Essential Kitchen Tools for Weight Watchers Devotees

I love kitchen gadgets. I even worked for a company that made doodads and doohickeys for a while, so I have a few.  Now that I follow a more regimented diet a la Weight Watchers, there are a few tools that I've found helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These are the things that make it easier for me to prepare, transport and consume my favorite Weight Watchers foods. I'll update this post if more items make it onto my favorite things list, but here are a few items that have a staring role in my healthy kitchen makeover.

Sandwich bags and storage containers. I prepare most of my meals in advance so I know what's in them and that they're within my allotted 26 points plus per day. I also will portion out snacks like chips, pretzels and veggies into little bags. The small circular containers are used the most (by far) in my household to store pre-portioned servings of peanut butter, dressing, condiments and hummus.

EggGenie egg cooker. So this is kind of a weird one, but let me explain. I love eggs as a snack. Three egg whites are 1 point plus. The only way to make these egg white portable is to hard boil them. This nifty machine takes the guesswork out of making eggs. Just pierce seven eggs, add the amount of water indicated by the little cup and plug it in. An alarm goes off when it's time to unplug it and the pieces all go in the dishwasher. 

Vegetable peelers. The one on top is a julienne peeler, which transforms zucchini into pasta-like noodles. The bottom peeler is your average dollar-store model, which I use for carrots. I peel a package of carrots and slice them into snack-sized sticks for my afternoon snacks. 

Measuring cups and spoons. I have a ton of these because measuring my food is the only way to know I'm eating the correct portions. It pays to stop eyeballing it and get the serving sizes correct. 

Countertop grill. This gets so much use in my household that I recently bought this larger model at a thrift store for $5 so I could cook more at once. This particular George Foreman model easily accommodates four burgers or two chicken breasts at once. This is how I cook my favorite turkey and salmon burgers, as well as tilapia. I know a lot of people hate these things because they find them difficult to clean, but here's the secret: use a wet paper towel to wipe down the grill immediately after you finish cooking your food, while the grill is still hot. Works like a charm. 

Food scale. This gets used daily. Again, knowing your portion size is key to any type of diet success. This particular model displays in both ounces and grams.  Look for a scale that has a removable plate on top for easy cleaning. 

Metal scooper. This is the three-Tablespoon model, but my one-Tablespoon model gets a lot of use as I portion and prep snacks. It's especially useful for sticky or thick foods like peanut butter and hummus (and nutella cupcakes, which is why my one Tablespoon scoop is not pictured).

What kitchen tools are integral to your diet?