Kitchen Tools To Encourage Home Cooking
If you're a regular reader of my articles, you know that cooking your own food at home can better fuel your metabolism and boost your fat loss. The trick is finding the time and motivation to get started.
Healthy cooking doesn't have to be time consuming and it can be a lot of fun. The trick, in my opinion, is to have all of the right gadgets!
Here are 5 of my very favorites:
1. The Pot Minder: I can't believe that this amazing little invention costs less than $3 on Amazon.com. I just might buy one for every one of my friends. You just put it in the pot with your pasta or potatoes, and the pot will never boil over! Even better, the little stone makes a small rattling noise when it's working, which lets you know that your water is boiling. This makes pasta and potatoes simple!
2. The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine: I'll admit that this device costs about 167 times as much as the Pot Minder. But, I really couldn't live without it. The high powered, heavy duty motor can power through anything. I use my Bosch as a bread mixer (does all the work in kneading whole wheat dough,) a regular mixer, a blender, a slicer, and a food processor. Once you have one, you'll never be able to survive without it. If you already have a Bosch Mixer, or if you have a KitchenAid mixer, email me for the best 100% whole wheat bread recipe you'll ever try in your life. This recipe has made my family "bread snobs." Even my 4 yr-old doesn't accept a peanut butter sandwich until he's checked if it's to be made with homemade bread.
3. The Magic Bullet: This is definitely, as they say in Spanish, "un capricho." In other words, it's really fun to have but certainly not necessary. Any blender will work great for chopping nuts and making smoothies, but I love the Magic Bullet for its convenience. It makes single serving smoothies in cute personal mugs. For me, this has significantly increased my smoothie intake. Smoothies are an excellent way to get in your daily fruit needs and to enjoy a healthy "treat."
4. The Roul'Pat: If you ever roll out dough or work with anything sticky, you're going to love the Roul'Pat. Nothing sticks to it. It holds nicely to the countertop while you use it to roll out doughs. Used in combination with a nonstick rolling pin, this will speed up your baking projects and make home baked goods less of a rarity in your home.
5. An Egg Cooker: This is one of those gadgets that I really just bought on a whim. When I discovered that they exist, I just had to try one. I love it! The wonderful little device whips up a batch of hard boiled eggs that magically shed their shells quickly and easily for an egg salad or other great recipes. It also makes incredible poached eggs without the use of any oil or butter. Just start it and walk away. It keeps your eggs warm until you're ready to eat. No need to watch a pan or flip eggs to cook evenly. Yay!
Some of my other favorites can be found here. I'll tell you more about the yogurt cheese maker in a future newsletter. You'll be amazed at all of the calories that can be cut on the most delicious homemade favorites by substituting yogurt cheese for high-fat ingredients.
So, I invite you to treat yourself to a fun new kitchen gadget. While you're at it, commit to cooking one more homemade meal this week. Even if that just means you'll be cooking once this week, that's an improvement. You can do it! You'll love how the food tastes better and the calories are lower. Plus, there's the added benefit of no "mystery ingredients." (You know, those ingredients on the label that you can't pronounce and certainly can't define.)
Don't forget to check out the wonderful collection of homemade recipes on your MyFitnessTrainer.com Member page. Just click on Recipes. And, you can see other member's healthy recipes on the Fitness Forum here.
Enjoy!
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