Wow, I can't believe 2015 is almost over and what a year it has been!  Thank you to this community for an amazing year of health and wellness!  Thank you for reading the blog.  Thank you for trying the recipes.  Thank you for commenting on topics that trigger your passion and creating meaningful discussions around self-care and nutrition.  Thank you for liking my dog and appreciating my goofy sense of humor.  Thank you to my brave clients who wanted to eat well, feel well, and live well.  Thank you for being here.  I am looking forward to creating more magic with you in 2016 so that taking care of ourselves is pleasurable and fun!  Until then, I wish you happy holidays.  See you here in 2016!
Love,
Molly

*None of the brands/companies in this article know that I am featuring them in my gift guide.  This is not an ad nor is it a sponsored post.  

One of the things I look forward to during the holiday season is the various gift guides that thought leaders, magazines, and charitable organizations publish.  They are full of great ideas.  I've noticed, though, that they can also be full of ideas that are expensive and not so healthy which is why I was inspired to create my own gift guide full of fun! affordable! healthy! gifts and stocking stuffers.

Food:
Nibmor Chocolate bars are my go to for my chocolate fix.  In fact they are my favorite thing to have for breakfast dessert.  I am just sure breakfast dessert is a thing.  I have one or two squares of the 72% Cacao crispy bars and that satiates my sweet tooth for the entire day (which is saying a lot because my sweet tooth and my brain both think a pint of ice cream is one serving!).  You can feel good about Nibmor as its GMO free, gluten free, and uses Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.  Bonus:  Nibmor currently has an offer on Groupon.  

I discovered Santa Barbara Bars in 2014 at a yoga workshop, and I've been enjoying them ever since.  These days they fuel me through volunteering at canine adoption events, travel, and when I need a boost of energy.  Not only are they insanely delicious and filling, they are also gluten free, dairy free, and GMO free!  Plus they are loaded with Omega-3s, protein and fiber.

Beauty:
Getting that mani/pedi has taken on a tenor of fear as we learned recently that nail polish contains hormone disrupters that can leach into the body.  Luckily, there's Mineral Fusion polish to the rescue which does not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate and Camphor.  It comes in a variety of fun colors like the fuschia and sparkly green featured in the photo above and they even have a base coat and top coat so you are covered top to bottom!

Winter is the season of chapped lips!  Dry air combined with indoor heating is a terrible combination for our smackers.  Filthy Farmgirl Cream Coconut Smoochie is the best all natural lip balm I've found for moisturizing lips.  Handmade in Hawaii, the balm has a pleasant coconut smell and makes my lips feel good for hours!   I usually do not like coconut as a flavor and yet this is always in my purse or in my pocket.  The adorable packaging is a bonus and would add a touch of cuteness to anyone's stocking.  

Exercise:
Brian surprised me with this FitBit last year and now it's become something of an addiction.  It holds me accountable for my daily movement goals and lets me track my calories burned.  I love looking at it right before going to bed and celebrating reaching my goals or surpassing them (like that time it registered over 100 flights of stairs climbed while I was visiting the very steep Cinque Terre).  It has a very long battery life (weeks!), and the ability to log my food intake and my other physical activities, such as stand up paddling and yoga.  It's small enough to fit in a stocking and special enough to give as a primary gift.  

​Travel:
If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you know I like to travel.  In recent years, I have really upped my travel game from using a much smaller suitcase to utilizing packing cubes.  I love packing cubes.  No more unpacking everything to find that one pair of socks or that belt or that one shirt that you threw in there somewhere.  With packing cubes, all my pants go in one, all my shirts go in another, and all my underwear goes together.  This is the brand of packing cubes I currently use, but there are many wonderful choices on the market.

While traveling I crave the ability to clean my teeth just as well as I do at home, but I didn't want to lug around a bulky electric toothbrush.  Scaling down has been theme of how I travel now.  Fortunately, I found this electric travel toothbrush that is compact, scrubs my teeth effectively, and comes in a variety of pleasing colors and designs to boot!

There are so many terrific, environmentally responsible water bottles on the market today, and all of them would make a great gift or stocking stuffer.  I happen to like the Lifefactory bottle, which is glass with a silicone sleeve (I am accident prone!).  

For Your Pooch:
Last year, we gave Casey a West Paw dog toy for Christmas.  It lasted nearly seven months!  7!  Most toys that are gifted to Casey meet their demise within a week or two, but this one is tough!  It's also manufactured in Bozeman, Montana (not China!).  They are stuffed with recycled fill so that's a toy both you and your dog can feel good about!   The website has many good canine gift options.

Reading:
Gift giving can be a slippery slope, including books.  The recipient may be excited to read it or they may see it as an assignment.  For the friend or family member you are just sure would appreciate a comprehensive book on wellness, I recommend The New Health Rules by Dr. Frank Lipman, M.D. and Danielle Claro.  It's an easy-to-digest (pun intended) book full of easy to incorporate healthy habits with beautiful photos that make it a pleasurable read and resource.  This is another one that's small enough to fit in a large stocking.  Full disclosure:  Dr. Lipman is on the faculty at my nutrition school.  

Now, it is your turn.  What are your favorite, fun, affordable, healthy gifts to give during the holidays?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!