As some of you already know, my husband Jeff and I are expecting our first child – yay!! Obviously I am going to continue writing about healthy foods and recipes and being pregnant is just another reason to eat right but what I will be changing is the amount of time needed to make the meals. With the exhaustion of pregnancy and anticipation of having zero time after the baby is born, I will need to start making meals in fewer than 20 minutes (take that Rachael Ray). For now here are some kitchen tools and foods that will save you time in the kitchen.

Kitchen Tools

I am into simple living and I don’t use a lot of fancy gadgets in the kitchen. Mainly because I don’t have any room to put them but also because I feel like most are unnecessary. But there are a few things that I think are great time savers. Check them out…

Immersion Blender
When my husband and I were registering for our wedding, this was the one appliance I was really looking forward to and the one that I actually ended up buying myself. A handheld immersion blender comes in super handy to quickly puree soups, blend drinks and fruit smoothies. All without lugging out your regular blender plus it is easy cleanup!

Cuisinart-CSB-76BC-SmartStick-200-Watt-Immersion



Chef’s Knife
A good knife and learning to use it properly will save you tons of time in the kitchen. I recently took a knife skills class at the Institute of Culinary Education and our teacher pretty much said that an 8 inch chef’s knife is all you need so this tip saves money, time and space.

Classic-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife

Foods

I have mentioned this before but I am not a huge fan of frozen, canned or prepared foods but there are some things that you can buy readymade at the store that are healthy and will save you time. Here are my favorites…

Jarred Tomato Sauce
A jar of good tomato sauce can really come in handy. A few favorite brands of mine are Rao’s and Cucina Antica. Although making your own sauce is healthier because you can control the amounts of sodium and fat but my rational of this is a bowl of whole wheat pasta with jarred tomato sauce is quick and easy and much less fattening then that takeout pizza you may be tempted to order. Make sauces your own by adding fresh herbs and vegetables.

Precut fruits and veggies
Cubed cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon, cored pineapple, hulled strawberries, sliced peppers, romaine hearts, broccoli florets, shredded carrots and packaged salad mixes all are a bit more expensive but will save you lots of time and energy in the kitchen.