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Meals that make great leftovers are some of the ways to get into meal prepping. It helps a lot of people who can’t get past the starting phase. Start with making yourself dinner and scale up the recipe to provide leftovers. It’s as easy as that. There are ways to improve this practice though. Let’s take a look at some tips and recommendations for picking and making meals with the goal of having leftovers.

The key to this working is actually eating your leftovers. You have to be prepared to eat leftovers. Try to only cook what you’re likely to eat. Most people don’t want to eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most foods will only last a few days in the fridge so try to only make up to three extra portions when cooking the meal initially.

What Makes a Meal Great for Leftovers?

Not all meals are ideal for leftovers. Look for recipes with these ingredients or characteristics to make meals that make great leftovers.

1. Stable Ingredients:
   • Meals with starchy bases (like rice, pasta, or potatoes) or hearty vegetables (like carrots, broccoli, or sweet potatoes) tend to hold up well.
   • Protein options like chicken, beef, lentils, and beans reheat without significant texture changes.
2. Avoid Dry Meals:
   • Saucy dishes like stews, curries, and pasta bakes maintain their moisture, which prevents drying out when reheated. These dishes will last longer in the fridge. You can get up to five days out of them instead of just two or three.
3. Flavors That Develop Over Time:
   • Some dishes, like soups and chili, taste even better the next day as the flavors meld together.
4. Pay Attention to Textures:
   • Meals with crispy or delicate textures (e.g., fried foods or salads) are less suitable unless components are stored separately. These textures tend to get mushy and lose their desirable experience.
   • Stick to naked proteins with dry or wet seasonings.

Examples of Meals That Make Great Leftovers

Here are some meal ideas that retain their appeal as leftovers:

1. Casseroles and Bakes:
   • Examples: Lasagna, enchilada casserole, shepherd’s pie.
   • These dishes reheat evenly and often taste better the next day. The textures keep well and the moisture helps a lot. 
2. Soups and Stews:
   • Examples: Chicken noodle soup, beef stew, lentil soup.
   • These meals store easily in airtight containers and reheat quickly. You can even freeze in a ziplock bag for even more convenient storage.
3. Curries and Stir-Fries:
   • Examples: Thai green curry, tofu stir-fry, chicken tikka masala.
   • The bold flavors in these dishes intensify over time, making them ideal for meal prep. The strong flavors also steal the show so you aren’t as focused on texture. Delicate flavors tend to fade or get covered up by other foods in the fridge.
4. Pasta Dishes:
   • Examples: Spaghetti Bolognese, baked ziti, pesto pasta.
   • Adding a splash of water or olive oil when reheating keeps pasta from drying out. These dishes dry out a bit but it’s so easy to make a bulk amount leaving leftovers for days.

How to Store Leftovers for Optimal Freshness

Proper storage ensures your leftovers stay delicious and safe to eat. Here are some key tips:

1. Use the Right Containers: Glass containers are great for reheating, while freezer-safe plastic containers work well for longer storage.
2. Cool Before Storing: Allow hot food to cool slightly before sealing to prevent condensation and bacterial growth.
3. Portion Your Meals: Divide meals into individual portions for grab-and-go convenience and even reheating. This can help encourage you to actually eat your leftovers rather then falling back on fast food.
4. Follow Storage Timelines:
   • Refrigerator: Store most leftovers for up to 3-4 days.
   • Freezer: Freeze meals for 2-3 months for optimal quality.

Make Some Leftovers

Leftovers can be some of the best meals. Sometimes because the flavors develop but more often because they are so easy. You can grab and reheat so easily. This convenience is a game changer for many. Ditch the fast food for leftovers. Pair these dishes with proper storage techniques to keep your leftovers fresh and safe.

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Eat healthier, save money, and enjoy delicious food with family meal prep. This is the best way to cut grocery and restaurant costs while ensuring the whole family is getting the nutrients that they need. 

Besides money, it can save you a ton of time during the week. If you’re constantly finding yourself exhausted on a weeknight but still having to cook a full meal, a little planning ahead can be a game changer. You don’t have to meal prep every meal for the week either. Even two or three meals prepared ahead of time will make your life so much easier.

Family meal prep can even become a rewarding experience for the whole family. Engage with your loved ones and teach them how to cook in the process.

Why You Should Family Meal Prep

Time-Saving: Family meal prep can be a big project but trust us, it will still save you time. A once a week big meal is much easier than multiple smaller meals when the whole process is considered. Give yourself a break during the busy weeks and spend a little time upfront. There are many tips and tricks to speed up the process. (make a grocery list ahead of time)

Money-Saving: Eating at home and cooking in bulk is always going to be cheaper than restaurants. Even some home cooked meals can get expensive but if you plan and prepare purposefully you can save a ton with the right recipes. Cook in bulk and be sure to eat the food you make.

Healthier Eating: Just because you cook doesn’t mean it’s healthy although it’s far more likely to be healthier than fast food no matter what. Take it a step further and make nutritious meals. They don’t have to be all nutrition and no fun but remember that you’re setting the standards for your children with every meal. Teach healthy choices and it’ll make a world of difference.

Family Bonding: Finding engaging activities as a family can be tough but food brings people together and forms lasting memories. These will be the times that your kids will remember when they’re grown up. Cooking together works so well because there is something for everyone to do, it’s lively, and everyone’s efforts contribute to food you’ll enjoy as a family.

How To Start Family Meal Prepping

Start small: Start with a single meal that is pre-made and ready to reheat and serve or even smaller and start with snacks. Home-made snacks are a fantastic way to save a ton on overpriced sweet and salty foods. The added benefit is that they’re easy to make and they’ll probably go fast so you can test different foods easily. Try using low-sodium alternatives or natural sugar foods to improve nutrition without making the snacks bland. Work your way up to multiple meals a week. Go slowly as most people get excited and then end up wasting food and getting discouraged. Be very purposeful with your meal prep.

Schedule time: Family meal prep saves time but it takes time. Make sure you have adequate time to buy groceries, prepare, cook, and clean up. It could be a big meal so allow for more time than is on the recipe. Also, if you do have help in the kitchen that is less skilled or experienced expect the whole process to take longer. Expect it and embrace it since this is the only way they learn. They’ll get faster.

Prepare a list: Many people can grocery shop with their eyes closed but if you’re trying something new then plan appropriately. Biggest time waste is making multiple trips to the grocery store. Pick out a recipe, identify the ingredients that you need, and actually check them off the list.

Picking Family Meal Prep Recipes

When picking recipes for family meal prep the first thing is “will people eat it?”. If you’re just starting out in meal prep, start with a winner. Get everyone excited out of the gate. Something delicious and easy. (tacos or spaghetti are both good choices) Use this as an opportunity to engage the family and ask for input, especially if they’ll be helping you cook. Let someone else pick a side or two.

Look for versatility. Whether you’re meal prepping snacks or a four course meal, look for ingredients that can be easily adapted to other recipes. Meal prepping for one is tough enough, meal prepping for a whole family brings with it a lot of unforeseen curves. Stick with the core proteins, chicken, ground beef or turkey, or pork chops/tenderloins. These proteins can be used in a million different recipes so they’re easy to pivot at the last minute.

Start small but also start simple. Don’t start with an overly complicated recipe but instead focus on getting a recipe that you and your family can learn together on. Start with the basics of cooking. Choose recipes that are forgiving (again tacos or spaghetti). 

Family Meal Prep Tips

Plan as a family – Cook as a family

Batch cook: consider doubling or tripling a recipe to match your family’s needs or to have leftovers for handling additional meals the next day.

Label, Date, and Clean: Keep your fridge tidy by labeling and dating your meal prep containers. This will save you a ton of time later on. For the rest of the kitchen, keep it clean. Many people avoid cooking because of the mess but if you clean as you go and make sure to completely clean at the end you’ll be much happier. Get help from the family with this as well.

Make food and memories with your family and start family meal prepping. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience that saves money and time, teaches good nutrition, and can produce much tastier food then the same old fast food. Explore new cuisines and have fun with it.

Recommended Recipes

Holiday leftover transformations are some of the best ways to reuse all of that extra food that you have. These ideas not only make eating leftovers more fun but also create a new experience. This is especially valuable if you have enough food to last you a few days. It’s less fun to eat the same meal after day three. These recipes can also help return texture or moisture. Common problems with food being too long in the fridge.

Reusing and repurposing leftovers allows for exploration of new recipes and cooking techniques. Combining roasted vegetables with broth for a hearty and rich soup or incorporating traditional American Thanksgiving ingredients with European and Eastern recipes for a totally new experience. You also reduce food waste and save a ton of money. 

Leftover Transformation Ideas

Turkey Leftovers

Too much turkey tends to be the most common leftover and it can be tough to use it all before it goes bad. Even if it doesn’t go bad it starts to dry out quickly, if it wasn’t already a bit too dry. Turkey can easily be used in any recipe as a replacement for chicken. These are our favorites.

1. Turkey Pot Pie: Combine turkey with leftover vegetables in a cream sauce and bake under a golden puff pastry or with a side of biscuits. This can add moisture back to dry turkey and adjust the flavor of the vegetables.
2. Turkey Nachos: Shred a bit of turkey and sprinkle it on top of tortilla chips with cheese, beans, and jalapenos. This works well for turkey that has started to dry out after being too long in the fridge.

Ham Leftovers

Ham is salty and sweet and great for a range of recipes. Breakfast is an easy option. Eggs, biscuit, and some ham on the side is a classic breakfast meal. Let’s get a little more creative though.

1. Quiche: A classic quiche recipe works great and as you’re mixing the ingredients, add the sliced or cubed ham. It adds a great flavor to the quiche and it’s an easy adjustment to the recipe. 
2. Fried Rice: Toss diced ham with leftover rice, soy sauce, scrambled eggs, and vegetables. This is a great way to transform ham into a completely different flavor profile.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the next most common leftover. You can accidentally end up with a ton if your party ends up having less attendance. 

1. Potato Pancakes (Latkes): Mix with an egg, form into patties, and fry until crispy. You can also add in onions for more of a new flavor. This is a fantastic option for mashed potatoes that have sat too long in the fridge. It’s a fantastic side for breakfast.
2. Shepherd’s Pie: Spread mashed potatoes over a layer of seasoned meat and vegetables, then bake. This is a fun use of the potatoes and there are a ton of shepherd’s pie recipes that you can use.

Stuffing

Stuffing is delicious and unique to Thanksgiving but it doesn’t always keep well. Transforming stuffing is the best way to enjoy it after a day or so in the fridge.

1. Stuffing Waffles: Press stuffing into a waffle iron for a crispy, unique base for eggs, gravy, or leftover turkey and some hot sauce. A Thanksgiving take on chicken and waffles.
2. Stuffing Stuffed Peppers: Stuff a bell pepper with leftover stuffing, add a bit of cheese and ham or turkey leftovers. Bake all together and this improves any unfavorable textures and transform the ingredients in an easy and unique way.

Veggies

Vegetable leftover transformations might be the most important set of ideas. Veggies go bad quickly in the fridge, especially if they were roasted. Finding new ways to enjoy vegetables is a healthy way to add nutrients into your diet and avoid what is probably the most thrown out part of the meal.

1. Vegetable Soup: Combine leftover roasted vegetables with broth, herbs, and some cream for a cozy soup. Soups are a fantastic way to use leftovers. It adds back moisture and covers up poor textures. Any kind of soup can be a great option.
2. Vegetable Frittata: Whisk veggies into eggs and bake for an easy breakfast or brunch dish. This quick meal is delicious, easy, and versatile.

Desserts

Transforming desserts seems like the most unnecessary set of recipes but these new approaches to the sweet treats can be fun and different.

1. Pie Milkshakes: Blend slices of leftover pie with ice cream and milk for a decadent treat. It’s less likely that you’ll have leftover pie for too long but if you do try this idea. This works especially well with fruit pies and cobblers. That blended fruit and crust adds a delicious flavor and unique texture to the ice cream.
2. Bread Pudding: Turn stale rolls or bread into a sweet pudding with milk, eggs, and spices. This delicious dessert actually works better with stale bread. Once you’re done with sandwiches, make bread pudding.

Kitchen Gift Sets That Make Perfect Holiday Presents

Gift shopping starts to get exhausting especially when looking for that person in your life that doesn’t want anything. Kitchen gift sets can make the perfect holiday present. Here are some classic gift set options with a few new gifts. These curated collections are fun and unique and anyone can enjoy them. Perfect for culinary enthusiasts, hard-to-buy for family members, colleagues, and neighbors. Gourmet bundles can get expensive so we kept it affordable to get the best value for your buck.

Gourmet Spice & Seasoning Sets

There are over one hundred spices in the world and blending them creates a ton of options. As a kitchen gift set, spices can be one of the best options for foodies and cooks. Don’t just get the same old spices though. These gift sets have been around or a bit so look for something exotic that includes blends like za’atar, harissa, or truffle salt.

World spice sampler box

World Spice Sampler

Exotic Sample Set

Luxury Coffee and Tea Sets

Coffee continues to be one of the most popular drinks in the US. People love their unique, exotic, new, and different coffee flavors. Now that the temps are dropping, a coffee or tea gift set can’t miss. Even if the recipient doesn’t consume much coffee, they certainly know someone who does. Look for holiday flavors, unique flavors, or luxury coffee beans. Consider fun flavors like, apple pie, chocolate banana, buttered popcorn, or any of the other many options. 

Coffee Lovers Holiday Gift Sets

Barista Set

Hawaiian Luxury Coffee

Exotic Flavored Coffee Sampler

Cookie Decorating Kits

Holiday kitchen gift sets can be tough to find for cooks and bakers that already have everything but sometimes a little whimsy and fun can be the gift they need the most. Decorating cookies during the holiday season is a great activity to do with your family, nieces and nephews. These kits often include silicone baking mats, decorative piping sets, and unique cookie trays. Look for decorating kits that are themed with something you think the recipient will like. It’s less likely they’ll have the same tools or ingredients then just gifting general decorating kits.

Holiday cookie decorating kit

Amazon Cookie Decorating

Cookie Decorating Supplies

Edible Impressions

Cookies by Design

Wine and Cheese Gift Baskets

Charcuterie holiday gift sets are a classic present for coworkers, parents, friends, and clients. There is no shortage of options and you pretty much can’t go wrong. You can over pay but for the most part, any cheese, cracker, deli meat gift basket is going to be delicious. Our recommendation is to go safe if you are less familiar with the recipient but if you feel comfortable, go with an interesting charcuterie gift set. Exotic flavors, different takes on the ingredients, obscure foods, the common ingredients are still good but different is going to peak interest.

Deluxe charcuterie set

Taste of Home

CURATED SETS

Classic Charcuterie Sets

Cookware Starter Sets

A perfect holiday gift for your kids moving out of the house or a friend starting their culinary journey. This is a great way to kick start a kitchen’s utensil, pot and pan set up. This is a fun set of kitchen tools with detachable handles for easy storage in small kitchens. 

Kitchen Starter Gift Set

Pots & Pan Set

Amazon Gift Options

An eco-friendly zero-waste gift set is a meaningful and sustainable choice that reflects care for both the recipient and the planet. These products have been popular for a while, including reusable items like beeswax food wraps, silicone storage bags, bamboo utensils, compostable sponges, and cloth produce bags, replacing disposable kitchen products with long-lasting alternatives.. They’re less processed and can be great for people with allergies. Now there are gift sets packed full of the latest eco-friendly products for the environmentalist in your life.

Zero-waste kitchen starter kit

Zero Waste Starter Kit

Zero Waste Gift Sets

These are some of our favorite gift set ideas to inspire your gift-giving this year. Have fun with your gifting!

These healthy twists on holiday classic recipes keep the flavor while offering more nutrition with less calories, sodium, and processed ingredients. Holiday classics are popular for a reason and we don’t want to lose the soul of the dish for the sake of a few calories. These twists are more focused on ingredient substitutions that provide the same familiar experience we love and expect while making healthier holiday meals. We also don’t want to get anyone uninvited to family dinners in the future so it has to be delicious.

Popular Ingredient Substitutions

Before we get to specific recipes, these general ingredient substitutions can give you flexibility as you think through your own recipes. These substitutions can even be better tasting than the original or offer better texture to the food. It’s not always about nutrition, sometimes that is just a bonus.

Baking Substitutions

Baked goods are some of the most popular sweet and savory foods during the holidays but they can also represent some of the least healthy parts of a meal. These swaps take into consideration not just the flavor of the food but also how it bakes. Baking can be time consuming so this is a pretty safe list.

All-Purpose Flour → Whole-Grain or Almond Flour

• Add more fiber and nutrients with whole-grain flour or use almond flour for a low-carb, high protein option.
• Use In: Cookies, pie crusts, muffins, and quick breads.

Sugar → Natural Sweeteners (Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or stevia.)

• Reducing refined sugar is important for everyone but especially for people with heart or blood pressure issues. The natural sweeteners also include additional nutrients or you can use stevia for a calorie-free option.
• Use In: Pies, cakes, and holiday drinks like hot chocolate or cider.

Butter → Unsweetened Applesauce or Greek Yogurt

• This might be a swap that becomes a permanent change. The applesauce and greek yogurt brings a better texture and flavor while offering additional nutrients and higher protein in the yogurt. 
• Use In: Brownies, cakes, and muffins.

Heavy Cream → Coconut Milk or Cashew Cream

• Add a better, creamier texture while lowering saturated fats by substituting heavy cream for these alternatives. Heavy cream adds fat quickly to a dish so this can make a big difference.
• Use In: Custards, soups, and whipped toppings.

Meat Substitutions

Often the centerpiece of a dish, these substitutions taste as good as the original while delivering a much healthier option.

Pork Sausage → Turkey or Chicken Sausage

• Reduce saturated fats and potentially sodium when swapping from pork to turkey or chicken sausage
• Use In: Stuffing, casseroles, or breakfast dishes.

Ground Beef → Lentils or Mushrooms

• Not just vegetarian but also providing more fiber with fewer calories and fat while maintaining the same texture.
• Use In: Shepherd’s pie, stuffing, or meatloaf.

Holiday Sweets Substitutions

Dessert can quickly overload you on sugar, fats, and calories. Making small changes can make a huge difference.

Whipped Cream → Coconut Whipped Cream

• Keep the fun and flavor and drop the calories by swapping whipped cream to coconut whipped cream. It’s also a dairy-free alternative for lactose intolerant guests.
• Use In: Desserts like pies, hot chocolate, or as a topping for fruit.

Pie Crust → Nut or Oat-Based Crust

• Gluten-free high in fiber and healthy fats, switching to a nut or oat-based crust can become a permanent change to your pie recipes. It’s great change that isn’t just about being healthier.
• Use In: Pumpkin pie, quiches, or tarts.

Healthier Holiday Classic Meals

Lighter Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes might be the most popular side at any dinner. The creamy potatoes mix the buttery flavor with the texture perfectly. The cream and butter can make this side dish incredibly unhealthy. The saturated fats and calories can be reduced by swapping in Greek yogurt or unsweetened almond milk instead of heavy cream. These alternatives not only preserve the texture but can provide a similar or better flavor. 

If you want to go a step further, swap the potatoes for cauliflower or parsnips for less carbs. The texture is extremely similar and with enough garlic and fresh herbs the flavor difference won’t be noticed. You may have to lie to people about this change though. Once people it they won’t notice but knowing up front tends to be less popular.

Whole Grain Stuffing

This is an easy change. Swapping the white bread for whole grain bread reduces the refined ingredients and adds fiber as well as other nutrients. Incorporate more vegetables to improve overall nutrient value while swapping in mushrooms for added protein without needing to add sausage.

Green Bean Casserole, Reinvented

Green bean casserole is some people’s favorite dish at the holidays but the cream makes it heavy with fats and calories. Instead of using canned cream soup make a light sauce with almond milk or low-sodium chicken broth thickened with whole-wheat flour. This will drop the sodium, fats, and calories while providing a better flavor. The fried onions are a particular favorite component of the dish but baked shallots or toasted breadcrumbs can provide a similar flavor and crunch without the added fats.

Sweet Potato Casserole with a Nutty Crunch

Sweet Potato Casserole always stands out on the table. The bright orange with the stark white, marshmallow topping is a beautiful dish and adds a contrast to the rest of the holiday meal. That being said, there is a ton of sugar in sweet potatoes and obviously in the marshmallows. Exchange the marshmallows with a bit of maple syrup for a natural sweetener and top it with nuts and oats for a satisfying crunch packed with nutrients.

Holiday Meal Prep

Explore alternative recipes that will impress your guests and leave you feeling the familiar joy while also being healthier holiday meals.

Check out our other articles for in-depth instructions on “How to Cook Turkey” and meal prepping tips perfect for the holidays with “Mise En Place”. You can also view some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Turkey isn’t just a thanksgiving food. Turkey meal prep is great year round and since it’s turkey season let’s highlight some interesting ways to meal prep with this delicious, nutritious, versatile protein. Turkey has become more and more popular as most people are looking for more affordable and healthier options at the grocery store. Turkey has been a core option for sandwich meat for a long time but now we are starting to substitute chicken and beef for turkey instead. There’s a lot of value in making the switch. Let’s review why you should consider the change and how to go about it for cooking.

Chicken vs Turkey Meal Prep

An increasingly popular option, turkey can essentially replace chicken in any dish. Turkey and chicken are very similar, but turkey tends to edge chicken out in protein to weight, lower fat per ounce, and during the fall can be much cheaper. The flavors are very similar with turkey tending to be more mild. Sometimes it may just be nice to change it up. In the end, there isn’t much difference in the two proteins but if you’re looking to maximize a protein diet, this can give you a slight bump.

Beef vs Turkey Meal Prep

Many cooks already replace ground beef with ground turkey. It’s a lower fat, lower calorie option to ground beef while containing similar levels of protein and typically costing less. Ground turkey can be subbed in for meatloaf, chili, casseroles, and many eastern dishes for a more lean option. 

Turkey Meal Prep Versatility

Turkey is one of the most versatile lean proteins since it can bridge the gap between chicken and beef. The hearty texture and milder flavor means it can work in both types of recipes. Turkey has a milder flavor than chicken or beef so you may want to overseason any dish that you substitute turkey in. Turkey meal prep works across cuisines as well, from Italian to Mexican and Asian inspired dishes. 

How to Meal Prep Turkey

Turkey meal prep is really no different from chicken or beef. There are a few differences though and it’s valuable to keep in mind before you dive too deep in. The firm texture of turkey means you may want to cook it for a little longer or a lower temp to give the heat time to penetrate before drying out the surface. Slow cookers are great this. Turkey can do really well in stews, curries, and as shredded. 

Turkey Flavor Profile

Turkey is a mild, slightly earthy flavor with less intensity than beef or lamb with a little heartier of a flavor than chicken. Depending on the cut though, this can vary. This mild flavor lends well to marinades and spices.

• White Meat: Turkey breast has a very mild taste with a lean texture. Subtly sweet and slightly earthy, the white meat tends to be very similar to chicken breast meat. Be careful not to dry the meat out as the moisture is lower than other cuts.
• Dark Meat (thighs and drumsticks): The dark meat parts are richer with a bolder flavor bursting with umami. These parts also tend to be juicier than the breasts with a higher fat content. This makes it a little more tender while being higher in calories for the weight. This is great for slow-cookers or roasted dishes that preserve the texture.

Buying in Bulk & Portioning

Whole turkeys are more of a seasonal option and can only be purchased in the fall typically. If you know a local farmer you may be able to purchase more year round but most likely you will have to purchase parts of the bird instead. Buying by the quarter can be more than enough though. Use the extra bits, the bones and discarded cartilage or skin, to make stock or in soups to build the depth of flavor.

Turkey tends to yield more food so portion control needs to be recalibrated. It is a lean protein so you may need to consume more to feel full but don’t over do it. Portion the same as you would chicken.

Turkey Meal Prep Recipes

Fall Recipes

Looking for more recipes for the season, try our post on fall seasonal meal prep.

Meal prep snacks for kids may be the most common meal prep you do. Store bought snack packs can cost a fortune and be terribly unhealthy. Plus making your own snacks can be a fun thing to do with your kids. Let’s go through some methods and tips for making it as easy, affordable, and healthy as possible.

Affordability

Popular snack options come at a premium but with the right approach to shopping you can save tons and deliver a better treat for the kids. 

Bulk: The classic grocery shopping tip for saving money, buy in bulk. This is especially great for kids who can power through snacks quickly. Once you identify foods that your kids like of course. Consider finding a staple food that you can buy in bulk and build around with other smaller purchases. This way you save on at least some ingredients.

Mix & Match: Buying foods that you can easily mix and match to create new combinations can extend the usability of the food and keep variety. If you’re buying in bulk this is a good thing to remember. If you focus on the basic nutrients, see below, then you know you can cover the nutrient requirements while trying new combos. 

Create Your Own: Kids often want what they see advertised but those cost more and come with a lot of additional sugar, salt, and refined ingredients. Instead, look at what’s popular and design your own DIY snack around it. It may not be brand name, but it’ll be better in every other way.

Make a List: Snack shopping can creep quickly if you don’t stick to a plan. Make a list or a budget and stick to it.

Required Foods: Consider being flexible on some items while important foods are required. If you take your kids shopping with you, communicate this ahead of time. Make sure they know that certain items are nonnegotiable, fresh fruits and veggies, while others are strictly limited, sugary foods.

Containers

Now that you have bought your foods, whether in bulk or not, you’ll need to store them and serve them. Bulk food containers are great and can extend the life of some foods. Containers can get expensive so don’t buy more than you need and potentially base your shopping on the type of containers you have available. Don’t buy more cereal if your cereal container is in use. 

Meal prep containers can help prevent a mess from kids spilling snacks, they can also extend the life of the foods the day of, and they can make it more fun. Even kids eat with their eyes first. That’s why brand name containers are overly designed. Kids are more likely to eat their snacks and enjoy them if it’s fun. Get decent containers that have a good seal on them but unless you plan on only using them at home, don’t go for the most expensive. 

Nutrient Balancing

A good snack for kids should balance nutrients. It may not always be possible to get every nutrient into every snack and that’s ok. Try to balance the snacks out over the week though. Below are suggested volumes but the exact nutrient needs come down to the individual. You can use these as a guide and you’re probably not going to measure them out to the gram but it gives you an idea of the amount for each nutrient.

1. Protein 5-10 grams per snack

• Why It’s Important: Supports growth, muscle development, and immune function.
• Good Sources: Greek yogurt, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, lean meats (like turkey or chicken), nuts, seeds, and peanut butter.

2. Healthy Fats 4-6 grams per snack

• Why It’s Important: Critical for brain development, energy, and nutrient absorption.
• Good Sources: Avocado, nuts and seeds, olive oil (for dressing veggies), nut butters, and cheese.

3. Fiber 2-4 grams per snack

• Why It’s Important: Fiber aids in digestion, helps stabilize blood sugar levels, and keeps kids full longer.
• Good Sources: Fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains (like oats and whole-grain bread).

4. Carbohydrates 15-20 grams per snack

• Why It’s Important: Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy, which kids need for both mental and physical activity.
• Good Sources: Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

5. Vitamins and Minerals

• Why They’re Important: Various vitamins and minerals support immune health, bone growth, vision, and skin health.
• Good Sources:
  • Vitamin A: Carrots, sweet potatoes, and other colorful fruits and vegetables.
  • Vitamin C: Berries, oranges, and bell peppers.
  • Calcium: Dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and milk, as well as fortified plant-based milks.
  • Iron: Beans, fortified cereals, lean meats, and leafy greens.

Snack Ideas

There is a lot that you can do with snacks. There is so much more opportunity for creativity with snacks. Consider a theme. Different colors or shapes of foods. Play off of the holidays or your kids’ names. Tie it back to something they love. A little bit of creativity and effort goes a long way and it’s something they’ll remember forever. Food shapes memories and snacks are some of the most important foods to a kid.

Here are some ideas for meal prep snacks for kids. 

1. Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits
   Ingredients: Low-fat yogurt, fresh or frozen berries, and a sprinkle of granola
   Prep: Layer yogurt and berries in containers, adding granola right before eating to avoid sogginess.
2. Veggie Cups with Hummus
   Ingredients: Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, bell pepper strips, celery, and hummus
   Prep: Portion hummus in small containers, then place veggies in separate bags or jars. Keep hummus in the fridge until needed.
3. Apple Slices with Nut Butter
   Ingredients: Apple slices and a small portion of almond or peanut butter
   Prep: To prevent browning, dip apple slices in a bit of lemon water before storing. Add a small container of nut butter for dipping.
4. DIY Trail Mix
   Ingredients: Unsweetened cereal, almonds, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds
   Prep: Mix ingredients in a large batch, then divide into small containers for easy grab-and-go snacks.
5. Cheese and Whole-Grain Crackers
   Ingredients: Pre-sliced cheese and whole-grain crackers
   Prep: Portion cheese slices and crackers into small bags or containers for a simple, filling snack.
6. Hard-Boiled Eggs with Veggie Sticks
   Ingredients: Hard-boiled eggs, carrot sticks, and cucumber slices
   Prep: Boil eggs in bulk, peel, and store in the fridge with veggie sticks for a protein-packed snack.
7. Ants on a Log
   Ingredients: celery, peanut butter, and raisins
   Prep: Wash and cut the celery in 4 inch segments. Spoon the peanut into the crevice of the celery and smooth it out. Lastly add a few raisins on top.

Enjoy your time with your kids and make the snacks together. Allow for some indulgences within the snacks. It’s often better to teach portion control over completely ignoring candy altogether. Sugar isn’t bad for us, over eating it is.

Chicken is the most popular protein to cook with. It’s versatile, delicious, and nutritious. You just need to keep the variety in the mix. To help, these are our 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts. There are many cuts of chicken from legs and thighs, to tenders and wings, but breasts tend to be one the easiest and juiciest cuts. The size allows for a good crisp cook while retaining the moisture. It can also be cut up into tenders or cubes for a variety of uses. 

There are thousands of chicken recipes out there. We have our own set of favorite chicken recipes as well. Check out this blog post next for our top chicken recipes: 

We even wrote a specific article just for chicken thighs, a very underrated cut of chicken. You should definitely consider this post as you work through chicken recipes.

5 Best ways to cook chicken breasts

Pan-seared chicken

Pan-searing chicken is first in our list of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts for a couple of reasons. First, it gives a golden brown sear while locking the juice inside. The sear imparts so much flavor and the moist meat has the perfect texture.

Second, it allows for a lot of control over flavor and flexibility as you’re cooking it. This is a great cooking skill to work on as pan-seared chicken can be added to any dish to make it more delicious and nutritious. 

Tips

• Hammer or flatten the chicken to a uniform thickness for an even cook.
• Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after removing from heat to lock in the flavor.

General Pan-searing Instructions

• Step 1: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Step 2: Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice (like garlic powder or paprika).
• Step 3: Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, smooth side down. Cook for 6-7 minutes without moving them.
• Step 4: Flip and cook the other side for another 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).

Oven baked chicken

Oven baked chicken is healthier and it’s better for cooking in bulk. This makes it a better option for meal prep. It’s also incredibly versatile with many different ways to flavor/cook the chicken in an oven, on a baking sheet, in a casserole dish, on a rack, with veggies, in a sauce. You can also marinade the chicken beforehand to add flavor and moisture. 

Oven baked chicken is also much easier. Check the thickness of the chicken and match the cooking time. Set it and forget it. Little effort, maximum flavor. It’s also a little more forgiving than pan-searing chicken. 

Tips

• Baste your chicken to avoid dryness. 

General Oven Baking Instructions

• Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Step 2: Season or marinate your chicken breasts, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
• Step 3: Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).

Grilled chicken

This is another favorite among the 5 best ways to cook chicken. Grilled chicken mixes the flavor of chicken with the flavors of the grill. You also get such a crispy skin with a succulent inside. It’s easy to gauge, it’s flexible, and you can continue to baste for flavor or just let it smoke. After grilling you can slice it up and enjoy it in sandwiches, salads, and more. You can easily grill a lot of chicken quickly so it’s perfect for meal prep.

Tips

• Butterfly thick breasts for an more even cook that’s faster, or flatten the chicken before cooking.

General Grilling Instructions

• Step 1: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
• Step 2: Season or marinate the chicken breasts. Brush them with oil to prevent sticking.
• Step 3: Grill each side for about 5-6 minutes until grill marks appear and the chicken reaches 165°F (75°C).

Slow cooked chicken

Slow cooker or crock pot chicken, is the easiest of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts . It doesn’t require any attention and it’s the most forgiving cooking method. Add your chicken breasts to a crock pot, add stock, or water, or tomato sauce, or marinade or anything. That’s all that you need for great chicken but it’s even better with some spices and veggies added. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of crock pot chicken recipes and such a wide variety. From chicken soups to chicken chilis or even just pulled chicken that you can keep in the fridge and add to any other meal, crock pot chicken is such a great option for meal prep.

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Step 1: Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker along with a cup of broth, salsa, or sauce for flavor.
• Step 2: Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until the chicken is tender and easily shreds with a fork.

Fried chicken

A crowd favorite, fried chicken may not be the healthiest but it is one of the most delicious. There are ways to make it a little healthier. Instead of deep fry, do a shallow fry. It takes a little longer, requires a flip of the chicken, but doesn’t absorb as much oil. You can also coat the chicken in less batter. This also helps reduce the amount of oil that is absorbed. 

Another option is use an air fryer which can be much healthier although it doesn’t really work with a wet batter chicken.

Tips

• Add spices to the batter.
• Rinse and pat dry the chicken to help the batter stick.
• Season the chicken directly.

Shallow Fry Chicken Instructions

• Heat a small amount of oil (about 1/4 inch deep) in a pan over medium-high heat.
• Fry the chicken on one side, then flip and cook until done.
• Drain the cooked chicken on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Honorable Mention

Cubed chicken

Cubed chicken didn’t make it into our list of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts since it’s a cutting style not a cooking style but we had to mention it. Cubing chicken breasts makes it faster to cook and increases the surface area so you can season it even more. Cubed chicken also cooks more evenly, better for kebabs. It’s bite sized, perfect for curries and rice bowls where you don’t want to have to cut chicken as you eat. You just want to spoon it in consistently.

Stir-fry

This really is one of our most common ways of cooking but in general, it’s not as versatile as the options above. Stir-fry can be done with many different spices, sauces, vegetables, and so on but so can the options above and they’re easier. If you have the skill to stir-fry this is an absolutely amazing way to cook chicken.

Ready to start cooking some chicken?

Kid friendly meal prep is a fantastic way to have fun with your kids while teaching them about nutrition and making lunch. Preparing food with your kids ingrains healthy habits and teaches how to cook much better than health classes at school. Picking the right ingredients and recipes is important. Also be sure to make it easy enough for the kids while still fun and a little challenging.

Get Your Kids Involved

Meal prepping for your kids can be a lot more and educational if you actually involve them in the process. This creates a stronger bond with food and the kids are more likely to appreciate what they eat. Depending on their age, chopping may not be an option but washing fruits and veggies, portioning, and assembling are great ways to involve kids of any age.

Add fun twists to the recipes like theming. Connect the meal back to their favorite tv show or book or incorporate the season. Not only does it keep the food new and interesting but you may find it expanding your recipe choices as well. Add a bit of music while you cook and provide a sensory experience.

Kid Friendly Meal Prep Ingredients

Kid friendly ingredients make it far more likely that your little ones will enjoy the food meaning they’ll actually eat it. You may not be able to get them to eat every vegetable but try to make most of the meal something they like or are accustomed to. Also remember to include a dessert. As much as you want it to be healthy, a dessert prepared the right way can keep kids from eating extremely unhealthy desserts. Plus kids can run off sugar pretty quickly.

Proteins:

Chicken: Grilled, baked, or shredded chicken works great in wraps, salads, quesadillas, or served with a dipping sauce.
Turkey: Lean ground turkey can be used for meatballs, tacos, or burgers.
Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, or egg muffins provide a protein-rich option.
Beans and Legumes: Black beans, chickpeas, or lentils can be added to wraps, salads, or served with rice.
Cheese: String cheese, cheese cubes, or shredded cheese work as a snack or a topping for many dishes.

Vegetables:

Carrot sticks: Sweet and crunchy, they’re easy to eat and pair well with hummus or ranch dip
Cucumber slices: Fresh and hydrating, cucumbers are a good finger food for kids.
Bell peppers: Colorful and mild, great for dipping or adding to wraps and stir-fries.
Broccoli or Cauliflower: Steamed or roasted, they’re delicious with a little cheese or seasoning.
Cherry tomatoes: Bite-sized and easy to add to salads or eat on their own.

Fruits:

Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are sweet and full of vitamins.
Apple slices: Serve with peanut butter or on their own as a crunchy, healthy snack.
Grapes: Easy to prep and perfect for snacking.
Bananas: Great for breakfast, smoothies, or as a quick snack.
Oranges or clementines: Easy to peel and packed with Vitamin C.

Whole Grains:

Brown rice or quinoa: Use as a base for bowls, stir-fries, or salads.
Whole-wheat pasta: Pair with a simple tomato sauce, or turn it into a cold pasta salad.
Whole-grain bread or tortillas: Use for sandwiches, wraps, or quesadillas.
Oats: Great for breakfast in the form of oatmeal or overnight oats.
Whole-grain crackers: Perfect for snack plates or lunchbox bento boxes.

Healthy Fats:

Avocado: Can be mashed on toast, added to wraps, or served in slices.
Nuts and seeds: If your kids are old enough (and allergy-free), almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds are great for snacks.
Nut butters: Peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter can be used in sandwiches, as a dip, or in smoothies.

Balanced Kid Friendly Meal Prep

The central theme behind any healthy routine is balancing everything. The growth and development of children is directly related to the nutrition they receive. Change up your usual ingredients from time to time. Don’t just serve the same fruits or proteins. Variety is key. Use the list of kid friendly ingredients and choose one from each category to go on the plate. Your child’s own particular dietary needs may differ though and you should consider their unique needs but this is a good place to start.

Make it Visually Stunning

Everyone eats with their eyes first but that’s especially the case for children. When introducing new foods, kids will decide if they love it or hate it before even tasting it. Style counts and it can be more fun than throwing a handful of chopped veggies haphazardly into a bowl. Make a rainbow out of the plate. Display different colors using the different food groups. Cut foods into recognizable shapes. Even as an adult you can have fun with it. Take your time with the meal prep rather than rushing through it and it’ll make a difference.

Batch Prep Kid Friendly Meals

Take your time with the process but you can still leverage meal prepping short cuts. Batch cooking is going to be your friend, especially if you’re cooking for multiple kids. Five days a week can add up fast. Choose recipes that can be bulk made, anything baked is a good place to start. Another option is creating an assembly line with your kids and knocking out multi-step recipes as a team. Perfect for sandwiches and quesadillas. Don’t over prepare though. Kids’ tastes can change quickly and they probably won’t want to eat the same thing five days in a row.

Options
Mini Frittatas
Chicken or Turkey Meatballs
Pasta Salad
Quesadillas
& More

Lunchbox Style

Lunchbox style meals have been the popular style in America for decades for a reason. They work really well and are fun and easy to eat. This refers to small portions of each type of food to create a balanced meal. It’s easily eaten with your hands and provides nutrition and variety. This is a great option for kid friendly meal prep both for eating and for preparing since it’s mostly assembling.

Meal Prep Tips

1. Keep Portions Small: Even individual bites should be small. This makes it fun and easy for them plus you can avoid food waste. Use separate containers or a good meal prep container with sections.  

2. Cookie Cutters: this is a quick and easy way to make fun shapes in bread or fruit. Just be aware you’ll end up with a lot of scraps that don’t make the cut. You can use these for your own snacks or meals.

3. Use Dips and Sauces: Sauces like hummus provide a great experience for the kids and provide them with an activity while they eat. Just make sure you have good leak proof containers.

Kid Friendly Meal Prep Recipes

These essential kitchen tools for meal prep will make your life so much easier and cooking more fun. Expand the recipes that you can cook and the meals you can prepare with our favorite kitchen tools. These are our favorite tools for the value that you get for your money. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get good tools. This post contains affiliate links.

Chef’s Knife

A good knife is the most essential kitchen tool you can have and if you can only spend money on one kitchen item, make it here. A good knife can maintain an edge better and a sharp knife cuts smoothly. This means you can predictably control your cuts rather than hacking at your food. Precise cuts improve efficiency and lower fatigue making meal prep more of a breeze.

Cutting Board

If you have a good kitchen knife, then you need a good cutting board as well. You don’t have to go crazy expensive to get a good cutting board but get a decent one that fits your kitchen size and meal prep size. 

What does it mean to fit your kitchen size and meal prep size? Bigger is often considered better but if it can’t fit on your counter, it’s too heavy for you to move around the kitchen, or too big to fit in your sink then you are less likely to use it. Alternatively, if it’s too small and you find yourself constantly running out of space when chopping vegetables or proteins, you’ll get annoyed as well. There are a lot of options but these types should help you decide.

Wood: Wood cutting boards are popular because they are gentle on knives and have a natural self-healing surface that minimizes knife marks. High-quality wooden boards can also inhibit bacterial growth because wood absorbs moisture, which dries out bacteria. 

Plastic: Plastic boards, usually made from polyethylene, are affordable, lightweight, and dishwasher-safe, making them easy to sanitize. 

Bamboo: Bamboo is a sustainable and eco-friendly material that’s harder than most woods. It’s more resistant to moisture than wood and requires less maintenance, but it can be slightly tougher on knives due to its hardness.

Composite: Composite boards, made from compressed wood fibers, offer a balance between wood and plastic. They are durable, knife-friendly, and often dishwasher-safe. 

Food Processor

A food processor can speed up a wide variety of tasks around the kitchen. Chopping, slicing, shredding, and pureeing are all done with ease with one machine. If you’re prepping large amounts of food then this is an essential kitchen tool for meal prep. 

• Chopping vegetables, herbs, or nuts
• Shredding cheese, cabbage, or carrots
• Slicing vegetables like cucumbers, potatoes, or zucchini
• Pureeing ingredients for soups, sauces, or baby food
• Mixing and kneading dough for breads, pizzas, or pastries Its versatility makes it a go-to tool for many meal prep tasks, reducing the need for multiple kitchen gadgets.

Preparing homemade sauces, dips, and dressings is effortless with a food processor. From smooth hummus to chunky salsa, the machine can blend or chop ingredients into the perfect consistency in seconds, allowing you to create flavorful additions to your meals without extra effort.

Some foods take a lot of effort to prepare by hand, like pie dough, nut butters, or certain types of pastry. A food processor can mix dough or grind nuts in seconds, eliminating the need for multiple steps and making the process much simpler.

Mandoline Slicer

A mandolin slicer is a board with a fixed blade in it that allows for the user to move the food over the board making quick and consistent cuts. This is one of the best kitchen tools for meal prep. It speeds up cuts and makes it much more efficient. As long as you’re careful when you use it as the blade is sharp and users tend to go faster and faster. Keep your fingers out of the way though and you’ll find this to be one of the most fun tools to use as well.

Storage Containers

We’ve already written a couple of articles on our favorite meal prep storage containers. There are a lot of great options out there but if you’re interested in some of the best containers across a range of price points check out our articles here:

Blender (or Immersion Blender)

Blenders and immersion blenders open up a whole new set of opportunities. From soups to smoothies and dips to nut butters. Smoothies are a great option for quick meals that can be chocked full of nutrients. Using an immersion blender to process fresh ingredients for your soup can elevate the flavors way beyond a basic soup. Making your own dips or butters seems like a little much but it’s actually really easy and fresh dips are delicious.

Measuring Cups or Spoons

These might be some of the most essential kitchen tools. Measuring cups and spoons are necessary in most recipes and guessing at amounts is really tough. A good set of measuring spoons don’t need to be expensive and can last you a lifetime. One good measuring cup can carry you. You don’t necessarily need a whole set unless you don’t want to have to rinse it when you need it multiple times on a recipe.

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

For bulk meal prep or soups, these are essential kitchen tools. Instant pots and slow cookers can cook a lot of food, require little effort, and blend flavors amazingly. They also don’t require much experience to use. Anyone can pour all of the ingredients into a pot, put the lid on and check back a few hours later for a meal. Consider marinated chicken or pork, tortilla soup and chilis. This is one of our favorite kitchen tools and the one we use the most after a knife and cutting board.

Sheet Pans

Sheet pans are a hard tool to do without. When you need a sheet pan, not much else will do. From baking to roasting, sheet pans get incorporated into a lot of meal prep recipes. Sheet pan meals are a great way to make an entire meal prep in one go. Good sheet pans don’t have to cost a lot and if you take care of them, can last a while. And who doesn’t like cookies?

Kitchen Scale

This final tool may be a little less essential than the rest of the tools unless you’re meal prepping to lose weight or build muscle. A food scale is necessary for precisely portioning out food and making sure you get the nutrients that you need each day within your calorie goal. Don’t need to go expensive on this tool either. Around $10 can get you a decent food scale.