Toys

This is a list of some of my favorite toys… gadgets & gizmos… that I've found helpful on my journey… enjoy!!

Sharpie or other permanent marker - this may seem strange, but it comes in so handy I don't know what I'd do without one. I use a Sharpie to label boxed items in my pantry with portion sizes and the pertinent information per serving (whatever works for your weight loss method), that way when I go to grab a cereal or a snack I know right away how much I can have and how much it will impact my daily goals. I also have used the Sharpie on Ziploc bags of snacks to pre-portion.

Spice Grinders (Salt & Pepper) - I love these hand held Sea Salt and Peppercorn grinders… we think they look kinda like deranged bunnies.

Kitchen Scale - I have found this essential for determining portions and measuring for recipes.  I have a simple electronic scale but it has a couple features I'd suggest looking for if you're shopping for a scale:

Zero/Tare - allows you to place an item on the scale & then Zero it out so that you can then measure the weight of only the food item added afterward.

Oz/Gram - allows you to switch between Oz & Grams for those times when you need a different measurement.

Misto - A device for spraying oil.  I currently have 3 of these, they are relatively inexpensive (around $9-10) and well worth the investment. You put a little oil into the can, screw the sprayer on tight, then you use the lid to pump up the can to pressurize when you're ready to spray. I took a Sharpie pen & labeled mine with their respective oils (Olive, Sesame, Hazelnut).  Using a device like this can seriously cut down on the amount of oils/fats used in cooking.

Non-Stick Cookware - allows foods to be cooked with less butter/oil but still get the butter/oil flavor.  I have the typical pots & skillets, a couple woks, a dutch oven, and an oven-safe skillet with lid.

Grilling Basket - I have a couple different sized baskets that get used for grilling vegetables or smaller meat items such as shrimp.

Mortar & Pestle - I have 2, a small one I use for grinding dried spices & a large one I use for crushing fresh spices (when called for). You get a lot more flavor out of your spices if they are fresh or freshly ground... and lets face it, flavor matters!!

Cheap Electric Coffee Grinder - for making some of my custom spice mixes I have an old cheap coffee grinder that I no longer use for coffee. If you're desiring to get more experimental with your own custom spices it would be well worth it to get yourself a cheap coffee grinder for this purpose.

Mini Muffin Pan, Mini Cheesecake Pan - cut the calories by cutting the portion size.

Mini Panetone Molds - these are little paper molds for making miniature cakes, I found mine here. When one of my recipes calls these out you can substitute cupcake molds instead. 

Old Spice Jars - recycle old spice jars to measure your specific portion size, the one pictured gets used for 2 Tablespoon & 6 Tablespoon measuring (marked with my Sharpie, of course).  I have some things that I frequently measure at these sizes, and having a handy measuring tool to do it quickly makes me more prone to measure out my portions.

Mega Pancake Flipper - the large flipper pictured is 6" across, and comes in handy more than I thought, I found mine at Target (brand: Oxo).  Great for when you make large pancakes. 

Hand-Cranked Cheese Grater - this works so well for grating small quantities of cheese, especially hard cheeses like fresh Parmesan.  Mine came with both a fine & normal sized grater, but I almost always use it for fine grating.

Rolling Chopper - this is really efficient for chopping large amounts of fresh spices… its not pretty (a knife gives prettier results) but it is quick.

Oven Gloves - These work so wonderfully for grabbing very hot items out of the oven quickly, so much better than Pot Holders or conventional Oven Mitts.  I also use these to grab crumpet rings & hold them while working my crumpets loose. These were a gift from my hubby & have been well used (I have a pair)...

Mesh Gloves - These are to protect from knife cuts… you see I have a hubby that likes to have very sharp knives, but I'm fearful of the really sharp ones… these allow me to put my mind at ease while handling those very sharp knives… these were a gift to myself & I'm just getting into using them (I have a pair).

Chopper - For those times when you want finely chopped vegetables, I like this one from Pampered Chef because it opens way up for cleaning.

Tortilla Warmer - For quickly warming Tortillas & Pita Bread in the microwave.  Simply take Tortillas or Pita and wrap them in a paper towel, place them into this warmer, put on the lid, microwave for about a minute (more or less depending on your needs).

Mighty in Mini… Miniature Baking Pans… for those recipes you just can't lighten...