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We recently moved into a new home and amongst all the purging, packing, organizing, unpacking, and reorganizing, I realized something… we really don't need that many kitchen tools to have a fully functional kitchen that helps us make healthy meals at home almost every night of the week. It’s so easy to impulse buy the latest kitchen appliance or gadget with just a click. But you too can outfit your kitchen with equipment you’ll use again and again without breaking the bank. Here are the 5 kitchen essentials, tools and appliances I actually use on a regular basis as a registered dietitian who cooks at home 6 of 7 nights a week…  2-in-1 Glass Oil SprayerIf you’re tired of buying and trashing cooking oil sprays every few months, a Glass Oil Sprayer is a perfect long-term solution! I love this 2-in-1 version that sprays a fine mist for minimally added oil, or allows me to pour when I need to thoroughly coat the bottom of my pot or pan.  GreenPan Ceramic Nonstick Cookware and BakewareI’ve been using GreenPan products for the last 2+ years and I do not intend on stopping! We own cookware and bakeware from both their Reserve collection (including pots, sheetpans, muffin tins) and Spectra lines that we use on a daily basis. Their nonstick coating is made of ceramic, making kitchen clean up oh so quick – there’s no soaking or scraping needed, ever!  Glass Food Storage ContainersWe’ve slowly been replacing our plastic tupperware with durable Glass Food Storage Containers and they've been beneficial in more ways than I imagined! Not only are we using less plastic food storage, but we can prep, serve, store and reheat foods with just one container. This means less dirty dishes x3. Now that’s what I call efficiency! BlenderBottle It has been a brutal summer all across the U.S. and as a side effect, we found ourselves enjoying more iced drinks to help us power through the summer heat. From iced instant coffees to prebiotic drink mixes, they were so easy to assemble with a BlenderBottle. Just add in all your ingredients and in a few shakes you have something delicious to drink! The BlenderBall Whisk, a stainless steel wire whisk is able to break up any powder clumps beautifully and without much effort. Beast BlenderNo matter the size of your home, kitchen counter space is precious. So, I love how compact personal blenders are, like Beast Blender, while still being very functional for our household of two. It’s high-performing and able to tackle everything from rock-hard frozen fruit for smoothies to raw root veggies for dressings and marinades. We’re never going back to a regular-sized blender!
The biggest takeaway? You don't need a kitchen full of gadgets to make healthy meals at home. A few reliable kitchen essentials that you actually use can go a long way toward making cooking, meal prep, and cleanup easier.
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 Harvard Business Review has shared that the average person makes ~35,000 decisions each day! 🤯 And let’s be real… there’s a lot of decisions to made about food and what you’re going to eat every single day, and multiples times throughout your day. (No wonder decision fatigue around food is so real!) With “eating healthier” continuing to be a top New Years resolution, I thought I’d share the 3 questions that help me meal plan each week, and in turn stick to healthier eating week to week.  (1) What do I/we need to use or eat up? Fresh meats and produce don’t stay fresh forever, and even frozen and shelf-stable goods have a “best buy” date. Plan meals around these soon-expiring items to reduce your food waste and maximize your money already spent!  (2) What’s on sale right now? What do I have coupons for? Now if you’re not trying to “save more money” feel free to skip this question, but I like to use weekly sales and digital coupons offered at my go-to grocery store to help me decide on what types of recipes I’m going to make for the coming week.  (3) What do I feel like eating / what am I craving?
If you’re under the impression that healthy eating means depriving yourself of your favorite flavors and foods then someone has steered you wrong! Making your own at-home versions of your favorite foods makes meal planning and cooking more enjoyable. So be sure to plan for a comfort food/meal or two for the week — your tastebuds will be sure to thank you! What other factors help you decide what to make/cook each week? I’d love to hear ‘em! lindsey 
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