Ultimate Healthy Eating Gadgets
If you were to stop by for a visit today, you would have found me in total meal-prep mode. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that for Sunday. Well sure. For most people Sunday is perfect. It’s the last day of reprieve before a crazy week filled with long work hours, taking the kids to soccer practice, and running errands. But my schedule is a little unconventional. Sundays tend to be travel day for me so meal prep for the week is out of the question. Instead, I start the process on Wednesday. Why you ask? Fresh grocery store ads are released! Total sale shopper right here! I rely heavily on seasonal produce and weekly sales to keep my refrigerator stocked with the good stuff.
So here I am, perusing the local ads and making plans for the week. While the food is a major piece of pie when it comes to meal prep and healthy eating, it’s not all of it. Overtime, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks in the kitchen. If the meal prep or healthy eating isn’t easy, we probably won’t make it a long term habit. The key to success with healthy eating is to make it a habit. So today I want to share with you a few of my guide to ultimate healthy eating gadgets that have either: A) Made my life and meal prep a million times easier or B) Kept meal prep fun and practical. Below are my top 10 kitchen gadgets that have helped me eat healthier and stick with meal prepping week to week. If something speaks to you, links are attached so you can grab up those items for yourself!
Ultimate Healthy Eating Gadgets
Shake and Go:
I’ve been using Blender Bottles for about a year now. For starters, these bottles are heavy duty, leak-resistance, and lightweight. They are also incredibly versatile and can be used for smoothies, protein shakes, water, and I’ve even heard of people using them to mix baby formula. The company also states you can use them for mixing pancake batter or scrambled eggs. I recently tried the pancake batter with a little hesitation, but it worked! The credit is given to the wire ball included with the blender bottle. This little magical whisk cuts through whatever ingredients you throw at it to make a perfectly smooth mixture. I especially like it for when I make smoothies in bulk. Sometimes when you store a smoothie in the fridge for a bit, the consistency is thrown off and it separates. The mixing ball almost acts like a blender to re-mix my smoothie when I’m ready to drink it. Furthermore, for all you moms out there, this bottle is dishwasher safe, BPA free, and Phthalate-Free.
Snack and Stack:
Oh goodness, these things are so fun. I tried these GoStak containers around the time I tried the Blender Bottles. They are the bomb for adults and kids alike. For myself I find them a complete necessity for portion control. They come in multiple sizes so it makes it easy to pack reasonable portions of salad dressing, dips, nut butters, and other snacks. I’ve even used to store portions of my protein powder so I can mix with water when I’m ready. While I don’t have kids, this would totally be useful for packing snacks for the kiddos. They are perfect for packing goldfish crackers, Cherrios, or bite-size pieces of fruit. The stacking feature is also super handy to keep things together. The last thing you want is a bunch of ity-bity container floating in your car on the way to work. Finally, these containers are also dishwasher safe, BPA free, and Phthalate-Free.
Seeing is Believing:
Clear refrigerator bins have saved me when it comes to snacking. Most of us are often guilty of throwing fruits and veggies in the produce draw. Which just so happens to be hidden in the bottom of the fridge. You know what they say, “out of sight, out of mind.” These storage bins have helped me tremendously. Now I portion out healthy snacks while I meal prep and place them in these bins. I strategically place the bins at eye-level so that when I go to the fridge for a snack, my eyes are immediately drawn to the packs of grapes, carrots, hummus, or Greek yogurt. Though I have yet to try this, I imagine they would be just as useful in the pantry or freezer. They also help to keep the fridge nice and tidy and are BPA free.
Weight a Minute:
I put off buying a food scale for quite some time. I’m a dietitian for goodness sake, I should know how to portion control right?! The answer to that is yes and no. Some foods are just better portioned through weight than buy “cup” or “tablespoons.” I mean when a recipe calls for “3 ounces” of something, I don’t exactly know what that looks like. I finally caved and bought a food scale, which I believe is a necessity for anyone interested in portion control or weight management. It’s all about the portions people! I’ve been happy with this scale for a few reasons. Not only does it help be with portion control, but the battery life is great, it’s easy to clean, and the units are convertible.
Zoodle Your Noodles:
A vegetable spiralizer is perfect for the pasta junky. I myself am a self-proclaimed pasta addict. To displace the amount of pasta I consume on a regular basis, I turn my veggies into “pasta” using a spiralizer. Use a spiralizer to prepare zoodles in bulk, store in the fridge, and make mounds of pasta. Now I’m going to show you two product varieties here, mainly because of price. My favorite spiralizer, which I use most regularly, is my attachment for my KitchenAid. This spiralizer comes with multiple “noodle” sizes and is powered by electricity. The only downside is price. In order to use the attachment, you need the KitchenAid which ranges from $300-$500. On top of that you are looking to spend $60-$80 on the spiralizer attachment. If you’ve got the money, I recommend the KitchenAid variety. However, I have also used this spiralizer which serves it’s purpose well enough and costs dramatically less. The cheaper version also comes with multiple “noodle” sizes. Either choice will be a win-win!
Grab and Go:
These meal prep containers may be my favorite of all. Let’s just start with the fact that they are dirt cheap and you get seven containers to last you for every single day of the week. They are broken down into three compartments. The different portion sizes will help keep you on track. Compartments are sized at 2 1/2 cups, 3/4 cups, and 1/2 cup. They are sturdy, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and BPA free. Extra bonus points for the nesting feature which helps keep the kitchen cupboards tidy.
Pop-Lock-N-Chop-It:
I love this food chopper for meal prep and for easy cooking throughout the week. It dices and chops vegetables in bulk. I use this to dice up onion, peppers, and other veggies. Then, I place them in storage containers in the fridge or freezer. By doing this, I have a lot of the prep work done for later in the week. My veggies are all diced up and ready to go, so when I want to make a quick omelet in the morning, I don’t have to waste time cutting up the veggies. Also, the attachments have different sizes depending if you want things diced or chopped! Once again, they are BPA free and dishwasher safe. Lastly, as a side note, I have tried other varieties which have broken on me after a few uses. This one has held up well for me thus far.
Eco-friendly Bread Winner:
I’ve been a slave to the plastic sandwich baggies for quite some time. It wasn’t until recently that I thought about how much plastic I was throwing away. A few weeks back the hubby asked if I could pack his grapes in a storage container so we didn’t waste another bag. He even offered to wash his dinky little bag. That got me thinking, there has to be a better way. I stumbled across these silicone sandwich bags. The functionality of these bags is even better than the traditional plastic kind. They are reusable, airtight, and durable. You can freeze them, bake them, steam them, and microwave them. WHOA! And I’m playing this on repeat it seems: phthalates, PVC and BPA free plus dishwasher safe!
Mister Spritzer:
Do you ever feel like it’s hard to know how much oil you really need to drizzle in a pan or to coat your salad? Then you need an oil spritzer. This oil spritzer helps to evenly coat your pan or food with oil without over doing it. This brand seems to spray evenly as well. Unlike store-bought aerosol cans, they are refillable and don’t leave a residue on pots and pans.
Get More Thyme:
Last but certainly not least, you have to check out Bluapples. They are a necessity when it comes to produce preservation. These little magic balls absorb ethylene to keep your fruits and veggies lasting longer. I find this super important since I try to buy in bulk when things are on sale. The Bluapples give me a few days to a week of extra shelf life, which can be all the difference between packing in the lunch box or throwing in the garbage. Lastly –> BPA free!
Looking for all these Healthy Eating Gadgets and even more goodies? Head to our shop to keep your kitchen filled with all the latest gadgets, meal prep essentials, and tasty pantry goodies.
