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Hey guys!  Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the food we American’s eat and how it’s affecting our health.  I’ve been binge watching all the food documentaries on Netflix this week and there’s a LOT of conflicting information out there!

Animal products are good/No! Animal products kill us.  Cocount Oil is terrible and raises your LDL/No! coconut oil has a different kind of saturated fat and it’s great for you!  Sugar causes diabetes/No, we don’t know what causes diabetes!

And it’s amazing how these so called “health organizations” take research money from Big Food Industry and just churn out results that support what these industries want the the public to believe.  It’s really unconscionable!

So I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to eat is best described by Michael Pollen in his documentary, In Defense of Food. He says:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

So that’s how we’re eating.  I’m making 97% of what we eat here REAL food and mostly plants.  That way we get relatively no chemicals/preservatives in our diet. Except for what we get from the non-organic stuff I buy.  Let’s face it. Organic is expensive and there are some things that our store doesn’t even carry as organic. So I’m doing the best I can.  I make sure that what I juice is organic because I tend to react to non-organic stuff.

I will say that I can do this because I work from home and I only work part-time right now.  My health is getting better, but it s.l.o.w. going.  I’m not sure how I could do this like I am if I had to work outside the home, but I know that it can be done.  It’d just take massive planning and great organization and forethought.  If you work outside the home, you can do it.  Just plan, plan, plan and get your entire family involved.  As the saying goes, many hands make light work.!

I have to say that I’m fortunate.  I have all of these wonderful, amazing tools in my kitchen.  It makes food prep SO much easier!  I probably could get rid of all the other “tools” I have, except spatulas and stuff.  These are the tools I use every day or allllmost every day.  I seriously couldn’t live without them.  They are the life-blood to my culinary efforts!

Here are the Top 8 Must Have Kitchen Tools You Need to Make Eating Whole Foods Easier!

1. A great chef’s knife

Ok. You’re probably going to have a minor coronary when you see how expensive this knife is!  We were gifted this knife when we got married by Morgan’s boss.  He worked for a vegetarian restaurant in Oxford, MS and his boss, Jon Anderson gave it to us.

We’ve had this one knife for almost 20 years! We have a sharper and it just keeps on going.  I use it multiple times every day.  If someone came in and stole this knife, I’d be more upset than if they took all our electronic devices!  That’s how much I love this knife.  (‘cept for my imac, cuz then I’d not be able to talk to you very well…)

2. A great pairing knife

This knife, I just got a couple of years ago.  Mine is actually from IKEA, and I don’t know how I lived without it!  But I have this one on my wish list because there is nothing like a Wusthof knife.

I use it to cut all the smaller stuff like strawberries and herbs. Its awesome.

3. At least 2 cutting boards

I have three and use them all the time.  I have this big plastic one that is so great for cutting up all the stuff I juice.  I use it for meat as well. Because it’s plastic, it’s very versatile and it’s held up incredibly well over the years! It has a trench around the outside so it helps to catch any juice and keeps it from spilling it all over the floor if you need to move the board around.  I love it so much.

Small Bamboo Cutting Board

I also love my small bamboo board.  I use it when I don’t need to drag out the giant one.  So like, if I want to cut up some herbs or berries. It’s perfect!  

4. An awesome blender/food processor

Holy, moly.  I’m on my second Ninja and am smitten with it.  I use it for all kinds of things… It’s great for smoothies because it crushes the ice like no bodies business. Especially the small, individual cups.  If you get one, you HAVE to get the version that has the small cups.  I use them not only for smoothies, but for anything small I need to blend… guacamole, salad dressings, etc.

And this version comes with a food processor attachment.  I WISH I had that.  I have a kitchen aid food processor, which is great, but the way the bowl is made, it leaks.  So I just use it to shred blocks of cheese mostly.

6. A Pot Strainer

When I was thinking about the most important tools in my kitchen, this is one that surprised me.  But I use it so much that it had to make this list.  The one below is on my wish list.  Mine is just a mesh strainer that’s big and flat and covers the pot.  This one actually has handles and would make it even easier.   In fact, I think I’m going to order it as soon as I’m done writing this post!

7. A strong juicer

Ok.  You don’t have to have a juicer, but for me, it’s vital.  I have to have green juice and it’s so expensive at the health food store cafe.  I can make a whole gallon of green juice for what it costs me a 12 oz at the Cafe. So this juicer has paid for itself many times over.

These days, I’m putting it to work.  Green juice is the only thing that makes me feel significantly better.  And feeling better is priority numero uno right now!

 

8. A powerful mixer

Finallly, I love my professional grade Kitchen Aid mixer. I use this baby just about every other day.  I make gluten free banana nut bread and all kinds of other stuff.  This one is bigger and more expensive but I love the drop down bowl and I can make larger batches in bulk if I want.  I’ve had this for over 10 years now and it’s still going strong!

So those are my top 8 kitchen tools that I have to have to make eating a whole foods diet easier.  I’m not sure what the “best” diet is, but I’m banking on that eating real food with little to no sugar and processed foods is the way to go.  I personally don’t do much dairy because it slows down my digetstion too much, and I’m cutting way back on other animal products after watching all those documentaries on Netflix.  I cried when a farmer butchered a duck and now that’s all I see when I cook meat.  I love animals and was even a vegetarian for a few years, so it’s really not weird or new to me.

I do get fresh eggs from a friend who raises chickens and they have a huge pen to run around in and the family loves and takes care of them.  That makes me happy!

Do you eat like Michael Pollen says?  What kitchen tool do you use most often that isn’t on this list?

Let me know down in the comments below!

xoxo

Gwen