Items I can't live w/o in the kitchen

I figured I would finish up this week with the kitchen items I can't live without that might be a little unusual.  These are some great items for wherever you are in life: Single, busy as crap, married, married w/kids, working, stay at home mom. These are the items I have found beyond useful in my kitchen. I love cooking, but I really love making cooking easy and low fat (but tasty).

Purdue Individually wrapped chicken breast. These things ARE AWESOME!!! They usually come 5 to a package (sometimes you get lucky with 6!) I get the seasoned ones (Hello, already seasoned so all you do is put them in a baking dish, 350 degrees, 20 minutes, doesn't get any easier than that) and I buy about 5 at a time when they go on sale at Kroger for $7.99 (Regular 9.99)  and then freeze them. They are each wrapped individually, so you can take out one for yourself, 2 for you and your husband, 3 for you and the kid, etc. I usually cook them all at the beginning of the week and then we eat all week. Yes they are more expensive then regular chicken breast, but the ease of them makes them amazing. They will defrost in minutes and you DON'T HAVE TO SEASON!! Dinner is ready after a long work day, day with the kids, just don't want to freakin cook kind of mood.

Parkay Spray Butter- Zero Calories and Zero Fat. It adds that much needed  flavor to our veggies without all the fat.We put it on almost everything, I rarely use real butter.

Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs): This is the newest fad in cooking. They are less Calories, Carbs, sodium etc than regular bread crumbs. Highly, highly suggest adding these to your pantry. They are becoming so popular they are with the bread crumbs now but if you can't find them there, look in the section with the Oriental food

Crock Pot Bags: Holy Crap, the most genius invention ever! I will go to the store only for these before using my crock pot. If you have EVER burnt food into a crock pot, you know how awful it is to clean it. This takes all that work out of it. They are amazing, they are beyond amazing, please never use a crock pot again without one. I don't care if it doesn't "look" pretty, it will save you HOURS OF CLEANING
I think they are 2.99 for 4 bags. I would buy them for $10.00 a package.

Kroger Sweet Hot Mustard:
Our friend, Laurie, got us onto this great product. You can put this mustard on everything: Chicken, Meatloaf, Steak, Veggies, Sandwiches, Potatoes, Fries,  list goes on and on and on.
 This is some other random brand, but this is what it looks like at Kroger
Bag of Baby Peppers: This is my newest find! I am in love with these things, they are so small you can use them for everything. I use them for omelets, sandwiches, salads, side dishes, saute them up or eat them raw. They are about $5.99 a bag but they will last for weeks. If you like peppers, you must try them. They are so sweet and delicious.


Buffalo Sauce: My husband can eat this stuff by the spoonfuls; I always have a spare bottle in the pantry at all times.. You would be surprised how many recipes you can "spice" up with this stuff. I will definitely post some of my favorite recipes-some you would never expect! Don't buy the off brand on this, buy the Texas Pete one!


Frozen Vegetables: These go on sale for 10 for 10 a lot ($1.00 a bag). Jordan can even cook these things. :) Frozen veggies are much better for you than canned veggies. They can be boiled, stir fry, and/or cooked. We usually boil them in a little water and then put the spray butter on them. These go so well with the chicken and cook in about 5 minutes.
 

I hope this helps some of y'all find a new love of cooking, a new way to cook, or maybe just something that will get a home cooked meal on the table after those long days.