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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

How to Organize Your Messy Linen Closet With Pop-up Storage Bins

A cluttered linen closet can be a source of frustration, especially when you're searching for that elusive missing pillowcase from a set of sheets or the washcloth from a particular set of towels. Fear not! In this guide, I’ll review an easy and efficient way to organize your linen closet using pop-up fabric storage bins labeled with index cards inside clear plastic pockets. Say goodbye to the linen closet chaos and hello to a well-organized and visually pleasing storage space for your sheets, towels, tablecloths, napkins, spare blankets and pillows, out-of-season comforters, and holiday table runners.

It's time for spring cleaning!

Easy linen closet makeover

I am not neat and well-organized by nature. However, I dislike living in a cluttered environment, as does my husband. So, periodically, we tackle an area of particular irritation to de-clutter and organize. Our most recent project was our overstuffed and extremely messy linen closet.

Our easy linen closet makeover was a smashing success, so I put together a step-by-step guide to decluttering and organizing a messy linen closet. (My fellow Review This Reviews contributor Barbara also wrote a linen closet organization guide several years ago that you might want to check out.)

Photograph Your Messy Linen Closet Before You Begin Organizing

I encourage you to take before-and-after photos to document the transformation. Our “before” closet was so bad that I didn’t photograph it and now I wish I had! The "before" photo you see above was taken in the middle of the process, after we had pulled everything out, sorted it into piles, discarded items we no longer need or use, and organized the linens we're keeping. It would have been far more impactful to show our real "before" linen closet next to our finished, organized "after" result, as well as a feel-good reminder of all we accomplished during this DIY home organization project.

Step 1: Assess, Sort, and Weed

Decluttering is the first step towards achieving an organized and functional space. Before diving into the organization process, take a moment to assess your linen closet's contents.

We pulled everything out of our closet, dumped them on our king-size bed, and then sorted all our sheets, pillowcases, towels, blankets, tablecloths, napkins, and other miscellaneous items into piles by category. Then came the hard part: deciding what to let go of or store elsewhere (such as the rarely used sheets for our sofa bed).

Set aside any worn-out, torn, stained, or mismatched linens, towels, or items you no longer need. Be as ruthless as you can. Decide what to discard or recycle and what to donate, then put those items into the trash, bags, or boxes, as appropriate, labeling the containers for recycling or donation.

Step 2: Group, Arrange, and Label Your Remaining Linens

Next, put everything else back in the closet, grouping related items and arranging them in whatever way you prefer to maximize shelf space and optimize organization. Be sure to leave some shelf space open to accommodate future purchases or gifts.

Tip: I suggest putting the linens you use most frequently on the most easily accessible shelves and reserving the highest and lowest shelves for the items you need to remove or put back less often ( such as comforters, extra blankets, guest linens, and holiday tablecloths).

Using scrap paper, make a temporary label for each pile on the shelves (e.g., blue towels, pink towels, striped flannel sheets). Personalize these labels in any way that makes sense to you (e.g., Mom’s Quaker lace tablecloth and napkins). Then place these temporary labels on top of each pile until you have your storage bins and labeling materials.

Messy linen closet without storage bins or labels
Our linen closet after we weeded out what we didn't need to keep.
It's organized, but still messy and the linens don't fit the space well.

Step 3: Measure, Then Select Fabric Storage Bins or Baskets

Pop-up fabric storage bins or baskets are a game-changer for maximizing space and bringing order to your closet both functionally and visually. These collapsible fabric bins make it easy to group similar items and access them effortlessly. Choose appropriate size bins to accommodate different types of linens, from large king-size sheet sets to small dish towels.

Measure your piles of linens, the width of your linen closet shelves, and the space between each shelf, then select a variety of coordinated bins in different sizes to fit. This allows you to customize your storage solution without investing in a custom closet makeover solution. The pop-up storage bins we selected are inexpensive and the workmanship is not perfect, but the price was right and they come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. It was also important to us to have bins that fold down when not in use because we wanted to keep some extras to allow for future expansion of our linen closet's contents. However, if you don't mind spending more, you can find a wide array of attractive storage bins to suit a variety of tastes and home decor styles.

If you have large, bulky items like comforters that won't fit inside even the largest pop-up storage bins, you may want to put them in airtight vacuum compression storage bags designed for this purpose, which will not only keep these items clean but also compress them to fit more easily on your closet shelves and save space.

Step 4: Unfold and Label the Bins

To make it easy to find what you need at a glance, you will want to label your pop-up storage bins. We decided to use self-adhesive clear plastic 3” x 5” pockets and index cards for labeling the fronts of our bins and ordered them from Amazon along with our bins. We chose the 3”x5” size because they matched the width of our smallest bins but were still large enough to accommodate labels with several lines of text when needed.

When your bins, plastic pockets, and index cards arrive, unfold the bins and press against the sides to prop them open. (The sides won’t stay completely straight until you fill the bins.)

Attach a clear plastic pocket to the front of each bin. We ordered self-stick plastic pockets but discovered that they didn’t adhere well to the fabric bins over time, so you will want to stitch, glue, or rivet the pockets to the bins. We've ordered a rivet tool and some rivets for attaching ours more securely. We will use the rest of the self-adhesive pockets and index cards to label storage cartons, where the adhesive will work perfectly. 

Using a permanent marker and index cards, write a new, permanent label for each pile of linens on your closet shelf to replace the temporary label.

This simple and effective labeling system allows for quick identification without having to rummage through each bin, and the clear plastic pockets protect the index card labels from becoming worn or dog-eared.

Step 5: Arrange Your Linens in the Labeled Bins

Take one pile of related linens and place it into the appropriately sized bin. Insert the index card label into the clear plastic pocket and return it to the closet shelf. Repeat with the remaining piles, bins, and labels.

This systematic approach not only keeps everything organized but also makes it easier to find what you need when you need it.

Then take a photo of your newly neat and organized linen closet and savor the contrast vs. your "before" picture.

Organized linen closet with labeled storage bins
Our formerly crammed, messy linen closet is organized and labeled,
so everything is easy to find and accessible. Now we just need to
remove the old, frilly, decorative pink shelf edging we inherited!

Step 6: Maintain Regularly

To keep your linen closet organized and efficient, commit to regular maintenance. Fortunately, this system makes it easy to maintain because, as my grandmother used to say, there’s “a place for everything and everything in its place.”

Periodically review the contents of each bin, refreshing, replacing, or rearranging items as needed. This ongoing effort will prevent the return of clutter and keep your linen closet in top-notch shape.

Messy Linen Closet Makeover Supplies

My husband chose a tailored storage bin style for this project, but the pretty baskets with the quatrefoil pattern would be a lovely, more feminine choice.

Enjoy Using Your Neat, Organized Linen Closet!

Transforming your linen closet into an organized storage space is a satisfying and easily achievable DIY project. With the help of pop-up storage bins labeled with index cards inside clear plastic pockets, you can create a system that not only streamlines your storage but also adds visual appeal. Enjoy the benefits of a tidy, accessible linen closet, where finding the perfect set of sheets or towels or your favorite tablecloth and napkins is a breeze.

Happy organizing!


How to Organize Your Messy Linen Closet With Pop-up Storage Bins by Margaret Schindel

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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Sunday, November 26, 2023

A Durable Dental Dog Chew Toy - Recommended

A Durable Dental Chew Toy for Dogs


My oldest boy and his family recently moved away, and we're currently grandparenting our granddog. 

We sure love him, so of course, Nana here had to hunt for a dental dog chew toy that was good for his teeth, health, and breath and that couldn't be destroyed. 

We Approve of the Benebone Dental Durable Dog Chew Toy - Here's why...

1. Keep Those Canine Smiles Sparkling

A natural dental care toy chew was absolutely a part of our choice. We wanted his teeth to get an indirect clean, and this does the trick. 

Doggy Dentistry Delight: The Dental Chew's stimulating ridges help to provide our doggy with a more in-depth workout and clean. 

2. Tougher Than Your Hound's Toughest Chew Session

Unleash the Beast: Is your dog a super chewer? Our granddog can be, and this Benebone Chew is the heavyweight champion of the chewing world, tougher than real bones and built to endure weeks of enthusiastic gnawing. 

He's been using it for a month, and there are only a few teeth scrapes on it. I can't see him ever breaking it up; I think... no way.

3. It's Bacon Time: 100% Real Bacon Flavor

Our granddog loved the bacon scent; it drew him to chew, chew, chew, which is what we wanted him to do. 

Sniff, Sniff, Snack: Move over, artificial flavors – it's all about that real bacon goodness. The scent immediately intrigued our granddog, and he immediately started a fierce chewing session. 

4. Paw-Friendly Design: Grab, Chew, Repeat

Pawsitively Easy Chewing: The Dental Chew's curved design is innovative and paw-friendly, allowing your hound to easily grab and chew.

Grip-and-Chew Magic: Explore the brilliance of the ergonomic design that makes this chew toy a breeze for your dog to handle. Our doggy easily manipulates this chew toy in his mouth and can hold it safely between his two paws.

5. It's Made in the USA

Homegrown Goodness: Benebone takes pride in being red, white and chew blue :) Although I'm Canadian, I support investing in good products made in the USA .... absolutely.

Behind the Scenes: Take a peek into how Benebone brings the best to your pup from start to finish. Spoiler: it involves a lot of American love and care. You can check out more details when you click the link below. It's available on Amazon.

6. A Guaranteed Product

Dive into why Benebone's happiness guarantee is more than just words – it's a promise according to their marketing material. Again, you can read more about that at the link below that takes you to the product.

A Few Added Notes:

  • It's available in multiple shapes, sizes, and flavors (Bacon, Chicken, Peanut)
  • Note that it's so durable that it will make noise when it hits the floor, and it's not really a dog toy that you toss. It has sufficient weight, so don't toss it, you could damage the walls - but honestly, it's not meant for that anyway, so we haven't found that to be a real issue.

 

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Saturday, November 25, 2023

A Review of Zweigles Red Hots and White Hots

Zweigles, a German frankfurter product, is a regional treat anyone who has ever lived in or visited the Rochester, New York area will tell you is the best they have ever tasted. 


Zweigle Hot Dogs Review


Zweigle's Products


Zweigle is a family-owned company in Rochester, New York which has been in operation since 1880 when C. Wilhelm and Josephine Zweigle opened their butcher shop.  They became known for producing great tasting “Old World” German products. Their products include their famous Pop Open products (our family favorites) to authentic ethnic sausages, chicken sausages, and deli meats. They also now have new lines of meatballs, chicken breasts and breakfast sausages. 


A Rochester Favorite


Having grown up in the area, my family became big fans of Zweigle's pop-open hot dogs which come in both beef and pork varieties and are referred to locally as Red Hots and White Hots. They come in a natural casing and pop open when cooked.


For many years, the only way you could buy these delicious hot dogs was to either live in the area, or have your hometown family and friends bring them to you on a visit. Once you have tasted a Zweigle's hot dog or other sausage product, you will be a fan for life. Thankfully, today's technology has made these products more readily available outside Rochester, and you are now able to order them on Amazon or through the Zweigle's website


Over the years, I have lived in many places around the country and family members have often made visits. Last week, my brother & sister-in-law made a trip to where I now live in Kansas City. Before leaving the Rochester area, my brother called and said “shall I bring Zweigle's hots?” The question wasn't necessary; the whole family knows that's a standing order ~ LOL.


Zweigle hot dogs cooking on the grill

The weekend they arrived, the weather was terrible – a cold front had moved in just hours before, turning October Indian Summer sunshine and warm temperatures to a cold near freezing with rain. The best way to cook a pop-up Zweigle's Hot Dog is on the grill; cooked until the skin pops open. Despite the rain and cold, my son put on his winter jacket and fired up the Weber grill. It was dark, 35 degrees, and raining, but the end result was well worth the delicious dinner of Zweigler's Red Hots enjoyed by everyone.


Summary


If you have never had a Zweigle's German frankfurter or one of their other sausage products, you are in for a treat. Once you have tasted Zweigle's, ordinary hot dogs and sausage products are never the same. A truly delightful and delicious regional dish. 


Zweigle Hot Dogs


Quick Links:



*Review of Zweigle's Hot Dogs written by Wednesday Elf






Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Wednesday, November 22, 2023

An Awesome Low Carb Gourmet Gift Basket Everyone Will Love

Food gifts are always popular for the holidays. Unfortunately, traditional gourmet gift baskets aren't as popular as they once were. There is so much feasting between Thanksgiving and New Year's that a basket of typical high-calorie, starch- and sugar-laden holiday treats can be an unwelcome way to pack on even more unwanted pounds. Recipients may give away the high-calorie, high-carb items in the gift baskets they receive (or eat them and feel bad afterward).

Fortunately, as more and more people are choosing to eat low carb, savvy manufacturers are creating an ever-increasing array of delicious foods that consumers can indulge in without negatively affecting their health or piling on the pounds. A gourmet gift basket filled with tempting low carb treats they can indulge in guilt-free is a present everyone can enjoy.

You can customize the contents of each gift basket to suit the recipient's taste, preferences, and dietary restrictions by choosing sugar-free, keto-friendly, gluten-free, or dairy-free products.

Have fun picking out the perfect low carb goodies for your holiday gourmet gift baskets!

Fill a fabulous gourmet gift basket with luscious low carb treats

The first thing you'll need to do is to choose your low carb gourmet treats. Then, you'll pick a suitable basket or another container to fill with the items you've chosen.

From luscious chocolates and caramels to festive cookies, savory meat sticks, high-protein pasta, low-carb baking mixes, and more, you'll find recommendations here to delight everyone on your holiday gift list. 

Festive (and Guilt-Free) Sweet Treats

If your gift recipient has a sweet tooth, the holidays are the time to indulge!

Chocolates for Connoisseurs

My favorite low carb chocolates hands-down are made by ChocZero and The Good Chocolate. Both these companies have extremely high standards for quality, flavor, and mouthfeel. Everyone on your list, regardless of dietary requirements or preferences, will love these luxurious, gourmet chocolate treats!

The ChocZero Royal Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles are absolutely divine. Silky milk chocolate sweetened with monk fruit enrobes a hazelnut center and crushed gluten-free cookies. No one would ever believe there's no sugar in these fabulous truffles!

Each truffle is wrapped in elegant metallic gold foil and nestled into its own depression in the custom-molded inserts in the clear, hard plastic presentation box beautifully designed for gift-giving to even the most discerning recipient.

These are no-added-sugar masterpieces from a truly talented chocolatier. A perfect pick that's also gluten-free and keto-friendly.

(Bonus: They also contain healthy prebiotic fiber to support gut health and help you feel full longer!) I'm so excited that ChocZero will be introducing additional flavors of truffles in the coming months!

I wrote an in-depth product review of The Good Chocolate bars that explains in detail all the reasons I love this company's terrific chocolates.

Although their products aren't inexpensive, this is a luxury product that any chocolate connoisseur would appreciate.

They have an excellent variety of flavors including some unusual gourmet options, such as Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Dark Chocolate with Coconut & Turmeric (which sounds weird but is absolutely delicious!).

I also love their Signature Dark Chocolate, Salted Dark Chocolate with Roasted Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Himalayan & Sea Salt, and Milk Chocolate bars.

I highly recommend adding an assortment to your low carb gourmet gift baskets so your gift recipient can find his or her favorites. For example, The Good Chocolate Keto Chocolate Bar Variety Pack includes one bar of each of the above flavors except the Dark Chocolate with Coconut & Turmeric.

Another terrific option for people who love Snickers bars but not all the sugar they contain is the new ChocZero Rhea candy bars. These are positively decadent! I defy anyone who tries them to guess that they don't contain any added sugars.

This is a real, good old-fashioned candy bar that tastes like that famous childhood favorite but contains no added sugars.

Each Rhea bar is yummy nougat topped with loads of chopped peanuts embedded in gooey caramel, and then the whole bar is enrobed in a coating of decadent milk chocolate.

An interesting tidbit: The Rhea in the name is ChocZero's wonderful Chief Growth Officer, who not only leads the brand's excellent marketing (which is both principled and transparent) but also is actively engaged with customers.

I really love this company, its products, and its people! It's no wonder they are growing so quickly and have such a loyal following.

ChocZero Chocolate Keto Bark is one of the brand's most popular products, and for good reason. It comes in a wide range of delicious flavor choices, with new flavors introduced from time to time and some occasionally retired. My husband and I really love these delicious squares of rich, luscious chocolate either filled or studded with flavorful additions.

Some of our favorites include Dark Chocolate Peppermint, White Chocolate Cookies & Cream, and Milk Chocolate Almond.

They are all sweetened with monk fruit and are the perfect size to satisfy a sweet tooth without overindulging.

They are available in bags and, new this year, in large, collectible gift tins that also bring down the cost per piece. We always have a good selection of flavors on hand at our house!

Chewy Caramels

Another of this year's sweet innovations is ChocZero's Soft Sea Salt Caramels. These soft, chewy candies have that yummy salted caramel flavor that is deservedly popular among foodies.

Sweetened with monk fruit and salted with fine Celtic sea salt, these individually wrapped, kettle-cooked, classic caramels will remind you of old-fashioned homemade caramel candies. These sugar-free treats contain no sugar alcohols or corn syrup.

A serving of three of these yummy caramels has just 100 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 net carbs.

Bonus: You can also melt these down to make a luxurious sugar-free caramel sauce!

Marshmallows

Another exceptional sugar-free treat from ChocZero is their marshmallows. 

They make regular marshmallows, mini marshmallows, marshmallows in fun seasonal shapes, twisted rainbow Unicorn marshmallows, and freeze-dried mini marshmallows like the ones in many popular kids' cereals.

I haven't been able to stop eating them since they launched earlier this year! They're perfect for floating in hot cocoa, snacking, and using in recipes.

For someone who loves Rice Krispie Treats, consider including a bag of ChocZero Marshmallows and a copy of my recipe for Healthy Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cereal Treats.

Low Carb Cookies

There are a lot of commercial keto and low carb cookies on the market. Frankly, very few of them are worth eating. Here are some noteworthy exceptions.

ChocZero Premium Butter Cookies look just like the wonderful Danish butter cookies we all know and love, right down to the round blue collectible tin, but minus the added sugars. They are crisp, sweet, buttery, and delicious!

They would make a great addition to your low carb gourmet gift baskets!

HighKey Snacks is best known for its delicious, bite-sized mini cookies.

HighKey Mini Cookies come in a wide variety of flavors, including Double Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Vanilla Wafers, Vanilla Shortbread, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Lemon, and Ginger Spice.

The Ginger Spice are definitely a holiday favorite and are great crushed to make a flavorful cheesecake crust. (I love them as a crust for pumpkin cheesecake!)

The Classic Variety 3-Pack includes one bag each of Double Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Chip, and Snickerdoodle mini cookies, so your gift recipient can try a few flavors.

I've also written an in-depth product review of HighKey Sugar-Free Sandwich Cookies, which are my favorite Oreo alternative and a gift any Oreo lover who's trying to cut back on sugar would appreciate.

The newest HighKey cookie offering is also a winner and might be my favorite cookie from this brand!

HighKey Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies are very large, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies packed with a whopping 14 grams of protein per cookie.

They're individually wrapped to keep them soft and fresh, and they're as nutritious as they are delicious.

I love bringing these along in my purse or carry-on bag in case I need something to stave off hunger pains on the go.

I really hope HighKey decides to make these in additional flavors. They're a terrific addition to their product line!

Savory Goodies

If your gift recipients prefer savory to sweet, here are some tasty picks they're sure to enjoy.

High-Quality Meat Sticks

Meat sticks are a convenient low carb snack. They're high in protein, low in calories, and great to tuck in a purse or carry-on bag for a satisfying protein boost on the go.

My favorites are PaleoValley 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks. According to the manufacturer's website, "Paleovalley 100% Grass-Fed Beef Sticks are the only beef sticks in the USA made from 100% grass-fed/grass-finished beef and organic spices that are naturally fermented." These delicious, individually wrapped, grass-fed beef sticks come in several tasty flavors: regular Summer Sausage, Garlic Summer Sausage (my personal favorite), Jalapeno, Teriyaki, and Original.

All the flavors except Teriyaki have 6 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, and 70 calories; the Teriyaki beef sticks have 80 calories. They are non-GMO, gluten-free, grain-free, corn-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. 

I also love PaleoValley 100% Pasture-Raised Maple Bacon Pork SticksThese are made primarily from pasture-raised pork with organic spices and a touch of sweetness from organic maple syrup. They are naturally fermented to make them shelf-stable without the use of preservatives.

Each delicious maple bacon pork stick has 80 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 2 net carbs. They're gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, with no added sugar, no artificial nitrates, or nitrites.

The PaleoValley beef and pork sticks are soft and moist. If your gift recipient prefers a firmer, chewier, beef jerky-style meat stick, I highly recommend the CHOMPS Grass-Fed Beef Sticks.

These individually wrapped, jerky-style sticks are made from grass-fed and grass-finished beef. They come in your choice of Original, Habanero, Jalapeño, Italian Style, Sea Salt, and Taco Beef flavors.

Each CHOMPS beef jerky stick has 9 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, 90 calories, and no gluten, soy, or dairy.

The flavors range from extra-mild to medium spicy to suit the recipient's preferred spice/heat level.

Pasta and Sauce

A low carb lifestyle can include pasta, as long as you choose the right kind.

Although low carb pasta doesn't have an identical taste or texture to conventional pasta, there are some satisfying options.

One of my favorites is Kaizen pasta made with high-protein lupin flour. It's available in a variety of popular pasta shapes including fusilli, ziti, cavatappi, and radiatori.

I recommend cooking it a bit longer than the package directions suggest, since otherwise, it can be a bit chewy.

Because the taste is a bit different than that of conventional pasta, I highly recommend pairing it with a robust low carb sauce. 

We really like Rao's Homemade Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce made with fresh basil.

It's more expensive than some other brands, but the taste is worth the premium price, and the ingredients are fresh and high quality, like those you would use to make your own marinara sauce at home.

Another good low carb option to try that's considerably less expensive is Yo Mama's Keto Marinara Sauce. It's a lesser-known brand that deserves more recognition.

Baking Mixes

I've reviewed several low carb and keto baking mixes here on Review This Reviews. Two of my favorite brands are Scotty's Everyday and Good Dee's.

Scotty's Everyday Keto Pizza Crust Mix is a fantastic option for enjoying fresh, homemade pizza. It makes a delicious crust that has 80 calories, 2.5 grams of protein, and an amazing zero net carbs per slice.

We like baking ours on a pizza stone to get a thin, crispy crust. It's the closest thing to real pizza dough that's also keto-friendly!

Read my in-depth product review of The Best Keto Pizza Crust Mix With 0 Net Carbs to learn more about why this baking mix is a winner.

I've reviewed Good Dee's Low Carb Cookie Baking Mixes here on Review This Reviews. We recently made a batch of my favorite (butter pecan cookies) and they were delicious!

I also love Good Dee's brownie mixes, cake mixes, and bread mixes. Good Dee's Corn-Free Bread Mix is a key ingredient in my Low Carb Cheddar Corn Dog Muffins recipe, which is delicious and one of my husband's favorite meals.

A package of the Corn Free Bread Mix along with a copy of my cheddar corn dog muffins recipe would make a great addition to a low carb gourmet gift basket.

This mix is the best alternative to cornbread for people who are avoiding corn and grains, especially when enhanced with additional corn flavoring, as I do in my low carb cheddar corn dog muffins recipe.

You really can't go wrong with any of the Good Dee's baking mixes. They also make sugar-free rainbow sprinkles that would be great paired with one of the cake mixes!

Livlō baking mixes are another great option. Livlo makes high-quality keto baking mixes, such as the biscuit and scone mixes I use in my yummy Low Carb Blueberry Biscuit Scones recipe. Check out my recipe to learn more about these excellent, easy-to-use mixes.

Another great addition to your low carb gourmet gift basket would be the Wholesome Yum Soft White Keto Bread Mix.

I've written a detailed review of this bread mix prepared both according to the package directions and according to the yeast bread recipe. Both methods make delicious loaves.

Read my Wholesome Yum Keto Bread Mix and Yeast Bread Recipe review and consider adding the bread mix and the yeast bread recipe instructions to your basket.

A good low carb pancake or waffle mix would also be a welcome treat. Scotty's Everyday, Wholesome Yum, Livlo, Good Dee's, and Nüsh Foods all make excellent ones.

Since my husband and I try to prioritize protein in our diets, especially first thing in the morning, we really like the Nüsh Protein Pancake & Waffle Mix, which packs a hefty 20 grams of protein and 8 net carbs per serving (three protein pancakes).

This protein pancake & waffle mix is gluten-free and high in flax fiber and Omega-3s. It's also quick and easy to prepare—just measure out the desired quantity of the mix and whisk in half as much water by volume (e.g., 2 Tbsp. water for 1/4 cup dry mix), and then cook on a greased, preheated pan.

Although Nüsh also makes a blueberry protein pancake & waffle mix, we prefer to add our own fresh berries to the prepared mix batter. A mixture of fresh raspberries and blueberries is a favorite in our household.

Don't forget to include a bottle of high-quality sugar-free maple syrup! We love Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Maple Syrup and ChocZero Maple Syrup

Crackers

A lot of low carb and keto crackers taste like cardboard. Fortunately, there is one brand I can recommend enthusiastically.

My favorite, far and away, is Real Phat Foods almond flour crackers. They're made with simple, clean ingredients "with no artificial anything ever." They're grain-free, gluten-free, yeast-free, soy-free, and GMO-free, and all flavors except cheddar are also dairy-free.

A 1-ounce serving has 150 calories and only 1–2 net carbs per serving.

I've tried and enjoyed all the flavors, which include Rosemary, Cracked Pepper, Original, Cheddar, and Sweet Cinnamon Crunch.

The cheddar and cinnamon are my top picks, but the Original flavor is great paired with your favorite cheese or jam.

I suggest getting the assortment with one bag of each flavor so your gift recipients can find their favorites to reorder.

Jams, Spreads, and Honey

This is another category where ChocZero has been knocking it out of the park. ChocZero jams are the best quality sugar-free jams on the market, in my opinion.

They're sweetened with monk fruit instead of unhealthy artificial sweeteners, chock-full of real fruit, and taste fantastic. They're also thick and jammy, not watery or gummy like some other sugar-free jams I've tried.

ChocZero Jams come in Grape, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Orange Marmalade flavors and the brand-new Black Cherry jam should be coming to Amazon soon. These are great for PB&J sandwiches, with crackers, to fill thumbprint cookies, and lots of other tasty uses.

For the Nutella lovers on your holiday gift list, both ChocZero and Livlō make excellent sugar-free chocolate hazelnut spreads. 

My favorite is the ChocZero Dark Cocoa Hazelnut Spread, which is also vegan, but the closest to Nutella is the ChocZero Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (shown at the left) or the Livlō Zellō Keto-Friendly Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

ChocZero Cookie Spread is also fabulous!

Sugar-free honey is a relatively new invention. ChocZero Keto Honey Substitute is a vegan clover honey alternative that comes in an adorable bear-shaped bottle. It has only 1 net carb per serving and packs 18 grams of dietary fiber per serving. It's sweetened with monk fruit instead of artificial sweeteners and tastes delicious! It's a 1:1 replacement for honey in any recipe and is delicious in tea.

The other low carb honey we love is Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey Substitute.

This keto-friendly honey alternative is sweetened with monk fruit and allulose and has only 15 calories and 0 net carbs per tablespoon. It also has 6 grams of dietary fiber.

It has the same consistency as honey from the bees and, like ChocZero honey, is designed to be used in recipes as well as drizzled on pancakes or toast, stirred into tea, etc.

The most notable thing about Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey Substitute is that it comes in different flavors: original, cinnamon, jalapeno, turmeric ginger, and orange. Imagine using the orange honey in a glaze or marinade for chicken or the jalapeno honey to make hot honey chicken wings!

Any of these jams, spreads, or honey choices would be excellent paired with Wholesome Yum Bread Mix, Livlo biscuit or scone baking mix, Real Phat Foods almond flour crackers, or Nüsh protein pancake or waffle mix.

Baskets and Other Container Ideas

Whenever I receive a gift basket, I always save the container to repurpose. That's what I did to make the low carb gourmet gift basket pictured below.

Low carb treats in a gift basket
I repurposed the wicker basket from a gift I received, wrapped the handle with fancy ribbon and a decorative pick, and filled it with delicious sweet and savory low carb treats.

If you don't happen to have one on hand, Amazon has a huge selection of wicker baskets for gifts in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs.

You could get creative and stow your gourmet treats in a crockpot or air fryer for a more extravagant gift.

The easiest approach of all would be to tuck your low carb goodies into a festive holiday gift bag. My friend and fellow Review This Reviews contributor Raintree Annie has some great suggestions for Reusable Christmas Gift Bags.

Alternatively, if you want to give mostly smaller treats, you might use them to stuff a beautiful Christmas stocking.

An Awesome Low Carb Gourmet Gift Basket Everyone Will Love by Margaret Schindel


Read More Low Carb & Keto Reviews by Our Review This Reviews Contributors

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