We are getting close. Can you feel it? Just 3 more steps (including this one) to complete the jumpstart to your whole food lifestyle! Have you learned anything so far? Has this series been useful? I would LOVE to hear your feedback on how to make it more helpful for more people!But before we continue, let's keep it real. How did the purging go? Was it difficult? Easier than you expected? Either way, I hope you were able to work through it with the mindset of making healthy habits easier. We eat what is available, kids and adults alike. Think about that...
When I hear parents say that their child will only eat mac & cheese I have to fight really hard to not be snarky, because who does the grocery shopping??? They eat what WE give them. If kids are never exposed to vegetables, how will they ever acquire a taste for them? I'm ranting again... This IS important though. It may be hard to hear/read sometimes but it needs to be said. Habits need to change. We need to take our health back as individuals and as families. WE CAN DO THIS! 💛
Step 8: Helpful Tools
Let's put it out there from the get-go... You don't HAVE to have any of these tools but they can certainly make your whole food lifestyle much easier and more interesting. They will give you more options & variety. And variety is good, right?
It was fun to look back at a past post I did on the "Top 6 Must-Have Kitchen Tools" a while back. That list is similar but I have discovered even more helpful tools since then... I know that they can be an investment when initially purchasing them, but you and your family are worth it. The good quality products will last for many, many years. And since you don't have to have any of them, there is no hurry. Add to your kitchen tools when you are able to. Conveniently, there are always special occasions throughout the year that could be a good time to get a new "toy" for yourself (birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas...). Watch for the sales too. I have seen Costco have sales on many of these tools!
Anyway, here are the helpful tools and the order I would suggest getting them.
Helpful Tools
- Blender - I have a Blendtec, which I love but I also know people who are happy with the Vitamix or the very economical Ninja. The cool thing about a decent blender, is that it can serve a lot of the same functions in making food as a food processor. I use my blender almost every day and sometimes multiple times in a day. In our house, it is a must-have.
- Deep Freeze - Ours is like a member of our family. Seriously. I had a really hard time letting go of ours before we moved cross-country, only to buy another one. We buy our grass-fed beef and other meat in bulk when we can and so we need to have somewhere to store it (see other whole-food budget tips here). Once your family is big enough, this naturally becomes a must-have in order to afford quality meat.
- Quality Knives - There are plenty of good options out there, I personally have a Wusthof set. For a whole food lifestyle, you are going to be doing a lot of dicing and chopping, so investing in good knives will definitely be money well-spent!
- Spiralizer - Depending on the one you get, these run around $30 bucks. But I love how there are countless ways to incorporate more veggies into your diet with this baby! It is really fast & easy to use. I mostly use mine to make noodles out of zucchini or other veggies.
- Food Processor - There are definitely times that I prefer to use my food processor over my blender, like when making these Ice Box Chocolate Chip Cookies, or the mashed cauliflower for the top of my Shepherd's Pie but you could technically make them both in a quality blender.
- Dehydrator - This tool is more of a luxury to have than the others but it is really useful in my house! I make my own jerky regularly and I enjoy making my 1 Ingredient Fruit Leather when fruit is in season and super cheap. I have an Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator and have been very happy with it.
- Ice Cream Maker - If you love ice cream and also don't tolerate creamy dairy very well (like I do), then I would highly recommend getting an ice cream maker; they are pretty inexpensive. I have this one. Coconut milk ice cream is easy to make and really yummy.
