5 Must Haves Tools for Meal Prep

When it comes to healthy eating one thing is certain: planning ahead makes life much easier. Meal prep plays a big role in my healthy eating strategy. Here are the 5 must have tools for meal prep that will make your healthy eating journey that much easier.

Why Meal Prepping is a Key Component to a Healthier Diet

If you’re on a mission to eat healthier this season, here’s why you should hop on the meal prep train.

• You’re in control. With meal prep, you know exactly what you’re putting into your body. No resorting to take out, no guessing, no hidden ingredients.
  
• Grocery shopping becomes much easier when you include meal prep in the routine. Divide and conquer: separate your list into easy-to-shop categories and not only will you save time at the store, you’ll save money!
  
• You’ll learn a lot about portion control (my go-to healthier eating strategy).
  
• You’ll reduce stress! Think about coming home from a long day and not having to worry about dinner. What a relief.

5 Must Have Tools to Make Meal Prep a No-Brainer

Instant Pot

No kitchen appliance makes meal prep easier than an Instant Pot. This is the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it healthy eating tool. I can’t believe I went so many years without one!

An Instant Pot make make quick-work of large batch meals AND hastily thrown together weeknight dinners. From grain bowls to turkey chili, burrito bowls to oatmeal, the Instant Pot does it all.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for dinner:

• [Award Winning] Instant Pot Chili by Oh Sweet Basil
• Buddha Bowl from Eating Well
• Chicken Pho Noodle Soup from Cooks with Soul

Dishwasher and Microwave Safe Storage Containers

When you’re doing meal prep keep in mind: you don’t want to have to dishes twice for the same meal. A high-quality, dish washer and microwave safe set of storage containers ensures that not only can you keep things organized in your fridge, you don’t have to transfer dishes to heat up a meal.

Invest in a high-quality set of storage containers that are BPA free, dishwasher and microwave safe. There are brands that have color-coded lids for different container sizes. Make sure that you get containers that seal well!

Am I an adult yet?

Food Scale

There are a few times while cooking that I absolutely adhere to a food scale: while baking and for meal prep.

I’m not a big fan of measuring out my portions before eating. Been there, done that, made me feel anxious so no thanks. But if I’m going to take the time to meal prep, I mine as well pre-measure portion sizes!

(p.s. I use THIS method to keep my portions under control instead).

You don’t have to spend too much money to get a quality scale like the one below. My recommendation is to use your scale during meal prep to remind yourself what a true serving size looks like. You might be surprised at how easy it is to under-estimate portion sizes!

MyFitnessPal

I’m a huge fan of meal tracking not for calorie counting, but for holding yourself accountable AND for meal prep. Once you start tracking your meals, you’ll start to find patterns. You’ll notice that you have more energy on some days and less on others. Use that!

Go back to those days where you felt great. Scroll through your meals. How much protein did you eat? Where and when were you putting nutrients in your body. Recreate those days/meals as you plan out your week.

Sharp Knives

Something I learned in professional kitchens: you are far more likely to cut yourself with a crappy, dull knife than you are with a sharp knife.

A sharp knife that is suited to the task at hand changes the way you handle food. Think about using a dull knife…you have to saw away at something as unassuming as a tomato. The more movement you have to put into the slice, the most likely you are to miss or slip and end up cutting yourself.

Furthermore, don’t use a paring knife when a chef’s knife is needed!

There is a reason that so many types of knives exist. Use them properly and I promise you’ll enjoy cooking more!