5 Kitchen Essentials for Busy Professionals
Let’s be real. You don’t have all the time in the world to spend in the kitchen. You’re out there conquering the world – managing a household, running a business or working a job with crazy hours, bringing your kids here, there and everywhere. You need tools to help you spend less time in the kitchen while not missing out on key nutrients! Read below to learn the 5 kitchen essentials you need to spend less time cooking and have better nutrition. Please note, this post contains affiliate links.
Instant Pot
Man, do I love this thing! While some people will use allllll the functions, I’m guilty of using just a couple. First, I use it as a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers speed up cook by raising the temp of boiling water, which in turn allows for shorter cooking times and better flavor. Science aside: How many times have you forgotten to take out that chicken from the freezer? Maybe you wanted to cook a roast but forgot to thaw it. I’m a huge fan of freezer-to-Instant Pot meals! Not to mention: There’s a flash sale for Labor Day – the Instant Pot is just $69.95!
Plus, you can marinade meats ahead of time using freezer-friendly, reusable silicone bags making the cooking process seamless – whether it’s a weeknight or weekend! I use the Instant Pot for shredded chicken quite frequently. My favorite easy recipe? 3-4 chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, a can of light beer, and low sodium taco seasoning (I typically make my own but if we’re talking about saving time, the packet works!).
NutriBullet Combo
The NutriBullet blender combo has so many functions. If you haven’t caught on to the theme, I’m a fan of the multiple use appliances. Why? Because, especially as a military family who moves frequently, conserving space is important to us! Plus, who wants a bunch of clunky appliances taking up space when you never use them anyways?
The NutriBullet is highly versatile. Maybe you use shakes to supplement your meals when you don’t have time – use the NutriBullet! (Key word: supplement, not replace food!) Perhaps it’s summertime and a fresh gazpacho sounds tempting. Maybe you want to make DIY dog treats – use the NutriBullet! (If you’re curious, I do whole apples, peanut butter or PB2, plain Greek yogurt and water for my doggos!)
Flash sale for Labor Day! The Nutribullet Blender Combo is just $122.15 instead of the normal $149.99!
BPA-Free Air Popper
Did you know popcorn is actually a whole grain? This helps us get in the needed amount of fiber each day, which is usually 25 grams of fiber a day for most healthy adult women. However, in my Integrative and Functional Nutrition training, I re-learned the negative components of microwaveable-in-a-bag popcorn. This air popper allows you to enjoy a family favorite snack, get in some fiber, and avoid the toxins in popcorn bags! Amazon is offering this popcorn maker for $5 off plus you can save an extra 5% with their coupon for Labor Day!
Sous Vide Style Egg Maker
I’m a huge fan of making mini frittatas in a muffin tin as a prep-ahead breakfast. But let’s be real, they do take a bit of time! This sous vide style egg maker allows you to make egg bites in about 10 minutes – saving you the hassle of planning ahead! Sous vide is French for “under pressure” and has become popularized on menus at places like Starbucks.
If you’re family is more of the egg sandwich type (like we are), try out this dual breakfast sandwich maker, which even has a timer in case you forget what you started! I love that the sandwich maker has 2 wells, so you can cook for you and your spouse at the same time or for both your kids without fighting over who gets fed first!
BPA-Free Microwave Cover
You probably see the theme here of BPA-free, but why? BPA stands for Bisphenol A, which is known as an endocrine disrupter. In everyday busy babe language, this means that BPA affects estrogen production and metabolism (how it’s made and processed in the body). BPA may also affect human development and fertility, so we want to avoid it as much as possible! Exposure to BPA increases with heat, which is why it’s even more important that anything we use in the microwave is BPA-free.
Back to the microwave cover! Part of the hassle of cooking is cleaning, am I right?! Using this cover prevents splashes in the microwave, helping it stay clean. Plus, this cover can be washed in the dishwasher, saving time there as well.
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