Gift Ideas for Healthy Families

One of the 5-Love Languages is gift giving. Some people are naturally very good at giving gifts—they see perfect gifts wherever they look. Others of us need help. If you (like me) need some help coming up with non-clutter/junk gifts for healthy families, you will be excited to scroll down. Also, check out last year’s post featuring healthy gifts under $20.

Time

Ok, so you can’t exactly give the gift of time, but you CAN save the cook a bunch of time in the kitchen! One of the reasons take-out and processed foods are so alluring is the time they (don’t) take to make.

Any meal or dessert in a jar is a hit with a busy family. Pinterest is full of ideas and recipes. This Friendship Soup jar has pretty layers and makes a healthy and filling soup. This Merry Minestrone Soup is equally beautiful, healthy, and filling!

Of course, meal kit delivery services are a big hit. A box from any of the companies would be one of the gift-highlights for any mom I know. The meal itself is not the only gift. In gifting the family a box like this, you are also giving an experience. My kids love to help cook a meal. They take so much pride in a family dinner that they had a hand in. And (bonus) they are more likely to eat a new food if they helped prepare it.

Some top rated companies include: HelloFresh, Home Chef, and Green Chef . All of the companies are similar in that they give you a couple choices (omnivore, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc) and then send you a package with recipes and the ingredients you need.

Grow Your Own Food

What kid doesn’t love a good science experiment? When that experiment turns into something they might not otherwise try, Mom is set up for a win! Mushrooms are one of those foods that most American kids shy away from, even though they are healthy and add a depth of flavor to so many dishes.

This mini mushroom growing kit is super fun and results in food! Don’t worry, the kit comes with recipe ideas.

Of course, if you don’t think mushrooms are going to be a hit, you can always try an indoor pizza garden. This is ideal for Christmas because we all need a bit of new life in the bleak mid-winter.

Tastier Healthy Meals

This salad dressing bottle is perfect for mom/dad who is trying to encourage healthy eating habits in the family. No, this gift will not excite the kids. But it might help their veggies or salad go down a little easier. And that is a big gift for mom!

Adventure, Knowlege, and Friends

Give the kids in your life the gift of a love of reading. In a good book, they can experience adventure, learn new things, and have friends. When you introduce a family to a series, they get to know characters they can follow for more than one book. Is reading healthy? YES! It is very good for the brain, mind, and soul.

Children will grow up encountering evil. Therefore, every child should read stories of “ordinary” people doing great things. As C. S. Lewis aptly puts it, “since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”

Our family loves the Wingfeather Saga. As a read aloud, it’s good for probably 7 years and up. Some books Jon and I are content to read along with the family. Not these. Both of us took the books out of the boys’ bedroom after reading a chapter and finished them early. My older boys have re-read the series several times on their own since we finished as a family. I would recommend them to any family who likes adventure, the pursuit of truth, and ordinary kids exhibiting great bravery.

If the family you are buying a gift for has any non-Kindle Fire* tablets, a subscription to Epic! is an awesome gift. The books on Epic are curated much better than the Kindle reading subscription. With only $8/month, you can give the family access to unlimited award-winning fiction, non-fiction, STEM, biographies, graphic novels, DIY & more. Epic includes audiobooks, read-to-me books, picture books, and novels.

One thing I love about Epic is that I can make lists for my kids. I can browse the titles and pick out books that they might fall in love with, but might not choose for themselves. (That’s my goal for our frequent library trips as well!)

*Amazon is very possessive of the apps that make it onto their kid-targeted tablet: the Kindle Fire. Epic does NOT work with Kindle Fire tablets.

Adventures Together

A membership to a local zoo, museum, or arboretum make fabulous gifts for families! We have been blessed with each of these and they are highlights throughout the year. Whereas many gifts fade in excitement after a month or two, these memberships are exciting every time they are used.

Household Peace & Beauty

Sometimes, I just need to light a candle and sit for a minute. How about you? While I wouldn’t recommend candles for families with small (under 5) children, moms of kids might very much appreciate the oasis of peace that can be found in lighting a candle.

Thistle Farms’ hand poured soy candles burn “with the promise that Love Heals Every Body.” I love that this company not only makes high-quality candles but they employ women survivors. Each candle sold helps to provide sanctuary, healing, and employment for women. (They’re such high-quality candles that Whole Foods carries Thistle Farms products!)

If the family you are buying a gift for includes girls, consider a mani/pedi basket. Healthy skincare and spending time pampering each other is a great gift! You can include some lotion, emory boards, and ColorStreet dry nail polish. I mentioned these last year, but I still love them. The nail strips go on like a sticker (no heat) and are real polish. They are free of the toxins commonly found in nail polish—like formaldehyde. Because they are applied dry, there is no wait time!

A Plan

I often see working moms who struggle with their weight, desiring a healthier lifestyle. These moms want their energy back, but most of all, they want to be the best mom possible for their kids. As a research nerd, I’ve sorted through all the fads and marketing out there so I can help moms create a simple path to health.

As we know, quite often mom sets the tone for health in the house. Give the whole family a healthier legacy by giving mom a 3-hour Holistic Health Planning Session. In this session, we will remove the overwhelm and create simple and attainable action steps to create a path to health. Fill out the contact form below to set up this invaluable gift. Please use the subject of “Holistic Health Planning Session.”

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