Meatless Monday: Joining Hands for a Better World: 12.16.13

On December 3, I set out on a pre-Christmas challenge — to post a tip a day we can collectively follow with the goal of making the world a better place. 

Today’s suggestion: Have Some Fun with DIY Food Gifts  

Since I often blog about food in honor of Meatless Monday, I thought I’d share a few ideas for making homemade gifts of food. 

• First off, here is a recipe for Cocoa Mix from Whole Foods. Pack it in a Mason jar or special storage container, and you’ll have two gifts in one.
• Next up are 10 “Timeless Holiday Cookies” from Cooking Light. 
• Here are 32 “Edible Gifts to Make” from the chefs on the Food Network. The gifts range from fruitcake to soup in a jar. 
• Remember Chex Party Mix? My Aunt June gave us a coffee can of this every year. Here is Bon Appétit’s take on this classic. You still need to watch the salt.
• Finally, here is one for Nutter Butter Reindeer. These are fun to make with kids (who don’t have peanut allergies). I made these to decorate a cookie swap tray last year. Too bad about the M&Ms, but I don’t know any substitute.

If none of these ideas strike your fancy, start googling: DIY Christmas food gifts… edible holiday gifts… paleo chocolate chip cookies… homemade holiday gift ideas… You get the idea.

Food is appreciated by almost everyone. You don’t have to worry about the color or the fit or how much space it will take up in a crowded apartment. When it’s eaten, it’s gone. It’s the perfect present.

That’s it for today. “See you tomorrow.” 

“All together now,” as the Beatles once sang. Let’s see how much good we can do over the next few weeks.

I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Counting Down to Christmas

It’s December 22, and we are all still here. This is a special, holiday Saturday Short for sharing a couple of fun activities for the young and the young-at-heart who are eagerly awaiting Christmas Day.

Last Saturday we attended a cookie swap at a friend’s house – bring 4 dozen, take home 3 dozen, donate 1 dozen to a good cause (in this case a shelter for battered women). I did my best to channel Martha the evening before and made dozens of crispy, round cookies with sliced almonds on top, which were meant to look like sand dollars when they were done. 

That Friday night marked the end of an extraordinarily sad day in Connecticut. I knew kids would be at the cookie swap, and I decided to do a no-bake decorated treat to brighten up my tray. Are these all-natural? No way! Healthy? Hardly! But they are so cute, and so easy. My husband had fun helping. The kids loved them. I imagine it would be a great project to do with kids and grandkids if you have some around. Here is what you need: 1 package of Nutter Butter cookies (48 in a pack), 1 tube of white frosting, 1 bag of small pretzels, and 1 bag of M&Ms. If you look at the photo, you can figure out what to do. When we ran out of brown M&Ms, we used blue. Maybe the kids will choose yellow or green. Who cares? Have some fun. 

+Google, the company which makes this blog possible, has launched a fun-filled site where you can track Santa on Christmas Eve, less than 2 days from now. Google Maps will allow you to follow Santa’s progress around the globe while learning a little about some of the stops along the way. But don’t wait until the 24th to check the site out. In the meantime, explore Santa’s Village where you can play some challenging games and request a special phone call from Santa to one you love.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Have a very merry Saturday. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).