Like a lot of the vegetarians (and a lot of the women) I know, I’m also pretty committed  to living a greener, saner, simpler life. That sentiment has led me to cut back on the “stuff” in my life as well as the frenetic pace of life itself. I try to focus on experiences more than things, people more than money.

Christmas has very often lost a lot of it’s magic for me because I was spending too much and running from store to store doing it. After the holidays, I always wished I had been able to do more rather than shop more. I also felt upset with myself for spending money on what I call “throwaway gifts”, things that had little meaning, but at least got someone crossed off my list.

When I think of the holiday season, I always imagine lots of cooking and baking.

In past seasons, I was too busy shopping to do much of that. This year, I’m going to REPLACE much of my shopping with cooking and baking. I’ve decided to give lots of homemade, vegetarian gifts instead of sweaters and toiletry sets and boxes of candy.

I can bake several batches of homemade breads, cookies and bars in just a couple of hours.I can also decorate several jars of home canned (this summer) salsas, jams and preserves in far less time than it takes me to go to one overcrowded store. This is not only a greener approach to Christmas gift-giving, it’s also one that reflects me far better than yet another bottle of cologne.

I have a few recipes for pineapple bread, apple spice cookies and other baked treats that I’ll be using.

I also have a whole pantry full of the jams and salsas that I canned over the summer. But I’ve also been looking around the internet for other great ideas. Here are some really wonderful sites that I’ve found that have some great recipes and ideas for homemade vegetarian gifts.

EatingWell.com has a list of ten great from-your-kitchen gifts. I especially love the idea of mixing up some Maple Nut Granola and pouring it into canning jars.

TheKitchn.com has forty fabulous ideas, including peppermint hot fudge and a yummy looking toffee recipe. It looks like some of their ideas would make great gluten-free or vegan gifts, too.

Check out these sites and their beautifully simple ideas. Giving homemade vegetarian gifts is definitely cheaper, more fun and more green than buying a slew of CDs or fuzzy socks!