As summer season break attracts to an finish, the back-to-school season could make your schedule fairly hectic. Between purchasing for faculty provides and signing up for extracurriculars, you in all probability don’t have fairly as a lot time to concentrate on cooking, which is why these back-to-school meal prep necessities from Walmart are such a time-saver.
As a substitute of frantically making an attempt to make everybody’s lunches within the morning earlier than they head off to highschool, I like to have wholesome meals ready upfront. Lots of my meal prep recipes make for nice weekday lunches, and a few may even be packed forward of time if wanted! When you’re searching for methods to ease the transition into the brand new faculty 12 months, the next are a number of of my meal prep necessities for back-to-school, all of which you will get from Walmart.
My High Picks:
- Greatest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meals Storage Meal Prep Container Set – $34.76 at Walmart
- Greatest Bento Field: Bentgo Leak-Proof Lunch Field – $19.98 at Walmart
- Greatest Soup Container: Thermos 16-oz Insulated Meals Jar – $16.97 at Walmart
- Greatest Mason Jars: Ball Extensive-Mouth Mason Jars – $15.44 at Walmart
- Greatest Storage Luggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag – $12.99 at Walmart
Evaluations of Again-to-College Meal Prep Necessities at Walmart
1. Greatest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Food Storage Meal Prep Container Set
These reusable glass containers from Ello are the best meal prep containers I’ve tried, they usually’re nice for older youngsters and adults. They arrive in a set of 4, and the thick glass has a colourful silicone sleeve that protects it in opposition to bumps and makes it simpler to grip. The containers, which include matching lids, are simply the suitable dimension for a single serving, and since they’re produced from glass, not plastic, they gained’t stain or develop odors.
They can be put within the dishwasher for straightforward cleanup and might go within the microwave, so long as the lid isn’t on.
2. Greatest Bento Field: Bentgo Leak-Proof Lunch Box
For youthful youngsters—or adults who snack—this bento field is ideal for smaller parts of meals, and it has 5 compartments to maintain snacks separated. Really useful for ages 3 to 7, the bento field is produced from BPA-free plastic, and the lid has rubber seals that stop liquids from leaking. Plus, the perimeters of the field have a rubber lining, defending it in opposition to drops. The design is available in a wide range of kid-friendly colours and patterns, and the detachable meals tray is dishwasher-safe.
3. Greatest Soup Container: Thermos 16-oz Insulated Food Jar
When you’re meal-prepping one thing like my Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, this Thermos is a good choice for maintaining it heat and mess-free. The leak-proof, insulated jar holds 16 ounces—loads of meals for older children—and it retains its contents sizzling for as much as 7 hours and chilly for as much as 9 hours. It’s sufficiently small to tuck right into a lunch field, and it even comes with a folding spoon that’s saved contained in the lid.
4. Greatest Mason Jars: Ball Wide-Mouth Mason Jars
Whereas historically used for canning, Ball jars are a flexible instrument for meal prepping, too! They’re nice for storing make-ahead recipes like Cinnamon-Raisin Overnight Oats, that are a fast and filling breakfast for college days, and in case you go for bigger jars, you may also use them for meals like Cobb Salad in a Jar. To not point out, they’re splendid for storing chopped fruit and veggies, which you’ll be able to toss into lunch packing containers for a wholesome faculty snack.
5. Greatest Storage Luggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag
Do you undergo dozens of plastic baggage every week whereas packing lunches? If that’s the case, you may need to spend money on Stasher Luggage, that are handy and reusable. They’re produced from high-quality silicone, and you will get them in all completely different sizes, from sandwich and snack baggage to bigger half-gallon sizes. They’re straightforward to seal, and the very best half is which you could clear them within the dishwasher and use them many times. I like packing all the pieces from sandwiches to fruit slices to pretzels for college.
6. Greatest Mandoline Slicer: OXO Softworks V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
An excellent mandoline slicer may also help you rapidly and simply prep fruit and veggies for lunch. My favourite is that this one from OXO, which comes with blades for straight and wavy cuts, in addition to each skinny and thick julienne cuts. There are 4 thickness choices to select from, and the slicer features a meals holder that protects your fingers from the sharp blades.
7. Greatest Ice Pack: Your Zone Reusable Ice Pack
Ice packs are vital for lunch packing containers, and these reusable ones are budget-friendly, so you’ll be able to stash a number of in your freezer to get you thru the week. Every ice pack weighs only a few ounces, and it’s stuffed with a non-toxic gel that may maintain meals chilled till lunchtime. At simply $1, you may as properly seize a number of.
8. Greatest Dressing Containers: Ello Duraglass Condiment Containers
These condiment jars are made by the identical model as my favourite meal prep containers, they usually every can maintain 4 ounces. They’re nice if you wish to pack salad dressing, hummus, or one other dipping sauce, and you’ll simply fill them up upfront and retailer the containers within the fridge. This 3-pack is produced from glass with colourful silicone sleeves for added safety, and they are often cleaned within the dishwasher on the finish of the day.
9. Greatest Vegetable Chopper: Cuisinart Core Custom 4-Cup Mini Chopper
For meal prep recipes that require numerous chopping, like my Greek Orzo Salad, you’ll be able to velocity up the method with the assistance of this Cuisinart Mini Chopper. It’s basically a mini meals processor, and you should utilize it to rapidly chop up elements—no chef’s knife wanted! It holds as much as 4 cups at a time, and it has separate buttons for chopping and grinding, relying on what you’re cooking. I like to make use of it to make dips and hummus for college snacks, too!
10. Greatest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes 1-Cup Silicone Freezing Tray
One in all my favourite methods to meal prep is to make massive batches of pasta sauce, rice, or soup forward of time, then freeze them in Souper Cubes. These useful silicone trays portion out elements into 1-cup increments, and every one has a sturdy plastic lid so you’ll be able to stack them within the freezer. When you’ll want to make a meal, simply come out one of many cubes and defrost it within the microwave. It’s nice to have a number of frozen servings for these busy faculty nights.
11. Greatest Muffin Tins: Wilton Bake It Better Non-Stick Muffin Pan
Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins are a tasty grab-and-go breakfast for college days, however that’s not all you may make in a muffin tin, like this one from Wilton. For an additional increase of protein, you’ll be able to whip up a batch of Loaded Egg Muffins for the household to eat within the morning. I like that this recipe might be custom-made based mostly on no matter elements you could have useful. Or, my High Protein Egg White Muffins are one other straightforward choice for busy days if you’re dashing out the door.
12. Greatest Sandwich Cutter: Ihvewuo Sandwich Cutter and Sealer
For youthful youngsters who like sandwiches however not the crust, this cool gadget creates cute crust-free pockets which might be excellent for his or her lunch field. It comes with two cutters—one sq. and one spherical—and all you need to do is place the sandwich contained in the gadget and press it shut. It can chop off the crusts and seal the perimeters shut, maintaining all of the scrumptious filling in place till lunchtime.
13. Greatest Egg Cooker: MyMini Premium 7-Egg Cooker
Onerous-boiled eggs are a protein-packed snack that works properly in lunches, and this useful egg cooker allows you to make as much as seven at a time with minimal fuss. It might probably prepare dinner mushy, medium, or hard-boiled eggs in a matter of minutes, and it additionally comes with a bowl that permits you to make poached or scrambled eggs.
Why You Can Belief Me
I’m Gina, the writer and recipe developer behind Skinnytaste, which options lots of of wholesome recipes for the entire household. I’ve two daughters of my very own, and through the years, I’ve discovered methods to make back-to-school rather less traumatic, together with meal-prepping lunches for the entire household.
I’ve personally used most of the merchandise featured on this article, and those I haven’t tried myself come extremely beneficial by different meals publications and Walmart consumers.
Costs had been correct at time of publication.
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