Here are some tools that can help you eat healthy in the kitchen. They are not anything that you HAVE to have, but they do save some time and help you out if you have them.
1. Salad Spinner- You always want to wash your greens when you bring them home, even if they say pre-washed. The salad spinner saves a lot of time drying them. I found this one at Home Goods for $15, but they can range up to about $40.
2. Cheese Grater- Pre-grated cheese has a powder on it to keep it from sticking together. To avoid this unnecessary ingredient, it's best to grate your block cheese. About $5-10.
3. Misto- A misto is a fancy spray bottle that turns your olive oil into a cooking spray, just using air pressure and olive oil. Much more natural and healthier than regular cooking spray. About $10
4. Composte Bin- As long as you are going to be chopping up all of these vegetables and fruits, you might as well put the scraps to good use in your garden. I found this composte bin at Home Goods for $15.
5. Blender- Blender's are a pretty common kitchen appliance. They are great for blending those extra fruits and veggies at the end of the week up into smoothies, popsicles, sauces, etc. Wide range of prices, just depends on how nice of one you want.
6. Juicer- This is obviously not a necessity, but they are nice to have if you want to do some juicing. Juicing your fruits and vegetables is a great way to get a lot of nutrients in one glass of juice. About $100.
7. Popsicle forms- These really come in handy in the summer. Instead of buying the processed or artificial popsicles, try making your own out of some fresh fruits, yogurt, milk, juice, or even sneak some vegetables in. These aren't just for kids either, they are a great summertime treat for everyone. About $6
8. Food bins- I've learned that being organized in the kitchen really helps you eat healthy. When you know exactly where all of your food is, you are much more likely to eat it before it's expiration date. I put mesh baskets in my pantry to store foods in. The dried beans, rices, breads, pastas, potatoes, etc. each have their own bin. Now I know when I'm running low on something and I'm more likely to eat beans when I see that bean bin sitting in my pantry every time I open the doors. Target has some baskets in the dollar section for $1-$2.50.
9. A good knife- A good knife is very helpful during those "chop sessions" when preparing your fruits and vegetables for the week. It also helps me to feel like I have my own Food Network cooking show, while I explain my audience (to the kids) what I'm doing as I do it. About $10-$20
10. Good cutting board(s)- Just as much as a good knife, a good cutting board helps too. I have these three boards from Pampered Chef, green for vegetable, yellow for fruits, and red for meat. Although I just found one that I'd like to have, it's a bamboo board that has a colander on one side and fits over the sink. I might have to make a trip to the store soon. Wide range of prices, but not too pricey.
11. Good food storage- I've said before how much I love my Ziploc tupperware containers. The lids screw on and they fit both sizes and everything stacks on top of each other. Kroger usually has them on sale and you can usually find a coupon in the Sunday paper for Ziploc products, so I have slowly replaced all of my tupperware doing this. About $1.50 each.
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