The Colorful Kitchen 2018 Holiday Gift Guide
It’s here! The Colorful Kitchen 2018 Holiday Gift Guide!
I’ve compiled all of my favorite things to give (and receive!) and hopefully it will make your holiday shopping a little bit easier this year. Everything on the list is either something I have and love, something I’ve given to someone and they loved, or something I’d love for someone to give me (wink, wink, Ross!).
I’ve broken the list down to 3 categories: Kitchen, Clean Beauty & Bath and Mamas & Babies- because I realized those are pretty much the only kind of gifts I buy! Except for plaid shirts, which is all Ross wears/ever wants for gifts (seriously, check out every photo of him on this site. eye roll).
Kitchen
Seriously, how annoying is it to have to pick out the seeds when you’re juicing a lemon for a recipe? I use my citrus juicer at least once a day and it’s been way more than worth the money. This would be a great gift for someone who is just started to get interested in cooking!
The key to making restaurant-quality tofu dishes at home is pressing the water out first. You can definitely do this without any fancy gadgets by using a dish towel and a heavy object, but for someone who prepares tofu regularly, it’s really, really nice to have this handy device.
Stainless Steel Bento Lunchbox- $28.95
I think stainless steel containers make the best lunch boxes (for kids and adults alike) because they’re completely plastic-free and non-toxic, lightweight, and can go in the dishwasher. I use a similar style bento box for Baby V’s school lunch (our model is discontinued) and it’s a major success for us because the side clamps prevent leaking.
If you’ve been on the blog lately, you probably already know how obsessed I am with this device. I recently partnered with Ninja on a series of recipes, and I completely fell in love with this machine! It’s a pressure cooker that also has the ability to make things crispy so it can make typical pressure cooker/slow cooker things like chili, beans, rice, etc. PLUS crispy french fries, tofu, croutons, AND it can combine them into all-in-one meals.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer- $279.95
This is definitely a splurge item, but if you have someone in your life who loves to bake, this classic Stand Mixer can really streamline the baking experience. Ours is this “Aqua Sky” color, which I love for the retro-feel, but I’m also head-over-heals for the new-ish copper one!
This may be the least sexy item on the list, but it’s completely changed my life. If you have anyone on your list who’s pregnant or has achy feet/knees/back, this mat is a total game changer in the kitchen! I purchased this model (most of the mats are pretty ugly but this one blends in nicely with our dark flooring) early on in my pregnancy when my back was just starting to hurt and it’s changed my life. Now that I’m 36 weeks along, I can’t imagine standing in the kitchen for hours without it!
How beautiful is this coffee maker?? It’s another item that’s a definite splurge, but I’m adding it to the list incase it matches your kitchen perfectly! Or incase Ross happens to be reading for ideas for me…
The Colorful Kitchen by ME! – $13.36
Yep, it’s my cookbook! It’s got 100+ easy, plant-based recipes, and I may be biased, but I think it makes a great gift for anyone who wants to start adding more plant-based dishes into their routine.
Clean Beauty & Bath
CocoKind Lip Balm- 2 Pack $9.99
I’m a big fan of CocoKind’s entire skin care line, but I especially love this lip balm.
This cream is seriously the best. I use it on my face at night, and it works wonders on any other dry patches (I weirdly get dry inner elbows in the winter), PLUS it makes a great belly lotion for pregnant mamas.
Little Moon Tired Old Ass Gift Set- $25.95
This gift set cracks me up because it looks all hippy-dippy, but the name of this particular aromatherapy blend is pretty sassy. And honestly, it feels very accurate to my current situation. I’ve only used the mineral bath, but it smelled amazing and really was rejuvenating!
Ross got this for me a couple of years ago after I dropped a book I was reading into the tub. Let me tell you, it really does make life easier if you love baths! 
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Hot Cacao- $15.46
While we’re on a roll with the chill-out items, this hot cacao is one of my favorite ways to relax and get sleepy at night. It’s made with reishi mushroom, which is known to relieve anxiety and stress and help you sleep! Plus it’s the perfect little treat that’s not too sweet before bedtime.
Mamas and Babies
Taza Chocolate Sampler- $19.23
This one is definitely for the mamas, NOT the babies! Specifically, I think chocolate is the sweetest (pun intended) gift for a new mama.
Earth Mama Baby Gift Set- $26.99
I love all of Earth Mama’s products because the ingredient lists are as clean as they come. My mom gifted me this set before Baby V was born so we would have soap, lotion and cream to get started with and I really liked being able to try out small sizes of the products before buying the full sized bottles.
Baby V LOVES smoothies and has been fascinated by the blender since day one. She’s now a little over 2-years-old and loves to imitate everything I do when she plays, so my mom bought her a toy blender for Hanukah this year! She hasn’t received it yet so I’m not sure exactly which model we’re getting, but I think the pastel colors in this wooden one are super cute.
Kids Apron Set- $13.25In addition to pretending to cook, Baby V also loves to actually help me in the kitchen. She loves wearing an apron and having her own sized tools! I think this whole set is really cute, but if you’re handy with a sewing machine an apron could be a really special homemade gift.
Wooden Kitchen Play Set- $129.99
There are sooo many kids kitchen sets out there, and they’re pretty much all super cute and a guaranteed good time for little ones. Baby V received this particular set for her birthday this year, and of course she loves it! I like it too because it’s all wooden, it comes with a variety of utensils and dishes, and it’s on the smaller side so it doesn’t take up too much space in our kitchen.
We All Love: A Book for Compassionate Little Vegans and Vegetarians- $12.95
There are tons of books out there that teach kids all about veganism and having compassion for animals. Honestly, we haven’t really gotten that into a lot of them at our house yet because many of them feel a little scary for Baby V’s age, and I want to educate her without scaring her. I think this book looks super cute and sounds like it comes from a really gentle place so I’m looking forward to getting it for her!
Ok, that’s it for this year! Let me know in the comments what your favorite gift items are because I still need to do my shopping too!
My favorite gadget this year has been the Garlic-A-Peel which I bought at the big kitchen, bed, and bath store with its 20% off coupon. I am using more garlic now since this gadget, in its 2 inch by 2.5 inch cube has a silicone peeler for taking garlic paper off, lid closes and press to dice or slice garlic (interchangeable blades); the container to catch the dice/slice is built in; the container has textured base for pureeing garlic; there is a removable grid to clean the blades and all of this comes totally apart for easy cleaning. It also works great for ginger!
I could not copy the photos I took or the image from Ki (Kitchen Innovations) website, but it is definitely worth looking up. I have one at my winter home and one at my summer home and have bought two more as gifts this year.