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Happy Monday Motivation, everyone! I have some fun topics coming up in the future (for example: a mental health update, what I’ve been doing to prepare for pregnancy, etc.), but today I wanted to round up some of the most-used items in our kitchen. Amazon sometimes get’s a bad rap, but I think it’s totally fine to order from Amazon as long as you’re ordering items that you intend to use for a long time and are products that are beneficial for your health and won’t add to your toxin load. Amazon also carries a ton of eco-friendly products (you just have to do your research first). Some of my very favorite kitchen items can be found on Amazon, and I truly feel that all of these help our family maintain a healthy lifestyle!

Zucchini Spiralizer

There’s no need for a big clunky machine to turn zucchini into noodles (known as “zoodles” in our house); this handheld spiralizer fits in even the smallest drawer and is super easy to use. Chris and I LOVE making zucchini noodles as a substitute for pasta noodles – all you do is twist the zucchini against the spiralizer and *voila.* This item gets a ton of use in our household – we also use the spiralizer on different vegetables (not just zucchini), including cucumbers, sweet potatoes, carrots and squash.

Water Filter

I recently upgraded my water filter to this glass one. We previously had a plastic one which I liked, but mold started to grow in the plastic parts and it really freaked me out! I also just didn’t like the idea of our water sitting around in plastic for long periods of time. Hence, I began my search for the perfect glass water filter, and I stumbled upon this one. There is absolutely zero plastic in this design, it’s made from ultra-strong borosilicate glass and stainless steel. Not only does it remove fluoride, chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals, but it remineralizes the water by adding iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals and trace elements. I can say with conviction that water from this filter is truly the best water I’ve ever tasted.

Stasher Bags

I finally found some reusable food storage bags that I really love – the brand Stasher makes awesome food storage bags that come in multiple colors and sizes, so you never have to waste a single-use plastic sandwich bag again. They’re crafted from premium-quality, 100% pure platinum food-grade silicone and are freezer and dishwasher safe (I like to turn them inside out before washing in the dishwasher to make sure the crevices get clean).

Glass Straws

I’ve talked about these a lot on the blog, but these glass straws are the PERFECT straws for smoothies and they will literally last you forever. They’re also really easy to clean (the package even comes with two cleaning brushes), and they’re dishwasher safe. I also like using these when I make lemon water in the mornings, since lemon can cut away at the enamel on your teeth and it’s better to drink lemon water with a straw!

Bamboo Cutting Board

Time to get rid of that icky plastic cutting board! We have a bamboo cutting board just like this one and it has lasted us for years. Bamboo is known to have natural anti-microbial properties, which makes it a great material to use in the kitchen, and the fact that bamboo is so fast-growing makes it a renewable resource and a great choice for the eco-conscious. This particular brand is made of 100% organic and sustainably harvested bamboo. The only downside is that you do have to oil the board and you can’t put it in the dishwasher – you need to wash it by hand!

Glass Food Containers

Another item I’ve raved about in the past – we’ve owned and used these Bayco glass food storage containers for more than six months now and really stand by them. Plastic tupperware can contain BPA and other toxins that can be released into your food when you microwave them, while glass is completely safe and is also much better for the environment. We use these storage containers for meal prepping and storing single ingredient (like quinoa or black beans) and Chris uses them to take leftovers to work for lunch the next day.

“Defined Dish” Cookbook

This cookbook is our new favorite cookbook! My friend Claudia gifted it to us a few weeks ago, and Chris and I have loved every single recipe we’ve made from it so far. The recipes are all Whole 30 Approved, and even though we don’t follow the Whole 30, we do agree with some of the principles including reducing refined carbohydrates and eating lots of veggies and high-quality protein. I love that there are a ton of different styles of cuisine in this book, including Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean and Asian! The Italian Meatballs and Hibachi-Style Chicken were both soooo delicious and healthy, too.

Kitchen Knife Set

This Cuisinart knife set looks absolutely beautiful sitting out on the kitchen counter – and the knives are the best I’ve used! They’re super high quality (especially for the price), and will last you for years to come. We really love this knife set and it’s gotten so much use since we purchased it.

Glass Tumbler

I either drink my daily lemon water and smoothies out of a mason jar or this glass tumbler. Mason jars are a bit harder to take on-the-go, so if I’m heading out the door I’ll grab the tumbler instead because it fits nicely in my car’s cup holder. I love that it’s stylish, made of glass (so it’s BPA-free) and has a cute bamboo lid.

Vitamix

We use our Vitamix every single week, multiple times per week. It is an investment, but I like to think of it as an investment for your health, which makes it totally worth it! This is definitely the most high-powered blender I’ve ever owned – it chops up all of my smoothie ingredients so finely that it looks like a juice (my other blender always left chunks of spinach and ice). It’s so powerful, it can even blend and cook soup due to the friction created by the blades! We’ve also used it to make our own sauces and dressings so that we don’t have to buy store-bought ones that are full of preservatives.

Double-Insulated Glass Mugs

I love drinking out of these insulated glass mugs – not only are they functional, but they’re really pretty because you can see the liquid inside your cup. I use mine for both coffee in the mornings and tea in the afternoons! The double wall makes the cup cool to touch even with a hot cup of coffee poured in, and prevents condensation that usually occurs with iced drinks.

Labels

We’ve been buying some of our food staples in bulk from Whole Foods (like nuts, grains and pasta) to prevent the waste that comes along with single-serving packaging. I keep these food items in big jars in our pantry with these erasable chalkboard labels. I LOVE how they look in our pantry (they make it look super neat and organized!). If you ever decide to switch a jar, the labels are erasable so you can re-use them again and again.

I’d love to know if you have any Amazon staples for the kitchen! I’m always looking for products that will last us a long time but make our lives easier and healthier. 🙂