9 Meal Prep Tools You Need to be Successful Now
- phrasedllc: Dr. Kimberlie Harris
- Mar 1, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 2, 2021
What meal prep tools do you need to be successful now? It’s a fair and valid question for anyone looking to start their journey to a meal prep lifestyle. Which meal prep tools are essential or necessary? Which tools can I wait on and add to my kitchen, once I’m more established in my meal prep lifestyle? Are there certain meal prep tools that you need to make meal prepping easier and more efficient? In short, what are the meal prep tools you need to be successful now?
8 years ago when I started my meal prep lifestyle journey, I had no clue about the meal prep tools I or you needed to be successful now. I just knew I was tired of figuring out several times a day what to eat. I knew I was not a fan of eating out (very picky about food and I’m not a big fan of fast food, with a few delicious exceptions). I also knew I didn’t have oodles of money to put into meal prep tools to help me to be successful.
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Now, I can say to you, based on trial and error, there is absolutely a list of meal prep tools you need to be successful now. They are the go to meal prep tools that keep my meal prep lifestyle going from week to week. Over the years, as I’ve been able to or as ‘ve been gifted by friends and loved ones, I have made updates and improvements to my meal prep tools. I will make a follow up post soon where I’ll share those with you too. Before we take a dive into the exciting world of the meal prep tools you need to be successful now, let’s spend some time covering a few bases.
What is Meal Prep or a Meal Prep Lifestyle?
I received this question so much on my social media posts as I shared my weekly meal prep recipes that I finally wrote an entire blog post dedicated to explaining how to Live a Meal Prep Lifestyle. Meal prep or meal prepping is the practice of preparing meals in advance and dividing them into portions that can be easily eaten at a later date. Meal prep is not explicitly focused on health and fitness, however, meal prep is usually practiced by people working on achieving and/or maintaining specific health and fitness goals.
Meal prep is also practiced by people and families who want to save money, by not eating out often and also save time by not having the constant worry over what to cook and eat. Regardless of the “why” behind someone’s choice to meal prep, the general idea is the same: preparing meals in advance so they can be enjoyed at a later time.
What are Some Simple Meal Prep Recipes?
A huge mistake that I made when I started my meal prep journey, outside of having no clue about the meal prep tools I’d need to be successful, was not having some simple meal prep recipes in mind or on hand. In those early days, I looked everything up on Pinterest (not a bad plan in and of itself) and chose recipes that were way too complex and time consuming. Add to that my lack of knowledge on how to portion things correctly and I had a mess. I frequently made way too much of something I didn’t even like and ended up wasting so much food. Because of my mistakes, my advice is to keep it simple. Stick to recipes you already know and like and find ways to adjust them based on your need or goals.
What are Some Meal Prep Must Haves?
Above, I have talked about the importance of the right meal prep tools to your success. I also have mentioned the importance of having and following tips for busy moms and finding some go to recipes you can use when you are low on time. Are you wondering if there are any other meal prep must haves?
Let’s talk about some intangible meal prep must haves, some things that you can’t buy. To succeed at meal prep, you not only need certain meal prep tools to succeed, you will also need flexibility, patience and innovation. I cannot tell you how many times I have accidentally left an important ingredient off my meal prep list or forgotten to turn the crockpot on while wondering why nothing was happening. The truth is as a novice or new meal prep planner, mistakes will happen. They happen sometimes even as a meal prep veteran, but in the majority of those cases a little bit of flexibility, some patience and innovation can help.
Now, that we’ve talked about meal prep, tips for meal prepping and looked at some simple meal prep recipes, let’s dive into the meal prep tools you need to succeed now in your meal prep kitchen.
What are the Meal Prep Tools You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep?
There are a million different meal prep tools that you or anyone could use, but here are the meal prep tools I have consistently used that help to ensure success in my meal prep lifestyle. Below, these essentials, I will also share the meal prep tools that you don’t “need,” but that are my favorite to make meal prep easier or healthier.
#1 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The first meal prep tool you need to succeed in meal prep are good pots and pans. Let’s face it, you will be getting a lot of cooking done, and I’m sure you don’t want to replace pots and pans every few months. If you already have a sturdy set, awesome, but if not, here are some good choices that will make it easier for you to identify the best pots and pans you need to succeed in meal prep.
#2 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The second meal prep tool that you need to succeed in meal prep is an air fryer. I say this because it eliminates so much of the mess in food preparation and it also helps to make your meals so much healthier. I went a long time into my meal prep journey without an air fryer and I regret it. If I had known then what I now know, I would have purchased an air fryer as soon as I first started hearing about them. Now, my air fryer is my go to for delicious chicken breasts, salmons and so many other sides. It is an essential meal prep tool that helps me in being successful each week.
#3 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The third meal prep tool that you need to succeed in meal prep is a crockpot. If you haven’t been in hiding or off the grid for several years, you probably have a crockpot. Your joy then will come from learning how to use it to help you meal prep. If you don’t have a crockpot, prepare to be amazed. My crockpot helps me with chicken breasts, which can be the start of a million different meal prep meals or lasagna, chilis and so much more. The best part of using a crockpot during meal prep is that it doesn’t require much in the way of maintenance, which frees you to work on another meal or prep item that does need to be checked on. There are even liners that you can use to make cleaning up so much easier. You definitely have to add this meal prep tool to help you succeed in your meal prep lifestyle.
#4 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The fourth meal prep tool that you need to succeed at meal prep is a good knife set. You will be cutting lots of vegetables, meats and more and having a good knife set will make sure that it goes easier and more quickly. A good knife set will save you time and energy, so it is one meal prep tool you will need to be successful in meal prep.
#5 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
Another and the fifth meal prep tool you need to succeed at meal prep are baking pans. One pan meals are a cornerstone of my meal prep lifestyle. They are time savers and are also cut down on the amount of containers and tools you’ll need to clean up. In most cases, one pan meals include chopping, seasoning and then tossing your meal into the oven at the right temperature and then coming back to your delicious meal. I have both metal and glass baking pans, in different sizes, depending on how much food or what I am preparing. I would advise that you get a set or two to help as you prepare for meal prep success.
#6 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The sixth meal prep tool you need to succeed in meal prep is very basic and may be one you already own, but I did get a better one. As a part of my meal prep, I prepare a lot of sweet potatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and a potato peeler makes prepping those items much easier and safer. Before, I got one, I had been using a knife and though it gets the job done, it is neither safe nor very effective. I definitely advise that you get a potato peeler to help you succeed in meal prep.
#7 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The seventh meal prep tool that you need to be successful is a can opener. I recently shared that one of my meal prep tips and hacks is to use canned vegetables. When I first started meal prepping, I thought everything had to be fresh. Though I still prioritize and value fresh vegetables, I now know that for time and even cost, at times, it is fine to have some canned produce. A good can opener can make this process even faster.
#8 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The eight meal prep tool that you need to be successful in meal prep is a potato masher. Like I mentioned above potatoes are a staple in my meal prep routine and having a potato masher will help your potatoes to be creamier and help you get them mashed faster. Add thie meal prep tool to your list to help in your meal prep success.
#9 Meal Prep Tool You Need to Succeed in Meal Prep:
The ninth meal prep tool that you need for meal prep success is a cutting board. I actually didn’t have one for quite some time and once I did, I couldn’t believe how much easier and faster it made cutting items. Learn from my mistake, get a cutting board to help in making cutting easier and faster in your meal prep kitchen.
Before You Go
I cannot sing the praises of meal prep enough. It has eliminated the stress of meals and has saved my family tons of money. It has also been one of the best things I have done to help with my health and fitness goals.
If you want to start a meal prep lifestyle, take a look at some of my previous posts, especially this one on awful meal prep mistakes to avoid and feel free to email or message me. You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter social media where I post my weekly prep and answer questions in a more immediate way. Take charge of your budget, health and nutrition today with some good meal prep tools that will help you to be successful in your meal prep kitchen.
Looking for help in other areas of your life? Take a look at some of some of my other most popular posts. Click the join button at the top of the page to get notified each time a new blog post is made and to get free and helpful resources. I hope to hear from you soon.
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