It’s January and we’re all finished making the most of our deep fat fryers and the kitchen will now take on an all new mantle – a healthy one!
Yes, we know this time last week you were dipping bread into anything runnier than bread, but now you’re probably up for a change. You want to eat something green, something healthy and something low fat and your kitchen is the perfect place to start your 2015 health buzz.
Whipping up something that’s low calorie, tasty and that also offers satisfaction isn’t that hard and you don’t need to be Delia Smith to do so. Your kitchen cupboards probably stock a lot of the goods in the first place and if you add some fresh produce and create a clear plan January can be yours.
Of course, just as a quality kitchen helps enriches your life, helps you cook and makes you a happier person, quality food does too. And there are a number of great devices out there that you can add to your kitchen that will help ensure you get the most from your food and give your body the nutrition that it needs.
Fat Free Baking Trays
Baking meals can be a great way to cut calories, particularly if it’s on a non-stick tray. This of course means that there is then no need to use butter or margarine to grease up the tray. Ideally, look for baking trays that are free from per-fluorinated chemicals as these are known carcinogens.
The vast majority of meals can be cooked in the oven and it can be a great way to ensure that the flavour of the meal remains intact, but calories and fat content remain low.
Nutribullet
Traditionally, one of the big problems with juicers has been that though they juiced up the vegetables, they removed the pulp from the food and a lot of the goodness. The Nutribullet is a blender like item that extracts rather than blends foods such as fruit and vegetables, ensuring all the goodness remains in the food and you get the complete benefits of the food you’re eating. It can also be used for grinding everything from nuts and coffee beans and as a kitchen gadget is one of the hottest for 2015.
Steaming
Steamers come in all shapes and sizes; however most will perform the task at hand regardless of price. Unlike boiling which causes water to leach the nutrients from food, steaming ensures that all the nutrients remain. This also means that the vegetables are a lot more flavoursome – something that a lot of healthy food can’t testify to being. Simply, place your steamer over a pot and cook your vegetables or whatever else and improve your diet.
NIWA
If you want to be high tech when it comes to creation of your ingredients, then NIWA could be the device you’re looking for. The Kickstarter funded NIWA system allows anyone to grow their own produce and chemicals and enjoy the freshness of newly picked vegetables and herbs all year around.
NIWA is essentially an indoors mobile phone controlled hydroponic system. It attends to all your plants needs automatically, so you don’t have to. It’s a compact, high tech solution that provides the perfect growing environment for those with limited or no outdoor space.
Slow Cooker
And back to a classic kitchen device – the slow cooker. The slow cooker is an excellent addition to any kitchen, especially at this time of year as it can be used to make fantastically tasty meals and for a lot less than you imagine. In addition, the device is a great one for those who are busy all day as it just involves placing the ingredients into the pan and leaving them to meld and cook slowly.
Slow cookers are fabulous for stews, soups and are fantastic if you want to save on the cost of meat, as cheaper cuts are perfect for use within it. They’re also quite low in price to buy and we’d definitely say that they are a must for those looking for healthy, hearty vegetable and lean meat rich meals.
Your kitchen is a special place and we know that throughout Christmas you’ve made some great meals in it. Now is the chance to make some lean and healthy ones and start 2015 with a healthy kick – we promise you that you’ll be glad.
