I’ve found these items to be EXTREMELY helpful when trying to create the ideal kitchen for leading a healthy lifestyle:

electric teapot (kettle) … beats the balls off of having to wait for an old fashioned one heat up on the stove.  coming from the U.S., I had never really seen this mystical contraption until I went to London for the first time.  It would seem everywhere else but  in the world besides the U.S.  is keen on using this precious little invention.

2 quality knifes … I’m as cheap as you’ll find em’ my friends.  However, when it comes to cutlery, this is one department I wouldn’t go skimp in.  When you cook at home, and prepare your fridge with oddles of good grinds for the week ahead, you will find yourself slicing and dicing your ass off.  A paring knife and a butcher knife are usually the two I use the most.  Also, designating a pair of scissors for food  use only,  is a good idea.

rockin’ blender (or food processor… ideally ya want both!) … a lot of stuff I make, I need a blender to do some grindin’.  Especially when it comes to making kick-ass shakes for dessert purposes or meal replacement time.  Having a high horse-power food processor can be very helpful at times, however, I wouldn’t say it’s as necessary as a quality blender… more like an added bonus.  U know… like having the cherry on top.

tri colored plastic cutting boards … you may or may not know, but it’s super important to have different cutting boards for different food you’re cutting.  HELLO!  at the very least, you need 2 minimum.  you don’t want to be cutting your meat on the same cutting board you are using for your vegis and fruits.  Ideally, having 3 different colored ones is best (color helps designate which board is used for what… guess you could write on a white one with a black sharpie, but that would look pretty ghetto.  with all the cheap crap we can buy from China nowadays, you’ll easily be able to find some colored ones at your local Big W or  Walmart.).  Having a separate board for chicken (or white meat such as pork), red meat, and fruits/vegis is best.  If you wanted to take it a step further, and get a 4th board for seafood, that would even make you more cautious than I.  I can’t be bothered.  In fact, I tend to get lazy and use the same ol’ wooden chopping board for everything at times.  Not smart.  Don’t cut your meat on a wooden board either.  The wooden ones have an absorbing effect, being that wood contains a boatload of spores that act like sponges.  you don’t want old nasty cow meat juice soaking into your board and later on, leaking onto your fresh vegis!

a kick-ass spice cupboard … when you choose to live this lifestyle of radness, you will want to learn how to cook with some basic spices.  For me, I have no problem eating things that I’ve creatively made healthy, over those choices that are more fattening, because I’d rather not deal with the aftermath of guilt.  Now, I keep it pretty simple myself, but there is an entire world of untapped edible treasures for me to explore.  Using things like fresh basil, lemon grass, thyme, and mint, can really change the outcome of your chow-time.  I’ve found a couple of spice shops that have all sorts of amazing blends and rubs to add onto pretty much anything you can stick in your mouth.

www.savoryspice.com

My main spices are cinnamon, ginger and garlic paste, keltic sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a red-hot pepper paste.  (pastes are great for cooking fast, as I can’t be bothered with chopping fresh garlic… it never washes off my hands!)

snap tupperware! … no kitchen would be complete without a set of snap tupperware.  The snap tupperware is great because it has colored rings that go inside the different size lids, so you can easily reach inside a cupboard and find the matching top to your bottom.  I’ve never met anyone who has a neatly stacked tupperware drawer or cupboard.  they wash-up well, stack well, and store your food in a very tight, concealed way.  if you want a chance in hell, staying or getting in shape, ya best have some tupperware in your camp.  It’s not easy to find healthy food to eat every 2-3 hours, when you are away from the house. (Costco has these stocked most of the time)

egg poaching pan … one of the smartest changes I made to my diet, was not eating carbs in the morning, and only having them during a 2-3 hour window after working out.  Prior to my last start date of competition dieting, I was eating 2 packets of instant cream-of-wheat (instant oats, grits) in the morning, with a handful of walnuts, flax powder, and fruit mixed in.  I found that by eating eggs and some kind of fruit (dependent upon your goal, your choices would vary), or having an egg white omlette with fresh spinach and sliced turkey meat, made a world of difference regarding my appetite and loosing those extra 10 pounds (4 kilos, whatever!).  it’s important you eat some kind of fruit or vegi with every meal.  I’d go into detail, but that’s another blog post!  After day 20 of having an egg-white omlette, an egg poaching pan can quickly become your best friend, simply by adding some variation in your routine!

electric, auto-open trash can … OK, OK…. I know… this is more of a luxury item, but for me, it’s A MUST!  I would hate having to open the lid to the garbage, with food rubbish (haha! a word you will not find in the U.S.) all over my hands.  (again, another lovely Costco investment)