Simple and NIce Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is round the corner and who is in need of some Christmas gift ideas? Well, a good place to get some inspiration for gift ideas would be to go to pinterest to see the many different creative gifts people have thought of. To make life a little easier, here are some of the many creative creations :)

1. Snow Man Jars

1. Fill up three glass jars with your favourite candy or desserts and then stack them up and secure with adhesive.
2. Use a small piece of cloth and wrap it around the lid of the second jar to create the scarf for the snowman.
3. On the upper most jar, use a marker and draw on the eyes, mouth and nose for the snowman,
4. Using some black colored paper, create a hat for the snowman and place it on top of the top lid.

These cute snowman jars make good door gifts that would delight your guest ;)

2. Personalise Bath Set

Personalise bath sets make good gifts as you can create a bath set to suit that person’s needs. Just get a basket and arrange it with some of the many beauty stuff you think that person needs and then wrap it up nicely.

3. Personalized Coffee Set

Just like the personalized bath set, this coffee set is also uniquely created. Find out the favorite coffee brand of that person and then go get some of that brand of coffee and wrap it up with a mug. This coffee set is great for coffee lovers as they would be using your gift almost everyday :)

4. Flipcards

Other than making the traditional cards, you can give flipcards a try, Just take some placards and cut them to the desired size and then write some messages on to them and secure them together at the end.

5. Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Going for a Christmas party? This Christmas tree cupcake would delight your dinner host/ guest and it also makes a good centerpiece for the table.

6. Reindeer Towel

How do you glamorize a towel? Well, wrap it up into a bow shape to create the reindeer ears and tie a ribbon to secure the bow. Add some wooden twigs for the ears and then glue on some eyes and a red nose.

7. Personalised Cushion Covers

All you need to create this special and unique gift is a plain cushion cover and some fabric marker or paint.

Using a stencil, write a personalised message onto the cushion cover or create beautiful designs on the cover for a gift.

8. Chocolate Pudding Jars

Make some of your best desserts like chocolate pudding, custards, creme brule and package them into individual jars for gifts. Wrap them up nicely with a bow or some cloth and attach a spoon so that it makes eating a lot easier :)

Hope that you found these ideas useful and if you really cannot think of anything to give, prepare a nice dish or make some Christmas cards with your own personalized message :) Anything from the heart would be sure to delight!

Healthy Smoothie Recipes| How to Make a Healthy Smoothie

Recently, liquid diet has been gaining popularity as people get more health conscious.

These delicious healthy smoothie recipes make it easy to eat healthy with fruit, milk, immune-boosting yogurt, and other nutritious ingredients—and they're great for those on a smoothie diet, too.

Banana- Ginger Smoothie

Ginger is good for relieving bloatedness, heartburn, as well as nausea and motion sickness. Here, ginger is paired with a banana, which acts as a natural antacid.

• 1 banana, sliced
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1. In a blender, combine the banana, yogurt, honey, and ginger. Blend until smooth.

Orange Smoothie

• 1 navel orange, peeled
• 1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half or fat-free yogurt
• 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ice cubes

1. In a blender, combine the orange, half-and-half or yogurt, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, and ice cubes. Process until smooth.

Blueberry and Green Tea Smoothie

• 3 tbsp water
• 1 green tea bag
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 C frozen blueberries
• 1/2 med banana
• 3/4 C calcium fortified light vanilla soy milk

1. In small glass measuring cup or bowl, microwave water on high until steaming hot. Add tea bag and allow to brew 3 minutes. Remove tea bag. Stir honey into tea until it dissolves.
2. In blender with ice crushing ability, combine berries, banana, and milk.
3. Add tea to blender. Blend ingredients on ice crush or highest setting until smooth.Pour smoothie into tall glass and serve

Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries
• 1/4 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

1. In a blender, combine the banana, milk, blueberries, strawberries, peanut butter, and honey. Process about 1 minute, or until the consistency of a thick milkshake.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 6 frozen strawberries

1. In a blender, combine the yogurt, banana, juice, and strawberries for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides and blend for an additional 15 seconds.

Pineapple Delight Smoothie

• 1 cup low-fat or light vanilla yogurt
• 6 ice cubes
• 1 cup pineapple chunks

1. In a blender, combine the yogurt and ice cubes. Blend, pulsing as needed, until the ice is in large chunks. Add the pineapple and blend until smooth.

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

• 1 1/4 cups cold apple juice
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 kiwi fruit, sliced
• 5 frozen strawberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1. In a blender, combine the juice, banana, kiwifruit, strawberries, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Banana & Blueberry Soy Smoothie

• 1 1/4 cups light soy milk
• 1/2 cup frozen loose-pack blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana, sliced
• 2 teaspoons sugar or 2 packets artificial sweetener
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a blender, combine 1 cup of the milk, the blueberries, banana, sugar or sweetener, and vanilla extract. Blend for 20 to 30 seconds, or until smooth. Add up to 1/4 cup more milk if a thinner smoothie is desired.

Peachy Smoothie

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup frozen peaches
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 3 ice cubes

1. Blend together any liquid ingredients (milk, yogurt, juice, etc.)
2. Next, add mushy ingredients, like pre cooked oatmeal and fruit, then add ice at the end.
3. For a thicker shake, you can toss in more ice cubes; you'll add volume without the calories.

Watermelon Smoothie

• 2 cups chopped watermelon
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 cups ice

1. In a blender, combine the watermelon and milk, and blend for 15 seconds, or until smooth. Add the ice, and blend for 20 seconds longer, or to your desired consistency. Add more ice, if needed, and blend for 10 seconds.

A Very Berry Smoothie

• ½ cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
• ½ cup frozen raspberries
• 3 frozen strawberries
• 1 cup (8 ounces) vanilla yogurt
• ½ cup cran/blueberry juice

1. In a blender, combine all the ingredients together and blend until smooth.

Tropical Strawberry Smoothie

• 8 frozen strawberry
• ½ cup shredded fresh coconut
• ½ cup yogurt

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Spark it up with 2 tablespoons rolled oats and pinch ground cinnamon

Green Goodness

• ½ cup frozen kale
• ½ cup frozen pineapple
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup water

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Tropical Delight

• 8 pieces frozen mango (about ¾ cup)
• ½ cup coconut milk into a blender
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

1. Place 8 pieces frozen mango (about ¾ cup) and ½ cup So Delicious coconut milk into a blender. Blend until smooth. Then add 1 tablespoon chia seeds and pulse just a few times to combine. Serves 1.
2. You can add ground nutmeg, protein powder, or 2 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut.

Green Apple & Spinach Smoothie

• 1 green apple (with skin, cored, and cut into chunks)
• ½ cup frozen spinach
• ½-inch piece peeled, fresh ginger (cut into small pieces)
• ½ cup water
• ½ of an avocado or ½ cup fresh lime juice.

1. Place 1 green apple (with skin, cored, and cut into chunks), ½ cup frozen spinach, ½-inch piece peeled, fresh ginger (cut into small pieces), and ½ cup water into a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Extras: Blend in ½ of an avocado or fresh lime juice.

Banana & Kale Smoothie

• 1 peeled frozen banana
• ½ cup frozen kale
• ½ cup coconut water

1. Place 1 peeled frozen banana, ½ cup frozen kale, and ½ cup coconut water into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Go try these great smoothie recipes today which are packed with natural sugars and would leave you feeling satisfied :) For more health related blogs and baking tips, click here and here:)