Our Top 4 Food Prep Tools

Things like food prep and going to the gym are part of our lives because we've been doing them for over five years now. We've developed these habits which make maintaining a healthy lifestyle so much easier! We don't even think twice before going to the gym or prepping food in advance. Honestly, I never thought that either one of these would be part of our lifestyle but they keep us focused and moving forward, even when our motivation is waning!

We've talked about food prep a lot and that's because we think it is THE most important thing you can do to start and/or maintain living a healthy lifestyle. Don't let food prep intimidate you - it doesn't have to be complicated. Just start! Sometimes our food prep is huge and consists of preparing 4-5 different things and sometimes it's simple and we only prepare a few dishes. We like to do ours all in one day but if you prefer to cook each day that is fine too! When you cook your meals, make a little extra so that you will have lunch and/or dinner the next day.

As I mentioned before, we've shared many food prep posts and also explained how you can create your healthy living kitchen for under $150! We do firmly believe that you can start/continue eating healthy on a limited budget but for those of you looking for more ways to outfit your kitchen, we wanted to show you all the tools we use almost every single day.

To go from this:

To this:

You've gotta have the right tools!

You can get everything you need to living a healthy lifestyle at Kohl's. Seriously, every time I enter the store or shop online I'm amazed at just how much they have! From workout equipment (We did a post on How to Build Your Home Gym for Under $100) to kitchen supplies, they have you covered!

He and She Eat Clean's Favorite Food Prep Tools

• Vitamix – Trust me, we had sticker shock at first too but it has been worth every penny, plus more! You can make so many different things in a Vitamix and we haven't even scratched the surface with ours. We mainly use ours for juice (Scott puts all of these ingredients into the Vitamix and it comes out as juice, I'm still amazed.), protein shakes, and nut butters. We use our Vitamix daily.
• Crock Pot – I don't think I could live without my crock pot. I've made the most basic recipes (salsa chicken anyone?) and many complicated recipes in the crock pot and it never fails me. This is another tool that we've had for years. It's a HUGE time saver.
• Omelet Pans – Omelet pans seem pretty basic but we've had some omelet pans that were awful. You definitely get what you pay for! We use these daily for everything from eggs to chicken!
• Glass Storage Containers – After you prep all your food you are going to need a place to store it! Enter glass storage containers. This is another item that we have had for years. It's worth it to invest in a good set of storage containers. We try to use glass when possible but plastic storage containers also work, just try to avoid heating them up in the microwave.

We hope these tools and our past posts help you on your healthy living journey. The new year is a perfect time for a fresh start with new goals and dreams. Although we aren't big on new years resolutions, we do like to take this time to reflect back on the past year and plan out our adventures for the upcoming year. Not much changes for us from year to year, we always eat healthy and train in order to feel our best all the time. We do have some hiking trips planned and I'm sure we will add some adventure races to our schedule too! How do you plan on Making Your Move in 2016?

Connect with Kohl's and #MakeYourMove:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kohls
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/kohls
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/kohls
• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kohls/

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl's.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Mason Jar Overnight Oats

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Kohl's. Thank you for supporting He and She Eat Clean.

Wow. I should have started making these years ago! Just like with spiralizing vegetables, we are a little late to the game on overnight oats in a mason jar…but better late than never! We have a ton of oat recipes (like one of our most popular, Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats) but many of them require a crock pot which also means more clean up.

Enter mason jar oats.

I actually have tried these once before but obviously did something wrong because I didn't like them. We've been super busy lately so I decided to give them another chance as a way to speed up our mornings. I must say I was successful this time!

This particular combination reminds me of our Banana Peanut Butter Protein Shake which is basically the best protein shake ever. So this is like eating that shake. Amazing.

You really don't need much for these so they are prefect for those on a budget. I recommend buying a set of 8 oz mason jars. You'll want all 12 to try different flavors – trust me! Plus, I love drinking juice and flavored water out of mason jars. Mason jars make everything better. It's a fact.

Mason Jar Overnight Oats

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

Ingredients:

• ½ cup quick oats
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp peanut or almond butter
• ½ banana, mashed
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 2 squares of dark chocolate (choose quality chocolate 70% or higher)

Directions:

1. Mash banana and break up chocolate (I usually use a meat tenderizer for these tasks!)
2. Add all ingredients to a mason jar and stir to combine
3. Cover with lid and store in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight if you are making these the night before

Once ready just stir and eat – these are tasty cold but can also be heated up! These make a perfect meal paired with eggs or a protein shake!

Note: For these pictures I doubled the recipe so don't be alarmed if yours doesn't seem to fill up the mason jar as much.

Kohl's #MakeYourMove campaign isn't only about moving, it's about living an overall healthy lifestyle. We are all busy but taking a few minutes each night or even just a few nights a week to prepare food in advance will set you up on the road to success!

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl's.

Clean Eat Recipe: No Bake Gingerbread Protein Balls

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Kohl's. Thank you for supporting He and She Eat Clean.

These No Bake Gingerbread Protein Balls are the PERFECT pre and/or post workout snack. You can also just keep them on hand for when a craving strikes or when your kids want a festive treat but they've (or you've!) had too much junk food already!

The hardest part about this recipe is actually waiting until they are finish cooling to eat! I'm pretty sure I ate half of the batter before they made it into actual Gingerbread Protein Balls.

Honestly, I'm not a big gingerbread fan. After making these I realized that I'm just not a fan of baked gingerbread. These are perfect because they are "no bake" so they still taste like the batter after they cool. That's a plus in my book!

I made these using this food processor from Kohl's. We've had ours for years and it is perfect for what we use it for. However, if you are looking for a heavy duty food processor Kohl's has many different options at different price points (you can view those here).

Clean Eat Recipe: No Bake Gingerbread Protein Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 packet/scoop vanilla whey protein powder (we use TLS whey protein packets)
• 1/3 cup oat flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey (you may also add or sub for another sweetener of your choice)
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor, except for the maple syrup and additional sweetener (if desired) and process until mixed. Add in maple syrup and sweetener. Process again. The batter will form against the sides and will be sticky.
2. Scoop out the batter by hand or use a spoon and roll into ¼" balls. Depending on which sweetener and how much you used, they might be sticky. Sprinkle additional oat flour over the batter and on your hands in order to easily roll them into shape. Place balls on wax paper or parchment paper.
3. Place in refrigerator to chill. These are best served cold (after a few hours in the refrigerator).
4. Enjoy!

Kohl's #MakeYourMove campaign isn't only about moving, it's about living an overall healthy lifestyle. Finding healthier alternatives to your favorite foods is a great way to #MakeYourMove in the kitchen! What are your favorite holiday treats? We might be able to help you make a healthy version!

Don't forget to download our FREE Fit Festive Foods eCookbook! It includes the following recipes + tips to stay on track over the holidays! Grab your copy here.

• Sugar Cookies
• Gingerbread Muffins
• Gingerbread Smoothie
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pomegranate Mojito
• Cherry Almond Shooter

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl's.