GUIDE: The Best Meal Prep Containers

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The most important part of overall wellness is nutrition. Without a balanced diet of good carbs, healthy fats, and plenty of protein, nothing else matters. Meal prepping is one of the most helpful ways to ensure that you stay on target with your wellness goals. It guarantees that you have pre-portioned, nutrient-rich, foods ready and waiting for you every day, to make eating healthy the most convenient option available to you. Pre-planning meals also help you curb hunger, by getting your body on a schedule, and also helps fight the temptation to pick up those ready to eat meals from your local gas station. By making eating healthy even more convenient, you are significantly increasing your chances for nutritional and fitness success. Meal prep containers are a vitally important aspect of meal prepping, and without quality, durable, and affordable containers you're setting yourself for a meal prep failure!

Find the Right Size Containers

Finding the perfect size meal prep containers for your lifestyle and eating preferences can feel daunting. With sizes ranging from one cup up to seven cups (and beyond), it can be tricky to figure out which size (or sizes) are going to be your perfect meal prep match.

Our best tip for beginner meal preppers: buy a few cheap containers in different sizes. You really won’t have a good idea of how much space you need until you try them out. Find them in the grocery store or pharmacy by all the foil and saran wrap next time you hit the store.

You may find that your first few times testing out containers you end up packing way too much or too little food – that’s okay! Figuring out your perfect portions will take 2-3 weeks, but once you get there, you’ll know exactly what container sizes are your perfect fit.

We found success with a 29oz (3-cup) size container for most meals. But, also really enjoy big salads for lunch, so my container of choice is usually a 4-cup round container with the salad dressing cup attached.

Advantages of Meal Prep Containers are:

1. Prераrе уоur mеаlѕ in аdvаnсе аnd ѕtасk them in уоur fridgе аt home, оr аt wоrk, for better organization.
2. Lоѕе wеight аnd build muѕсlе by соntrоlling уоur роrtiоn ѕizе. Plan оut уоur mеаlѕ via аnd wаtсh thаt weight drор
3. They are reusable, microwave and dishwasher safe
4. They are convenient for daily use such as реrѕоnаl mеаlѕ or even fоr just расking lеftоvеrѕ frоm thе dinnеr tаblе
5. Meal prep containers are leak proof and help keep food fresh, longer. Well... good ones anyways
6. Light-weight and Easy to transport

NOTE: Look for BPA frее fооd соntаinеrѕ that are ѕаfе fоr you аnd your fаmilу

Glass Containers vs. Plastic Containers

Glass:

• Costs more, but more economical for long term
• Too heavy for travel or on-the-go eating
• Easy to clean
• Ideal if you're concerned about plastic's safety

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Plastic:

• Ideal for a mobile lifestyle
• More convenient for the various sizes
• Easily disposable
• Lightweight

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Meal Prep Bowls with Dressing Container

• 4-cup capacity
• Built-in dressing cup kept outside bowl for cleanliness
• Domed lid with room to shake and toss salad
• Embossed cup measurements for portioning
• Set of 10 bowls, bowl lids, cups, cup lids
• Resusable, microwave & dishwasher safe
• Convenient meal prep container for salads, grain or rice bowls

Single Compartment Meal Prep Container – 10 piece

#10783 Single Compartment:
. Large 4 cup capacity to hold a full meal
. Recipes include: Marmalade Sausage and Veggies for breakfast, Bacon Ranch Chicken for Lunch, and One Pan Baked Cod and Veggies for dinner

Dual Compartment Meal Prep Containers - 10 piece set

#10785 2 Compartment Container:
. Large 2 cup compartment for protein and Small 1 cup compartment for carbs
. Recipes include: Butternut squash cranberry skillet for breakfast, Kofta Kebab for Lunch, and Sesame Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry for Dinner

Three Compartment Meal Prep Container - 10 piece set

#10785 3 Compartment Container:
. Large 2 cup compartment for protein and 2 small 1 cup compartments for carbs and vegetables
. Recipes include: Turmeric Scrambled Eggs for breakfast, Apple BBQ Meatloaf for Lunch, and Pesto Chicken for dinner

Round Meal Prep Containers - 10 piece

#10787 Round 3 Compartment:
. Round dinner plate shape with perfectly measured compartments for healthy meal planning that include 1-cup veggies, 1-cup protein, and 1-cup grains
. Recipes include: Salmon and Fruit with Spinach for Breakfast, Chimichurri Steak for Lunch, and Beef Barbacoa for dinner
. A 9" plate diameter can lead you to eat less than normal larger plate sizes
. Lid contains orientation tabs to ensure the lid is positioned correctly on the vessel
. Eating from a bright red place can lead you to eat less overall

Snack Size Meal Prep Container - 10 piece

• Two separated compartments perfect for a portion-controlled main meal and a side dish
• Microwavable, freezer and dishwasher safe
• 10 sets for work or school week; lunches for two or 2 meals for one
• Includes complete meal prep starter guide, with 3 healthy recipes developed especially to fit the container
• Each container is embossed with helpful volume measurements
• Recipes you can pick for these containers are; Everything Bagel Cashews, Zesty GF Chex Mix, Mexican Street Corn

ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS:

STAINLESS STEEL, SILICONE, AND MORE!
New materials for meal prep containers hit the market constantly. When considering which containers to buy, think about some of these alternative materials:

Stainless Steel Meal Prep Containers are a great, very lightweight option. The biggest drawback of stainless steel containers is that they can’t be microwaved, so they’re the best no-reheat meals. Look for BPA-free stainless steel meal prep containers, like these (they’re also dishwasher safe!).

Silicone Meal Prep Containers are nice because they’re usually collapsible, too. After eating, you can collapse them for easy transport home! They do tend to hold onto strong flavors, so be wary of keeping anything potent in them for too long. These BPA-free silicone meal prep containers are a great option.

Bento-style meal prep containers have compartments to keep foods separate. We love the Lunch Bots brand and use them all the time! They are also fantastic for snack lunches.

“Stacked” containers, like these, are specifically made for keeping salad fresh. Pack your greens and other hearty items (like grains) in the bottom and use the top compartments for dressing, cheese, and more, then simply mix at mealtime.

Containers with silverware and condiment compartments, like these, feature Bento Box-style compartments, as well as silverware that nests in the lid.

And of course, for no reason at all, the most expensive meal prep container we could find: These containers come in at a whopping $109.99 each and are self heating and have a built in pressure release valve! WOW.