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SMALL APPLIANCES FOR MEAL PREP
Topping our essential meal prep list: The Instant Pot Pro Plus Wi-Fi is a wonderful multi-purpose small appliance geared toward meal prep. Designed to take the place of many small appliances, this thing can fit a solid amount of food. From sauteeing to pressure cooking, this thing does it all! Including any kind of rice. We’ve been able to cook both an amazing white sticky rice and a wonderful Spanish rice, in only 15 minute cook time! This is the ESSENTIAL meal prep small appliance with its small footprint and capabilities.
This air fryer does everything the above Instant Pot can’t. We would classify this as the second most important small appliance for your meal prep kitchen. With 10 functions, from Air Fry to Broil, this thing heats up fast, and with the tray style of basket, you can fit more food in at once. Did we mention it folds up to save counter space?
Who doesn’t love a good smoothie? The NutriBullet blender combo not only blends, blend cups are included to blend and go. This small appliance gives you the opportunity for a nutritious meal you can drink on the way to work or the gym. It’s no wonder it’s included as #3 of our top 10 essentials for meal prep. Perfect for sneaking those veggies into a great tasting smoothie.
While lower on the meal prep essentials list, this thing does something the others don’t specialize in: saving you money! Too many times I’ve thrown away food that has sat in the fridge too long. And cooking freezer burnt meat goes against our core beliefs. Meat stays good in the freezer for up to 2 years without freezer burn with one of these bad boys. Whenever I get back from Sprouts, I portion out for each meal prep session and end up at the grocery store a lot less.
MEAL PREP STORAGE
We first saw these things on Shark Tank a while ago. They are the perfect way to freeze any lentil or bean dish into cubes, and then throw into a pot or pan when ready to eat. They stack, they store, and they are perfect for those healthy side dishes we love. We like to stay organized, so these containers are the perfect solution to ensure our healthy side dishes stay fresher, longer.
We HATE throwing away produce. But, it’s so easy to forget an ingredient, or sometimes some items just go bad quicker than others. Not with these containers. These are a meal prep essential! Follow the instructions according to the corresponding produce, and then just pop them in the fridge to ensure a longer lasting produce selection. These are awesome to keep me from popping over to the grocery store, because some produce we planned on using went bad.
An obvious choice for storage. HOWEVER, I am not a fan of plastic of any kind when it comes to our food. These are also perfect for portioning out meals and throwing them in the freezer. That’s right, whole meals IN THE FREEZER! How convenient! We have probably about 3 sets of these and use them every day. Easy, convenient, and they save you time and money.
Not directly related to storage, but it is a must for portion control. It comes with a nifty app that shows you the nutritional information on the screen. If I don’t use this thing, I end up putting way too much of something I shouldn’t have into my meal or those containers. This is your #1 preventative tool for over-utilization of ingredients.
I’m not much of an overnight oats connoisseur; however, my wife LOVES them. These handy jars include everything you need, including a portion measurement right on the side of the glass, making filling these jars a snap. Then you just throw on the lid, and the next day you have breakfast waiting for you. BRILLIANT!
Last but not least, meal prep organization on the go. Most people are still heading to work, just pop your portions in for your day and head out the door. It holds plenty of containers, comes with a convenient shaker bottle, and also includes supplement organizers and powder storage. The perfect little lunch box DOES exist!