Hello lovelies! My name is Meghan, and I write about gluten free living over at
eat.live.make. I love to share gluten free/vegan recipes, tutorials, tips on healthy living and snippets of my life and our adventures. Come on over and say hi! A huge thanks to Emily for letting me pop over to her beautiful blog today and share some of my gluten free kitchen essentials with all of you!
1.
Cuisinart Food Processor- Over the past year, we have been experimenting more and more with raw foods. I am so thankful that we have our food processor to help us in the journey. This guy processes tons of nuts, seeds, berries, vegetables and beans in our kitchen helping make meals faster and healthier.
2. Nesco Square Dehydrator- I was given our dehydrator for a birthday present this year, and I don’t know how I got by without one! When you eat gluten free, affordable and healthy snacks are hard to come by. With our dehydrator, I can stick tons of fun things on the trays and come out with dried fruit, sun dried tomatoes, crackers and cheeses. It helps me have things to carry around with me when I’m on the go or at work. If your into eating raw, this is another great resource to have.
3. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer- In my opinion, this mixer should be a staple in any kitchen- gluten free or not! When mixing up breads, cookies, granola bars, pastas.. anything this is my go-to appliance. It saves me time in the kitchen because I can throw everything in and let the mixer do the work. And when your done mixing, it’s always fun to lick the bowl:)
4. 4 Slice Toaster- This toaster is an essential item if you live in a household that isn’t completely gluten free! We have one of these that is for “gluten” and one labeled (with permanent marker) gluten free. Never does gluten touch my side of the toaster, and we all know that gluten free bread always has to be toasted before you can eat it! Without the toaster I’d be hard pressed to eat any form of gluten free bread.
5. Trader Joe’s Quinoa- Quinoa is my go-to staple in our kitchen for any meal. It dresses up vegetables, is a great side with salmon, and makes a great cold salad. Packed with complete proteins, and easy to cook, my pantry feels bare without a few boxes of Trader Joe’s Quinoa inside of it.
6. Breville Juicer- If you would have asked me last year what my essentials were, I would have said our vitamix because green smoothies were made every morning on it. We still love our vitamix, but have been making more vegetable juices than smoothies. This is by far the best juicer on the market. I used it for several years while my jaw was wired shut, and it kept vital nutrients in me. I love using the vegetable pulp for broths and crackers made in our dehydrator!
My favorite time in the kitchen is spent cooking up a beautiful and nutritious meal with my husband, David. I love sharing what we make with our friends and family and helping them all understand the importance of what goes into their bodies. I have grown so much as a cook since I was diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease and am excited to be on this journey.
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Today I’m so happy to have Janice, author of A Healthful Gluten-Free Life, here to share her
kitchen essentials. This Lady is a professional when it comes to gluten-free living! So let’s find
out what she loves to keep in her kitchen -
Aside from blogging about gluten-free food, I also blog about gluten-free living as a whole. From gluten-free products to tips for healthful living, sharing my finds through blogging is very important
to me! I was really excited when Emily asked me to share my kitchen essentials with you, and here
they are:
1. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap: Before any cooking or baking takes place, it’s very important to have clean hands. After years of searching for the best hand soap, I finally found Mrs. Meyer’s CleanDay products. My favorites? Each scent is wonderful in its own way, but Lavender and Lemon Verbena are definitely my favorites.
2. Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend: Whether you’re baking a fresh batch of muffins or breading your favorite meats, all-purpose flour is always an essential. I had to go on a deep search for the perfect blend due to my gluten intolerance and allergies to corn, peanuts, and tree nuts. Through research, I came across Namaste Foods and immediately fell in love with their products.
3. Bubby’s Matryoshkas Measuring Cups: These are a must-have! Not only are they cute, but they make baking a whole lot of fun! You can nest these measuring cups for easy storage or even display them beautifully on your counter tops.
4. Stevia Extract In The Raw: I’m not a big fan of sugar, but it’s necessary for baking delicious sweets. For that reason, I turned to stevia. It’s a zero calorie sweeter that is also natural and gluten -free.
5. Dr. Lucy’s Cookies: These are of great use for preparing gluten-free cheesecake crust as well as topping your favorite ice cream. They are also wonderful for topping cakes and cupcakes.
6. Sleepytime Decaf Lemon Jasmine Green Tea: When the day is over, the only thing on my mind is relaxing and unwinding. A nice blend of chamomile, lemon, and jasmine always does the trick!
7. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Countertop Spray: As soon as the kitchen fun is over, it’s time to clean up the mess. Nothing does a better job than the Lavender Countertop Spray! It instantly degreases and removes odors. It’s my go-to household cleaner!
Thank you Janice for sharing with us your kitchen essentials list. I love all of your items, especially the matryoshkas measuring cups…how adorable are they? If you had to describe your kitchen style in a few words, what would it be?
“My kitchen style is fairly simple. I try to have as much fun as I can when cooking delicious meals and baking delightful sweets. I definitely love working in the kitchen because it allows me to be creative in a unique way. It’s as simple as that!”
I couldn’t agree more!
Make sure to visit A Healthful Gluten-Free Life for fantastic
gluten-free recipes that you’re sure to love and so much more!
p.s. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year’s Eve 
I know an excellent chef when I see one and Stephanie Day, author of Eat Drink Love, is just that! She constantly wows me with her culinary creations and not only is she an amazing cook, she’s also working on completing her Ph.D. in Psychology… superstar? I think so. Today, I’m happy to share with you a few of her
kitchen essentials, which might give us some insight into the mastermind behind all those tasty dishes!
Stephanie, we’d love to know what’s in your kitchen?
2. A Good Wine Opener: ”Aside from my love for drinking wine, I also use a lot of wine in my cooking and having a good wine opener is essential so that I can get a bottle opened quickly!”
3. Garlic Press: ”I’m Italian. This means that garlic goes in pretty much everything. I use my garlic press almost every day!”
4. Good Knives: ”Every kitchen needs at least one good knife for chopping. There are a lot of great brands out there, but I’m partial to Wustof. They may seem pricey, but believe me when I say that they are a great investment! They make chopping ingredients a breeze and really cut down on prep time. “
5. Mixing Bowls: ”I’m obsessed with these mixing bowls. They come in all different sizes and I use them everyday for cooking and baking!”
6. KitchenAid Stand Mixer: ”I finally got my KitchenAid stand mixer as a wedding gift last year and I don’t know how I went so long without it! It’s powerful and I have used it from everything to cakes, cookies, muffins, bread, and frosting! “
7. Good Pans: ”A good set of pans is another pricey investment, but is also totally worth it. I love this Cuisinart set. They are easy to clean, durable, and are great for everyday cooking!”
8. Blender: ”I use my blender almost everyday for shakes, smoothies, and even soups!”
Thank you so much for sharing your favorite essentials! I can totally see why you are loving those mixing bowls, they are quite pretty and I like how they are available in so many sizes. One more thing before we sign off - How would you describe your kitchen style?
“Living in an apartment means not having a lot of kitchen space and I hate clutter, so
my kitchen style is clean and practical, but also warm with pops of color from fun accessories!“
