Ho-ho-ho and happy holidays!
‘Tis the season for yummy cookie making parties, online shopping sprees and Christmas Card preparations! I have some excellent ideas for the busy home chef in your life in my 2016 Gift Guide.
But before we get to those, I wanted to announce that our “12 Days of Christmas Giveaways” will start next week!
We will be giving away MyFreezEasy Annual Memberships, $5 Meal Plan Annual Memberships, Free Registration for my upcoming Grocery Budget Makeover class, goodies from ShopFreezEasy store, Utensi’s Long Handled Wooden Measuring Spoons, my favorite planner and more…
The giveaway fun will begin on December 10th!
Now, back to my 2016 Gift Guide…
I wanted to pull together a few of my favorite things…some my own products and some goodies that I just love and can’t live without in the kitchen and in life. Let’s get to it, shall we?
#1 – FreezEasy’s Freezer Meal Bag Stands
Watch above to see how handy these freezer meal bag stands are for your freezer meal prep!
They are like a second set of hands in the kitchen. Or a third arm. And they are ridiculously helpful when making freezer meals. (As you see in the short video above!)
I use mine for prepping freezer meals, and I also use them for drying baggies that I plan to reuse. I turn them inside out, rinse with hot water, wash with soap and hot water, then hang them over the bag stand (still inside out) to dry. Boom!
(NOTE: I don’t reuse baggies that have had raw meat in them!)
These Freezer Bag Stands are the perfect stocking stuffer.
(And shipping is free!)
Order from ShopFreezEasy here.
#2 Utensi
You’ve heard me talk about these before, and I’m gonna keep talking about them. Because I *heart* them.
I love anything with dual functions…and I love anything that’s cooking related. And I love beautiful wooden spoons, too.
And I especially love these Long Handled Wooden Measuring Spoons from Utensi!
COUPON CODE: 5DDFAVES <— use this coupon code to get $5 off each set of spoons you order.
They Measure. They Stir. They are Beautiful. And they are the Perfect Holiday Gift!
Order from Utensi website here.
#3 MyFreezEasy’s Magnetic Dry Erase Planners
Stay organized with your meals.
Don’t forget about the amazing meals you’ve stashed in your freezer.
Have your meal plan on display, and maybe (just maybe!) your kids will stop asking “What’s for DINNER, MOOOOOOM?” 
These dry erase fridge magnets are the perfect addition to the fridge of the busy home chef!
Order from ShopFreezEasy here.
#4 Easy Lunchboxes
We pack 3 or 4 of these every day of the week. They have survived the daily bashings that the boys give them. We still have a few from 2 and 3 years ago, that are still going strong!
One note: they are not leakproof, but I don’t send any leaky type foods in their lunchboxes so this has never been an issue for me. They do offer small little dipper containers for sauces-dips-syrups-ketchup, etc. Those are leakproof.
We are big fans of Easy Lunchboxes!
Order from Amazon here.
#5 “E-Lume” Crockpot
I have had this slow cooker for years. I adore it. It cooks perfectly – not too hot and doesn’t dry out meats. It’s programmable (a MUST – do NOT buy a slow cooker with a dial knob!), it has a ceramic insert, and it has a well-temped warm setting.
Order from Amazon here.
#6 The Purposeful Planner
This is my planner. I adore it. You can see how well laid out and simple it is. It has just the right things on each page, for each day…fitness, water, to-do/schedule, dinner. That’s it…that’s all I need. Simple is better.
I use it to plan my freezer meal prep sessions, as well as add meals that are already in the freezer to our meal plan…based loosely on the insanity of each day’s schedule.
Take a look and see if you think the Purposeful Planner will work for you. Then order one from CorieClark.com.
P.S. I just saw yesterday that the 2017 planners are IN and they are shipping out now!
#7 Instant Pot
Just jump on the Instant Pot train. We are working on some Instant Pot resources, how-tos and meal plans. But in the meantime, watch for some deals, get yours and get started with some simple meals or sides!
Order from Amazon here.
#8 Zaycon Fresh – Bulk Meat Purchases
Give the gift of meat???
Erin – you’ve lost your mind.
No – no, no I haven’t. Hear me out…
Meat is expensive. It’s certainly the most expensive part of any meal. It’s VERY convenient to get it in bulk (if you have the freezer space). And Zaycon Fresh is my favorite spot for bulk, quality meat orders.
Whether you’re using your holiday gift card $$ to get meat (yes, I have totally done this in the past…I’m treating myself to the convenience of bulk meats and easy meals!), or giving a gift to a son/daughter, niece/nephew…consider the gift of Zaycon Fresh.
Learn more and sign up here. (If you want to order as a gift, consider emailing their team…they are very responsive and will help you out!)
#9 Williams-Sonoma Dish Towels
I gave up paper towels a long time ago. It’s now one of our ongoing family jokes. My dad saw a recent tweet of mine about “7 Paper Products to Stop Buying” and he called me immediately…to tell me he was signing me up for an Amazon Subscribe & Save subscription for paper towels. (He would do that!)
I insisted that he didn’t, because I wouldn’t use them. They just aren’t a part of my “kitchen MO” and maybe you should give them up too.
I have not done a cost and savings analysis, but I know that I have saved hundreds over the years by investing in dish towels. GOOD, QUALITY dish towels.
Like these pictured above from Williams-Sonoma. The price tag might be hard to swallow at first, but if you think about how many paper towel sets that would be, they seem cheap all of a sudden!
2 big sets of paper towels = price of set of W-S towels
W-S towels last forever. I’ve had some last YEARS. Yes, years.
Keep doing the math and all of a sudden paper towels are sounding really expensive.
(As for laundering them, if they aren’t too dirty…they just go in with the jeans or towels or school uniforms. If they are really soiled, then they get their own turn in the washing machine. I do at least a load of laundry every day, so it’s not hard to keep fresh dishtowels in my kitchen.)
Add them to your wishlist, or get some for yourself. They holiday sets are 20% off! (I might have just ordered a set!)
Order from Williams-Sonoma here.
These are my favorite-ist things this year and I hope you found a gift that’s perfect for the busy home chef in your life!
And, stay tuned for our 12 Days of Christmas giveaways coming up soon!
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