Just For Mom

You only get one Mom. Celebrate yours with these luscious yet inexpensive gifts:

Champagne brunch basket. Add a new twist to a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. Fill a vintage wicker or woven picnic basket ($15-$35, etsy.com) with all the makings for a leisurely brunch. Start with an assortment of tea, baked goods with pastured butter, lemon curd, flavored honey (try Madhava Organic Whipped Cinnamon Honey), and fresh berries. Add fresh-squeezed orange juice and a bottle of bubbly. Or for an alcohol-free version, look for Vin Santé or 12 Noon to Midnight sparkling beverages.

Eco-friendly salad set. Ideal for earth-conscious moms, start with a bamboo salad bowl ($42, corebamboo.com) in teal, squash, pumpkin, lilac, or lime. Line it with an organic cotton dishcloth and fill it with fixins for salad dressing: an aged balsamic vinegar, organic olive oil, Dijon mustard, and a chunk of good Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Include salad servers made from reclaimed wood from fallen olive trees, hand-carved by Kenyan artisans (isabellacatalog.com, $14).

Vintage cookbook and apron. For moms who love to cook: find ’50s-era editions of such classics as the Hollywood Glamour Cook Book or Mastering the Art of French Cooking ($25-$65, vintagecookbook.com). Add a vintage apron and potholder ($6-$25, jessiesteele.com), plus a gift card to mom’s favorite natural foods store, then wrap it all up in butcher’s paper and kitchen twine.

Truffles and memories, for the most sentimental of moms. Start with a mother-daughter memory journal; we like the Mother and Daughter Letter Book ($38, uncommongoods.com). Then add a box of chocolates-Lake Champlain organic chocolate truffles include luscious selections such as ginger, fig, coffee, and wild honey.

A perfect pitcher. For the mom who taught you to make lemonade when life gives you lemons, how about a Point Duchess lace-patterned pitcher ($48, anthropologie.com) filled with organic lemons? Add a jar of honey and a potted mint plant for garnish. Or fill it with Fair Trade flowers.

Spa collection. For the mom who needs pampering, try luxurious bath care products. Start with Dr. Hauschka Lavender Bath Oil and a soy-based candle scented with essential oils for a soothing soak. Add a mask and exfoliating scrub (try Pangea Organics Facial Scrub, Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry), and a super-emollient hand cream (try Weleda Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream). Wrap everything up in a luxe bath blanket, and tie it up with an oversized silk ribbon.

Jewelry and flowers. It’s a classic Mother’s Day gift. Buy a collection of blooms and arrange them in small vases. For a vintage look, use antique milk glass vases ($15-$30, etsy.com) or, for a mod mom, buy an updated collection of laboratory beakers arranged in distressed wood ($24, urbanoutfitters.com). Pair the flowers with a bracelet, earrings, or necklace-a sterling silver family circle necklace ($49, redenvelope.com) is a beautiful reminder of your family’s circle of love.

Lisa Turner is a certified food psychology coach, nutritional healer, intuitive eating consultant, and author. She has written five books on food and nutrition and developed the Inspired Eats iPhone app. Visit her online at inspiredeating.com.

It’s our 75th birthday!
Follow along with us this year as we celebrate all things 75 each month. To learn more about how Better Nutrition started (in 1938) and our plans for a special commemorative issue, click here.