My Healthy Kosher Kitchen

According to Jewish tradition, on Purim each adult must give a minimum of two different foods to at least one person, and two charitable donations to the needy. The food parcels are called mishloach manot or “sending portions”, in some communities the tradition is a major to-do among friends, colleagues and relatives.

Want to make your mishloach manot stand out this Purim? Follow these easy steps!

Customize and personalize

Start with foods you would buy yourself and tweak them according to the recipient. If you love a certain granola or chocolate bar that you think your family and friends may enjoy, throw it in. Know your friend recently switched from Splenda to Stevia? Include a box her gift basket. Personal touches leave a lasting impression and show that you put extra thought and care into the gift.

Some great universally appreciated options that I like to include are:

• Dates/ dried fruit
• Nuts
• Chocolate
• Tea
• Honey
• Cookies/ biscuits

Wrap it with style

Presentation makes a big impact. With food and gifts the saying “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” does not apply, in both cases appearance matters! Put extra care into the gift wrap and it will show that it was given with love. 

You’ll need:

• Cellophane
• A disposable plate (a tray or basket may also be used)
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Gift tags
• Invisible tape

1. Begin on a clean flat surface and lay out cellophane, it should be cut so that it reaches approximately 12 inches above the top of the basket or tallest food item.
2. Place plate in the center of cellophane and arrange food items on plate
3. Bring long sides of cellophane up and tie with ribbon
4. Tape sides if needed
5. Add a gift tag with the recipients name as well as your own and curl or tie ribbon in a bow
6. Give with a smile and lots of love

* If you are using a basket you may need to criss cross the cellophane in order to cover the sides.

Hosting a Hanukkah party this year? See below for some party essentials and gift ideas.

Gelt

Give your guests a sweet treat with these sacks of gelt. They add a little pizzaz to each place setting and they are a nice little after dinner treat!

Available at ohnuts.com

Paper Plates

I’m usually not a fan of paper or plastic when it comes to dinnerware. There’s nothing worse than cutting into chicken with plastic cutlery and it’s not so eco friendly. Because Hanukkah is only once a year and the meals are usually dairy I make an exception. Plus it is such a fun holiday you won’t want to be in the kitchen doing dishes, you will want to partake in all of the festivities.

Available at partyamerica.com

…Which brings me to… you guessed it! Dreidel

What would a Hanukkah party be without a little dreidel? These fun colors will surely put your guests in a festive mood and the kids can play while adults chat and enjoy the meal!

Available at ohnuts.com

Charity

Hanukah is a time of year where gifts are given. In leu of a gift for one of the nights let your child pick a charity that you will make a donation to. If you are giving a gift to a friend or relative you can always buy a gift card to Charity Choice, which houses over 250 charities and the recipient can choose the charity. Seven gifts instead of eight is still a pretty sweet deal! 

http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org/

Enjoy!