Healthy Eating for the New Year

If losing weight and getting in shape are on your to-do list for the new year, you’re not alone. Last year, losing weight was the top resolution among Americans, with staying fit and healthy as the fifth most popular resolution.

Adjusting your overall lifestyle and committing to the goal of becoming a healthier person are critical steps you’ll have to take to achieve your goal. In addition to getting regular exercise and breaking unhealthy habits, you must also develop healthier eating habits to lose weight and be fit.

Make healthy snacks with Hickory Farms fresh fruit baskets and gourmet nut gift baskets. (Photo via Lunch Box Bunch)

Counting calories is important, but you should change the type of carbohydrates you consume, opt for adding healthy fats to your diet, and incorporate the right protein sources as a part of healthier eating habits. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of carbohydrates that also provide you with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients needed to maintain your health, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Our Dried Fruit Collection includes delicious healthy fruits such as apricots, peaches, pears and other fruits, as well as crunchy almonds to provide a tasty contrast to the fruit. If you are looking for post-holiday food gift ideas, this collection is an excellent idea.

The Hickory Farms Fresh Fruit Trio includes Crown Comice Pears, Fuji Apples and Mandarin Oranges; our fresh fruit baskets create a combination that offers variety and flavor.

Health fats come in two forms: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These types of fat are helpful in improving blood cholesterol levels and benefit insulin and blood sugar levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nuts are a fabulous source of healthy fat and make for healthier snack options than potato chips and sweets. Hickory Farms offers a variety of gourmet nut gift baskets.

Protein is an essential element of a healthy diet, as it helps repair and build muscles that are being exercised. Other benefits of adding protein to your diet include helping you feel fuller longer and preventing issues like heart disease and diabetes. Nuts are a great source of protein, and, according to LiveStrong, cashews contain 4 grams of protein per ounce, while pecans contain 2 grams per ounce and walnuts contain 7 grams per ounce.

We have several gourmet nuts, too. One of our best sellers is the Colossal Cashews Tin. Fresh, large cashews with a hint of salt make for a great snack to munch on throughout the day or a healthy party snack.

Our Finest Mixed Nuts Gift includes almonds, cashews and pecans, roasted and sprinkled with sea salt to snacking perfection.

Have you resolved to eat better and become healthier in 2013? If so, how do you plan to accomplish that goal? Share your healthy eating plans for 2013 with us by leaving a comment below.

Easy New Year’s Eve Entertaining Ideas

New Year’s Eve is a special night. If family and friends choose to celebrate the occasion by attending your New Year’s Eve party, you’ll want to make sure that everything is designed to make the evening a wonderful celebration. From the food to the beverages to the infamous countdown to the New Year, there are many ways to make your party one they will always remember.

One of the best things about New Year’s parties is that they can be as casual or as formal as you want them to be. With the right foods, decorations and entertainment, your party will be the talk of the New Year.

Below are a few entertaining ideas that will help get the creative juices flowing for your own fabulous New Year’s Eve party.

Food:

Good food is always a must for any party! When planning your New Year’s Eve party, you’ll want to make sure that your menu will keep your guests happy throughout the whole evening. For a casual party, consider using items from holiday gift baskets so you can serve lots of munchies like finger sandwiches, fruit and veggie trays, and fruits and nuts that your guests snack on throughout the night. If you are planning a formal party with a full meal, keep guests satisfied until dinner time with some simple, yet tasty, hors d’oeuvres. Beef Summer Sausage, smoked cheddar and sweet hot mustard from our gourmet food gifts are a great combination that will tide your guests over until the entrée is served.

Food gifts from Hickory Farms.

No party is complete without dessert! Keep it simple with our Sweet Celebrations Gift Box. It’s filled with delightful treats like a Chocolate All Nut Mix, Shortbread Cookies, Dark and White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, and Mini Melt Away Mints.

Holiday gift baskets from Hickory Farms.

Décor:

Festive decorations will add to the spirit of your New Year’s bash. Since the big countdown to midnight is the most anticipated part of New Year’s Eve, try adding a whimsical clock vignette in your decorative scheme to build the excitement and suspense!

Photo via Martha Stewart.

For a dinner party, don’t forget to decorate your chairs in addition to creating a festive tablescape. You can easily make your own elegant chair décor that is sure to impress with clock printouts and bows, like in this example featured on the Whimsy blog.

Photo via Whimsy Decor

Here’s a more casual take on the clock theme that we came across on Pizzazzerie. These accordion clock circles are easy to make – and a perfect craft for a party where children will be present. Old wine and champagne corks can be used to display countdown numbers.

Photo via Pizzazzerie

Games and Music:

Games and music will get the party started while you wait to ring in 2013, and perhaps keep it going a few hours after midnight, too!

Here’s an idea we shared on Pinterest: Blow up some balloons for a New Year’s countdown, placing a small piece of paper inside with an activity written on it. Pop one balloon each hour up to midnight to determine the next fun activity everyone enjoys, such as a silly game of charades.

New Year’s Eve party games from Hickory Farms. (Photo via Savvy Sassy Moms)

Another fun New Year’s game involves guessing the resolutions your guests have made. Have them write down their resolution early in the party and place them in a box. As you’re winding things down, take turns reading the predictions and guessing who wrote each one.

Of course, don’t forget the tunes! Most any kind of music works for a New Year’s Eve party, but try to pick something that compliments the theme of your party. Place your iPod on shuffle for a more varied selection, or stream music through a website like Pandora. Just remember to include Auld Lang Syne to properly ring in 2013.

Do you have any tips to share for a successful New Year’s Eve party? Leave a comment to share with us.

Host a Hanukkah Open House

The Festival of Lights is almost here! For many people, Hanukkah is an important time to gather with family and friends. If you are planning to host a Hanukkah party, it’s time to start preparing! Take a look at some of our suggestions for hosting a wonderful Hanukkah open house.

First of all, it’s time to set the stage with some pretty Hanukkah decorations. You’ll find plenty of great ideas from Martha Stewart, like the fun glittered dreidels shown above. For a more homespun take on this idea, consider placing some antique dreidels in a beautiful, hand-crafted basket. Our holiday gift baskets are a great choice because they provide yummy snacks in an attractive basket you can use year after year.

Don’t forget the mantel! This unique, contemporary menorah is easy and quick to DIY, but will definitely impress your guests. Whether you enjoy simple or ornate decorations, Apartment Therapy has some beautiful ideas for Hanukkah tablescapes.

Of course, you can’t have a party without some good tunes. If you’re looking for a fun Hanukkah party playlist, check out Hanukkah Rocks, or this convenient downloadable playlist from Pottery Barn.

If there will be children in attendance, games and activities are a must. Fortunately, Bible Belt Balabusta has you covered with lots of creative Hanukkah activity ideas that are not only fun for kids, but also teach them more about the important meanings behind the holiday traditions. Flip the Latke would be easy and fun, while Sufganiyah on a String simply puts a Hanukkah spin on the tried-and-true party standby of eating a donut off a string without using hands. (Sufganiyah is a traditional Israeli donut.)

After you’ve got the decorations, the music, and the activities planned, it’s time for one of the most important parts of any Hanukkah celebration- the food! There are definitely some non-negotiable items when it comes to the Hanukkah menu: challah (egg bread), latkes (fried potato pancakes), and the aforementioned sufganiyah, or jelly donuts. Many of the traditional foods for this celebration are fried in oil, a reference to the miracle of the oil which Hanukkah celebrates.

Another tradition for Hanukkah meals is to include lots of cheese dishes in honor of Judith. Consider creating a fantastic holiday cheese plate using gourmet cheeses from one of our cheese gift baskets. This article from Jewish Woman Magazine recommends pairing your cheese selection with delicious fruits or nuts, giving you the perfect excuse to order one of our fruit baskets or nut gifts.

Gourmet sausage, like our Beef Summer Sausage, is a great addition to your cheese board and will keep guests happy before the meal is served.

For dessert, make some marshmallow dreidels, or let us do the work and treat your guests to a basket of sweet gifts including candy, cookies or gourmet chocolate.

What are your Hanukkah traditions? Share your family’s holiday traditions with us in the comments, or head over to our Facebook page!