Ready to up your meal planning and meal prep game, but not sure where to start?
We've compiled some of our FAVORITE recipes and resources for you to help make meal planning fast and simple!
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OUR BEST MAKE-AHEAD RECIPES
OUR FAVORITE MEAL PREP AND MEAL PLANNING EQUIPMENT
Good food storage containers are a MUST for effective meal prep. These glass varieties have BPA-free lids, are easy to stack, and can go from freezer to fridge to oven to dishwasher for easy cleanup.
One of our favorite kitchen finds! Stasher bags are a dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, sous-vide-safe alternative to plastic Ziplocs. By far our favorite plastic bag alternative.
This isn't specific to meal prep, but salt is the MOST important ingredient you can have in your kitchen. It brings out flavor and makes food taste, well, more like itself.
A great food processor is your meal prep secret weapon. Prep pesto, sauces, magic cauliflower cream, and fillings or use the shredding discs to chop veggies or shred cheese at lightning speed.
Invest in a few thick, sturdy pans for your kitchen - we love this deep sauté pan for big batches of veggies and sauces to use all week long! Cast iron skillets and a large stock pot are also great to have on hand.
Slow cookers make meal prep SO much easier. Use this Crock-Pot to prep big batches of shredded chicken, braises or stews, sauces, or veggies to use in meals throughout the week.
Kitchen tongs are one of our most-used tools: They make a huge difference for mixing spaghetti, pulling hot baked potatoes from an oven, or cooking long veggies like green beans and asparagus. Use tongs like an extension of your hand for easy cooking.
A simple bench scraper is a must-have tool for any meal prep. Use it to move large quantities of chopped veggies from your cutting board to a pan or storage container, cut through pasta or bread dough, and to tidy your work area so you can prep quickly and efficiently.
Small or odd-shaped cutting boards make it hard to efficiently and safely prepare food. A large, rectangular board lets you chop with plenty of room. This one is 12×18 inches, BPA-free, dishwasher safe, comes in a ton of colors, and budget-friendly.
ESSENTIAL KNIVES
People often ask us what knife blocks or knife collections to buy - but in reality, we believe you really only need three good knives. Some of our favorite brands are listed below, but the most important thing - no matter the brand! - is to keep your knives SHARP.
Every cook should have a great, large chef's knife. (Cutting large items with a too-small knife is a good way to hurt yourself!) If you're not sure what size knife you'll like, visit a specialty store like Sur La Table to test the knives yourself and see what feels best in your hand.
For small jobs - like hulling strawberries, peeling or scoring, or deveining shrimp - a paring knife is essential.Â
Look for a relatively heavy knife with a short, sharp blade.
A good serrated knife is great for slicing homemade bread, leveling cakes, cutting through thick sandwiches, thinly slicing tomatoes, or removing rinds from melons.Â