Today’s blog post is a combination of crowing and appreciation. As the title suggests, we discuss what makes BasketWorks unique, but we’re able to achieve these differentiators because of our customers and community. You inspire our creativity and innovation and remind us that when our hands are achy from designing and assembling gift baskets, it’s the hurts-so-good kind of pain.

Let’s get into it! Here are six ways that BasketWorks stands out.

1) Oodles of Experience 

We’ve got a very important anniversary coming up: 25 years in business (more on that in the coming weeks), also known as the Silver Jubilee or quadricentennial anniversary. According to the Internets, this anniversary can celebrate a marriage, a monarch’s reign, or how long you’ve owned that terry cloth shirt you bought at Structure your freshman year of college. 

The point is that we’ve been at this for a long time, and we know how to design the perfect gift basket that will make you look good to your oh so lucky recipients. 

Oh, I also spent four years working for a florist in college and graduate school, and I just can’t get rid of the attention to detail that experience taught me. 

2) Customization

Okay, there’s customization and then there’s customization. 

We don’t mess around. Our gift baskets and packages are built-to-order, meaning we can customize from our vast inventory, changing colors, creating custom imprinted ribbon, and adding or removing products (no nuts, add coffee, etc.).

Here’s proof: we once designed a fishing-themed wedding basket for newlyweds who planned to go fly fishing on their honeymoon. I don’t know how many fish they caught, but they were very happy with their gift basket. 

3) We Hunt For The Best Products 

If there were such a thing as gift basket product apex predators, that would be us, except we don’t harm living things. Rather, our staff attends many gift and gourmet shows annually (the International Housewares Show, Sweets & Snacks Show, two Chicago gift shows, and a national gift basket conference where I’ve taught for several years) to find new products and to taste and select every item we use in our gift baskets and gift packages. 

We understand that our customers have different palettes and nutritional preferences, which is why we maintain an inventory of gluten free, kosher, heart healthy, and other special diet foods. 

4) Local And Woman-Owned

BasketWorks is a proud, local and woman-owned business, and we support and leverage other small businesses, which helps strengthen our community. We are very active members of our local chambers of commerce, and not to brag or anything, but I was recognized as Volunteer of The Year by the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce & Industry.  

5) At Your Service 

We’re nothing if not consistent with the quality of our customer service because, to sort of quote the great Sally Field, “We like you! We really really like you!” You like us back, we’d like to think because of the following: 

• We will gladly store your logo items to include in your gift baskets for products like onesies, mugs, pads of paper, and more.
  
  
• We will gladly store your custom cards or business cards to use with your packages.
  
  
• Most orders are shipped out the same or next business day.
  
  
• We can create a custom page for you on our website showing only the products you want to see and/or only your custom products.
  
  
• We return calls quickly, USUALLY  in under two hours but always before the end of the next business day, and you can expect to speak to a real person who can help you.  (I am so compulsive about checking voicemail).

6) We Care About Causes

Mental health awareness is near and dear to our hearts. I’m involved with the Peyton Heart Project and support its mission along with the #StoptheStigma movement to help end suicide and bullying. The project’s mission and name were inspired by many stories, including Peyton James’, a 13-year-old boy, the victim of bullying by peers, who took his own life in 2014. 

According to the Project:

“The delicate hearts, each one made by hand and each one representing the delicate heart of a life lost to suicide, have various inspiring quotes attached to them, along with our social media information. The hearts are placed in public places around the world for people to find during their everyday lives. We hope the hearts cause people to stop for a moment and reflect on a life lost to suicide, on bullying and on the fact that everyone’s life matters.”

I crochet and distribute thousands of hearts annually as part of this initiative. If you would like hearts, please email info@79gifts.com or call 847-599-9379. I’ve also presented to my synagogue on my experience with depression, which you can view here. 

We can’t thank you enough for your support. We will keep on keeping on! 

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Hopefully the title of this blog post just blew your mind. 

Pasta? Healthy? For Real?!?!

Indeed. 

But put the breaks on your chicken Parmesan, bucatini carbonara, and gnocchi bolognese carryout order. Pasta can only be healthy if you, well, make it healthy. 

The good news is that there are plenty of options to satiate you without making you feel like a total pasta sellout. For example–Whoa! What’s That? It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a 🚨SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT🚨–spinach fettuccine like the one featured in our Lotsa Pasta Gift Basket. 

It’s time to set the table, put on your bib, and read on. 

Pasta Can Help With Glycemic Index 

If you’re not familiar with the Glycemic Index (GI), then you’re like many of the rest of us. 

The GI is a measure of how quickly a food causes our blood sugar levels to rise. We quickly digest and absorb foods with high GI’s, which causes our blood sugar to spike, and that’s unhealthy. Pasta is considered a low GI food and can help your body metabolize it more slowly and lead to lower fluctuations in insulin levels, which is beneficial to your health and weight. 

It’s Part Of The Mediterranean Diet 

Apparently, the secret to life is the Mediterranean diet. 

We hear about it all the time, especially on those doctor’s shows, and for good reason: it’s known to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Consisting of fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil, the diet does not restrict foods like pasta, which means you can eat your pasta and have your Mediterranean diet, too. 

Protein And Fiber-Rich

Why is protein important? For one, you need it to be alive. 

Proteins are considered the “building blocks of life” that fuel our energy and carry oxygen throughout our body in our blood. Our bodies also like protein because they create antibodies to combat infections and illnesses and keep our cells healthy. 

And fiber? We need it to regulate how our bodies use sugar, which helps keep hunger and blood sugar at bay. 

What does this have to do with the price of pasta in your grocery store? There are kinds that are plant-based, gluten-free, and packed with protein and fiber, as you will read next. 

It Comes In Many Healthy Forms 

Lest you thought there was only one kind of pasta, you were mistaken. Culinary innovation has made it possible to fashion pasta out of very very healthy ingredients like these mentioned by EatingWell:

• Whole-Wheat Pasta: 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per serving
   
• Chickpea Pasta: Gluten-free with 8 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein per serving
  
  
• Red Lentil Pasta: Plant-based, gluten-free, iron-rich with 6 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein per serving
  
  

We should note that white pasta, the classic kind, is actually healthier than many folks think. It’s made with semolina flour and enriched with iron, folate, and B vitamins. 

Finally, we regret to inform you that our beloved antioxidants are unable to attend this post. We will make every effort imaginable to reprise our faithful, free radical-eviscerating friends in future blogs. Thank you for understanding. 

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