7 Tips for Storing Your Meal-Prep Foods

Food prepped in tubberware

If you’re a fan of meal prep—getting ingredients for several meals ready in advance—you already know what a time saver it can be. There’s some effort up front, for sure. But once completed, you’ve got easy meals for days.

A key meal-prep step is making sure you’ve got the right containers to store everything in. Think freshness, organization, convenience and visibility when stocking up on containers. As meal prep becomes more popular, the selection of nifty containers is ever growing. Store your meals in style with these options:

  1. Glass containers with plastic or silicone lids are ideal for storing just about anything. If you can buy a set that includes a variety of sizes, you’ll always have just the right container. And glass lets you store, reheat in the microwave, and eat right out of the same container…perfect for on-the-go eats! If you want to be uber-organized, you could use the different-color lids to color code your ingredients.
  2. Sets that include both glass and plastic containers give you a nice variety, and the snap-on lids do a great job of keeping things fresh.
  3. Try silicone containers that can go in the oven and the microwave safely. Some come with vented lids for reheating. Find a set that uses the same lids for both the glass and the plastic containers to eliminate digging for the right one.
  4. Washable baggies are reusable and fantastic for storing things like salad greens or cut-up veggies. You’ll have salad fixings, a stir-fry or a vegetable side ready to cook at any moment – just open the bag, and dump the deliciousness into your salad bowl or cookware.
  5. Try bento boxes to pack lunches, putting different foods into the separate sections – a sandwich in one compartment, cut veggies in another and some trail mix or fruit in a separate compartment. Airtight lids keep everything fresh.
  6. Mason jars are beyond versatile, and they’re affordable, too—perfect for layered jar salads, yogurt and granola parfaits and more. Plus, they come in various sizes and in regular and wide-mouth versions.
  7. Fill up a fridge snack bin with plenty of grab-and-go goodies. These clear plastic bins make everything easy to see and keep everything together in one spot. No more apples rolling around on the fridge shelf, and no more “whadda we got to snack on?” queries.

Try some of these ideas and see what suits you best, depending on how much storage space you have and how much meal prepping you do. Add to your container selection by looking for top-notch products on sale. And check the internet for more selections.