Tools for an optimised life

Having the right tools makes everything a little easier, right? Same goes for being on a grainfree journey. My journey is not just about being grain free, it is about making the best choices for what I expose myself to - these are the choices that will not create dis-ease and of course that means, it's about more than food choices. 

Here are some of my favourite tools that I use daily in my optimised (not just grainfree) life.

First up, something I tend to use or not use depending on my mood or the recipe requirements: a set of stainless steel measuring cups and spoons. 

Sometimes I like to wing it and just use any old spoon to put stuff together, but when I find myself needing to be precise, these are my go-to tools. Remember plastic is not just bad for the environment because we cannot seem to get rid of the waste, it is actually bad for your health. I try my best to separate my food ingredients from plastic, although unfortunately some of it still comes in plastic packaging. But I keep hoping.

Anyhow, on to the next item. I found this to be especially useful for grain free recipes that tend to need smoothing to create a perfect final finish after baking. It's a silicone spatula with a bamboo handle. These particular ones come with Lifetime limited warranty from Amazon.

The impact of using a spatula is that you save time vs trying to do it with anything else (literally) and you get a beautiful smooth surface for your baked item that makes it very picture-worthy but also a lot more enticing to look at and to want to eat. If you are afraid you do not have enough to share, better hide that thing!

Next up are the baking sheets that really help grainfree recipes to be more successful in terms of texture, baking success and their overall look. 

I use the smaller of these particular trays for this cinnamon cake recipe (grain free of course) and they turn out so amazing, people sometimes forget the cake has no wheat flour in it.

The final item for food is related to the baking trays - they go together because I want my trays to remain shiny and spotless and I want my food baked in them to stay intact instead of fall apart - thus - parchment paper is very very important!

I even use it on my silicone muffin trays - because sometimes things stick in the silicone (or maybe I am always in a hurry to taste!) and I can't rave enough. Don't ask me to choose between the rolls or the sheets - because I will take it anyway I can get it...there are upsides to both.

Something I plan to acquire as a means to weigh food when checking for my carb limits: a mini digital scale.

That's it for the food related items ...for now!

Check out these other, safe for life, items that I now use regularly as part of my optimised life.

These toothbrushes are all about being kind to the earth. Using plastic especially plastic that you have to discard every three months (that's what the recommend, right?) is just not a sustainable way to be and certainly is not an act of kindness for the earth so when I found these brushes, I immediately adopted them. If all toothbrushes came with a kindness rating, then people would see for themselves on the label, what their impact is but of course no one will willingly put a bad rating on their product. Just keep in mind, if it's made with plastic that is not labeled in a way that indicates any level of awareness or action towards sustainability, then you should keep looking. There may not be sustainable or kindness-minded alternatives for every product you use, but at least there are toothbrushes. So go get yourself some of these toothbrushes so you can be kind to the earth.

Another be kind to the earth product: Detergent

 

This detergent is not only earth friendly because it comes with ZERO plastic, it is kind to your body - approved for sensitive skin. Can you ask for more?! I luv it because it's mild enough to not cause my clothing to reek of artificial scent after washing yet my clothes have a gentle clean scent. I must say if you're used to a lot of sudsing and mounds of foam during your wash, you will be disappointed, but this clearly works well enough without being damaging to the environment and that is good enough for me.

If you are a paper towel user, consider a shift to reusable cloth ones and be kind to the environment. I have bought the ones below and they are pretty great. Not sure if they are still available, unfortunately.

I have not ordered any other kinds yet, so I am unable to recommend until I do because I see so many that have negative reviews for no absorbency or for leaving lint everywhere.

 
If you wish to see more of these recommendations, please comment below to share your thoughts.