I really wanted to share my christmas list of things I absolutely can not live without in my kitchen. Many of them have to do with my last years New Years Resolution to use less plastic. I am really passionate about lowering my food waste and my impact on the food system so this decision was easy for me. However, it was also hard to navigate through at first. That is why I am really excited to share the things I found the most useful and also give ideas about the best cookware on the market that doesn’t pose risks to your health with contaminants.

If you want to learn about how plastic recycles into our food system I would highly recommend the Zooey Deschanel series “The Farm Project“. There are tons of short slips about our food system and she has a great clip on plastic and how that affects the environment and the fish we eat.

So here is my list of my top ten things I use in my kitchen daily. Descriptions are all below :).

1. Reusable Sandwich Bags. There are so many of these now on the market. I actually put more of these on my list this year because I currently only have two and wash them daily. We use significantly less plastic bags because of this but if I had more I wouldn’t buy any more sandwich plastic bags. Brands I love are Bee’s Wrap, Lunch Skins, (re)zip, and there are so many more. Cost wise you are looking at buying 2-3 bags for $15-20.
2. Zwillings Chef’s Knife. My sister actually bought this for me as a housewarming gift and to be honest I was like “umm but I already have knifes”… but I was so horribly wrong. This is literally the only knife we use and we use it everyday. Best gift ever! They are costly for one knife but so worth it. Cost wise you are looking at around $70 for the Chef’s Knife.
3. Glass Tupperware. Although I do own some plastic tupperware we really only use the glassware tupperware. I just don’t feel that overtime whether its tupperware or water bottles that chemicals don’t start to leech out so we made the switch to glassware mainly. At the time I just shopped around at TJ Maxx for deals but there are tons of great brands. I personally love the Life Factory Brand if you have kids it’s pretty kid proof but plain Pyrex are great too.
4. Hard Anodized Non-Stick Pan. Somehow Kevin and I have made our way through multiple expensive non-stick pans because they always scratch and wear to the point where you don’t feel comfortable eating off of them anymore. Lots of people don’t realize too that as soon as a pan or skillet starts to wear it should be thrown out. While stainless steel is always a good option it is harder to clean and takes up more time so I have been looking for the best option and hard anodized is the way to go. I choose All-Clad as the way to go as a nutritionist it is known as typically the gold standard for brands but is definitely pricey. That being said I probably go through a pan every 1-2 years and these pans last a lifetime. Cost wise you are usually looking at $120 for two frying pans  but at Macy’s right now you can get two for $60.00.
5. Norwex. I love this cleaning brand. This cloth is as easy as wash, rub together, rinse, and repeat. This one purchase has cut down so much on our paper towel use it’s unreal. The brand in general has so much to offer too for reusable cleaning products that are amazing. Cost wise for just $14 you can’t go wrong.
6. Reusable Lunch Pals. I have three to be exact. You can never have enough in my opinion. I love the brand SoYoung because they have the cutest bags and they are made from recycled products themselves. The bag also is insulated and very high quality compared to other brands I’ve gotten.
7. Yeti coffee mug. I actually won this mug about three years ago and I remember thinking really a mug. At the time it was like $75 for a mug and I was so confused by it. It was just a mug…… nope wrong! I bring this everywhere and even have it filled instead of getting the cups at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. It keeps my coffee or tea hot all day or my water cold all day. I use this everyday and it is life changing. Cost wise you are looking at $25 for your new favorite coffee mug!
8. Stop using plastic bags! They are everywhere and there’s just no reason for it. Once I stopped using them I became more aware of how often they are given. I do still get them from time to time when I forget a bag but I make a point to recycle them at our local grocery store. The best thing you can do to stop using plastic bags is to stock up on reusable bags at your local grocery store and keep them in your car. I have about 10. I also have stocked up on produce bags from Norwex since I use those often too. Cost wise you could spend $20 dollars and have more bags then you need.
9. Le Creuset Stoneware Cookware is the best! I think my mom has every kind of dish they make and it’s because they are really nice and last forever. It’s always nice to have a casserole dish that you can count on and they come in cute colors. Cost wise they are about $100 but you can also find them at TJMax for about half the price.
10. Ninja Pro Blender. While having a big blender is nice. We’ve found that just the individual pro is great for everyday use. We’ve been making a smoothie every morning over the past year and it’s worked out just as well as my parents Vitamix. Cost wise you can get one for $60-80. (We’ve gotten a cheaper one from Walmart and that lasted for about 6 months so I would recommend against that.)

Well I hope these gifts help you pick out that perfect gift for that nutritionist or foodie lover in your life. Feel free to share your favorite gifts you given or received for the use in the kitchen!

We all get into the morning rush and by the time we know it its 15 minutes until we leave and we haven’t even made our lunch yet. There are so many days I eat breakfast in my car. That is why Kevin and I love to make a recipe we can prepare the night before and enjoy all week.

I love quiches because they are like pizza. You can literally throw anything into them and they taste great. I decided to use up our gardens tomatoes and basil to make our quiche and it was perfect.

It was very easy to make. I did use a pie crust but you don’t technically need it. I baked the crust for 12 minutes at 425 degrees and then filled it with 5 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 2 cups of cheese, 1/4 tsp of salt, sprinkles of pepper, 8 cut up basil leaves, 1/4 cups of frozen spinach, and 10 chopped up cherry tomatoes. Then I baked it bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Feel free to share what you like to add to your quiche or comment on the recipe below!

Gazpacho. I am now dreaming of its cool, refreshing, crisp taste. Even the name itself is cool. My mom introduced me this past weekend to the soup and I loved it. You can find the recipe we made here.

Gazpacho originated from Andalusia Spain and is very popular in the Southern tip of Spain. It is a “spicy, cold soup” made from only the freshest of vegetables. There really is no said “recipe” formulary but fresh tomatoes are vital. Flavors can also be easily added and it is typically served with bread.

This soup is perfect for this time of year as tomatoes are in season and it is hot, hot, hot in August. My mom bought a half bushel of tomatoes which was a tad bit too much if you know what I mean. Literally, a laugh out loud moment. She was able to make good use out of them though. I can’t say I helped much but my mom painstaking spent the rest of the day crushing tomatoes. After that was finished, we made the soup.

First we gathered about ten tomatoes(3-4 pounds), one zucchini, one cucumber, one onion, three cloves of garlic, a couple pinches of salt, and three tablespoons of olive oil. We then simply added those to our food processor one at a time and then blended together and that was all there was to it. We stored it in a mason jar afterwards and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill. Around dinner time we pulled it back out and cooked up some shrimp as our complementary protein (lots of other meats might work). We decided to add some spice by adding cilantro and of course we had to add avocado just because. We didn’t have bread but it was noted it would have been perfect with a toasted baguette.

All in all. It was an quick, light dinner that is now staying in my rotation as a summer staple.

I would love to hear about what other ingredients you have added to your gazpacho – feel free to comment below!

All of the sudden school is back and in full force. While there a million books and school supplies to worry about lunches should not be one of them. Here are some full proof lunch rules I follow to make a healthy lunch everyday for work that are easier then you think.

1. Aim for 4-5 foods groups. Refer to MyPlate- just the graphic alone helps.                     
2. Pay attention to portions. Having a separated lunch box or containers that are portion sized can be a huge help. There are tons on the market that skip the whole process of measuring and/or weighing food. I use the yumbox.
3. Make it colorful. Try for at least 3 colors! Variety is important and foods with many colors are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are especially important foods that fight oxidative stress in our body.
4. Have fun with the food. Play with shapes and sizes of foods. It can help to make old foods new again!
5. Make the lunch/s the night before and take the stress out of your morning. In the morning making lunches can be hectic and it gives you more time to focus on making breakfast.

Here are some of my examples. I included vegetarian options too.

1. The Classic Peanut Butter Sandwich                                                                               I made the peanut butter sandwich fun again by making little sushi rolls and hit all five food groups. You can do this with any sandwich and kids might even want to make their own. The whole wheat bread is the grain, peanut butter is the protein, mozzarella cheese is the dairy, strawberries are the fruit, and carrots are the vegetable.
2. The Chicken Salad                                                                                                            Another minimal lunch where cutting up some vegetables and fruits I had on hand was the hardest part. The protein was chicken and chickpeas, vegetables was the romaine lettuce and radishes, the fruit was plums, and the dairy was strawberry yogurt. I used balsamic vinaigrette which is healthy fat to boot. There was no grain in this one but you could easily add a granola bar and call it a day.
3. The Mediterranean Pita                                                                                                               Kids love avocados and hummus. I  have found a bunch of cool pita pockets at the store which are great for pizzas or hummus. The grain is the whole wheat pita, the vegetable is the avocado, romaine, and tomato, the fruit was the cantaloupe, and the protein was the plain hummus. There is no dairy but you could always pop in a cheese stick, milk, or yogurt.
4. The Taco Bowl                                                                                                                               We made tacos the night before and then just cooked up some brown rice and cut up a peach and it was set. The grain was brown rice, the dairy was the cheese, the fruit was the peach, the meat was the ground hamburger, and the vegetables were the tomato and lettuce.
5. Make Your Own Pizza                                                                                                                  Kids love making their own pizza! The whole wheat english muffin was the grain, the cheese was the dairy, the cucumbers, broccoli, and tomatoes were the vegetables. There is no protein or fruit in this one but you could easily add a handful of almonds and apple on the side.

Hopefully, this helps give you some ideas and helps make lunch making breeze. Feel free to share your favorite lunch box ideas below!