Meal Prep for the Week | for Beginners

You will go from meal prep for beginners to meal prepping pro before you know it. In order to successfully begin meal prepping your favorite meals, you need to first have some simple tools.

Meal prep isn’t as simple as it seems and that’s why I’m glad you’re here. It can shave minutes off your morning when you need to hit the snooze button. As a busy working mom and wife, this has been a lifesaver. I didn’t realize how much I needed to make a habit of meal prepping until I started.

You are going to learn the basics and meal prep essentials you must-have (plus where to get them) to actually have time for that holistic morning routine I talk about. Or to have that cup of coffee sitting down and not in the car while driving ha-ha.

This post is all about meal prep for beginners.

Meal Prep for Beginners

What you need:

1. Meal Prep Containers

Containers you can take with you that you can warm up in the microwave and have in the fridge is all you need. These containers are a great option for beginners for meal prep because they are a great size. They have a great seal, and they are not so pricey that if you forget, lose, or accidentally ruin one, you will have lost a ton of money or sworn off meal prepping all together. These are the exact ones I have at home.

For these exact meal prep containers click here. Can you believe for the price there are 30 of them!

2. Disposable Sauce cups

I buy mine at Walmart but I don’t buy them as often because I’ve either been mostly home or make sure I don’t lose my reusable ones from Walmart. These are great for teens too. If yours is anything like mine he loses more now than when he was in preschool ha-ha.

Ok so disposable anything is not ideal or great for the environment but you’re a beginner so don’t freak out. If you can manage to get your containers to your location and back home without losing them chances are you will be able to have success with reusable, washable sauce cups.

To get these from Walmart click here.

Bonus tip: They don’t have to be used for sauce or dressing (if you don’t want to). Optional: (what I do) A mix of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, pepper, and a little garlic salt.

3. Paper Towels

Hide these, otherwise, they will be gone by the next day. I don’t know what it is about everyone wanting to use an entire paper towel to wipe one little spot. It’s not like I don’t have an entire drawer of kitchen hand towels. So annoying… Anyway, the paper towel is actually for your salad recipes. You might be making lettuce wraps but you’ll need the paper towel for your lettuce to stay crisp.

Bonus Tip: My husband preps his salads for the week in the containers below without using any paper towels. I’m super picky, so my lettuce cannot marry the rest of the ingredients until I’m ready to eat it. In my case, I need a container for the lettuce and a container for everything else. Also, if you can get these at your local dollar store, that will work the same.

4. Cutting Board/s

You don’t know you need it until you use it. I now have 2 and I want more in different sizes. Cutting boards are just so convenient and easy to clean. It’s like coloring within the lines, you know. It forces you not to use the entire counter or a plate (like I used to).

Bonus Tip: I haven’t tried this yet but all I need is a little cutting board. To avoid brown apple slices you can take a little cutting board, an apple slicer, and your favorite apple. When I travel, I’m going to use this as my travel hack. I haven’t seen this anywhere so I’m going to claim it here hahaha on January 7, 2021.

5. Measuring Cups

Measuring cups are always great and can be used in a variety of ways. Maybe you are trying to keep your portions to a certain amount. Perhaps you’re trying to make sure you can put the exact amount that will fit into the containers. Trust me at some point you’ll need measuring cups.

Bonus Tip: These can be bought at any “dollar” store, especially for those on a budget (or those like me who spend carefully no matter how little or how much you make). Bonus bonus tip: when buying measuring cups “anywhere”, you want to find ones where the measurement will not wash off. You want the size measurement to be raised. Basically, if it is just printed on and flat, it will most likely wash off. If it is raised, and you can feel it; then you can’t wash it off (unless of course, you melt it off ha-ha).

6. Lunch Bag/s

There’s something about having a cute lunch pail that motivates you to want to take your lunch to work (or just to the park, hiking, traveling, you know, like I used to…). Having lunch at the park for lunch like my husband and I used to do, can be super romantic. (Cue the cheesy smile)

Bonus: Husband approved lunch bag! I finally found one that is masculine and fashionable!

7. Sandwich Baggies

I’m sure every household has sandwich baggies in their home. I have them in, of course, at least 5 different sizes. I don’t use them as much as I used to because I snack on about the same amount of food so I know what size containers work for me.

Bonus Tip: Baggies are great when traveling on the road. If you take food with you everywhere you go like I do then this tip is for you. Running errands all day? Baggies can be thrown away and not stink like containers sitting in the car after a few hours. (I don’t want to drive almost 3 hours to visit a family member and start washing all of my food containers at their house).

These reusable sandwich baggies will be my next purchase.