Kitchen Products That Changed My Life

The biggest challenge of my day, everyday?  Getting a healthy, filling dinner on the table in time for homework, practices, and activities.  At this point, I've got a pretty good stable of entrees and sides that I make and that the kids love.  It took me years to get to this point - figuring out where to buy the best ingredients, navigating food allergies, and offering a healthy variety.  I decided to share with you the recent kitchen products that I use all the time and that make my life that much easier.

1. Aluminum foil sheets.  OMG - my mom told me about these.  I get a bulk pack at Costco every several months.  These are the perfect size for lining a half cookie sheet, for tenting food after its taken off the heat, for wrapping sandwiches and foods, and of course for covering leftovers.  They pop out of the box like kleenex, which is extremely helpful when my hands are covered in marinade.

2. Aluminum trays.  If you've been to quick serve restaurants lately, you've probably used these.  Meant to be half size baking trays, I use them as trays in the house.  Rather than family style, I often serve the kids their meals already plated.  Their plates are so heavily laden with food these days that that, plus a drink glass, can be too much to carry at once.  Enter these easy to clean aluminum trays - everything plus silverware fits on it nicely.  It's also a great placemat and catches any mess.  Besides trays, they are great for food prep.

3. Instant Pot.  I don't need to add to the chorus of voices singing the praises of this miracle appliance.  It's a workhorse in the kitchen.  My favorite thing is using it in the summer to make
Chinese chicken soup or bone broth without steaming up the entire kitchen.  The photo above shows the ingredients I gathered recently to make a pot of chicken soup.