Gift Guide: Meal Prep Must Haves
To me, meal prepping can be a very personal thing and is for sure not a one size fits all process. I know for me, based on the week, my meal prep can look very different. Sometimes it means washing and chopping produce and some weeks it means I went full meal planning and meal prep mode and breakfast, lunch and dinner are made and stored ready to grab and go.
You might be asking yourself, ‘but what is the difference between meal planning and meal prepping?’. Well, meal planning is decided what you are actually eating each week (i.e. planning out your menu) and meal prep is the process of setting aside time to prep and cook your meals ahead of time. I tend to meal prep more than I meal plan as I get more comfortable with ingredients, making things up a I go, and make sure to always have my pantry staples on hand. But I do know both meal planning and meal prepping can be overwhelming for some, but just remember there is no right or wrong way to meal plan or prep. Just go about it in a way that feels good for you and your family, that is what matters. Just have fun with it!
This week’s gift guide IS all about my meal prep must haves.
Most of the items listed below would be great gift ideas for someone who wants to get into meal prepping or wants to up their game with their meal prep. Most of the items listed are non-toxic and are items I personally use on a daily basis. Enjoy!
Kitchen Appliances & Cookware:
Vitamix: My husband bought me a Vitamix for my birthday this year and my meal prep and overall kitchen game was extremely elevated. I have been wanting one for years and I can honestly say, I am shocked I went all these years without one. I use mine every morning to make my smoothie and just used this past weekend to make a tomato sauce.
Crockpot: This one is a no brainer, but we use our Crockpot every Sunday. I love being able to throw ingredients into the Crockpot and then letting it do all the work. We usually make carnitas or chili and it is such a simple and non-stressful way to make food for the week!
Immersion Blender: I love to make one pot soups in my dutch oven and immersion blend all the ingredients together. Soup is another easy way to use up ingredients and make a lot to eat for the week or freeze for later. It’s easier clean up too with the immersion blender vs. putting hot soup into an actual blender. I think the immersion blender is one of my all time favorite kitchen tools.
Kitchen Cookware:
The Always Pan is on my own personal Christmas list this year. I love that it is a one size for all pan (less to clean) and the color options are gorgeous. It’s a non-toxic and non-stick pan that can literally do anything and I think anyone who receives this as a gift will love it. If you are looking for a more budget friendly non-toxic pan option to start switching your pans over to non-toxic, this Green Pan set would be perfect too.
Le Creuset Dutch Oven (5 qt): Yesterday alone, we used our dutch oven twice! I love the classic look of this dutch oven and have it in matte white. It truly is the perfect dutch oven for soups, chili, sauces and more!
Baking Sheets: These non-toxic baking sheets are perfect for roasting veggies and making one pan meals.
Kitchen Accessories:
A good Chef’s Knife: My meal prep life changed when I started using a good chef’s knife. If I had to pick one meal prep gift for anyone, a good knife is where I would start. Makes chopping and cutting things so much easier, quicker and safer!
Bamboo Cutting Boards: You can never have enough cutting boards when it comes to meal prep, especially if you are prepping a lot at once. Bamboo is a great non-toxic and more sustainable options compared to plastic and wood.
Silicon Cooking Utensils: I am slowly switching all of our cooking utensils over to silicone utensils and this set is gorgeous and has the essentials you need!
Glass Ingredient Bowls: Glass is queen in our house as most of our storage containers and mixing bowls are glass for sustainability purposes. My sister bought me glass ingredient bowls for Christmas one year and a small set came too. I love using them to portion out spices and ingredients at once and then quickly thrown everything into the bowl as needed. I learned when I meal prep, sometimes recipes don’t allow for you to measure things out while cooking so it is easier to have everything ready and these bowls help with that!
Stainless Steele Colander: Great for washing all your produce and allowing it to take its time to drain!
Vegetable Peeler: I peel everything with this peeler!
Measuring Cups and Measuring spoons
Kitchen Storage:
Stasher Bags: I will never stop talking about these bags! I love them and use them daily. If you opened our pantry, freezer or fridge you would see these bags. Great stocking stuffers!
Glass Storage Meal Prep Set: I love this glass storage set to keep cooked veggies and meats in. They stack easily on top of each other for easy storage too.
Glass Jars: I love these glass jars for to go salads, salad dressings, nut milks and more. So versatile!
Lunchbox: A non-toxic and sustainable stainless steel lunchbox. A great gift for on the go meals!
Meal Prep REcipe Books:
Past Gift Guides: