Level-Up Your Lunches With These Top 5 Tips for Any Meal Prep Beginner
If you’re tired of fast-food oily hamburgers and trips to your nearest drive-through every time you want to grab a bite, then it’s time for you to embrace the meal prep life.
Once you start, you will swear by meal prepping; you have our word. Cooking a week’s worth of food in one afternoon will not only save you time, but also save your wallet. And it helps tremendously if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle!
Although, you may need a few try-outs before you get it all right … unless you know the shortcuts.
Any meal prep pro will tell you this: it’s all in the process. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or for your family, meal prepping is about planning in advance.
To start your meal prep journey like a seasoned prepper, make sure you follow these 5 rules to the letter, for they are your gateway to a new world of possibilities!
5.) The Right Tools and Food Containers
Photo courtesy of Peanut Butter & Fitness
You could meal prep with only one pan if you wanted to, really. However, if you can equip your kitchen with additional utensils and tools, it makes it easier to cook more effectively and quickly.
- Kitchen equipment: a reliable oven, stove and mixer can get you a long way.
- Kitchen tools: a frying pan, a baking pan and casseroles are musts! If you could also add to them high-quality knives, measuring cups and spoons, a muffin tray and mixing bowls, you would be all set!
After you cook your weekly food (and do your Happy Dance!) comes the time to store your food. For a more durable option, be careful to choose food storage containers that can support freezing and microwaving and that are light enough for you to carry in your bag.
Bonus tip: choose different size food containers for different kinds of meals: small sauce containers, soup containers, compartment lunch boxes, etc.
Clear glass and plastic containers are our first choices: they make it easy to see their content so you won’t waste time opening them to check.
If you want to carry your boxes in your bag or backpack, be careful to wrap them tightly so that they don’t leak. However, if you prefer a more secure option, we recommend to you a separate lunch bag.
P.S: For food that must stay cold, then an insulated lunch bag is necessary. You only need to throw in an ice pack to ensure that it stays at that temperature.
