Cook Healthy Meals Under 15 Minutes With These 10 Smart Products

We all appreciate a delicious home cooked meal at the end of a busy day. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find the time and energy to make dinner when you get in from work. You’re probably all too familiar with the sinking feeling you get when trying to find something quick and delicious to eat in your fridge. Cooking dinner takes too long, and you’re too exhausted by the time it’s ready to actually enjoy it anyway. A takeaway might seem like the perfect solution, but they are both expensive and unhealthy. The average takeaway meal is high in calories, fat, and salt, which will only make you feel worse in the long run!

That’s the bad news. But the good news is that cooking doesn’t necessarily have to take up a lot of your time. With the right equipment, it’s easy to put together a meal that requires very little planning and energy. Here at Lifehack, we’re proud to present 10 kitchen gadgets that will help revolutionize weekday dinnertime!

1. Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

This clever cooker cuts down your cooking time by up to 70%. Not only that, but it’s actually 7 kitchen products contained within just one unit! Whether you use the slow cooker, steamer, or any other of its 5 functions, the inner steel cooking pot will save you a lot of time.

Customer Review: “Awesome features, Very well built appliance and consistently improving for every new model. Perfect for almost every cooking need.” – Phoebe, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

2. Kuhn Rikon Swiss Pull Chop

This clever gadget makes chopping food easy. All you have to do is place the food inside the sturdy container, pull the cord a few times, and you’re done! You’ll save time on chopping and slicing.

Customer Review: “This product is a must for your kitchen if you enjoy cooking from scratch. It easily chops all crisp veggies and nuts into fine chops.” – Donna H Holmes

3. Dash Rapid Egg Cooker

This device saves you the hassle of boiling water and watching over your eggs as they cook. Use it to make boiled, scrambled, and poached eggs, along with individual omelettes.

Customer Review: “I must say, I have become very fond of this little unassuming appliance. I like the way it saves me from having dishes or pans to wash that have cooked egg white stuck to them.” – CACGH

4. NuWave 20631 Oven Pro Plus

This portable infrared oven cuts down your cooking time by up to 70%, with up to 75% less energy compared to a standard oven. It cooks meat, fish, vegetables, and even desserts to perfection.

Customer Review: “It really is and does what it says in the ads. It’s remarkably flexible, fast, easy to clean and generally a pleasure to use.” – Doctor Sardonicus

5. Chefaith 16-Blade Apple Slicer

If you need to slice an apple in a hurry, don’t reach for a knife – use this apple slicer instead. Simply place the slicer on top of a medium-sized fruit, and press down. The fruit will be cored and sliced within seconds!

Customer Review: “Used this today for the first time, and I’m wondering how I ever lived without it! I used it on both large and medium Granny Smith apples from my tree.” – Sarah F. Carr

6. Philips Airfryer

The Airfryer’s patented “starfish” design allows a quick and result. It allows you to cook with up to 75% less fat! Just one tablespoon of oil is all you need! It also allows you to grill, bake, steam or roast food.

Customer Review: “Love this airfryer!! I throw all sorts of frozen goodies in here and they all come out so crispy and delicious in just a few minutes! Quiet, easy to clean, and super convenient. Machine itself is a beautiful shiny white that fits perfectly with my kitchen :)” – Mina Kim

7. Cuisinart MSC-600 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker

This versatile cooker lets you throw in your ingredients the night or morning before, and then heats them up for you during the day to create a delicious meal. You can look forward to an instant dinner after a long day at work!

Customer Review: “My wife and I like to make up enough of something to eat on for about 3 days on the weekends so we can eat better in the middle of the week. Wow everything i have cooked in this has came out like my grand mother had made it, sooo tasty :)” – Canable

8. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Bluetooth

This kitchen gadget makes cooking sous vide easy. You will no longer have to spend time making sure the water is exactly the right temperature. Just attach it to the side of a pot, add water and ingredients, and get cooking.

Customer Review: “Cooking with the Anova Sous Vide has made kitchen time much less hectic. Similar to a slow cooker, I’m able to put food items that are vacuum sealed (or water displaced) into the water bath and leave it until I’m ready to serve the item.” – KttyKat16

9. 45 Second Omelet Maker

As the name implies, this clever product enables you to cook an individual omelet within 45 seconds. Handmade in stoneware clay, it also looks stylish in the kitchen.

Customer Review: “I bought 2 because of the comments and I’m glad I did. One for me and one for my husband. We both use them at work for quick eggs without hassle that taste great. I’d highly recommend!” – SCGINVA

10. Microwave Pasta Cooker

This cooker means that you no longer have to wait around as the water for your pasta heats up. Instead, you’ll be able to cook it in the microwave in minutes, thus saving time and mess.

Customer Review: “I highly recommend this to any college student or adult who needs a fast microwave pasta cooker!” – Kelsi Murphy

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Paintings by Michael Zavros Michael Zavros (b. in Brisbane 1974)... crss

Paintings by Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros (b. in Brisbane 1974) is a leading Australian hyper-real painter. In 1995 graduated from Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts. His work draws inspiration from Greek mythology and the modern world of fashion. Michael work is held in numerous private and public collections. For more check out artist website.

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posted by tu recepcja

crss

Paintings by Michael Zavros Michael Zavros (b. in Brisbane 1974)...

Paintings by Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros (b. in Brisbane 1974) is a leading Australian hyper-real painter. In 1995 graduated from Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts. His work draws inspiration from Greek mythology and the modern world of fashion. Michael work is held in numerous private and public collections. For more check out artist website.

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Don’t forget to tag #crossconnect in your tweets!

posted by tu recepcja

ANDIAMO Luxury YachtA beautifully revamped Benetti Classic,...

ANDIAMO Luxury Yacht

A beautifully revamped Benetti Classic, ANDIAMO luxury yacht accommodates up to 12 guests in elegant, comfortable surroundings. Following an extensive 2016 refit, the vessel comes with state-of-the-art technology, an alluring panoramic Jacuzzi, as well as soft, brand new furnishings throughout.

The 4 guest cabins on the lower deck are tastefully appointed and decked out in luxurious wood, while the full beam main deck master suite has its own private desk and walk-in wardrobe. A variety of well-designed, versatile outdoor spaces allow guests to dine, relax, and socialize among the rolling waves. The 36.6 m charter yacht is available for sale through Y.CO.

Astronauts on Apollo 13 Could Have Died, Their Fear Saved Them

In 1970, astronauts aboard Apollo 13 were in a dire situation. They were going to land on the moon, but after an oxygen-tank explosion, the three men had to move to the lunar module of their spacecraft so that they could safely return home. There was just one problem with this plan: the lunar module was only designed for two men for a period of 36 hours. They needed enough air for three men for 96 hours. They would suffocate if they could not remove the CO2 from the air.^[1]

The odds were against them, but the team at NASA didn’t give up. Motivated by fear of losing their guys, they gathered the materials that they knew the men would have on the lunar module and challenged themselves to make a CO2 scrubber.

Even though the mission didn’t turn out the way NASA had planned, the story has a happy ending. The emergency system that NASA developed on the fly saved the astronauts’ lives.

Fear drove the NASA team to be more creative.

Many people believe that creativity will only flourish when someone has lots of time and freedom. It’s true that people that feel too frightened or under too much pressure will have a hard time producing. Sometimes a small amount of fear pushes people to be extra creative.

Fear Is a Protective Fence

There is such thing as a healthy amount of fear. Fear keeps us from taking big risks, and it helps us stay safe.

Your amygdala, the primitive part of your brain, is responsible for your impulse control and fear.^[2] The amygdalae are the home of the fight or flight response. Being frightened all the time is not good for us, but having enough fear to prevent us from making bad choices keeps us from engaging in risky behaviors.^[3]

The Problem With the Fence

When people are playing it safe all the time, it’s easy to fall into a routine. Our brain loves the idea of routine because it can go on autopilot. When something works, there’s no need to change anything.

This is the comfort zone. It’s a safe place, but there isn’t much going on here. There’s no pressure to improve anything because everything seems to be moving along just fine.

We all need breaks from pressure once in a while, but if we are always comfortable, we can never grow. When we don’t have to worry about anything, there’s nothing to stimulate innovation.

Problems motivate you to find solutions. Changes lead to adaptation. If you have an issue that you can’t solve right away, you’ll keep working on that problem in your mind – even if you don’t realize it. Problem solving like this causes us to put more energy and attention into dealing with the issue.

The space between what we have and what we want is sometimes called creative tension. Having a gap between our reality and a desired outcome may be stressful, but prompts us to do our best work.^[4]

The Fence Is Unnecessary

You don’t really need that fence. The person who has no reason to make changes will continue on the same path indefinitely. Tension and new circumstances motivate creativity. Sometimes we need a little push to reach our full potential. Tighter deadlines, new tools, a different team, or an accident can spur you to tackle problems in new ways.

Pixar, creators of some of the greatest animated films of our time, had to rethink their creative process. Instead of teaching people to avoid failure, they changed their culture to encourage people to fail quickly. Instead of creating crippling fear around making mistakes they worked to develop a sense of creative tension.

This healthy amount of fear allows people to be okay with being wrong early in the process. They are willing to try new things. The creative tension that they experience makes their fear a friend to their creativity.

Use Fear to Get You in Gear

Living with too much fear every day is unhealthy. Your brain naturally tries to avoid being put under so much stress. Use creative tension to look at problems in new ways. You’ll see new perspectives and options you never noticed before.

Taking on a new role, working in a different place, and new people and tools can push you to try things outside of your normal routine. Your routine won’t inspire change by itself. Having to adjust to new situations can help you look at things in ways you never saw them before.

This new way of thinking is the seed for creative growth. If you are becoming to relaxed or complacent, you may need to create change for yourself. To experience some creative tension:

• Set a deadline. If you don’t have a due date for a project, create your own. This will keep you from procrastinating and force you to think about the problem.
• Come up with a more ambitious target. When what you’re doing feels way too easy, challenge yourself. You’ll be less likely to get bored, and you’d be amazed at what you can come up with.
• Change your routine. Doing the same thing every day or completing a task in the same way keeps you from reaching your creative potential. Doing something just because you’ve always done it that way isn’t a good enough rationale. Think about new ways to do what you do.

Not every kind of work gives you the flexibility to make changes to your role. You may be expected to do things in a certain way. Even if you can’t alter your role, you can change how you think about it. No matter what your job expects of you, you are always free to challenge yourself to think about things from a new angle.

You can think about how another person might think about the work that you are doing. If you were the CEO of the company, how would you feel about the work? If you are performing a service, what would you want as a customer. These new perspectives can make you think about what you do in new and exciting ways.

Sheer terror isn’t going to make you a better worker, but creative tension can push you to do incredible things. People can’t innovate when they stagnate. Find ways to break out of your comfort zone and embrace the creativity that comes from a challenge.

Featured photo credit: Pixabay via pixabay.com

Reference

[1]	^	Syfy: Here’s how NASA made the epic 1970 space hack that saved Apollo 13
[2]	^	Neuroscience Online: Chapter 6: Limbic System: Amygdala
[3]	^	Psychology Today: Why We Need a Little Fear
[4]	^	Productive Flourishing: A User’s Guide to Creative Tension

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