Every morning, after I shuffle my kids out the door to school, I zip back in the kitchen and whip up my daily secret weapon in my Vitmix blender. Greens, fruit and water combine to give me a sweet and nutritious treat that motors me through the morning and on to lunchtime. We all have our kitchen heroes—the appliances we just can’t live without, so today, I dedicate this post to all my personal favorites, the modern day wonders that make my food-loving life so much easier.

So without further ado I present, my kitchen heroes: each one doing its part to make cooking a whine-free experience in this Real Mom’s home:

Dehydrator: Sometimes I wonder…how did I live without my dehydrator? I use it to whip up easy crackers, fruit snacks, and kale chips—all perfect snacks because they’re both scrumptious and nutritious. There are plenty of good options here starting at $29.99.

Power Juicer: You know me, I can’t start my morning without a glass of freshly squeezed juice! I recommend Jack La Lanne’s Power Juicer as the perfect, reasonably priced juicer for everyday juicing—which is something I highly recommend as part of my ten-week program for conducting a love affair with food while looking fabulous. (Intrigued? Pre-order your copy of the Real Moms Love to Eat book to get the full scoop.)

Vitamix: Way more than a blender, this baby is what every kitchen needs to make delicious soups, smoothies, and purees for the rest of your (long) life. While it can be pricey, this will outlive your old blender by decades…and did I mention that it practically cleans itself? It does. Check it out here.

Coffee bean grinder: I’m not a coffee drinker, but I use my grinder every day to grind up flax seeds for things like smoothies, salads, and sandwiches. It’s important to grind those flax seeds to get the nutrients out of them, and so much faster than a mortar and pestle!  I love the one I got from Williams Sonoma—ten years later, it still works like a charm! But here’s a good one that’s on sale right now.

Vacuum Sealer: As a farmers market junkie, I always end up with way more produce than we can eat in a week. Which turns out to be a good thing in winter, of course, when I can break out locally grown frozen produce—FoodSaver’s BPA-free sealers help prevent freezer burn. Love!

What are some of your kitchen heroes? Let me know on Facebook and we can compare notes! I dedicate a whole chapter in my new book, Real Moms Love to Eat, to kitchen organization and gadgets, like these. Check it out.

Beth Aldrich