Meal prep can seem daunting, but it is a critical element of staying on track with any nutrition plan. I also like to completely prep and pack my lunches ahead of time because it saves me precious time in the morning as I am rushing out the door.
I use Sunday as my ‘prep’ day, and I will typically make enough food for my lunches and dinner for the first 3-4 days of the week. Mid-week, I will usually make a dinner meal that can be stored as leftovers for lunch and dinner the remaining days of the week.
CROCK-POT
◇ Stainless Steel Crock-Pot 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker w/ Digital Timer
I am a mother of three young children, so Crock-Pot cooking is the holy grail for me in terms of dinners and meal prep. You will see that I leverage the Crock Pot frequently in my meal prep recipes, like Mississippi Chicken and Taco Soup.
KITCHEN SCALE
◇ Ozeri ZK14-S Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen & Food Scale
The scale isn’t necessarily a ‘must have’ for everyone.
It is, however, excellent for those of you keeping track of overall calories and macros. One of the biggest mistakes people make when counting calories and macros is underestimating the amount of food they’re actually consuming.
I highly recommend tracking your information in an app, like MyFitnessPal. The scale helps you to more accurately track the amount of food you’re taking in and helps you learn to more accurately visualize portion sizes, which is especially helpful when you’re dining out.
MULTI-COMPARTMENT CONTAINERS
◇ 20-pack Utopia Kitchen 32 Oz. 3 Compartment Meal Prep Container Pack w/ Lid
We’ve all come a long way since the brown paper bag reigned as the “best” option for daily lunch transport – especially with containers like these, which won’t leave us too heartbroken when we realize all of our commuter container lids have gone mysteriously missing yet again (probably with all the missing single socks, wherever it is that this once paired stuff seems to go)…
These containers hold up really well in the microwave, and I haven’t had any issues with leakage. I stay stocked!
GLASS CONTAINERS
◇ Kinetic BPA–free 30 oz. Glass Lunch Containers w/ Lids
These glass airtight containers work well for anything that may leak or needs to spend some extra time in the microwave. For example, Taco Soup.
SMALL CONTAINERS
◇ Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Square 1/2-Cup Food Storage Containers
These containers are perfect for storing salad dressing and snack items. I use them frequently to store peanut butter for my mid-day peanut butter and protein waffle snack.
SALAD CONTAINERS
◇ Rubbermaid LunchBlox Salad Kit
Salads are one of the easiest ‘prep ahead’ meals that you can whip together, especially if you’re short on time. These containers are perfect for storing your protein item (I typically use marinated chicken that yes, I make ahead) that you may need to microwave when it comes time to add it to your greens and their friends – or to keep ingredients that might get soggy separate until you’re ready to toss them together to eat.
RIDE-OR-DIE GROCERY STAPLES
Keep a running grocery list of items that you need on hand for meal prep. There are tons of apps for that these days, so no excuses!
I will typically always have the following items on hand at all times:
◇ boneless + skinless chicken breasts
Buy in bulk when they’re on sale, & store these in the freezer individually wrapped in plastic.
◇ tuna
Here’s my favorite – & I spent years searching & taste testing for y’all.
◇ a selection of basic salad ingredients
Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers – & to keep things interesting yet still brainless – mix it up based on what’s in season, & hence what’s on sale!
