Many of us are trying to eat and be healthier. Have you stopped to consider all the little things you do and have in your house that are helping you achieve those goals?
I am a board member for a nonprofit in my community. At a recent meeting planning our upcoming fund-raising event, someone asked the Logistics Coordinator what her duties were for the event. She said ‘I do all the things no one else wants to do’. I stopped her in her tracks and said she does all the things that hold the whole event together. It got me thinking about all the little things we do or have that hold the rest of our lives together.
Here’s my list of 5 tools I use in my house to help me eat better.
1. All size food saver bags – One gallon, sandwich and snack sized bags. In my house there are just two of us. Cooking for two can sometimes be hard. We have lots of leftovers and it doesn’t always get eaten in time. Gallon sized bags are perfect for freezing food to eat later. Sandwich and snack bags are great for helping you keep tabs on your portions. Many of us eat what is in front of us, so the smaller the bag, the less we eat.
2. Food saving containers – Just like the bags, food saving containers help preserve food to eat later. They are re-usable and easy to take with you to the office, school or anywhere your life takes you. I use them to pack balanced lunches to bring to work. Carbohydrates are usually easy to travel with but with a sturdier food container you can take your grains, proteins, fruits and veggies on the road without them getting squished. They are also great for food prep.
3. Metrics conversion chart – When we change our diets to eat better we usually try out new recipes. If you need to double a recipe or split it in half, it is handy to have a metrics conversion chart nearby. We have one on our fridge and I use it weekly to convert recipes to portions we can handle.
4. The Internet – We talked about it before, the Internet is a great tool for finding new recipes, swapping out ingredients and getting nutritional information on some of your favorite recipes. No matter how stuck, or lazy, or uninspired you feel there are places online to help jump start your kitchen.
5. Blank binder – This was my mom’s idea but it is one of the best things that has happened to my kitchen. She gave me a blank binder loaded with family recipes and lots of blank pages. When I find new recipes, they go in the front pocket of the binder. After we try it, if we like it, it goes into a page in the binder. We now have our very own healthy cookbook that we made.
Those are just a few examples. It is easier to eat better when you have the tools you need in front of you. We spend a lot of time and money on the food we need but we also should make sure we have all the tools we need in our kitchen to make the preparation of that food easier and a part of our lifestyle.
What tools do you use in your kitchen for healthier eating habits?
Amanda O’Brien is originally from Peaks Island, Maine and currently works at Hall Web Services managing their inbound marketing team. She is a self proclaimed workaholic who tries to maintain a busy lifestyle. She is an amateur yogi and runner. Amanda contributes regularly to the Guiding Stars Blog.