Want to Eat Healthier? It’s all in the Tools!

Any craftsman will tell you it’s much easier to create a masterpiece when you have the right tools. Same thing goes for the kitchen! And, you don’t have to be an accomplished chef to create meals at home which taste like a masterpiece and provide added benefit to your health.

It’s starts with stocking the right tools and ingredients. Here are a few kitchen favorites which every healthy cook will love:

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Replace your pasta with vegetable spirals for an instant healthy and satisfying meal. A simple meal can be created with zucchini, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. Other vegetables to work with are carrots, beets, or sweet potatoes. My family gave me this one as a Christmas gift and I love it….they love the meals I make with it too: KitchenAid KSM1APC Spiralizer Attachment with Peel, Core & Slice

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Use the best quality you can afford and keep them clean and sanitized. It’s recommended to have one board for meats and another for vegetables and fruits in order to avoid cross contamination and food-borne illnesses from spreading. Wood cutting boards are better than plastic because it’s possible for bacteria to get into the crevices of plastic cutting boards. You can find ones just like what’s in the picture, hand-crafted from the best hard woods here: Esty Wood Cutting Boards

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When you keep the amount of oil you are using in your cooking to a minimum by using a quality non-stick pan, you can cut calories. Then, when you do use oil, be sure to use a high-quality oil such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, or to really reduce calories, use a mixture of 1 part Olive Oil to 1 part Chicken Broth for your cooking needs. You’ll benefit from the healthy fats of Olive Oil and a little extra (low-fat) flavor from the broth.

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Again, get the highest quality you can afford and keep them sharp. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to fillet freshly-caught fish with a dull knife (that comes from experience!). You can get a full set of knives, or simply choose the ones you use most often. I find that I consistently use the same 3 knives over and over so a full set is not always necessary if you’re stumped on which knife set to purchase.

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This little tool makes prep time much easier when chopping onions, peppers, carrots or any other hard veggie. You can also use a food processor for this purpose; although for small jobs, a hand chopper may be the better choice.

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We love our Vitamix which we purchased at a county fair over 25 years ago and have been using the same one ever since…it was built to last! Not only is it great for smoothies and quick and easy ice cream, it’s also great for grinding dry goods down to a fine powder or flour. You can turn almonds and rolled oats into flours to add to your baking to get more fiber in your diet and add some extra flavor. You can quickly mix up a morning or mid-day protein shake, even adding some greens which blend in nicely!

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This is great for squeezing the most juice out of your lemons and limes. It works on larger citrus as well, such as oranges; however, I find that I use mine mostly for that morning squeeze of lemon in a cup of warm water. This little combo is a great tonic for your liver and a boost for your skin. Try it!

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Once you start cooking at home more often, you’ll quickly learn that you don’t need a lot of extra tools, just a few which making cooking a pleasure and help you to reach your personal lifestyle and fitness goals.

Tell me…what kitchen tool or gadget do you love?

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