Christmas: Give edible gifts!

There are always those who are so hard to buy for----think the person who has everything or is so picky that nothing, not even cash, will satisfy. Or they just like everything and you don't want to give a gift card (again--sigh!). Or there are those whom you must buy for, don't want to, but have to. Or, you just need to think outside the box for your nearest and dearest. You are tired of predictable gift-giving. Need something for a host/hostess? Your pastor? Your neighbor?

Food is a perfect holiday gift because:

1: It can be inexpensive.

2: It can be personalized.

3: It's edible.

4: It's different. Fun.

5: It works for almost anyone.

6: It shows that you put some thought into you gifts.

My first favorite food item to give is a layered cookie jar---homemade. I buy wide-mouth quart jars (or Christmas jars or any other clear jars in the container section). I choose a recipe (I use "Chock Full of Chips" for most this year, but also Macadamia Nut), buy the ingredients, and get busy! Layer the ingredients wisely! I put flour, white sugar (mix in the baking soda/baking powder/salt with it), and oats on the bottom, pressing each layer as I go. I usually layer the brown sugar right before any mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts. The brown sugar makes an excellent, firm layer. The goal is to press, press, press.

Tie some fabric or wrapping ribbon around the top of the jar. Tie on the tiny notecard (hole-punched) with the instructions in it to the jar with the ribbon. Voila! I picked up Christmas-themed mini-notecards at Michael's Craft Store for only $1 for eight.

These take some practice, but you once you get a good recipe with the right amount of ingredients, make many!

I love to buy the Nestle "Christmas" morsels (white chocolate chips with green and red stripes) or Christmas M & M's. You can buy M & M's year-round in a series of holiday colors.

Another great holiday food to give is a chocolate theme basket/bag. I did this for my ladies' gym party. I bought a giant (cafeteria-sized) box of Duncan Hines brownie mix (Wal-Mart---$5), a container of Hershey's chocolate syrup, a bag of chocolate chips, and a box of dark hot chocolate. It was a huge hit! The box of brownie mix got a lot of laughs (it weighs, guessing, over five pounds).

I also love to find a great store like Trader Joe's and make up a food gift of items from that store. TJ's has wonderful products at reasonable prices. One of my favorite gifts is a box of No Pudge Brownie Mix----only $3 at TJ's. They are some of the best brownies I've ever had---and they are, no joke, fat free! Other TJ's favorites: pizza sauce, pasta sauce, dried fruits, nuts, wines, fresh salsa, and TJ's brand of sea salt pita chips.

You could go to your local health food store and create a basket from there. Or a specialty grocery store. Just be creative!

You can easily do a gift basket of Italian food, Mexican food, etc. For a friend's wedding gift, I bought her a large wooden bowl off her registry and filled it with alphabet pasta (she's a teacher), a red and white towel from World Market, a bottle of wine, etc. It was a beautiful Italian themed basket---something she wanted (the bowl) plus a few personalized extras.

For my husband's sister and her family, we created a movie-themed box this year. I filled the box with their favorite candy (ranging from gummy bears to peanut butter cups), popcorn, a homemade cookie jar, and a gift card for Wal-Mart so they can pick a family-friendly DVD. On top of the goodies, I put a note saying, "R family movie night! Enjoy a DVD and food on us!" I printed this on yellow paper with some movie graphics at the top. Easy. Cute. Creative. Practical.

Finally, if you have part of your gift but just need one more thing, give the person a food item that you know he/she will like or something you like that you want to pass on. I love homemade beer bread, which has by far been the most popular recipe on my food blog. It makes a wonderful gift!

Some tips:

• Label ingredients clearly. This is especially important to those with food sensitivities and allergies----think nuts and gluten.
• Put items in a use able container----a basket, a bowl, a jar.
• KISS---keep it simple, stupid (but you really aren't stupid)
• Make it Christmas appropriate---add holiday ribbon, holiday ingredients (like the red and green M & M's, for example), etc.
• Get creative. Buy some blank cards and have your kids decorate them to attach to the gifts. Find or write a fun poem that describes the gift.
  
  

Semi-Homemade Pizza

Pizza---a complex food situation for those of us with diabetes. A traditional pizza is coated in fat and carbs. It usually lacks in fiber and in veggies.

I have tried to make my own pizza crust a few times, but usually it turns out tasty very flour-y and is too thick to make a difference in carbs.

I highly recommend Trader Giotto's (Trader Joe's) Tabula Rasa Whole Grain Pizza Crust. It's just $3. 1/8 of the pizza crust is 130 cals, 1.5g of "good" fat, 24 carbs (when you subtract the 4g of fiber), and 5g of protein. AND---it only takes 10-12 minutes to bake.

I pair this crust with Trader Giotto's Fat Free Pizza Sauce. 1/4 of a cup is only 40 calories (compare that to other brands which can be double or triple that amount) and contains 10% vitamin A. Plus, it's simple and delicious.

I top my pizza with low-fat mozzerella cheese, turkey pepperoni, green pepper, and this time, some wilted spinach leaves which I cooked in olive oil for just a few minutes.

Making a "homemade" pizza is far from rocket science.

I'm actually having this for lunch today....

Chicken & Fries

On the rare occasion that my family would eat dinner out, I would order the standard: chicken & fries. Nothing tasted better than the salt, the grease, the dense, fluffy insides of underdone fries, the fleshy whiteness of the chicken which contrasted with the crispy outside layer. When finished, we would wipe our oily fingers on a napkin, sit back, and complete the meal with a satisfied "ahhh" and a gulp of Sprite. Salty and sweet, the perfect combination...

Then diabetes came along. My standard chicken and fries, I quickly realized, was Satan on a plate. Because of my disease, I have a greater risk than the average person of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, amputation, dental complications, sexual dysfunction, trigger finger, frozen shoulder, depression, nerve damage, and so on---a long, depressing list. You get the point. I learned that I had the ultimate "control" over what would happen in my future---and it starts with the smallest choices, like what to eat for lunch.

The other night, I had chicken and fries.

"Fried" Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

• whole wheat bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup




• Parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup




• salt




• pepper




• 1 lb of chicken tenders, fat cut off




• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 475. Line a cookie sheet with foil.




2. Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Press the chicken tenders, both sides, into the mixture.




3. Place tenders on the cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray.




4. Bake tenders for about 7 minutes. Flip, spray, and place back into the oven for an additional five minutes or until done.




5. Serve with fries (see recipe below) and, if desired, low-fat honey mustard or another dip of choice.

Baked French Fries

Ingredients:

• 4 small baking potatoes




• olive oil




• 1 t paprika




• 1 t garlic powder




• 1 t chili powder




• 1 t onion powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 (or, if baking with the chicken fingers, just bake on 475).




2. Wash potatoes, and cut into wedges.




3. Mix the spices with about 2-4 T of olive oil. Place wedges and spice mixture into a gallon sized baggie. Shake to coat fries.




4. Place fries on a foil-lined and sprayed cookie sheet for 45 minutes or until done.

Yeah, they aren't the same as the fast food version. They are better.