this time, and remember why we celebrate.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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RDtipoftheday's Gift Guide Roundup

This month, I gave y'all some gift ideas. If you are doing some last minute shopping, here are all of the lists. There are great ideas from <$10 to $50. They are great gifts for anyone that enjoys cooking, baking, entertaining, and eating. And everyone likes to eat; right? Check them out!

RDtipoftheday's Gift Guides for Your Favorite Chef, Baker, and Foodie Friends

 Gift Ideas under $10

Gift Ideas under $30

Gift Ideas under $50

I hope these gift guides have sparked some thoughtful gifts for your family and friends; I hope I saved you time and maybe saved you from a little stress. Now that you have extra free time, you cancheck out my friend Brittany's Christmas posts on her blog Hint of Hess. She's walking through a little piece of the Christmas story every day for 10 days. They are quick reads, and she even gives tips on explaining the story to your little ones. The story is for everyone. Remember to make time for the real reason for the season and not hurry though the season stressed. Merry Christmas y'all!

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Kids Eat Right Month: 3 Steps to Healthy Eating

Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we will discuss many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!

So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". We will discuss several strategies to eat health. So to start, we need to offer healthy options. We can do this in a few simple steps.

1) Have healthy options available.
We discussed 8 tips for eating healthy on a budget earlier this month. This is a simple step that is vital. You have to have healthy options available to eat them. If you fill your fridge, freezer, and pantry with healthy options, you will make a healthy choice by default. Remove the temptation of high calorie and high fat foods by not buying them. If they are not in your home, they are not a temptation.

2) Cook a healthy meal. Have your family, including children, help you in the kitchen.
Cooking meals take time. You can have your roommate, friends, spouse, or your children help you in the kitchen. When we are involved in the cooking, we are more willing and more likely to try the foods. The same is true for children. If they are familiar with a food, they are more likely to try the food.
It is important to make a safety a priority in the kitchen. So, here are some tips for age-appropriate kitchen tasks.

Cooking Skills by Age

• 6-7 years - crack eggs, measure dry ingredients, shuck corn on the cob
• 8-9 years - open cans, whisk ingredients (like scrambled eggs), juice lemons and limes
• 10 years and older - be a sous chef and slice or chop ingredients, boil pasta, use the microwave, bake food in the oven

*Parents, remember to supervise kids at all times in the kitchen.

3) Build a healthy plate.
You've purchased healthy foods. How do you make them appetizing? Use the MyPlate method to build a healthy meal. You can also check out my quick and easy recipe for green chips to help encourage increase intake of vegetables.


Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Vacation Tips ROUNDUP

Eating Healthy While Traveling

It’s that time of year. The end of school is approaching. Some students are graduating and others are finishing up this school year. Some are celebrating the end of the year. Others are focused on new starts in the Fall. Either way, the end of school signifies the beginning of Summer! I always looked forward to Summer vacation with my family.

But, traveling can bring challenges for healthy eating. So, today we will discuss some ways to be healthy when you are traveling.

1) Pack healthy snacks

 It is great to have healthy options accessible. Plan to bring snacks for traveling and while on vacation. Think about healthy, portable snacks like: fruits, vegetables, peanut butter for dipping, low fat popcorn, etc.

2) Cook one meal at “home”

While on vacation, I would encourage you to cook or make one meal per day at your vacation home or hotel. This creates some normalcy to your eating routine and saves money. I usually think about packing or purchasing breakfast items that way your morning is easy and not rushed.

I also think making a picnic is a great vacation lunch idea. You can easily purchase or pack some picnic snacks. Picnics are a great way to enjoy your vacation surroundings. 

3) Incorporate physical activity into your vacation

Physical activity is a great way to see different cities while traveling. You can walk or bike around most cities hike in parks, swim on the beach.

Being physically active is one component of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity can help offset some of the additional vacation calories that you will incur. So, make it fun! Incorporate some physical activity on your vacation and be active!

4) Enjoy your vacation

 All diets (aka eating patterns) should be flexible. Your diet should be a healthy pattern of eating that allows some flexibility. So, relax and enjoy your vacation!

I hope these ideas will make it easy for you and your family or friends to have a healthy vacation. What are your ideas for a healthy vacation? Share them with me on Instagram and Twitter. I would love to hear your tips on incorporating physical activity and healthy eating into your vacation.

Healthy RD Challenge: Day 7

How are you doing with the #HealthyRD Challenge? I hope you are doing well! 

What is the Healthy RD Challenge?
This is my challenge for each of us to take one step a day on the road to being healthier . . . the healthy road or #HealthyRD if you will. If you participate in the #HealthyRD challenge, make sure you use the hashtag #HealthyRD and tag or tweet me, @RDtipoftheday, for a chance to be featured! I am sharing the five healthy choices I'm making each day this week.  Here's a reminder of what I did for the Healthy RD Challenge last week: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6. Check out the links to get ideas on living a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy RD Challenge: Day 7

Yesterday, I cooked dinner at home, which is my #HealthyRD Day 7 healthy choice. I

enjoy cooking at home. When you cook at home, you have a lot more control in what you eat. You choose the ingredients. You choose the portion size. And, this can be extremely helpful for weight management. You know what ingredients you selected to cook. And, you know how much you want to eat and can choose appropriate portions for yourself.

Don't get me wrong. You can make healthy choices when you eat out. But, you definitely have more control of your food when you cook them yourself. Also, you can save a ton of money when you cook at home. Restaurants charge you for the food, service, and many other things that add up to an increased cost to you.

I find that cooking is one of my creative outlets, which is an added benefit of cooking at home. I think it amazing how you can combine flavors to complement one another, make things taste better, and eat things you normally wouldn't otherwise. For example, I don't know anyone who would sit down to eat 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, 2 tablespoons of raw flour, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. But if you cook those ingredients together, you get a beautiful roux. A roux is a the base for a sauce, soup, or etoufee.

So, you can make healthy choices when you cook for yourself or when you choose to eat away from the home. How will you choose to be healthy today?

Check with your personal RD or MD before starting a new diet or exercise program to make sure it is healthy, safe, and the right choice for you.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter . You can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.

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