Top Five Must Have Tools in Your Vegan Kitchen!

Hello!

When I first went vegan what seems like so many years ago now, I was concerned about all these specialty tools I was seeing! I didn't (still don't haha!) have the money for a $700 blender and I don't have the space for a ton of kitchen gadgets! If you are just starting out or trying to minimize your kitchen here are my top five items that you need to be successful with your vegan diet!

1. Glass Containers -  I use mason jars and glass Tupperware, I really like glass because it doesn't leach any chemicals into your food, it's easy to clean, and it's very durable! (I have yet to break one!) The items I purchased I've had for 10 years! On another note I've seen some great metal containers, I just haven't tried them yet myself. Let me know if you have!

2. Blender - Yes, I do believe you need a blender but don't worry if you don't want to spend all your savings on one. While I recommend you purchase a better quality one but it doesn't have to be the best. I've tried many low end blenders (>$60) and they just don't last. However, I've had my Ninja Blender for a couple of years now and it was only around $100.  It has lasted through daily smoothies, hummus and many other recipes and I would definitely purchase one again!

3. Knives and Cutting Board -  These two go hand in hand. What's great about being vegan is that you don't need an entire knife set! I purchased a few great quality knives that should last me a lifetime. The knives I keep in my kitchen are: Chef's Knife, Bread Knife, Salad Knife, and Paring Knife. As for a cutting board, I absolutely love the wood ones, they're durable and last forever if cared for properly. I rinse mine off after each use and clean it with lemon and olive oil once a week!

4. Cook/Bakeware - Before going vegan I had so many pots, pans and dishes. I've cut mine down to one big pot, one medium pot with steamer, one small pot, one frying pan and one baking sheet. As always, I suggest doing your research and choosing a quality product (I believe in quality over quantity!). The ones I've been using for the past 10 years are from Lagostina and they've held up great!

5. Kettle - If you're anything like me then you love tea! I use my kettle once or twice a day and it makes it so easy to heat up water quickly! I chose a stove top version just because I like the way they look but the electric ones are just as great!

Of course there are many other tools for the kitchen but these are the ones I use on a daily basis and would consider the basics. What items in your kitchen do you consider must haves? Any favourite brands? Let me know in the comments below!

* I purchased all the items above with my own money, as always all thoughts and opinions are my own! Links above are affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

30 Day Minimalism Challenge! - Day One

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday season with your family and friends!

January is always a time of reflection, self-evaluation and resolution making. I am always striving to better myself and the world I live in. One of my goals last year was to downsize and if you read my previous blog post ' The Beginning of My Minimalist Journey ', you'll know that my husband and I sold our house and moved into an apartment! Now, you can imagine the amount of stuff we got rid of! We have now been in our apartment for a few months and I can see that items are slowly creeping in, we have bins that are full in our storage room and everything is not as organized as it once was.

Well, I feel like there is no better day than today to do something about it! With the new items I received for Christmas and the old stuff that I am still hanging on to, I am going to to the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge! The way it works is that on day one you use/donate/sell/trash one item, on day two you use/donate/sell/trash two items, on day three you do the same with three items and so on. You continue this all the way up until day 30 where you get rid of 30 items! It's pretty amazing because by the end of it all you will have reduced your belongings by 465 items! Wow!!

At this point, on day one, I'm not so sure I have that many items left to get rid of but I am excited to see where this journey takes me! I will be using Marie Kondo's mantra " Does this item spark joy?" to help me along.

My one item today is a broken eye shadow brush that I've been holding on to so I could fix it! Well, it hasn't been fixed, it isn't bringing me joy and I have been using other brushes! Find me on Instagram where I'll be posting updates of the items I get rid of!

Let me know in the comments below if you want to join me in this challenge or if you have done it before!

Peace & Love!

Jules

The Beginning of My "Minimalist" Journey!

This past year I feel like I can truly say that I've found myself.

My whole life I've been searching for happiness and trying to live the life I was "supposed" to live, but something was still missing...

 According to society you should be happy when you have a successful career, own a nice home, a  nice vehicle and a bunch of "stuff". Why wasn't I truly happy if I had everything I was supposed to have?

The moment I let go of society's expectations and definition of success I felt a huge wave of relief rush over me. I didn't have to impress anyone other than myself. It took a long time for me to get over this. Some days I'm not sure if I completely have, but I do know that I am on the right path.

Everyone will find happiness a different way, the important thing is that you find it at all. It saddens me to see so many unhappy people in this world, thinking that this is it.

THIS is life.

It's not! Go for your dream, take a risk. YOU are in charge of your destiny. Sometimes it doesn't go the way you plan but I promise you that in the long run you won't regret trying.

This past January my husband and I downsized a LOT but still keep hanging on to a bunch of stuff that doesn't bring us joy. We  finally both feel that we are now ready to be done with it and move on with our lives. We want to be free of all the STUFF holding us down!

I encourage everyone to let go of what society is telling you that you need to do or have. Do ONLY what feels right to YOU.

Although I am only beginning and don't necessarily plan on going as far as counting the items I own, I only want to surround myself with items that I love and that have a purpose in my life. To me, that is the definition of minimalism. Although, I must say I am extremely impressed by those that can pack up their life in 15 minutes flat!!

I hope you all can join me on my journey and share your experiences with me as well!