Posts Tagged ‘fruit’

Food Gifts Make My Life Easier

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

I am not a great shopping enthusiast.  Except around the Christmas and Channukah holidays, I hate the parking problems, I don’t enjoy browsing aisle after aisle looking for something that would be just perfect for Grandma or Uncle Arthur.  I certainly do not like waiting on line with frustrated people waiting for the lone employee to handle yet another exchange.  During the holidays, I enjoy strolling through stores simply people watching, without being weighted down with packages.  The experience for whatever reason puts me into a holiday mood, but I do my actual shopping and buying almost entirely online.  That’s a practice I developed in the very early years of the Web.

Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself.  Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions.  And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.

That wasn’t very honestly phrased, because I discovered food when I was still an infant.  But I didn’t discover food as a gift idea until recently.  You see, at that time I received a gift basket full of hardly edible sausages, processed cheese spreads (mostly chemicals I think) and crackers that were about as crunchy as a rock.  However, the poor quality of what passed as food in that gift turned out to be my inspiration.  “What,” I thought, “If I had received genuinely good food?”  How different that would have been, and how much I would have enjoyed it.

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet.  I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards.  Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail.  The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

The wide selection of quality gift foods available is truly remarkable.  It ranges from live lobster dinners to a fresh fruit basket; from cookie bouquets to live lobsters; from wine gift baskets to imported caviar or fine Wisconsin cheeses.

For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets.  Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting.  The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.

So join me in thanking the web (maybe Al Gore?) for allowing me to walk through an aisle of a store, empty handed, with a huge smile.  I can do that, now, just to soak up the spirit of the season.  I’m a tourist when I’m there instead of a harried shopper.

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What’s the Right Food Gift Option?

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

Giftbaskets are soooo last year!  Or is it last decade?  My fervent hope is that you’ll eventually come to the conclusion that both statements are wrong.  You see, I make my living by selling gift baskets (among other food gifts).  While I agree that it’s not quite the same as being a test pilot or a neurosurgeon, it’s an honest way to pay for tuition for my grandson.  Or at least it would be a good way to do so if more of you bought my products.

I know what you’re thinking: “All of his gift problems are solved; year in and year out everybody on his list gets stuck with another gift basket.”  I want to disabuse you of your smug attitude!  In fact, I face the same dilemmas that you face during any gift giving, decision making crisis.

I do not give food filled bundles of joy to my entire gift list.  Even if I did just give gift baskets to everyone, my choice would be only marginally easier than yours.  My company alone offers scores of fruit baskets, wine gift baskets, gourmet food options and far more.  (I can hear you right now, begging me to tell you where this wonderful store is.  Please be patient.)

Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.

My first step is to decide on the appropriate category of gift from the many choices.  If Uncle Milton has his drinking problem under control for the first time in ten years, then the wine gift baskets are out of the running.  Instead, I’ll opt for a fruit basket with something seasonal.  After years of ignoring the nutritional value of what he consumed, he could use a few extra servings of fruit in solid form.

Aunt Millie, on the other hand, is a great wine sipper.  Frankly, I don’t know if she really enjoys the wine, but she sure enjoys talking about it.  She thrills to have a new member of her audience so that she can explain what makes a good vintage year, the varieties of grapes that are used in her favorite blends and, especially, how much she paid for each bottle (as well as how much she paid for the carpeting you just ruined by spilling your glass).  She’ll get a simple wine gift basket, but I’m not going to spring for the champagne!  (I’m also not going to pay for the carpet cleaning; not after what that cat of hers did to my new coat.)

Everyone in our family, except me, says that my nephew Alfred finally made his girlfriend an honest woman.  I, on the other hand, never doubted his girlfriend’s honesty, but I have some reasons to suspect Alfred.  In any case, they finally got married.  To tell you the truth, even I agree that it’s about time.  Alfred spent the last eight years trying to decide if she was worth the cost of a diamond ring.  (I suspect that he eventually settled on crystal, which, considering Alfred, would be thought of as generous.)  Alfred always loves to receive cash as a gift.  There’s no way that I’m satisfying that desire.  His wife wouldn’t get a dime of it.  I’m sending them a chef-prepared gourmet meal for two.  My thinking is that this is the only way to get his bride out of the kitchen.  Alfred would never pay for a restaurant meal, so, in a sense, I’m sending the restaurant to them.

My second step, after choosing a category is to select a price range that I’m willing to spend on these people.  Then my wife makes me double that amount.

My perfect grandson isn’t getting a food gift.  I’m getting him the latest cell phone system, complete with an unlimited calling plan.  I would get him a sports car if only you would buy a lot more gift baskets!

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Getting in Shape: Some Ideas for Giving in Shape

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

We all know people that when you pass by the vitamin store in the mall, we’re not surprised to see them browsing the shelves.  They are the health conscious one in the neighborhood, the one we all unsuccessfully aspire to be.    For the third year in a row, they’ve made it their new year’s resolution to lose those holiday pounds, but this time they’re actually going to go through with it.  No matter what, we all know someone who is “carb conscious.”  When it comes time for their birthday or any gift giving occasion, you know you have to find something that fits their lifestyle, whether that lifestyle is a reality yet or still in the aspirational stage. But, at least you have a good starting point.  You can take this information and turn it into a gift that will inspire them.

One unique gift idea, especially for new comers to the fitness world, might be to get them a trial membership to a health or athletic club.  Here you can find up to date work-out equipment and facilities that your friend can choose from.  They’ll also find a supportive and well trained staff.  They might find that getting a personal trainer can keep them going beyond the point where, in past efforts, they may have simply quit.  Getting a friend a membership is a great way to motivate someone to get out of the house and get started on shedding the pounds.  Even if your friend already has a membership to such a club, you can still give them a free month, or even a gift certificate to be used at the club for additional services or products.

If a gift of a club membership is a bit more than you planned to spend, there are other gifts that can provide the same message of support.  Visit your local sporting goods shop to find inspiration for other appropriate gifts.  Health stores can give you plenty of gift ideas, too.  You might get them a health guide on the latest exercise trend.  

Just because they want to lose weight doesn’t mean they can’t eat.  Many sports shops will have cook books for the health conscious.    In the same locations, you can also find useful gadgets such as pedometers that can be worn throughout the day to encourage walking instead of riding or the stairs instead of the elevator.

If you’re looking for a more personal gift, one of the best healthy gift ideas you can get is a fruit basket. A fruit gift basket is a great gift idea for anyone who is health conscious and watching their weight.  Think of the food pyramid that you may have first glimpsed when you were in grade school.  Fruit is just plain healthy; it is totally cholesterol-free and provides many of the essential vitamins that we all require.    There are all sorts of fruit baskets from which to choose, one of which will fit your budget as well as delighting your health-conscious friend.  One exception to keep in mind, however, often people who are just beginning a low carb diet are not permitted fruit.

So whether they’re just starting into fitness or have been exercising for years, showing your support for their efforts to drop some weight by getting them a healthy gift is a great way to wish them a happy birthday.

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Pair the Recipient With the Present

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Please stop besmirching the good name of my favorite gift category–edible gifts.  Quit shipping the containers filled with processed cheese spreads that are mostly chemicals and the unidentifiable tubes labeled as some sort of sausage.  Extend the protest to include those tree killing enormous boxes that contain a couple apples or pears.  I can find apples and pears that are just as good in my local super market.

Despite my heretical words, above, I love good food gifts.  I love giving them and receiving them.  However, when you send me something, please make it the same quality I give those on my gift list.  Oh, and by the way, high quality is not the same as easy to buy from a temporary, seasonal kiosk in the mall.  Food gifts deserve at least as much careful thought as that after-shave you bought your dad year after year in your childhood–oops, not a good example, perhaps.

Instead of that big brand name box of gelatinous cheese spreads from the mall, consider a assortment of genuine artisan cheeses from my home state of Wisconsin or wherever your favorite cheeses originate.  Join me in endorsing the thankless labor of goats and cows rather than joining the chemical additive bandwagon.  Speaking of myself, and I’ll bet you, too, I would much rather have a small amount of a real cheese instead of an overpriced huge box of the fake stuff.

A wine giftbasket

I made light of fruit gift baskets a while ago, but, if you take the time, you can find a basket of gourmet fruit–the kinds of fruit that I can’t find in my own back yard.  This can be a truly thoughtful gift for someone who is into fitness or who has started the sort of logical diet that allows the consumption of fruit.

I hope you understand…  If you give a food gift the thought that it deserves, stay out of the long lines at the mall kiosks, and hasten the journey of the boxes filled with fake cheese to the garbage bin, which is where they are going to end up if you send them to me.  Spend an evening with me, shopping from my home office, using the Internet for all my food gift shopping.  Just remember that you’ll have to bring your own wine, but I’ll supply the real cheese.

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Help New Neighbors Feel at Home with a Basket of Fruit

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

New neighbors have finally arrived next door. We’re very excited to meet them. They appear to be about our age and our kids are looking forward to playing with theirs. Lasting friendships develop rapidly on our street so we’re sure that our new neighbors will become our friends. Can you think of a better way to greet these new neighbors than with a festive fruit bouquet?

Fruit baskets are the ideal memorable gift to give for his occasion. They exude friendliness. There are many variations of containers from which to choose and the selection of different beautiful fruits can be as creative as your imagination allows.

One of the simplest gift baskets would be to have a few red apples, a couple of green pears, and a bright yellow banana or two presented on a wooden cutting board. Add some red grapes and this lovely combination of color speaks for itself. Wrap colorful cellophane around it and tie a matching bow to the handle of the cutting board to complete the package.

A bigger fruit giftbasket could consist of a sturdy box, which can be used for storing other items later, filled with individually wrapped choices of ripe fruit. Just visualize juicy oranges, sweet plums, fragrant raspberries, and tangy grapefruit. The flavorful selection of these fruits stimulate any appetite.

Using a wicker basket is another way of presenting the fruit. Select a white or natural-colored basket. Healthy fruits of fragrant pineapple and distinctive coconut are surrounded by exotic kiwi. Add citrus selections of oranges, lemons and limes with aromatic bananas carefully positioned among them. This makes a fun, tropical fruit basket choice, which is appetizing, healthy, and eye-pleasing. Top it with a lime-green ribbon tied in a large bow.

Fruit baskets can be personalized, depending on your preference. We noticed a beautiful, wooden wine rack being moved into their home, so a bottle of wine could be added to the selections of fruit. In order to incorporate the fruit theme, a citrus peeler or a paring knife could be added, too. Hard tack or chocolate candies, or shortbread cookies, or even nut selections of almonds and walnuts would add an extra touch to the fruit basket gift, as well.

Fruit baskets are given in a variety of containers filled with every kind of delicious fruit imaginable. No matter which container you select to hold the fruit and no matter which fruits you choose to put into the container, it is a colorful, delicious, and healthy option. What a wonderful “Welcome to the Neighborhood” gift fruit baskets are!

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Want to Find A Juicer Or Juicer Parts?

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Juicers offer a world of opportunities for folks whether they’re wanting to use one at home, or for business purposes.

Whatever your current plans are, I would suggest to anyone to get one. I credit my very own with helping me keep fit and strong for a long time.  But, they will vary a lot in cost from one place to another. Although, thanks to the Internet, people are able to now quickly and simply compare the prices between competing retailers, whether or not they be internet retailers or traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ outlets or stores.

Another advantage of juicers is that the different elements of a juicer can be bought separately. So that as the machine gets older and some of the juicer components begin to wear down, or need replacement, individuals can do it individually while not having to get a completely new machine.  This means a juicer can be kept goingworking for an extremely long time, at a low cost.

Whether someone is looking for a replacement machine, or just juicer components, beginning their search on a high quality Web web site is unquestionably the way to start.

Additionally nearly all on-line stores will be able to sell at a lot lower prices, as a result of the lower overheads it takes to start up and run online, which is excellent for the consumer.

The net is also a great place to get recommendations and feedback on which machines and juicer parts are the most effective, or the most reliable. Individuals can find this information by looking at reports that other customers have left of their experiences with various brands and models.

Some individuals are still worried about actually going out and purchasing on the Web and previously this has been an issue.

But, things have changed a significant amount in recent years and due to security enhancements and government guidelines purchasing on the Net is just about infallible.

Thus, if you’re feeling concerned you mustn’t be, there are a number of opportunities for obtaining great prices on the internet.

The key is really to take a little time looking for a juicer and not to just jump at the first one that you see. As I mentioned previously, the web is also a nice method to help individuals make a decision on precisely what kind of model, or part will be best for them, by using the reviews of users that leave their feedback for other people to read and benefit from.

If you are looking for a replacement juicer part do make sure that the one that you decide on is compatible with the model that you already have. Some parts will operate with all varieties of juicer and others can solely operate with one brand.

To read additional info, or to find a good site for juicers, replacement Juicer Parts, or reviews, just Take A Look At This.

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