The Ultimate Gift Guide
Need some ideas for thoughtful gifts? Check out some of my favorite picks in this post.
Below you’ll find some of my favorite items to give (and get). Between these that you can use, eat, and treat, you’ll be able to find a gift for anyone!
To use:
Cinder Grill
I love grass-fed, regenerative meat, but many folks don’t understand that better meat requires delicate cooking. They’ll cook it as they’re used to and end up with tough steaks and blame the meat. This is just another case where it’s not the COW, it’s the HOW.
Reverse-searing is the best way I’ve found to cook grass-fed meat. I used to use an oven to bring my steaks to an internal temperature of about 130F, checking the temperature many times over the course of about an hour, then searing them off in a skillet prior to serving. It’s an intensive process that is cumbersome and can be easily done poorly.
Until I tried the Cinder Grill. I set the exact temperature I wanted my steak, walked away to prep the rest of my meal, took my steaks off to wipe down the warming plates, then finished them off in seconds. It made the BEST grass-fed steaks I’ve ever had!
This is my new go-to kitchen gadget and if you or your loved ones invest in grass-fed meat, you have to invest in the Cinder and say goodbye to dry, overcooked meat.
Check them out here and receive $50 off your purchase with the code SUSTAINABLEDISH at checkout.
Otto Wilde Grille
If you’re looking for a cooking method that not only shocks and awes spectators but also makes any bystander salivate uncontrollably as you’re cooking steak, the Otto Wilde Grill is THE grill for you (or your favorite grill master).
The Otto Grill is easy to use, easy to clean, and imparts that open-fired taste that calls to our primal meat-eating instincts. The 1,500°F infrared burners are all you need to create a perfect, even brown crust across the entire meat surface, giving you an all-encompassing flavorful sear that you can achieve with a few grill strips from a traditional grill.
Otto Wilde's motto, "Fleisch ain't no firlefanz'' means, ''Prepare your meat the way it deserves." If you have an outdoor space, this grill is a gift to you, the bellies you feed, and the meat you cook. Check it out here for a special deal. Enter the code sd10 for an even steeper discount.
Nakano Knives
I’m a firm believer that there are few things more dangerous in a kitchen than a dull knife. Luckily, I recently added a Nakano Chef Knife to my repertoire and it slices through anything like it's butter! I inquired to see if they'd offer you a special deal and, just in time for the holidays, they're offering you 10% off your purchase when you use my discount code. Simply head to this website and enter DIANA at checkout to enjoy this knife, too, and get an extra $25 free to use on a future purchase.
To eat:
Better Meat
I like to send food to my relatives that live far away, and lately, I’ve been really loving the meat from White Oak Pastures, Blue Nest Beef, Butcher Box, Joyce Farms, and Farm Foods Market. I’m excited to see so many more choices available for better meat online, many more than I’m able to list here, but also check out eatwild.com to find a local farmer near you.. Do your homework, though: some companies do not source from the US (even though they may lead you to believe this). If it’s unclear, reach out to the meat company – those that are sourcing honestly will be eager to be transparent with you. For you lamb lovers (I’m one for sure!) check out Central Grazing Company. They offer high quality, grass-fed lamb, and amazing bags made from the hides, mentioned in one of my next holiday picks.
Sitka Salmon Shares
I tell all of my nutrition clients that simplicity is key to sustained, healthy eating. And, despite some of my recipes with a more..."generous" ingredient list, simple staples are my go-to. Broiled fish is one of the easiest meals I keep in rotation, and to help me source sustainably, I’ve been testing salmon from Sitka Salmon Shares. I make a simple rosemary garlic rub (salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and softened butter) and broil these beautiful filets to serve atop a salad. In less than 15 minutes, I have a delicious meal. Keep it simple, folks:) To try this well-sourced Sitka Salmon, visit this website and enter the code SustainableDish25 at checkout to receive $25 off a premium share - enjoy!
Serenity Kids
A baby’s nutrition should be focused on healthy fats and quality veggies and meats. Fat is essential as it supports brain development, hormone regulation, and builds the immune system. Fat is also needed for your baby’s digestive system to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. A pouch of Serenity Kids Beef contains 5g of fat compared to many other brands that contain no fat.
As I’ve written about before, a nutrient-dense diet is critical for babies. As babies are doing most of their growing in their first few years, making their nutrient needs higher relative to body weight than children and adults.
Serenity Kids baby foods mimic the nutrients of breastmilk with the right balance of protein, healthy fats, and slow-burning carbs. These great-tasting purees are made from organic vegetables and meats raised free-range on pastures of small American family farms, without added hormones, antibiotics, or GMO feed. They are minimally processed to preserve nutrition, and their packaging is recyclable through TerraCycle. Give them a try here and enter the code DIANA15 at checkout for 15% off.
Paleovalley
The world of grab-and-go snacks and supplements is a big one. I try to encourage folks to get as many vitamins and minerals as they can through real foods, but sometimes we don’t have the time or access to eat the highly nutritious foods we strive to include in our diets.
Enter Paleovalley.
Paleovalley is a brand you can trust. They’re a “small company with a big heart.” After experiencing the powerful healing benefits of the paleo diet, wife-and-husband duo Autumn and Chas, decided it was time to bring high-quality products to the market without all the B.S.
Their mission is simple: “To create products that live up to their own strict standards and always prioritize health over profit. Paleovalley creates products with integrity that are free from problematic ingredients and teeming with ingredients that promote vibrant health.”
They offer a variety of supplements all made from natural, sustainably sourced ingredients. My family’s favorite Paleovalley product is their meat sticks. Not only are they made from well-raised meats, they’re naturally fermented, meaning that they’re shelf stable without any of the sketchy chemicals or preservatives in other brands.
They’re amazing and make awesome gifts. Check them out here to get 30% off FOR LIFE!
Organikos Coffee
We all have a coffee fan in our lives who can taste the nuance amongst coffees like a wine sommelier amongst vintages. But can coffee and regeneration co-exist? Yes! I've been testing this coffee by Organikos, a farmer and regenerative forward coffee brand. The Tarrazú Espresso is my favorite so far. Every purchase supports ethical wages, ecosystem regeneration, and bird habitat restoration. Check them out here.
Vermont Salumi
Salumi making is an ancient culinary miracle.
Not only is this method of food preservation a tried and true method of survival and weathering periods of food scarcity, but it also preserves our heritage, provides unmatched tastes, and reminds us of our humanity.
Especially in trying times, we all work hard to preserve the goodness that surrounds us, so that one day, we can reflect upon our past and savor the moments that bring us together.
My friend, Pete Coleman, makes some of the best, traditional salumi I’ve tasted. Every product is junk-free, made with the highest quality pork using traditional methods straight from his family in Italy. Buy a case to share…or not;) You’ll be glad you did.
To treat yourself:
SaunaSpace
To help me simplify and connect, I'm intentionally switching off with the help of infrared sauna. "Relaxing" doesn't always come naturally to me, so I've been using my SaunaSpace more. As little as 20-minutes a day has made a huge difference in boosting my mood and hopefulness. It looks sort of like a little fortune teller’s tent, and 20-minutes a day of red light therapy has shown documented benefits like:
Wound healing and soft tissue repair
Collagen growth
Hair growth
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
Pain and inflammation for joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments
Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord regeneration
Increased circulation and formation of new capillaries
Not up for a full sauna? They also offer just the light kit so you can build your own in a bathroom, or you can also get the travel light, which is one bulb and lovely for seasonal light therapy. I’ll be releasing a podcast and a longer blog post about SaunaSpace soon. Check them out here, and when you use my code SUSTAINABLE, you can get 5% off your order!
Dry Farm Wines
Julia Child once said, "I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking." She also said that "as you get older, you shouldn't waste time drinking bad wine." Admittedly, I've enjoyed more than my fair share of wine throughout this pandemic. Thankfully, to both my taste buds and my body, Dry Farm Wines has been my go-to wine resource for natural wines that have no sugar, no additives, lower alcohol, sourced from regenerative farmers, and, perhaps most importantly, taste amazing. To get you started, Dry Farm Wines is offering our community an extra bottle of wine for 1 penny with your first subscription order, plus free shipping. Get the deal here!
ChiliSleep
Give the gift of better sleep this season with an Ooler from Chilisleep. A poor night’s sleep can lead to more cravings for carbs and junk food the next day. It also reduces insulin sensitivity, which means we’re more likely to gain weight. Studies show that mental sharpness is significantly down when someone pulls an all-nighter. Even a few nights of 4 - 6 hours of sleep can reduce cognition as much as an all-nighter, however people THINK they’re doing just fine. They’ll perform just as poorly on tests with several nights of imperfect sleep as the person who didn’t get any sleep for one night.
If that scares you, it should. But don’t fret - this miracle from Chilisleep will improve your sleep, which will benefit your brain, and your body.
The Ooler is perfect for the temperature-frustrated sleeper who would like a customized sleep temperature (can have one just for “me” or a dual option for “we”), a pre-set sleep climate, or an alarm-free wake up with their warm-awake function.
Just in time for the holidays, Chilisleep is offering 30% OFF all new Sleep Systems from 11/17-12/31. Click here and enter the code HOLIDAY30 for the discount.
Trust me - this is a great gift for ANYONE (including you:)).
Better Leather
Looking for a special handbag or laptop bag? Central Grazing Company offers beautiful handbags and wallets made from grass-fed lamb in a variety of colors. I’m also really loving Farrier Leather bags. I have a laptop bag and love all of the compartments for a water bottle, and all of the other necessities I want to have with me on the go.
Shameless plug for our projects…
As you likely know, we launched Sacred Cow and saw a huge need to advocate for food justice and the rights for folks to access nutrient-dense, animal-sourced foods. If you’re looking for a year-end, tax-deductible donation, I hope you’ll consider supporting our impact campaign. Every cent we raise will be used to implement an educational program for schools and conferences, and help us develop agricultural initiatives and nutrition agendas for policymakers to ensure animal-sourced foods have a place in guidelines aimed at improving the health of the women and children who need it most. You can donate here or pick up a copy of the book, film, or a t-shirt to contribute, too! We appreciate your support!