Some besties go on hikes or coffee dates for fun. We, however, raid each other’s kitchens (are you surprised?). Never ones to pass up an opportunity to get up close and personal with cooking supplies, you can imagine our excitement when McKel Hill, one of our nutritionista BFFs, let us take a peek behind her pantry doors and into her life as a registered dietitian, wellness expert, and the founder of healthy living blog Nutrition Stripped.
Some of these items might seem predictable – a Vitamix to blend up her Insta-famous Stripped Smoothie, organic coconut oil – but why she chooses to keep these essentials on hand makes us look at our kitchen in a whole new light. Ready to take a friend date, TCM-style? Here’s McKel with the 10 kitchen essentials she’s currently obsessed with:
Vitamix
I literally use my Vitamix
multiple times a day, whether I’m making a green juice with it or my Stripped Green Smoothie or nut milks, nut butters, etc. Nowadays with all the recipe testing I’m doing for my cookbook, I’m using it like five times a day!
Bee pollen
Quick energy, full of B vitamins, amino acids – and it tastes amazing. I take a spoonful when I’m feeling like a need a little oomph in my day! Try to source it from local sustainable bee farms.
Organic spirulina
One of my favorite protein rich sources in a plant-centric lifestyle. Loaded with minerals and, of course, protein! Add it to smoothies, salads (odd, I know), or desserts like my Spirulina Energy Globes.
Mustard
I’m a mustard aficionado; I absolutely love mustard. I use it in anything from Classic Cashew Cheese to give it a little tang; to hummus, on sandwiches, in other dips/spreads, etc.
Cold-pressed organic coconut oil
It’s always a staple in my kitchen, from cooking with it, adding it to beverages like my Turmeric Milk or to smoothies – it’s amazing. Also, it doubles as natural skincare: I use it as a body moisturizer right after the shower.
Imperial grade matcha tea
I’ve always been into drinking tea, but recently have been in a matcha-tea phase making lattes everyday or adding it to a slew of recipes! Try my matcha tea latte here.
Dry erase board
I know this sounds silly, but with the amount of recipe development I do each week, I need an easy system that helps me remember: 1) what I put in the recipe I made; 2) how to recreate it; and 3) what recipes I’m retesting for my cookbook! It’s been such a handy tool.
Nut milk bags
I use it for the obvious, making homemade nut milks, but also when making juice with a blender!
Raw pumpkin seeds
I love using pumpkin seeds daily for their high zinc content – a mineral often overlooked in so many peoples’ diets, but especially those practicing a plant-centric diet, athletes and young females.
Linen apron
I’m notorious for getting messy in the kitchen – probably because I’m doing a million things at once…while dancing…while eating. It’s a dangerous job. So I am always wearing an apron to keep the stains away; my absolute favorite brand is by a small company from Lithuania, Not Perfect Linen – beautiful!
BONUS:
Organic freeze-dried medicinal mushrooms!
