Grocery Gift Cards Can Give the Gift of Improved Health

Many of us have fitness or weight loss goals for 2013 and grocery gift cards can help. One of my goals this year is to jog an entire 5K and I’ll admit, I have a weakness for the many fast food restaurants on the way home from work. Thankfully, grocery gift cards give me the incentive to cook at home, or at least pop something healthier in the microwave. Not only do they help financially, cutting fast food out of my diet makes me more focused and raises my energy so I’m more efficient at work and can go home in time for an evening jog.
 
Another gift card that can help your recipient manage their weight is the Cooking.com eGift Card; it allows them to buy the equipment perfect for their kitchen needs, whether that’s a blender or pots and pans. Rather than giving them an expensive kitchen appliance they’ll never use, this allows them to find the items that make sense for their diet. Cooking.com also sells cookbooks, recipe organizers, and other helpful tools for someone trying to eat better.

Whichever gift card you choose, present it in style by attaching it to a batch of healthy homemade muffins or loaf of bread. Here’s a recipe you can follow:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup truvia
• 4 tablespoons ovaltine
• 1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup salad oil
• Cooking spray or non-stick muffin-pan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray the muffin-pan with the cooking spray if you don’t have a non-stick pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, truvia, ovaltine, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, break up the egg yolk using a fork and gently stir in the milk and salad oil.
4. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir with spoon until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy; avoid overmixing, which causes toughness.
5. Spoon batter into greased muffin-pan cups, 1/2 to 2/3 full. Wipe pan clean of any spills.
6. Bake muffins 20 to 25 mins until they are well risen and golden brown. Test with a toothpick: if they inserted toothpick comes out dry, the muffins are done.
7. Immediately remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Wrap them up and attach a grocery gift card to give your loved one a healthy snack while they plan their grocery list. You know what they say about grocery shopping on an empty stomach? You end up buying more and are more tempted by snacks and high calorie foods you might otherwise have the will power to turn down. I wrapped mine with plastic wrap and included a sneak peek of a limited edition gift card we're releasing next month.


Dig up more healthy recipes and ways gift cards can help your friends and family achieve their New Year’s resolutions by following our Celebrate Goals board on Pinterest. Don’t think gift cards can help with your New Year’s goals? Try to stump us by leaving a comment on our Facebook page and you may see it answered on our blog.
 
 
Rebecca Killam
Marketing Associate