Busy Kitchen Must Haves! (IMHO)
IMHO -
How do ya'll read that anyway ? Humble or Honest ? Hmmmm... I say humble just the little bit of sarcasm I have inherited from the Mancave side of the family after all these years.....
Anyways...
Over the course of our life together I have pretty much always had a non-traditional work schedule (read not a 9-5er) So I have always relied heavily on kitchen tools to make home cooked meals pretty much always.
These are my top three! To make busy kitchens function and bring everyone together (even if everyone is eating at different times ) and make sure we are eating as healthy as possible trying to stay as close as possible to the eat clean rule of 80/20.
#1 Crock pot - With a timer! These are pretty much a no brainer married or not most woman receive one as some sort of housewarming gift after the age of 20. Throw in all the ingredients, put a timer on for the day and go! Your house smells amazing when you return home in the evening and your family thinks you are some sort of superhero!
Even if the only thing you put in the Crock pot is your lean meat for the evening meal - you then only need 20-30minutes to make your side dishes.
#2 Rice Cooker - This was something I stumbled upon as a young wife/mother, my grandmother passed away and while cleaning out her New York City Apartment we came across multiple rice cookers. I kept one, my mom kept one, and I will never live another day without one. In fact - that one finally gave out in the midst of cooking a few years ago on a weekend, Mr Mancave was on his way home from Baseball with K man and I nicely requested they stop immediately to purchase a new one!
Why a Rice cooker you ask ? Brown Rice, Quinoa, oatmeal all easily cooked in a rice cooker both that I have owned also came with a steamer tray so you put the Quinoa in the bottom with the liquid of your choosing, place the steamer tray on top with the veggies of your choosing the veggies steam nicely and guess what all those nutrients from steaming are also now in your Rice, Quinoa and your kids (or husbands) don't know a thing!
#3 Magic Bullet (blender) - Yes yes, there are large expensive blenders being demonstrated everywhere and they are awesome. I really do just love the compact size for so many reason!
I can blend my shakeology in the cup I will drink from.
Dressing can be made easily and then put a lid on to save the rest for another use.
Great for making Spinach pesto - which my kids love (and husband) and they have no clue they are eating spinach!
So Those are my favorite must haves in a busy kitchen! Next week I'll post my favorite quick recipes for each one! Now drop me a message and tell me what are your must haves in your kitchen?
How do ya'll read that anyway ? Humble or Honest ? Hmmmm... I say humble just the little bit of sarcasm I have inherited from the Mancave side of the family after all these years.....
Anyways...
Over the course of our life together I have pretty much always had a non-traditional work schedule (read not a 9-5er) So I have always relied heavily on kitchen tools to make home cooked meals pretty much always.
These are my top three! To make busy kitchens function and bring everyone together (even if everyone is eating at different times ) and make sure we are eating as healthy as possible trying to stay as close as possible to the eat clean rule of 80/20.
#1 Crock pot - With a timer! These are pretty much a no brainer married or not most woman receive one as some sort of housewarming gift after the age of 20. Throw in all the ingredients, put a timer on for the day and go! Your house smells amazing when you return home in the evening and your family thinks you are some sort of superhero!
Even if the only thing you put in the Crock pot is your lean meat for the evening meal - you then only need 20-30minutes to make your side dishes.
#2 Rice Cooker - This was something I stumbled upon as a young wife/mother, my grandmother passed away and while cleaning out her New York City Apartment we came across multiple rice cookers. I kept one, my mom kept one, and I will never live another day without one. In fact - that one finally gave out in the midst of cooking a few years ago on a weekend, Mr Mancave was on his way home from Baseball with K man and I nicely requested they stop immediately to purchase a new one!
Why a Rice cooker you ask ? Brown Rice, Quinoa, oatmeal all easily cooked in a rice cooker both that I have owned also came with a steamer tray so you put the Quinoa in the bottom with the liquid of your choosing, place the steamer tray on top with the veggies of your choosing the veggies steam nicely and guess what all those nutrients from steaming are also now in your Rice, Quinoa and your kids (or husbands) don't know a thing!
#3 Magic Bullet (blender) - Yes yes, there are large expensive blenders being demonstrated everywhere and they are awesome. I really do just love the compact size for so many reason!
I can blend my shakeology in the cup I will drink from.
Dressing can be made easily and then put a lid on to save the rest for another use.
Great for making Spinach pesto - which my kids love (and husband) and they have no clue they are eating spinach!
So Those are my favorite must haves in a busy kitchen! Next week I'll post my favorite quick recipes for each one! Now drop me a message and tell me what are your must haves in your kitchen?
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