This $13 Kitchen Tool Has Made My Morning Routine a Million Times Better

Did you know that nearly a quarter of Americans skip breakfast every day? (That’s 82 million people!) While technically, the first meal you eat all day — at whatever time you do — is the moment you “break” your “fast,” there’s no denying that mornings are busy, and it’s understandable that you might prioritize getting to work over cooking something nutritious to set up your day.

I should know because I was one of these people. For a long time, I would grab a granola bar every morning before heading out of the house. To me, preparing and eating a healthy and delicious breakfast was a luxury reserved for the weekends. I didn’t have time to cook eggs and scrub my pan or spend five whole minutes mashing up an avocado to spread on my toast before work. Food during the workweek usually needs to be functional. But why can’t kitchen tools function to ensure good meals are easier to produce? 

That’s where my favorite new gadget comes in. For Christmas, I received Trudeau’s 2-in-1 Avocado Slicer after my mom saw how often I struggled to prepare an avocado. The tool features a double-sided slicer with an ergonomic handle. One end has a pitter to scoop up the most stubborn of avocado pits and the other side is a semi-circle blade with ten sectioning blades to make slicing avocados super easy (like seriously easy).

I didn’t expect much from this slicer until I tried it out. While the pitter was effective, I was more impressed by the blade that sliced up my avocado in seconds. I even employed the pitter to mash the avocado, too. A task that used to take me a few minutes now takes less than one minute. I’m generally against one-task kitchen tools, but investing in ones that simplify and expedite your food-making process can positively impact your relationship with food and inspire you to try new recipes. 

Better yet, the more mornings I used this slicer, the more I made an effort to enjoy and experiment with my morning meals. And the more mornings I ate breakfast, the more my routine steadied. I started waking up earlier, and I noticed that I no longer experienced guilt or stress during my morning routine. Since I rushed to get ready in the mornings, I felt guilty taking any time for myself. Prioritizing breakfast-time allowed me to relax and relish my mornings. Establishing a stable routine that works for you can help anyone form better habits, feel less stressed, and feel more focused. 

That’s not to say I suddenly became a fabulous, glittering morning person — but eating breakfast every day did help me feel more energized throughout the day and into the evenings. It was a pleasant surprise: The $13 stocking stuffer surpassed my expectations of how an avocado slicer could serve as a spark to help me improve my lifestyle overall. 

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: This $11 Kitchen Tool Made Breakfast Easier and Improved My Morning Routine