It used to be foolish to give money as a gift. If our current economic times are any indicator, those days are over. But what is the best after giving money? Food. All we need. We all love it.
That being said, everyone has different tastes, dietary restrictions, allergies, and the like. But there are more options, especially healthy ones, available for shipping nationwide, no less, than ever before.
Here’s a list of suggested groceries, gift baskets, and meal kits you can order online this holiday season.
For many young professionals, having the time (let alone the money) to prepare quality food for themselves is out of the question. You can make it so much simpler (even if it’s just for a week or a few days) for your favorite new grad with premium catering. From chef Daniel Humm of New York’s acclaimed restaurant Eleven Madison Park comes Eleven Madison Home, a plant-based meal kit with a menu touted to be intentionally prepared with modern living in mind. Weekly Box delivery arrives at one’s doorstep with a full day’s worth of plant-based meals, from breakfast, lunch, dinner snacks and desserts, plus a selection of pantry favorites from EMP chefs. The Inspiring Spirit is similar to Meatless Monday in that it’s meant to encourage diners to eat only plant-based for at least one day a week. Each delivery is different, with a weekly changing menu designed to demonstrate just how delicious plant-based food can be. And every box purchase includes a donation to Rethink Food, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to tackling hunger and food inequality.
Speaking of staying healthy, there are plenty of smaller, cheaper options to encourage a healthy diet and wellness regimen every day. After selling more than 100 million of its daily green effervescent tablets, 8Greens is launching a new flavor: Peach Tea, which was designed to taste as pristine as Snapple’s popular summer drink. Made from eight real green vegetables—spinach, aloe vera, wheatgrass, kale, blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, and barley—the “farm-to-table” tablet contains as much vitamin B5 as 15 cups of broccoli, vitamin C as six oranges, vitamin B6 as six cups of spinach, vitamin B12 as seven cups of milk, and zinc as three cups of raw peas. Simply drop one tablet into a tall glass of ice cold water and you can complete your vitamins for the day.
For carb lovers, Eat Me Guilt Free produces what it describes as a “better-for-you” line of protein brownies, breads, tortillas, and cake mixes. In development for two years, Eat Me Guilt Free’s new and improved formula is lower in sugar, non-GMO and uses modified atmosphere packaging to exclude unnecessary preservatives. It features ingredients from Europe, where regulations against food additives are stricter than in the US. The brand’s low-carb brownies and cake bars, in particular, are especially portable for anyone in need of a high. of sugar with less sugar while it’s in the- Come on. (And they give new meaning to breakfast cake with 14 grams of protein with less than 200 calories per serving.) The variety box is a good place to start, with two of the six flavor profiles: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Red Velvet. , tuxedo, birthday cake and “galaxy” (which is chocolate with sprinkles).
Over the past decade, as green smoothies and juices have gone from a diet trend to a daily mainstay for many people, there has been a race to produce a product that is easier, cheaper, and doesn’t require a blender. Kencko really achieves that goal with its instant shakes through a freeze-drying method, which the brand claims retains nutrients from fruits and vegetables in a stable manner. When ready to consume, the fruit and vegetable packets are instantly converted into a smoothie by simply adding the consumer’s desired liquid (ie water, juice, dairy or non-dairy milk, etc.). Available as a subscription or in boxes of 20, shipments come with a reusable, travel-friendly shaker bottle, and Kencko’s packaging is completely compostable.
Locale is a highly curated food delivery platform featuring some of the most talked about award winning restaurants across the country. But what really sets it apart is the delivery. Consumers can mix and match their favorite items from their favorite vendors and have it all shipped in one shipment for just a flat fee of $5. Menu options include breakfast burritos from Cofax, a Los Angeles favorite, baked goods from Craftsman and Wolves (often praised as one of the best bakeries and cafeterias in San Francisco), and pantry staples from famed Carbone’s on the New York City.
Mosaic Foods, a direct-to-consumer frozen meal delivery service for vegans and vegetarians, recently launched a line of plant-based pizzas. Considered the most requested item by Mosaic customers, Mosaic’s pizza line includes seven chef-made deep-frozen pizzas and a two-pack of savory broccoli crusts for making homemade pizzas. These oven-ready pizzas are vegetarian, wheat-free, and a healthier twist on ready-to-bake pizzas to take home. Each pizza is created with 100% natural ingredients and features traditional and globally inspired ingredient combinations, including four cheeses, mushroom lovers, and aloo chaat and chutney. The pizzas are delivered frozen to your doorstep and only take 20 minutes to bake.
Just about everyone has at least one cheese lover in their lives, and therefore what could be better than a whole basket of cheese? Northbay Creameries serves as the online store for Bay Area sister brands Laura Chenel, Marin French Cheese Co. and St. Benoit Creamery, all producing locally made, better-for-you cow and goat’s milk dairy products. Northbay offers a variety of themed gift baskets, including a build-your-own option, for holiday entertaining and gifting, and prices range from $42 to $118. And shipping is free via UPS for deliveries in California, Oregon, and Nevada for purchases over $60.
It would be easy to keep your fridge stocked mostly with Splendid Spoon products, as the brand produces a host of ready-to-eat, nutrient-dense plant-based smoothies, soups, grain bowls, and noodles. Some tasty options include plant-based dan dan noodles, coconut curry rice, plantain black bean rice (pictured), and vegetable bolognese. The woman-founded company also has some new functional smoothies (pineapple, passion fruit, and blue majik) that include unique superfoods like Sea Buckthorn Berry, Blue Spirulina, and Tocos, all of which provide not only nutritional value, but beauty benefits like antioxidants as well. , vitamins and collagen production.
Founded by celebrity chef and cookbook author Pierre Thiam, Yolélé launched this fall with a special line of African-inspired spice rubs, available in gift packs just in time for the holiday season, perfect for cooks. homemade. For the beginning cook who wants to explore new cuisines, the Fonio Starter Pack is a great introduction to cooking with the West African grain, fonio, which can be used as a base for grain bowls, cakes, and more. Gift set includes a bag of classic fonio, a bag of fonio flour for baking, and a signed copy of Fonio’s Cookbook from Chef Thiam.
Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss out on our biggest features, exclusive interviews and research.