How to buy a specialty gift basket

Buying a specialty gift basket for a holiday or celebration can be expensive and often the baskets contain processed foods that can be high in calories and fats. Assembling a homemade gift basket is not only thrifty, but shows you care about the recipient. To give your gift a one-of-a-kind signature, pick a theme and choose food items and decorative touches that reflect the occasion. Use inexpensive containers, such as baskets, metal or plastic tubs, or large colorful plastic bowls

Step 1 Use a variety of baskets, buckets and other containers, appropriate for the contents. Shred gift paper, old maps or magazines to make colorful packing material for all of the baskets. Use colorful kerchiefs or napkins to tuck around the foods, and use decorative stickers to cover logos and seal bags. Pick color themes, wherever possible, and use ribbons, stickers and napkins that fit your theme.

Step 2 Pack homemade or store-bought granola into Mason jars for a birthday breakfast basket, adding a square of gingham or cheery fabric over the cap and under the rim of the jar. Use pinking shears to trim the fabric edges. Add a box of low-fat muffin mix or whole wheat pancake mix, some dried cranberries, blueberries or carob chips, plus pure maple syrup or agave nectar. Tuck in a bag of coffee and perhaps a vintage magazine or newspaper.

Step 3 Offer tea and sympathy to a friend who is down in the dumps. Tie together little packets of individually wrapped tea bags tied with ribbons, add a packet of natural, wholegrain cookies, a selection of small jars of honey, natural scone mix and a variety of jams and marmalade. A little book of poetry or a book detailing the history of tea might help distract a friend from their troubles.

Step 4 Take the chill out of the season with a winter soup basket. Pick several hearty soup mixes, a packet or two of chili mix, add wholegrain crackers and a cornbread mix, a generously-sized mug, soup spoon and napkin in warm, fall colors. To help take the chill out of the air, add a travelogue to a warm, faraway place.

Step 5 Put together a tub of healthy game-day munchies. Include nuts, dried fruits, vegetable chips---okra and carrots are favorites---plus wasabi peas and trail mix. Tie each selection in a clear plastic bag with the team colors and include a six pack of pale ale---the hops used to make the beer are high in cancer-fighting polyphenols, according to "Men's Health" magazine.

Step 6 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a salsa basket. Add a packet or two of baked tortilla chips, perhaps one of yellow chips made with flaxseed, another made from blue corn. Choose a selection of salsas, one hot, one mild, one green and add a can of low fat refried beans for dip. If you are delivering the gift basket right away, add a ripe avocado or two, a bunch of green onions and fresh cilantro, along with a recipe card for easy guacamole---simply mash avocados, add diced onions, chopped cilantro and salsa.