The right kitchen tools will make all the difference
Healthy eating can take a little bit of preparation but I promise you that the right kitchen tools will make it so much easier.
As a personal trainer for over 23 years I can’t tell you how many times I hear people say they don’t have time to prep their meals. If you really want to get your nutrition cleaned up I will just be straight up and honest and say, you really don’t have time NOT to prep.
I am so passionate about meal prep and planning that I have a created a free Meal Prep Challenge to prove to you that it doesn’t have to take much time…JOIN HERE . In the Meal Prep Challenge I walk you through my “4P” method for planning and prepping healthy meals that will take the “I don’t have time” obstacle out of your way. You’ll get templates, e-mails and videos talking you through the simple process that will save you loads of time, money and stress! All of the highlighted links in this post will take you to the products I love best (Amazon affiliate links)
Meal prep and planning will save you:
- Money
- Time
- Stress
Who doesn’t want all of that?
So let’s get into it…here are my favorite kitchen tools to help this process go even more smoothly
I would have to say that my most used kitchen item is my Snapware glass storage set
Glass is the best choice when storing foods. Plastics can leach BPA (cancer causing chemicals found in plastics) into your food
especially those that contain fats. Sticking with glass is a good move. Also, I love that Snapware comes in square and rectangle shapes because they fit in the refrigerator nicely.
A food processor like the Cuisinart Food Processor is a must for saving time in the kitchen. Chopping can take up a lot of time but the food processor will literally quarter the amount of time (and tears when chopping onions) you spend preparing healthy foods. The food processor grates, slices, chops, dices and mixes.
As I tell my clients, meal prep and planning will not only save you time and 
money but it will save you stress as well. The infamous Crockpot will be a major stress saver. When I come home and smell delicious food cooking in the Crockpot I always feel like I am wining at life!
Two struggles I hear all the time are that people have a hard time getting more vegetables and less carbohydrates in the diet. The Veggie Spiralizer solves BOTH problems in one very cool tool! The Spiralizer comes with 5 blades and can take most vegetables and turn them into noodles, slices or ribbons to not only make food fun but to allow you to use vegetables to replace starchy noodles made of flour. Here is a super yummy recipe for you. I use the Veggie Spiralizer to make noodles out of the zucchini.
The Veggie Spiralizer is also very easy to clean which is a time and stress saver!
Now, even if you have Food Processor, you will still need a good set of knives. A quality knife will make you time in the kitchen much more pleasurable. I get really frustrated with crummy knives so I love the Henkel brand. Henkle produces a quality knife set like this one at a very affordable price. This knife set is only $65.00 on Amazon.
One way to save money on your food bill is to stock up on quality foods when they are on sale (HINT: Ask your butch
er/meat Department manager when they put the red discount stickers on their meats. If you can plan your shopping trips around their markdown time of day you can snag some amazing deals on meats). Using a FoodSaver will allow you to seal these “steals” and keep them fresh for a long time in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Foodsaver vacuum sealing system keeps food fresh up to 5 times longer and could possibly allow you to save up to $2700 per year.
Every week during my meal prepping time I make a very large salad to nosh on throughout the coming week. Let’s face it, when you get home at the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is wash and chop a bunch of veggies to make a yummy salad. Having the salad prepped and ready to go makes it almost fool proof in the face of tired out willpower at the end of the day. Using a salad spinner will ensure that your salad will last all week long. If your salad is the least bit soggy when you store it, it will get squishy quickly. The OXO salad spinner has never done me wrong. It is sturdy and has lasted me for years.
Let’s talk shopping…There are even some tools that will make shopping, dare I say…almost fun! A cute shopping bag can make shopping a little bit sassy. I have to say it is similar to a new workout outfit or a snazzy pair of sneakers! Check out these fun finds:
Oh, and check these out! I don’t know about you but I am a bit of a freak about bagging my groceries. Now, I don’t want the baggers out of a job but I really get a thrill out of putting the right things in the right bags so when I get home they are quick to put away (just another time saver! 🙂 Just look at those trolleys! …OCD heaven!
Last but not least is being travel ready. Having a quality thermal cooler tote to pack your awesome food is essential to clean eating and staying on track. Here is one that will do the trick
Alright! Let’s go shopping! Here is a link to my entire Amazon affiliate store where I have stored all of my favorite foods, tools, workout equipment and other health and fitness related items. Happy Shopping!
If you need some guidance on healthy meal prep and planning…I wrote a book on it. This guide will save you time, money and stress. I’ll teach you how to calculate how many grams of fats, protein and carbs you should be getting in each day. You’ll get a sample meal plan and I’ll teach you exactly how I would prep for that week in just one hour. Download it today and start eating well tomorrow!
$14.95
