Types of Meal Prepping

There are two basic elements to meal prepping: chopping vegetables and putting ingredients for meals into containers, and actually cooking some aspects of the meal and freezing them. You can do one or both of these options depending on how much time you think you will have. Some people simply do the prep work, such as getting all their veggies chopped up, rice measured, and snacks into portion baggies to be used during the week. Others actually cook the casseroles and chicken and then freeze them so that dinner just involves popping them in the oven.

Containers to Use

  • When you’re planning on prepping meals, you need to be careful with the types of containers you use.
  • These containers are not just storing the ingredients and cooked food items but meant to keep them fresh in the refrigerator or freezer for an extended period of time.
  • You need to be careful about what you choose to store items in and how they are stored.

Here are some recommendations for food storage containers:

Choose containers with airtight lids.

  • Make sure that your containers keep the food fresh with airtight lids.
  • If you intend to use Tupperware-type containers, try filling them with water, then turn them upside down and make sure no water leaks out.
  • This is a good way to tell how fresh your food will be in the containers.

Try storing items in mason jars.

  • Mason jars are perfect for storing certain items and meals.
  • For example, if you like to take a salad to work, try putting each day’s salad in a separate container.
  • Choose the wide-mouth containers and add the denser items at the bottom.
  • The greens should always be at the top so they don’t get wilted or weighed down.
  • Keep your salad dressing in a separate container.

Be careful with plastic storage items.

  • Plastic is fine to use, but you should know what type of plastic you are using.
  • Make sure it is a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, and dishwasher-safe first of all.
  • Also check that the plastic containers don’t have any BPA, which can be dangerous when adding or cooking food in these containers.

Consider casserole dishes that work for baking and storage.

  • When you are actually cooking bigger meals ahead of time to just be reheated each evening, you want to use multi-purpose casserole dishes.
  • Use glass dishes that you use for baking, but that can also be used for storing them in the freezer.
  • Just make sure you leave them out at room temperature after cooking to cool down before freezing them, or they might crack.

Tips For Meal Prepping

As you get started with meal prepping, there are some other things you need to keep in mind. Follow these simple tips for prepping your meals after you are done with meal planning:

  • Cook all your meat at once.
  • Label every container so you know when to use it.
  • Note what prepping is being done for leftovers.
  • Use ingredients that can be prepped for multiple meals.
  • Get freezer bags together with ingredients that will go in the slow cooker.

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