Photography by Shadi Garman
Top: Club Monaco Jeans: AG
Hi Guys! Welcome back to the blog. I honestly can’t believe I am posing in front of my stove because if you can believe it, I used to HATE cooking. Yes, hate. I can use that word because I really didn’t like it one bit. A lot of that stemmed from the fact that I used to be really terrible at it. I never enjoyed helping in the kitchen as a child and felt like it was more a chore than anything to help peel carrots and potatoes. Flash forward to 2019, and cooking has become one of my very favorite things to do.
I began my journey with cooking when I started the F-factor diet. You can read more about my journey with that here. Back in early 2018, I had decided to try the F-factor diet and I needed to be more in control of my meals. Before starting F-factor, I would say that Matt did a lot of the cooking and we would cook maybe 1-2 times a week MAX. We ordered takeout a lot. Luckily there are some really healthy and delicious takeout places in our neighborhood, but we shouldn’t have been eating out so much. It’s not cheap and nothing beats a home cooked meal, right?! I began preparing meals for us, and once I started to see real results from F-factor, I began to look forward to being in the kitchen. Cooking became a kind of adventure! I started to develop recipes and realized I actually have a knack for it! I mean the only person who really eats my cooking is my husband so the trial group isn’t that large ha! BUT he loves my cooking and that’s the only affirmation I need.
Let me just say that I am not a chef and I most certainly never will be. Well, never say never ;). That said, I really love cooking and sharing my recipes with you guys. A big part of the enjoyment of cooking in my kitchen is that I have the tools that make cooking a breeze. I am a Mom and that comes first, I simply don’t have time, to well, take my time cooking. I like to create easy, do-able, f-factor approved and delicious meals. That’s my goal. It’s been so fun and I love that the options are truly endless.
There are a few things in my kitchen that I wanted to share are necessities to keep cooking “easy.” Take a look at the list below for what they are and why I must have them stocked in my kitchen:
- Kitchen aid mixer: We got this mixer as a wedding gift from Matt’s Mom. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I use this mixer almost once a day for basically anything and everything! It makes mixing SO much easier. It’s hands free and you can control the attachments and speed based on whatever you are making. I use it to prep waffles, my banana bread, sauces, etc. The options are endless. I LOVE this mixer and really recommend it.
- Breville Waffle Maker: I am a huge f-factor waffle fan and this waffle maker is the best I’ve found. It isn’t cheap, but it’s the best! It makes 4 waffles at a time and has a built in timer so you can walk away and dilly dally in the kitchen until your waffles are ready. I use this waffle maker a million times a week to prep my waffles. Highly recommend!
- Staub Baking dish: This baking dish is amazing! The quality is incredible and the 7 1/2 x 6 size is the best for my banana bread.
- Magnetic Knife holder: This is kind of random, but I love having a magnetic knife holder. If you are an urban dweller like me, then you know how nice it is to discover ways to make space. This knife holder alleviated the need for a knife caddy on the countertop which surprisingly saves a lot of space. I also love how easily accessible all my cooking knives are at all times. The magnet is super high quality and the knives and scissors do not move unless you pull up on them. We got the 15″ size. It’s great!
- Scanpan: This pan is LIFE. We have had this for years. Yes it is pricey, but you will get your use out of it for sure. My Mom and Papa gave this to us as a wedding gift and raved about it. It’s been amazing.
- Small Food Processor: This small food processor is what I use to pulverize my GG crackers for a ton of different recipes. I also use it to crumble chicken sausage when I make my low-carb lasagna. It’s the perfect apartment size food-processor.
- Donut Molds: I love making F-factor donuts and these donut molds are perfect for them! I also just recently made Lashes and Lemons double chocolate muffins in these donut molds. Her recipe makes 4 muffins, but by using a donut pan you actually get 6 donuts from her recipe! As long as you don’t care that there is a hole in your muffin, these are a great option! I call them muffin-donuts haha!
- The Magic bullet: Matt and I use this to make our F-factor protein shakes. You can drink your shake directly out of the cup used to blend it! It is another great option for a small apartment.
I hope you guys enjoyed this roundup of items I can’t live without in my kitchen. If you are interested in what I keep stocked in my pantry, you can always head over to The food Shop!
xoxo-J