Meal Planner Gift Basket Idea

Tis the season for giving gifts, and I don’t know about you, but moms, sisters, and girlfriends are among the hardest to shop for. As a mom now I am looking for practical gifts that simplify my life. I love to give those kinds of gifts too. Consider gifting simplified weekly meals with this holiday meal planning gift basket!

Don’t know how to fill a gift basket, I will walk you step by step through the process including what I stuff in the bottom so you can see the items better plus a link to all my favorite weekly meal planning products. With this purposeful gift idea this holiday season, you will give your gift recipient the first step to meal planning success. Let’s get started, shall we?

Weekly Meal Planner Gift Baket

Start with a Basket

I like to start with a gift basket. I usually stock up on baskets at local craft shops (shopping on sale or with a coupon), the dollar store, or even thrift shops. It doesn’t have to be wicker. You can even use a bowl, wire or metal basket, or a gift box as your base. You want to make sure it’s big enough to hold everything but not too big and so deep you can’t see everything. Sometimes, it’s better to go smaller. A complete gift basket is pleasing to the eye. This is a great affordable basket option from Target if you are short on time.

I always stuff the base of my gift baskets with balled-up grocery sacks. This gives the items in the basket some lift so it looks more full, and you can easily see the items. I put a piece of tissue paper over the top so you don’t see those Walmart bags ;).

Add In the Main Items

Usually, when it comes to gift baskets, you buy a few higher-cost items, or I call them the show-stopper. What will that be for your gift basket? For this meal planning gift basket, I added my favorite cookbook stand that holds my weekly meal planner notepad in my kitchen, plus, of course, our Simple Purposeful Living weekly meal planner notebook.

The weekly meal planner has a spot to fill in your delicious meals on the left side, and then on the right side, you can write down your grocery shopping list. The weekly planner has tear-off sheets so you can take your grocery list to the local grocery store and keep track of what ingredients you need while shopping. Grab your meal plan and grocery list notebook here.

It’s perfect for busy families & families with eating habit goals. Bonus: since it’s spiral bound, you can look back over your weeks of meal planning to help you with future menu planning.

Of course, I added the Simple Purposeful Meal Ideas Stickers for those weeks when the meal planning process feels cumbersome and you need some easy daily meal ideas. Grab those meal idea stickers here.

Add in the Accessories

Now, that we finished adding in the “show-stopper” higher ticket items, if you will, it’s time to add in some accessories that correspond with the gift basket’s theme. In this case, since this basket is all about meal planning, I decided to add my favorite wooden spoon set. This set is from an amazing small business, by the way!

Next up, I added in our favorite individual serving size glass bowls. We use these nightly at our house to serve fruit or something we don’t want to touch the other food. They are also great for nights you have bar-style type meals like a a salad bar or taco bar to hold all the ingredients. They’d even be perfect for gingerbread house decorating or cookie decorating. Grab a set here.

Of course, I added in my favorite dish soup, because there are a lot of dishes when you cook at home, but good-smelling dish soap is a simple joy to enjoy while doing those dishes. I also added my favorite pens for writing to that weekly meal calendar. Having the right pens is the most critical step, right? I kid, but I do love a good pen! I grabbed a cute little mug for sipping coffee or tea while weekly meal planning and to hold the pens.

And last but certainly not least, I added some recipe cards (grab them here). I personalized them with a few of my favorite recipes to help the gift recipient kick off their weekly meal planning pad with a few dinner winners of mine.

Now for the Big Finish

I added a few more pieces of tissue paper as a backdrop and filler. You can leave the gift basket open or wrap it up with cellophane. My favorite place to grab rolls of cellophane for gift wrap is in the gift wrap section at the dollar store. Tie it up with a ribbon and add a card, and you have a practical and meaningful gift anyone would love. Plus, this gift basket is the best way to start meal planning on the right foot!

If you have a lower price point for gift-giving this year, go with a smaller basket. The smaller the basket is, the less you have to fill it with things. The key to a good gift basket is getting the right size basket. Go smaller than you think; a whole gift basket looks best. Add those show-stopper items, add corresponding accessories, and fill in with some tissue paper. Finish with a note and wrapping, and you have a great holiday gift this year!

Need More Gift Ideas?

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Need Help Organizing Your Gift Lists?

I just printed off the gift list printables to plan my budget and list for the year.  Grab these printables and more in our FREE Simple Purposeful Holidays workbook.  Sign up here and get it instantly.

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