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Here is a list of all my kitchen favorites that have been helpful to me on my journey to better health!
My #1 favorite, life-changing kitchen tool is my Instant Pot. A lot of people I know who bought one started out intimidated by it and let it sit in the box for a few months before attempting to use it, and then eventually falling in love with it. I was ready to use it the second I got it. You can make a perfectly tender roast in under 2 hours with minimal effort. Buffalo chicken dip is ready in 45 minutes or less. A batch of easy to peel hard-boiled eggs are ready in 15 minutes (5 minutes to come to pressure, 5 minutes to cook, 5 minutes in an ice bath). I highly recommend this product, if you do not already have one. I’ve had my IP for 6 years, and I don’t even think they make this model anymore so the one I linked to looks a little different than what I have here.
Back in 2012 when I began my paleo/primal journey, I gave up a lot of sauces and condiments because there were no primal friendly alternatives to mayo, ketchup (oh how I missed both of those condiments on my bunless burgers), ranch and Caesar dressings, etc. Coconut oil was the only healthy oil alternative so EVERYTHING tasted like coconut and I got sick of that real fast. If I wanted mayo, I had to make it from scratch and it was only good for a week or so. All baked goods were made with coconut flour and/or almond flour.
Back to the present– it’s easier than ever to eat healthy! I was in heaven when Primal Kitchen launched in 2015 and gave us our first avocado oil mayonnaise. My husband, from the northeast, had been coping just fine without mayo but I, born and raised in Florida, was having a tough time of it. PK also has an abundance of salad dressings and sauces to go with everything.
When it comes to nontoxic cookware, cast iron and stainless steel is what’s up! Stainless steel is completely free of PFAs aka forever chemicals. My experience starting out with stainless steel is that there was a learning curve, but it didn’t take long to master and the food started coming out so much better!
I cook using Calphalon stainless steel pots and pans as well as a Lodge cast iron skillet. The cast iron skillet was a game changer for getting a nice sear on my steaks and I’m definitely obsessed.
Glass is also nontoxic. I use Pyrex glass baking dishes for cooking casseroles, baking apple crisp or brownies, and for baking chicken wings crisped to perfection.
For storing leftovers or packing a lunch for work, I use Pyrex meal prep containers. It’s perfect because when you need to reheat the leftovers, you can do so in the oven without having to transfer the food to another container as you would for plastic. As someone with ADHD, minimizing steps to accomplish a task is huge.
I feel like we’ve been hearing a lot more fuss over microplastics lately. I’ve always been freaked out about the idea of plastic particles being cut up along with the food I cut on the board, so I always used bamboo boards, except for with raw meat because I felt that the wood would soak up and store bacteria. I was recently reminded of the dangers of microplastics and learned that when taken care of properly, you can keep the board from growing bacteria. But as a precaution, I bought this wooden cutting board that I use just for meat. This is the 3-piece bamboo cutting board set I’ve been using for cheese, fruits, and veggies.
Making these simple swaps to nontoxic cookware and food storage will be a game changer for your health!
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