Most every client I have ever worked with has this in their past or current story: “I had a goal of being more proactive with my meal preparation, so I bought a new [insert popular fancy-schmancy kitchen gadget], but I haven’t used it much at all. So, I haven’t made any progress yet with meal prep goals…”
Some of us are easily swayed to purchase the latest and greatest gizmo promising massive time savings AND to help us feel better about our lack of culinary skills. Others are easily influenced by Jane Doe’s “Look at how EASY this is!” social media posts featuring the veggie spiralizer, the snazzy electric slice-and-dicer, or whatever gizmo is making the rounds in diet and food culture.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for investing in gadgets and gizmos to make our day-to-day “food life” more simple and efficient. And I do believe that nearly all of us have this intention when we acquire a new gadget.
The thing is… it’s not the gadget itself that brings about success in our food life. Rather, it is a change in the process or the system for incorporating the gadget that will bring us an increased likelihood for success.
Think of the new pair of running shoes we buy. It isn’t the shoes themselves that result in a marathon finish line or a mountain top summit. It is the process of prioritizing daily training and then doing that training that eventually gets us to the end goal.
Similarly, buying the new kitchen gadget doesn’t result in an overnight conversion to a food prep king or queen. We still have to prioritize our time to plan meals, make a shopping list, allocate time for food shopping and then purchase the food. THEN, we get to experience the joy of the kitchen gadget! And THEN we become better at meal prep!
Take a few minutes to go through your kitchen gadget inventory. See what you find that hasn’t been used in a while and ask yourself why. You may find some gems that with a little thought and re-prioritization can be back in your life to help you achieve success in your food life.
-Dina
“The most underused tool in the kitchen is the brain.” — Alton Brown