This year has been challenging, but in the spirit of moving forward, and aligning our passion for living a healthy life with our actions (and spending power), we gathered together the best gift ideas that will help you live healthier, eat more plant-based foods, get out into nature, and basically support your resolutions to get on the path to healthy living, and give yourself a fresh start in 2021. So here is a list dedicated to buying yourself the perfect gifts to boost your health and happiness, and reward yourself for making it through one of the toughest years ever. Onward!

1. Clean Protein and Greens from Sakara Life

There's nothing better than treating yourself to a healthy start to the New Year. Order your Green Protein Powder from Sakara Life now and have it ready for when you want to get back on track. It's plant-based, organic and ten servings per $45 bag work out to a drink that's less than a latte! We love so many products from this company and while they feel like a luxury, think of spending on these quality products as investing in yourself. Buy their fresh foods, the organic beauty products, the probiotics, and tell yourself: I am totally worth it, every single day.

Shop plant-based nutrition and wellbeing products from Sakara Life here.

2. Classic Dutch Oven by Kana

When we think of Dutch Ovens, we think: Too expensive to get a really good one! Wait for a wedding present kind of moment. But these Dutch Ovens will make you think again. Kana makes the highest quality fully sustainable cookware with recycled cast iron so all your bread, stews, and chili dishes will turn out perfectly and you can feel great about your purchase. Plus at $120 it's an affordable indulgence. And when it's time to IG your sourdough, you will be so glad you bought the white one. Add to your order the cast-iron skillet for a complete upgrade.

Price: $120 Buy your Dutch Oven or Classic Skillet here.

3. Vegan Wine and Vegan Cheese Club of the Month

If you never want to run out of wine again or have to ask: Is it vegan? This is your gift. (For anyone not aware, processing uses fish bladder, bone, gelatin, and other not-so-appetizing sounding animal byproducts so while grapes are vegan, wine is generally now. What’s included in your Vegan Wines membership? Six bottles of hand-selected, delicious vegan wines from distinguished wine regions across the world, shipped directly to your doorstep four times a year.

Besides delicious wine, Vegan Wines club members get a 10% discount on all wines in the Vegan Wines Shop and can also ask that vegan cheese be shipped along with it! Now if only we could invite someone over. But while you're zooming and sipping, have a little cheese and never feel guilty about it again. Salut!

Cost is $140 to $200 per shipment. Peruse the wine and cheese options here.

4. Give a donation to The Wilderness Society

Can we just have a moment of appreciation for getting into the great outdoors this year?  It's one of the few things we could safely do, together, without worrying about catching a virus. Meanwhile, this charity helps save lands that are under fire from rolled back regulations on drilling and development by the administration that is leaving. And while the Paris Accord will help against emissions, these guys are looking out for parks, trees, and the North Arctic Refuge (home to polar bears and other wildlife). Give yourself the gift of feeling good in nature, since you helped keep it wild.

Donate any amount, $25, $50 or $100. Multiply that times 5 for your total impact.

5. W & P Porter Drinking Glasses Take these on the Go!

I love not using single-use plastic. Instead of a bottle of your favorite bevy, grab these elegant tumblers and head out for sunset cocktails at the beach or other not-to-be-missed memory makers this year. We love this company because it sells everything from customizable glassware to help you cut down on the use of plastics to elegant "big-block" square ice cube trays to add an elegant touch to your sips.

Also on the site: Large Sphere, Square Cube trays, which are sold out at the moment but will be back in stock soon.

The portable glasses are $25 each; if you want customization, add $10.

6. Terrier Fitness Live Coached Cycling and Running Classes, over Zoom

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If you need a coach to kick your ass and get you in shape this coming year, there is no one more motivating to get yelled at than by Coach Robert Pennino. I stumbled into his spin class at Equinox years ago and he helped get my then-not-so-fit body into shape and across the finish line of dozens of races including an Ironman distance triathlon (or three), based on the coaching in his spin and run classes. But all levels can enjoy these classes, from the begginer or spinner to the serious athlete with podium ambitions. Each one is different, set to great music, with tough interval sets, so you burn more calories than you thought possible in one hour. Plenty of the people in these classes are riding on Peloton Bikes, and choose Terrier Fitness because they are "two way" and the coaching is personal, customized and the Coach can call you out if you start to slow down. No hiding in the back. They are simply the best online cycling workouts around, offered at a great price.

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If you prefer to run, the Zoom running class is also set to music and you can do it on a treadmill, a track, or any road, just step outside your house with your earbuds in and your audio set to the Zoom call. You'll be coached live through your run and made to work harder than you would on your own. All ages and levels of fitness are welcomed and Coach Robert keeps it entertaining and fun, with energetic coaching, music that is chosen to keep you on the beat, and your feet moving at the right tempo. Buy a class pass or try one session, since for just $10, it is the best deal around.

Price: $10 for 1 hour or $12.17 for 90 mins. Terrier's schedule can be found here.

7. Forks Over Knives — the Meal Plan, the Magazine, and the Cooking School

Forks Over Knives was first a movie, then a cookbook, a magazine, a content site offering recipes and inspiration, a healthy meal plan, and a cooking course–but most of all, now it has spawned a movement. The Forks site (newly redesigned and easy to navigate) is dedicated to helping you live healthier by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet, and offers you a healthy meal plan full of recipes and shopping lists, online support, and expert advice, and you can also sign up for their excellent cooking classes.

Consider buying a Forks Meal Plan subscription as a gift to yourself. It becomes more than an approach to healthy plant-based eating, but a lifestyle shift, in which you decide to treat your body to the best possible foods, without oils or added sugar, or anything that may raise your risk of lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more.

By changing your habits you literally could be saving your life. Start with the documentary which will convince you this is the heart-healthiest way to eat. Choose from their monthly meal plan or their cooking school, or sign up for both, and make 2021 the year you finally clean up your act for good.

8. ZWILLING Enfinigy Power Blender, for smoothies, juices, and more

I tell myself that if I had a sleek, cool-looking blender like this one from Zwilling I might be more likely to make smoothies, juices, and be healthier. I love the lines of this machine and would leave it on my counter for easy access and to remind me to make my morning immune-boosting smoothie. Sign up for The Beet's Smoothie of the Day newsletter for free recipes and an array of ideas of what to make, including Reece Witherspoon's favorite smoothie, which she shares here.

Price: $299.99. Buy the sleek power blender here.

9. New running shoes. Try the Brooks Adrenaline GTS

Whether you're a marathoner or a weekend jogger, the best thing you can buy yourself for a gift is a new pair of running shoes. Any pair as long as it's designed for running will do, since most people put way more than 300 miles on their shoes before retiring them. You wouldn't take a road trip on worn-out tires, and you shouldn't go running on worn-out shoes. Choose a shoe that's a little bigger than your street size to save your toenails but make sure your heel can't lift out of the back of the shoe as you bend your knee.

Everyone asks me which running shoes I like. I've had numerous injures and I love a cushioned yet stable shoe, lightweight and durable enough to stand up against lots of pavement pounding, for those of us with a heavy footfall.

I have tried dozens of shoes and there are many great ones out there, from Asics and Saucony, New Balance and Nike, Hoka, and more, but none are as easy on my joints, yet light and fast feeling as the Brooks Adrenaline GTS. This is obviously a personal and subjective choice, but go get yourself new shoes and most stores will take them back if you run in them once and they don't work out. A note about price. there are less expensive running shoes but if you figure you are going to put 300miles on them, at an average of 40 to 50 miles a week, they are worth it and pay you back in the form of "injury-free" running.

Price: $130. Buy the Brooks Running Adrenaline GTS here.

10. CapaBunga Chic Multi-Pocket Canvas Market Tote

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I'm always the one on the checkout line at the store, who forgets to bring my re-usable bags, having left them in the car, or worse, the front hallway, At that moment I feel like my efforts to be a good citizen of the world are a total fail.

But if I had something this chic to take to the store I would never forget it. I love the oversized pockets and Square bottom that stands up in the car or the kitchen, and of course, it's from Food 52, my favorite go-to site for all things healthy and food-related. Some people lust after designer handbags, I have my eyes on this canvas number.

Price: $50-$65. Buy the market tote here.

11. ZWILLING Fresh and Save Vacuum Starter Set 

Call me crazy but I get excited about not wasting food. This may be because I was raised by a southern mother who remembers when she was a girl and they would make their fresh grown food last by canning and jarring and all sorts of creative means, so they could eat fresh food all winter long. Now that I have my own garden (okay it's not a farm but I do grow kale and broccoli and lots of peppers, etc) I can't wait to figure out how to bag and vacuum pack produce to keep it fresh longer.  This little gadget is genius: You put your food like guacamole or other perishable ingredients in a bag and this vacuum packs it to keep it super fresh. Yep, that makes me happy.

Price: On Sale for $99.99, Original Price is $125. Buy the vacuum packer here. 

12.  Mepal Microwave Nested Storage Bowls  from Food 52

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Essentially these may be the most practical, but not the most boring, present I could give myself. I love storing leftovers because, A. it means I won't eat the whole portion, and B. it means I eat free tomorrow. Yep, I am that frugal. So these little numbers are going to save my waistline and my wallet. They come in a neat stack of  Nesting bowls with storage freezer-friendly tops and you can microwave them. Essentially anything from Food52 makes me happy so start here, and keep shopping.

This was a toss-up for which item to include since I am equally in love with the idea of this bamboo cutting board that has a perfect spot to hold your phone as you watch recipe videos and learn to make new dishes. I love it! If you have someone in your life who is a budding chef, give them this and they might even make you dinner! It's $59 and will last forever.

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The cutting boards, the skillets, the high-end olive oils, on Food52 are as fun for me to browse as any fashion boutique. I want it all. But for now, I am making smart choices and looking for items that, when I buy them, they will make me remember I am trying to eat healthily, eat less, and save money. A win across the board!

Price: $62 from Food 52. Buy the nesting microwavable bowls here.

14. Suzi Gerber Plant-Based Gourmet Cookbook with 150 Recipes

When you next stand in your kitchen and wonder: What should I make for dinner tonight? there is no better guide to help you whip up something delectable, healthy and plant-based than Suzi Gerber, who has written a beautiful cookbook full of delicious recipes called Plant-Based Gourmet. As it sounds, the cookbook is full of gorgeous pictures, elevated recipes, and of course, healthy plant-based ingredients to keep your body humming along at its optimal healthiest level. These 150 high-end restaurant-quality dishes will impress anyone lucky enough to be in the vicinity of your table when you decide to get creative with the help of Chef Suzi.

15. The Ranch at Malibu, Luxury Fitness and Wellness Retreats

I feel like I'm a whiner when I say, to anyone who will listen, "I want to go to the Ranch!" This wellness oasis was recently visited by none other than Jessica Alba and a pal, and while this is a dream, okay my dream, The Ranch at Malibu is within reach, once current pandemic restrictions are lifted since the spa is within easy driving distance of Southern California and you can hike, eat healthily and do yoga or more strenuous classes while learning to cook and eat healthy plant-based meals.

Plus like every spa, it offers services that will relax and pamper you and let you get ready for whatever the year ahead holds for you. So once things get a little safer, check-in. Until then give yourself this Ranch cookbook, Food, Food, Food, and its high-end olive oil and culinary gift set (note to vegans it contains local honey so you may want to skip that), and pretend you're at the spa. By the way, it calls itself a luxury weight loss retreat but you can also just go there to clean up your act. If weight loss is what you want, your results are waiting!

Check out the 4 to 10-day luxury fitness retreats designed to promote weight loss here.

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