Today will be like a walk through my kitchen and home. These are a few of my absolute favorite things that either get used often or purchased on repeat. This is a gift guide for the Chef Mom, meaning, the mom that loves to cook but appreciates a little pampering in her life as well.
Here's a quick reference to the other Gift Guides for 2018:
1) Instant Pot: Everybody needs an Instant Pot (or three) in their life. Trust me on this one, you will not disappoint with this gift! The most common size is the 6 quart, but I find the extra capacity of the 8 quart to come in handy quite often. For the techy girl, this WiFi version has been a fun addition to my growing Instant Pot family. Â
2) Vitamix Blender: I couldn't live without this incredibly durable blender. I use it daily and it powers through everything I've ever put in it. I own this Ascent Series and love it more than life. This Explorian version is a popular, less expensive Vitamix blender. If your loved one already has the blender, these attachment cups are priceless! I use them for smoothies, nut butter, sauces, salsa, etc. Â
3) Bosch Mixer: Before my Instant Pot came around, this was my number one most valuable appliance, now it has to share first place. I received this as a wedding gift years ago and it has not failed me once. Best mixer you will ever buy, you can quote me on that!
4) Air Fryer: I bought this for myself last Christmas after hearing that it could make incredible fries without the oil bath. I have loved it more than I ever imagined! It doesn't get as much use as my pressure cookers, but it does an incredible job at giving me the crunch of fried foods without the deep fry. I use it for turkey steaks, french fries, tofu, pot stickers, crisping shredded pork, etc., etc. I LOVE it!Â
5) Waffle Iron: I bought and returned several waffle irons before falling in love with this one. It makes four perfectly sized waffles at a time, it beeps at me when the waffles are done (no more burnt waffles!), and the irons are removable so you can just throw them in the dishwasher – that's priceless. Â
6) Apple Peeler: Even my husband looks at this nifty Apple Peeler Slicer and says, “Now that's just smart.” In seconds your apple is peeled, cored, and sliced perfectly. My kids love eating the peel “noodles.” This tool is a major time saver!Â
7) Microplane Set: Microplanes are an essential in every kitchen. This set is the ultimate combo. They are durable, sharp, and I use at least one of them on a daily basis. Perfect for grating, zesting, shaving, mincing, etc.  Â
8) Kitchen Torch Jo Chef: This is one of those tools that every Mom Chef wants, but may not buy for herself. Buy it for her! It's not a frequently used tool, but when the time comes for roasting marshmallows, burning sugar atop creme brulee, or browning cheese in a jiffy, this tool is a blast to have around.Â
9) Whiskware Pancake Batter Mixer: The kitchen tool, you never you knew you needed and then can't live without. Mix up your batter right in the bottle, then let your kids help make pancakes without the mix being dripped from the counter to the griddle.  Â
10) Headspace: These next gifts are perfect for making sure that Chef Mom takes time for herself. Beginning with the most amazing app I've ever put on my phone. I found Headspace when my twins were about 1 1/2 years old and I was emotionally and physically spent. It literally saved me from crashing under intense anxiety. A gift membership for this app would be a perfect gift for any woman. It's full of insightful, guided meditations to help with a multitude of struggles that mothers deal with – Fatigue, Anxiety, Motivation, Sleeplessness, etc. Â
11) True Identity: I'm not a book reader. I bought this book after going through the author's Christian Meditation Course and quite honestly had no intention of reading it. When I finally decided to give it a shot, I was shocked by how the message of love and acceptance of oneself resonated with me. Reading this book is medicine for a tired soul and elicits an incredible feeling of hope. I highly, highly recommend it!
12) Jillian Michaels Body Shred: Give the gift of a kick-butt workout? I say, “Heck Yes!” It's something Chef Mom might not buy for herself, but she will love-hate you everytime she feels sore from head to toe. This is the kind of work out worth getting up for. Get ready to sweat!Â
13) doTerra Deep Blue Rub: How perfect that this lotion comes right after the Jillian Michaels workout set. I have chronic neck pain that flares up when I'm stressed (so 90% of the day). This minty lotion is intense. The smell alone is like walking into a high dollar spa, then the cooling, soothing effect kicks in and makes everything all better. If you know someone who sells doTerra, that's usually the way to go for the best price. I personally turn to my amazing neighbor for all my doTerra needs. Â
14) Baby Foot: I run 6-8 miles a day and was told by a podiatrist never to plan on a foot model career after he fixed my ingrown toenails and shaved off my callouses. Too much info? My point: if this foot peel can give me “baby feet”, then everyone else in the world is guaranteed results from this amazing foot peel.Â
15) Philosophy Hand Cream: Along with my pretty feet, I am seriously prone to dry, rashy hands, especially in the winter. This hand lotion has saved me. SAVED ME! It's so nourishing and healing without being greasy and sticky. Watch the Philosophy website for deals! I own and love many of their products.  Â
16) Clarisonic: As a teenager, I had high hopes that once I reached my 20's, I would have perfect skin. Well, I'm in my 30's still waiting for that day, but this Clarisonic face scrubber has made a HUGE difference in my skin. Within a month, my complexion had noticeably improved. I don't even go on vacation without this miracle worker. Â
17) The Comfy: I know, I know, it's huge, and kind of weird and I even felt a bit self-conscious wearing it in front of my husband, but it is the most comforting, warm, and incredibly soft blanket/sweater ever. Imagine a big warm blanket that follows you wherever you go, all while giving you the luxury of free hands. This is a new find for me and I'm in love with it. I may have to get my kids one as well if I want it to stay clean, grubby little things that they are.Â
18) Magazine Subscription: My day gets instantly brighter when I open my mailbox and find a favorite magazine. Plus, this is a gift that will keep on giving all year long! My favorites are  Food Network  and Rachael Ray Everyday. Amazon has many to choose from and it makes it so easy to subscribe.
19) 25 Days of Christmas: These last few gifts are little things I've bought over the years that make my role as a teaching mom so much easier and enjoyable. I bought this Christmas set a few years ago and my kids still look forward to the mini teaching moments and videos. These moments have been the highlight of my Christmas and it truly brings the “true meaning” back to life for my kids. I highly recommend it!Â
20) Brick ‘em Young: For my Lego obsessed boys, this Lego set has made scripture reading 100% more effective. They get to set up the scenes and characters and I use them to tell the stories. Again, this has made my role of “teacher” so much more enjoyable! Â
21) Three Slot Savings Bank: You could argue that this mini bank should have gone on the kids list, but A – I thought of it too late, and B – this has been THE thing that finally made me hammer down and teach my kids how to organize their income by Fun Money, Savings, and Charity. It took me 8 years, but I'm finally consistent in teaching this important life lesson.
You might be wondering where the jewelry, perfume, and clothes are on this list. While I enjoy all those things, I happen to be the girl who insisted on a cubic zirconia wedding ring so we could buy a motorcycle instead. Priorities, ya know.
I hope this list has helped you buy for the wonderful women in your life. Ladies, feel free to pass it on to to the men in your lives that wait until Christmas Eve and in a panic buy you the exact griddle that you already have. Don't tell my husband I told you that!
Happy Holidays everyone!
Alisha says
This list is one of the best(actually The best) I have seen this year!! I want so many of them.
Marci says
Alisha, Happy to hear it 🙂 . They are all my must haves!
Brooke says
Oh Marci! You are the sweetest! What an honor to be included in your gift guide! Truly! Thank you for sharing with others! And I’m delighted to hear that you enjoyed it and benefited from it! Hooray! That’s always an author’s hope 🙂 (as you well know!)
I’m loving these gift guides… something tells me we’re pretty much kindred spirits, because all the things you like, I like too! ha! ha! Weirdly enough, that air fryer may be an answer to prayers…I have an extremely picky 4 year old eater who will eat fries at restaurants but refuses homemade fries or cooked vegetables of any form…maybe this is a way I can get close enough to the version she eats when we go out but in a healthy way 🙂 fingers crossed!
Marci says
Brooke, I’m so happy to have your book on here. It’s a treasure for sure! I love the air fryer for that reason. Everything is better when it has a crunch!