Kitchen and Baking
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Every time I make dinner, I try to make extra to freeze for the nights I don’t have time to cook. My husband and I both work night shifts in a factory, and these molds have been a lifesaver. We just fill them up and toss them in the freezer. When it’s time for work, we pop out what we need for lunch, and it’s thawed and ready by the time our break rolls around.
These are much better than plastic or glass because you don’t have to worry about them cracking in the freezer. They come in several different sizes, making it easy to freeze individual servings of:
-Soups and stews
-Lasagna or casseroles
-Cooked veggies and mashed potatoes
-Oats, quinoa, or applesauce
If you're looking for a way to make meal prep easier and more durable, I highly recommend these.
I’ll admit it, I am a sucker for those influencer reels! As soon as I saw this grater, I had to have it, and it did not disappoint.
I really dislike using bagged shredded cheese for my casseroles because it just doesn't melt as well as the fresh stuff. With this tool, I can grate a full two-pound block of cheese in just a few minutes. It suctions firmly to the counter so it won't slide around, and a bowl fits perfectly under the spout to catch everything.
One important tip: I actually had to buy a second one because I put the frame of my first one in the dishwasher and it warped. The metal blades are dishwasher-safe, but I highly recommend hand-washing the plastic frame. It worked so well that I couldn't go back to my old way of grating, so I bought a replacement immediately!
I love this warming mat for dinners at the chapel, cookouts, or any potluck. It’s the easiest way to keep a dish nice and warm while everyone is socializing.
Food usually doesn't last long around my house once I ring the dinner bell! However, I do use this at home occasionally just to make sure everything is still warm when the kids go back for seconds. It’s much easier than trying to keep the oven on or reheating individual plates. If you do a lot of hosting or attend community dinners, this is a very handy tool to have.
I make a lot of homemade applesauce and apple butter for my family, and this tool makes the job a breeze. The first time I used it, I couldn't believe how quickly I was able to peel 10 pounds of apples. When you have a lot of fruit to get through, it is a massive time-saver.
Pro-Tip: Don’t toss your scraps! I always keep the peels to make my own homemade apple cider vinegar.
If you do any kind of canning or large-batch cooking with apples, this is a tool you definitely want in your kitchen. It takes a tedious job and makes it go by in minutes.
This tool is a must-have if you use a lot of Mason jars for storage. It allows you to remove sealed lids without destroying them. When I use a regular can opener, the lids often get bent and become unusable, but this tool keeps them in perfect shape.
A quick reminder: You aren’t supposed to reuse these lids for actual canning, but they are perfect to reuse for all my other storage needs around the house and shop. It saves money and keeps my jars looking neat and sealed tight.
We really love this product. It comes with 14 containers, including two large ones for lettuce. This is perfect for us because my husband likes plain ol' iceberg lettuce while I prefer romaine or spinach.
Once a week, I chop all our vegetables (I’ll include my favorite chopper below), cook some chicken, and prepare sprouts for toppings. Everything stores neatly and safely in these containers, which fit perfectly into my bottom fridge drawer. We eat salad almost every day now, and having everything ready to go has vastly increased our healthy food intake while cutting down on my daily cooking time.
This is the chopper I mentioned for my weekly salad prep! It makes chopping peppers, cucumbers, and even strawberries so easy and fast. It’s one of my favorite time-savers when I’m getting ready for a busy work week.
A very important warning: Please be careful with this tool! The blades are super sharp. I have cut my fingers many times just grabbing the blades to replace or clean them. I highly recommend using extra caution whenever you’re handling the inserts so you don't have the same trouble I did.
If you are like me and prep your salads a week in advance, you need this knife. I use it to chop up my romaine and iceberg for the fridge organizers I mentioned earlier. The best part is that the serrated plastic blade prevents the lettuce from turning brown at the edges, which always seems to happen when I use my metal kitchen knives.
It keeps everything looking fresh and crisp much longer. It’s also very lightweight and easy to clean. If you're tired of your prepped salads looking wilted after just a day or two, this is a very inexpensive fix that actually works.
Since I mentioned adding sprouts to our daily salads, I had to include the setup I use to grow them. These lids and stands turn any wide-mouth Mason jar into a little countertop garden.
The mesh lids allow for perfect airflow and easy rinsing, which is the most important part of growing healthy sprouts. The stands are a total lifesaver because they hold the jars at the perfect angle to drain all the excess water. I’ve found that if the water sits at the bottom, the sprouts can get a little "funky," but these stands keep them tilted and fresh.
It’s a simple, inexpensive system that makes growing your own food at home feel very doable, even with a busy schedule.
Sprouts
If you aren’t familiar with sprouts and their benefits, let me just tell you—this is such a fun way to add a massive amount of nutrition to your diet. They are packed with vitamins and enzymes, and growing them yourself ensures they are as fresh as possible.
I personally use broccoli, alfalfa, and mung beans the most. They are delicious on top of the salads I prep for the week, and I even toss them into my scrambled eggs in the morning for an extra boost. It’s a simple way to make your meals a little heartier and a lot healthier.
Broccoli
Alfalfa
Mung Bean
I’m including a link below that will walk you through your sprouting journey and show you exactly how to get started. Once you see how easy it is to grow your own "superfood" on your kitchen counter, you'll be hooked!
Oversized Stainless Steel Bowl
Oh, how I love these bowls. I never knew that having a bowl this size would be so beneficial, but here I am, using it on the reg!
I make a lot of bread for my customers, and the 16-quart size is absolutely perfect for that first rise. I also use it to make protein balls in bulk for my family—it makes it so easy to just toss in all the ingredients and mix away without everything spilling over the sides.
I’ve found that the 16-quart size works just fine for me (mainly because I don't have the space to store anything larger), but if I had the room, I’d honestly move up a size! If you do any kind of bulk prep or baking, this is a total game-changer for your kitchen.
I adore this canner. It took all the guesswork out of pressure canning for me and has taken my food prep to a whole new level. It is very heavy, but it is a true gem in my kitchen.
My favorite thing about it is that there is no rubber gasket to dry out or crack. It uses a metal-on-metal seal; as long as you keep the rim oiled up, you never have to worry about replacing pesky parts.
Why I chose a Weighted Gauge: Unlike many other canners, this one uses a weighted gauge (the little weight that "jiggles") to regulate pressure. Because the weight is a physical piece of metal that never changes, it doesn't require the annual testing or inspections that "dial-only" gauges do to ensure they are still accurate. It’s reliable, simple, and gives me total peace of mind.