Myth: Food prep takes a lot of time.

Use a mandoline to slice fruits and
vegetables thinly and quickly.

Answer: Busted!

Summer is not the best time to be in the kitchen preparing food. If you want to make your time in the kitchen all about making healthy, quick and easy foods, keep these gadgets in mind.

• Skillet or wok for stir-fry: Every kitchen should have a skillet to make a quick stir-fry. Stir-fry dishes are easy to prepare, cook quickly and are a great way to get more vegetables in your meals.
• Oil mister for sautéing in your skillet: This gadget can help you control the amount of oil you use when sautéing vegetables. You can also use it when adding oil or oil-based salad dressings to salads to control how much dressing you use.
• Blender: Make your own smoothies at home and control what goes in them. Be sure to add some greens to your homemade smoothies like spinach as a way to get more vegetables! An immersion (hand-held) blender is an alternative to a blender.
• Coffee grinder: This handy tool can be used to grind spices. Spices are a low calorie and flavorful way to add zest to salads and other dishes. Tip: Toast spices briefly in a skillet to bring out their flavor and then grind them.
• Mandoline (slicer): This tool allows you to thinly slice potatoes and other vegetables when roasting or baking them, instead of making fried chips.
• Fruit-infuser pitcher: Add flavor to your water by infusing it with the natural flavors from fruits.

For more information about healthy eating go to http://www.missourifamilies.org

Contributor: Ellen Schuster, M.S., R.D., Associate State Specialist, University of Missouri Extension, schusterer@missouri.edu, 573-882-1933