Cooking at home is the biggest way to stay in control over what you eat, making healthy eating that much easier!
If you're not one to love cooking just yet, I encourage you to take a few steps to upgrade your kitchen so that you can create a fun environment to be in. A few key kitchen items will help you make cooking easier and help you keep doing it!
Creating a healthy kitchen environment is so essential to a healthy lifestyle that it is part of my online 6 week program where I help guide you through a kitchen upgrade from pantry to spice rack!
Here's my top list of my personal favorite kitchen gadgets - the things I use most often that help save me the most time and make my cooking efficient!
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1) Mixing bowls
Starting off with the basics, but you can really never have too many mixing bowls. I like to have at least one set of metal and one set of glass bowls so that I have a microwave-safe option.
2) Sharp Knives
Chopping fruits and veggies with dull knives might be my biggest pet peeve there is. I try to sharpen my knives regularly and made sure we registered for quality knives when we got married. They've been worth every penny and have gotten a lot of use over the years! Maybe all you need is a good knife sharpener, an easy fix!
3) Glass Food Storage
I love a good Food Prep Day to make the week easier, so to prep food in advance you'll need some durable and safe food storage. For kids' lunches, these affordable lunch boxes are perfect!
4) Silicone Utensils
Silicone is a great option that can stand high heat, is easy to clean, and lasts a long time. You don't need to risk any plastic bits baking off into your food with these! These little silicone muffin cups do double duty to make cute lunchbox dividers.
5) Pots and Pans
A general stainless set will last forever and can make just about anything. This carbon steel pan will help you sear the best steak of your life. And a set of loaf pans are always essential for meatloafs and bread. Fill your cupboards with heavy duty pans and you'll be all set!
6) Meat Thermometer
I used to be so nervous to cook meat because I never knew if it was fully cooked or not. Getting an easy read thermometer was my solution, plus learning the safe temperatures to cook meat to.
7) Citrus Juicer & Zester
I love to make lemon water, guacamole, or even orange chicken, life is easier with a juicer to make all of those things. I also love my zester to add more citrus punch to recipes like muffins! A zester is helpful to grate ginger, parmesan, or even create chocolate shavings.
8) Programmable Coffee Maker
Ok, mamas, let's get into the essentials! Coffee. Part of our nightly routine is setting up our programmable coffee maker so that when we come to make breakfast in the morning we have coffee ready to pour! This thermos pot keeps the coffee hot for hours without fear of burning a glass pot or forgetting to turn off your coffee maker. To keep your own coffee hot make sure you have a thermal mug on hand; these weren't meant for travelers, they were meant for busy mamas!
9) All-in-One Blender & Processor
I love a gadget that saves space without having to have multiple appliances around. Blend smoothies, process veggies or hummus, puree soup, or make your own nut butter - this can do it all!
10) Drink Mixer
Do you like collagen, MCT oil, or butter in your coffee? Or maybe just a little froth from your heavy cream? Adding this drink mixer to my kitchen has been so much easier than having to blend my bullet-proof style coffee in a blender! Getting this one with the stand actually makes this easier to store and use, it's not just a silly detail like you may think.
These simple tools may seem too practical, but having these things around will make cooking easier - and when healthy eating is easier you will do it more consistently!
Get more tips, recipes and meal planning ideas over in my free Facebook group. We are always finding new ways to keep cooking interesting!