By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension
"I've bought and wrapped gifts for myself," one of the meeting attendees said.
Most people in the room nodded, especially parents.
I was among the people nodding my head.
Yes, I've wrapped a lot of holiday gifts for myself. I tend to go a little overboard in the gift-giving department for my family. As we take turns opening gifts, I quickly run out of gifts to open.
Even our dogs give me gifts.
My family has labeled me "hard to buy gifts for."
Who, me?
Yes, I have a lot of stuff already. Maybe they think I have enough stuff.
I beg to differ.
In this season of gift-giving, you can opt for gifts that do not take a lot of space or cost a lot of money.
By the way, I have a gift for many of you. Be sure to read to the end of this column. You might win a gift from us at NDSU Extension - Food and Nutrition. I promise: It doesn't take a lot of space.
Here are some ideas for useful items that promote health and/or safety.
* Food thermometers are internal temperature measuring devices that are easy to use and don't take up a lot of drawer space. Food safety experts encourage the everyday use of thermometers because color is not an accurate indicator of doneness. A food thermometer also helps you avoid overcooking meat and can improve the quality of your meals.
* Pedometers are step-counting devices. They can be powerful motivators as people set goals to increase their physical activity. According to a recent Stanford University study, participants who set a goal walked 2,000 steps (one mile) more than before they set a goal.
* A storm survival kit can save your life. Winter weather can be unpredictable and result in emergency situations. See the information at https://www.weather.gov/oun/safety-winter-safetykit for more information about assembling a survival kit.
Most of us enjoy tasty food, so are here are some food-related make-it-yourself gift kit ideas. The handouts include ready-to-go gift tags with the recipe.
* "Mix It Up" is available at https://tinyurl.com/NDSUMixItUp. Along with Friendship Soup, the site features mixes for Homemade Cornbread, Cranberry-Oatmeal Cookies and Country Chili.
* Warm up after an afternoon of sledding with a warm beverage such as Spiced Tea Mix or Double Chocolate Peppermint Candy Hot Cocoa. Find "Beverage Mixes in a Jar" at https://tinyurl.com/NDSUBeverageMix.
* Quick breads make tasty brunch items for holiday mornings. How about some Cherry-Chocolate Scones or Peanut Butter Bread? See the do-it-yourself mix directions at https://tinyurl.com/NDSUQuickBreadMix for details.
Finally, here's your free gift opportunity. Send me an email with your name and address to julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu before Dec. 20, 2019, at noon Central time, and I will enter your name in a drawing for a copy of our full-color, recipe-filled 2020 "Field to Fork" calendar.
I will give away at least 20 copies, so don't think you won't have a chance to win. See https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/fieldtofork to look at an example before you enter.
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. Follow her on Twitter @jgardenrobinson