Feeding yourself can be a real chore—sometimes, you just don’t have any dinner inspiration or time to cook. That’s when meal prepping some easy recipes and stashing them away for the week can come in handy (and save your wallet from takeout delivery fees).
Meal prep can look different from person to person: For some, it’s chopping a bunch of ingredients up (a.k.a. mise en place) and storing them until you’re ready to assemble your dish; for others, it’s whipping up full meals and portioning out individual servings ahead of time. Whether you’ve never meal prepped before or you just can’t seem to stick with it, we have some easy, expert-approved tips and products to set you on the right path. You might even cancel your Doordash membership after reading (okay, fine, keep it for emergencies).
Our top picks
- Rubbermaid Brilliance Airtight Food Storage Containers
- Blue Apron Subscription
- Farberware Edgekeeper 5-Inch Santoku Knife
- KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener
- Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer
- OTOTO Measuring Spoons Set
- OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
- Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and ReaLemon 100% Lemon Juice
- Dash Rapid Egg Cooker
- W&P Porter Seal Tight Glass Lunch Bowl Container
- OXO Good Grips Storage Container
- Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Plus Folding Cutting Board
- BUILT Gourmet Getaway Soft Neoprene Lunch Tote
- Papaya Reusable Paper Towels
FAQs
What are the best foods for meal prepping?
“The best foods to use for meal prepping are the ones that can be stored and reheated well,” Alexa Nichols, MS, RD, the lead associate dietitian at Nourishing NY, tells SELF. “I also like to choose ones that are versatile, so you can use them in a variety of recipes.” She recommends breaking up your grocery list into categories like grains or starches, proteins, fats, fruits, and vegetables, then mixing and matching the combinations to create balanced meals. Some meal prep staples she recommends:
Starches
- Rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- White potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Squash
Proteins
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground turkey,
- Tofu
- Greek yorgurt
- Beans
Fats
Fruits
Vegetables
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Leafy greens
How long can you keep your meal-prepped food in the fridge or freezer?
The USDA says that most leftovers are safe to eat up to three to four days later as long as they’ve been in the fridge, or three to four months if they’ve been in the freezer. Technically, your frozen food may last longer than that—but the USDA notes that it also might lose its moisture or flavor.
How many times can you reheat your leftovers?
There’s no general rule about how often you can safely enjoy your leftovers. But it’s ideal to only reheat small portions once, Nichols says. “This is why meal prepping and pre-portioning works so well, because you can portion what you’re going to eat,” she adds. “You avoid having to reheat all of your leftovers, put back what you don’t eat, and then repeat this again.”
Rubbermaid Brilliance Airtight Food Storage Container
Pros
- Lockable lids
- Stack nicely
- Freezer-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe
- Come in a variety of sizes
Cons
- Some reviewers have trouble taking the lids off
Half the battle of meal prepping is finding the right containers to store your food in. Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, a registered dietitian based in Kansas City, recommends these Rubbermaid ones—she’s even gifted them to people. “What I really like about these is the seal that you get with the click-top lid,” she says. “It actually creates a little bit of a vacuum seal, which is spill-proof. I’ve never had a disaster where they leaked or broke open.”
Depending on the set you buy, you can get a variety of sizes, which comes in handy if you prefer to batch-cook ingredients, store them all separately, and then assemble your dishes on the fly. If you’d rather pre-portion individual meals, you can also get a set that comes with several of only one size. And don’t sleep on the ones with dividers that keep your chicken from running into your broccoli.
Blue Apron Subscription
Pros
- No grocery shopping needed
- Very customizable
- Pre-portioned ingredients prevents food waste
Cons
- You won’t have leftovers unless you pay for more portions than you need
If cutting out grocery store shopping is what you need to get into the swing of things, you can always try a meal kit subscription. That way, food will be delivered right to your door—all you have to do is cook and store it.
Harbstreet has tried several meal kits, but Blue Apron is the one she’s been subscribed to the longest. “What surprised us about Blue Apron was that those meals didn’t necessarily leave us with leftovers, but the portions that they allowed for and provided were actually really filling,” she says, adding that her husband is a former athlete with a hearty appetite. “We really enjoyed the variety of recipes. There were a lot of modifications available, and even though we didn’t always take advantage of making changes or upgrades, we liked the variety and the different cuisine styles.”
Farberware Edgekeeper 5-Inch Santoku Knife
Pros
- Comfortable, versatile design
- Comes with a blade cover
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- Some Amazon reviewers say it dulls quickly
- Hand wash only
You’ll be reaching for a knife over and over again while cooking, so why not invest in a solid one that makes prepping food in large batches easier? Harbstreet recommends using a Japanese santoku knife, which is designed for slicing, chopping, and mincing.
“Its blade is a little bit shorter and curved, so the shape is just slightly different [than a traditional chef’s knife], even though the handle size and weight of the knife is very similar,” she says. “I find that it’s more comfortable to use and also really versatile. It can pretty quickly flip over from dicing up an onion to chopping through a cooked chicken breast.”
KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener
Pros
- Easy to use
- Quickly sharpens blades
- Budget-friendly
Cons
- Some Amazon shoppers say it’s too small and lightweight
If you can’t remember the last time you sharpened your kitchen knives, then it’s probably been too long. “It’s so important to have a well-sharpened, high-quality knife that you’re confident in using,” Harbstreet says. “If you’re nervous about something like a dull knife blade or working with tools that aren’t comfortable for your hand or strength level, then it makes prep work that much less enjoyable.”
