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Have you ever known a person who doesn’t love cookies? The absolutely perfect companion to a glass of milk or a steaming cup of Joe? I certainly have never met such an individual. Sure, a few people may be trying to watch their waistlines, but on the other hand, you only live once! Cookies are one of those wonderful, cheap thrills that must be indulged in, if only on occasion. So if you’re looking for a quick gift idea, think cookie baskets!

Baking cookies can be as much fun as eating them, so your gift brings a little joy to you right up front. No one cooks up a batch of cookies without tasting at least one. If you’re having a cookie-baking marathon, with a half-dozen different cookies to approve, you and the kids may then pass on dinner, but that can be OK once in a while.

If the recipient of your cookie basket gift is on a perpetual diet, but it’s Christmas nonetheless, choose tasty low-calorie cookie recipes and don’t get a gigantic basket! Be sensitive to dietary restrictions as well. Your friend suffering with diabetes may not have experienced the delights of a cookie in a year! Find cookies to fill that friend’s cookie basket with cookies made with Splenda™ and rolled oats for a cookie basket you’ll know went to the right place. Including the recipes for your cookie basket treats can be an additional bonus for cookie-starved friends.

No matter who you’re bestowing with cookie goodness, the basket is of great importance when you’re evaluating the impact of the presentation. It’s somewhat like a cup of coffee. A cup of Joe in a plastic or paper cup will never taste as good as that self-same cup in an elegant ceramic or cut glass cup. The same applies to cookies. Look for baskets, of an appropriate size, which have some character or pizzazz about them. A good rule of thumb in choosing a good looking cookie basket is to ask yourself if that basket could be used decoratively for another purpose, such as a bread basket or sewing supply caddy. If it looks good as a display item, you’ve got a winning cookie basket.

Next, search out a material to line the basket before you install your cookie treats. Fancy tissue paper, or colored cellophane with a pristine white paper doily on top make a nice presentation. Slip the cookies into the cookie basket and make a visual check. One trick to a successful cookie basket is to make the container as visually attractive as the contents are to the palate.

You can add ribbons, lace and other ornaments according to the taste of your recipient. Hey, that reminds me! How about a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans to make your cookie basket perfect?

If you’re baking for kids, you may as well forget the basket. Those cookies won’t make it past the cookie sheet!

Healthy eating tends to be much easier at home, when you have beforehand control over how your food is prepared, and portion control. When it comes to eating out, keeping your habits healthy does not always appear to be quite as easy. Are you serious about being healthy? There are steps that you can take when eating out at a restaurant in order to both eat a nice meal, and to do it healthily. Making healthy eating choices is a step by step process which will eventually become a routine, and a way of life. Here are some tips for eating healthily while eating out.

1. When asked for your drink order, choose water or tea over sugar-laden or alcoholic drinks. If you insist upon having soda, opt for diet over regular in order to save on calories and sugar.
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