Valentine’s Day foodie gifts beyond chocolate

But rather than taking the easy way and giving them candy or chocolates, offer them one of these more original and personalized foodie gifts instead.

A one-month subscription to Boxtera

Boxtera is a cool service that lets you sign up to have a box filled with organic, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, minimally processed snacks delivered to your door each month. It’s a great way to give your friend the opportunity to try out all kinds of healthy treats. The service is offering a special $5 discount if you want to send a box of nutritious Valentine’s Day-themed goodies to a special someone. Valentine’s Day lets you show how much you care on just one day, but with Boxtera, your friend will think of you and your kindness every time she tries a tasty new snack!

A gift card to a new restaurant

Does your friend adore dining out? Then a gift card might be the perfect Valentine’s Day present. But rather than giving her a card for places she frequents all the time, give her the opportunity to check out someplace totally new. Do a little research through resources such as Urbanspoon to see which restaurants in your area are getting rave reviews. Keeping up-to-date on all the hot new places to eat in the city can be hard when you’re nervous about the possibility of not liking what you pick. So take the work out of it for your pal, and give her a free pass to test out somewhere new!

Homemade cookies in a jar

Although chocolate is the go-to when it comes to giving presents to food lovers, generic boxes of chocolate don’t do much in the way of showing you care. Satisfy your friend’s sweet tooth in a more personal way by whipping up a batch of these fun homemade cookies in a jar. Knowing you made the effort to put together this thoughtful gift will say so much more than a box of “Pot of Gold” ever could.

Foodie DVDs

Many foodies don’t just love eating food; they also love learning about it. If your friend adores watching cooking shows in her free time, then a cooking DVD such as Food Network’s Meals on DVD or The Martha Stewart Cooking Collection are great gift options. If you can’t find a suitable cooking video, foodie movies make excellent gifts as well. Ratatouille, Julie & Julia and Eat, Pray, Love are just some of the entertaining films you can choose from. And a foodie DVD is sure to provide more entertainment than a box of chocolates will!