Many of us want to eat better, but is your kitchen equipped
for your healthy lifestyle? These healthy kitchen must haves are my favorite,
tried and true items when it comes to making it easy to eat clean.
Hand Held Milk Frother: I am mentioning this bad boy first since it is my most favorite kitchen tool ever. When I started making my super charged coffee concoctions, I realized I needed something easier than a blender. These frothers are major game changers. I have one at home and one at work. I use a lot of powders and oils in my coffee and it needs to be super blended. These are so easy to use and cleanup take two seconds. However, there is a secret to using these. Only fill your coffee cup halfway or less to blend and froth everything. Then top with the rest of your coffee. If you froth a full cup of coffee you will end up wearing most of it while cursing my name for telling you to buy the darn thing. And that would be sad.
Non-toxic Cookware: traditional nonstick pans are not great for you. Many of them contain a chemicals that release carcinogens when heated that are absorbed into your food. Not cute. However, I am not a great cook and I also don’t like to use a ton of oil so using non-stick pans was always a nightmare for me. I also tried cast iron skillets and I honestly have no clue why people love them so much since my food sticks to it horrible and burns every time. (I am sure this is operator error, but still) So I was thrilled to discover there are a number of non-toxic cookware options made from safe materials like ceramic, porcelain, lava rock and more. While some of these pans can be pretty pricey, I have found that many of the brands go on sale on Amazon every now and again. But the best place to score a nontoxic pan for a major deal are places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I have this article saved into my phone and when I go to those stores I just bring up the list and look through the pans. Most of my nontoxic cookware I have scored for under $20 from Marshalls. These pans only need a tiny bit of oil to cook with. You want to let the pans cool completely before washing. Handwashing will help them last longer as well.
Spiralizer: For YEARS I avoided getting one of these. I bought overpriced pre-spiralized zoodles from the supermarket for longer than I care to admit. One day a girl at work started bringing her homemade zoodle salad and it just looked so much fresher and prettier. She was horrified that I did not own a spiralizer and immediately sent me a link to the one she had from Amazon. I finally caved and ordered one and I am never going back. First of all, it is SO much fresher than what you can get at the store. When you are dealing with somewhat delicate veggies like zucchini and squash that have a higher water content, making your own just taste way better. Homemade zoodles are firmer and have a better taste and texture overall. I whip up a few containers of plain zucchini zoodles on Sunday and they are good to go for the week. No more soggy soaked zoodles that I need to dry off with a paper towel before I use them. Also, this one has a lot of different slicing options and the big fat cartridge is my favorite! No more skinny zoodles for me! Trust me, just get one. You will wonder why you waited so long.
Glass Containers: Plastic is the devil people, but it is literally everywhere. To help make a dent in my plastic consumption, we have ditched the Tupperware and gone to glass storage. Again, my favorite place to get glass storage items is Marshalls. Ikea also has some amazing options for a steal. I also have been switching out my mugs to all glass since I read cheaper ceramics use a glaze that can leech into hot drinks… but let’s not go down this toxic rabbit hole right this second, mkay?
Wax Paper Bags: These bags are way better than plastic baggies when it comes to packing my kids lunch. I used to have a brand that came with stickers, but the whole process of rolling down the bag and putting on the little sticker was a pain. Also, if I packed items like veggies straws or pretzels the night before they would be a little stale by lunchtime since some air was getting to it. These bags have a sticky tab already on them which makes it much easier to use. Full disclosure here, I still use plastic sandwich bags sometimes. They are just too darn easy so I try to strike a healthy balance.
There are so many kitchen gadgets out there, but these have really made a huge difference for me personally. They are items I have and use almost every day so I wanted to share
