Favorite Meal Prep Items

If you’re a busy parent like me, you know that keeping your kitchen running smoothly during the summer and school year can feel like a full-time job. Between camps, sports, school lunches, and endless snack requests, having a solid meal prep system can be the difference between chaos and calm.

I work full time from home, and while it’s a huge blessing to be around for my kids, it also means our days can be pretty hectic. Between meetings, school pickups, and sports, and after school activities, I don’t have time to stop and make meals or snacks on demand.

Meal prepping at the start of the week helps our family so much — not just for me, but for my husband, Sam. Having everything prepped and easy to grab makes it smoother for both of us. I love that this is a way that I can take a chunk of food prep off of Sam’s plate.

As a busy mom of four (plus two dogs!), I’ve tested my fair share of meal prep tools and storage solutions over the years. I’ve also picked up some fun tricks along the way — like how to turn leftover sandwich crusts into tasty treats (spoiler: I even wrote an e-book that includes these recipes!).

Today, I’m sharing my current favorite meal prep items that help me tackle breakfasts, snacks, and lunches for my family.

My Favorite Meal Prep Items (And How I Use Them)

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite meal prep items from my Amazon list — including how I actually use them to simplify our daily routines. These are just a few of my favorite items – be sure to check out the entire list to see what else I use on a regular basis!

1. Bento-Style Lunch Boxes

Products I Love: Bento Style Condiment Container

These are hands-down one of my top picks for school and summer lunches. The compartments encourage me to pack a balanced meal, and my kids love the variety. I typically fill them with:

• Sandwiches
• Fruit and veggies
• Homemade dips
• Treat: mini muffin, pretzels, or a small cookie

They’re easy to clean, leakproof, and sturdy enough for all four of my kids.

2. Silicone Snack Containers

Why I Love These: These aren’t just for baking! I use these colorful little containers inside lunch boxes to separate snacks, dips, and small treats. It makes the lunch look fun and keeps items from touching (which my picky eater appreciates).

How I Use Them:

• Portion out crackers, grapes, or trail mix
• Serve hummus, ranch, or nut butter

Bonus: They’re dishwasher-safe and endlessly reusable.

3. Clear Storage Bins for Fridge and Pantry

You know I love organization items throughout our home. I can’t overstate how life-changing clear bins are for organizing meal prep. I use them to create snack stations in our fridge and pantry. My kids know exactly where to grab their approved snacks, and it keeps me from overbuying things we already have.

How I Organize:

• Fridge bin: string cheese, yogurt tubes, pre-cut fruit

• Pantry bin: granola bars, trail mix, crackers, applesauce pouches

Being able to see what is running low helps me keep our grocery list up to date!

4. Leakproof Sauce Containers

Why You Need These: Ever had ranch dressing or syrup leak all over a lunchbox? These little containers are a total mess-saver.

What I Use Them For:

• Salad dressing – including ranch for dipping!
• Syrup for mini pancakes or waffles
• Hummus, peanut butter, or guacamole

They’re small, easy to open, and keep sauces where they belong.

5. Reusable Snack Bags

I use these every single day. They’re eco-friendly, durable, and perfect for snacks on the go.

How I Use Them:

• Goldfish crackers, trail mix, or fruit
• Carrot sticks and cucumbers
• Freeze smoothies in them for a cool summer treat

They’re dishwasher and microwave safe too — total mom win.

7. Sandwich Cutter & Sealer

Product I’m Obsessed With: Sandwich Maker & Crust Cutter

If you haven’t jumped on the sandwich cutter train yet — let this be your sign. This little gadget turns an ordinary sandwich into a fun, crustless pocket that my kids never complain about. I use it all the time for school lunches and on-the-go summer meals.

Why I Love It:

• It’s quick and easy
• Makes the best sealed sandwiches like store-bought Uncrustables, but way cheaper
• Works with any kind of filling (pb&j, turkey and cheese, Nutella and banana — you name it)

Bonus Tip: Don’t toss those crusts! I actually save ours and use them in fun recipes. I put together an e-book with my favorite kid-friendly meal prep ideas and it includes a bunch of recipes for the leftover crusts! It’s such a fun way to reduce waste and get a little creative in the kitchen.

You can grab my e-book with crust recipes here — your future self (and your budget) will thank you.

Easy Breakfast, Snack & Lunch Ideas for Meal Prep

Need inspiration for what to actually prep? Here are a few ideas to help get you started!

Breakfasts:

• Overnight oats in individual jars
• Mini egg muffins
• Waffle sticks with syrup dip
• Yogurt parfaits with granola and fruit

Snacks:

• Cheese sticks and pretzels
• Fruit kabobs
• Hummus + veggie dippers
• Applesauce pouches
• Pretzels and dip
• Banana bread

Lunches:

• Turkey and cheese roll-ups
• DIY Lunchables (crackers, cheese, meat, fruit)
• Chicken nuggets with ranch
• Mini sandwiches or pinwheels
• Homemade uncrustables

A Weekly Meal Prep Routine

If you’re new to meal prepping for your family, here’s a simple routine you can start with. As time goes on you will know exactly what works best for your family! My biggest tip is to make sure you take a look at your calendar before you prep. You may find that some weeks you need more snacks than others depending upon your schedule.

Sunday Prep:

• Wash and cut fruits and veggies
• Portion out snacks into bins, containers, or baggies
• Pre-make breakfast egg bakes or overnight oats
• Fill lunchbox bins with non-perishables
• Make and freeze homemade uncrustables

Wednesday Midweek Reset:

• Restock fridge bins
• Prep extra fruits if needed
• Check pantry snack bin levels

This can feel a little overwhelming and time consuming, but it really doesn’t take too much time on Sunday. When I start to feel like I don’t want to meal prep, I just remember how much easier our mornings go when I have breakfasts and lunches prepped and ready to go before the week even starts.

Meal prepping for four kids might sound intimidating, but with the right tools and a simple system, it’s totally doable. I truly believe these meal prep favorites from my Amazon list have made my life easier — and I hope they’ll help you too.

Meal Prep Recipes

Need some inspo? Make sure to grab my recipe ebook! This is a $7 digital download that includes over 30 pages of crowd pleasers that you can prep ahead of time or enjoy on the fly. My favorite? Uncrustables that you can prep and freeze for lunches and then reuse that crust in one of my 5 Crust Cup recipes – a meal planning favorite!

JUST RELEASED – VOLUME 2! Now you can grab Volume 1, Volume 2 or bundle them both at a discounted price of $12 total.  That’s over 80 recipes sent right to your inbox! 

 

If you’ve been wanting to get more organized with your kids’ meals and snacks, I highly recommend starting small. Invest in a couple of these essentials, pick a day to prep, and see how much smoother your week runs. I promise, your future self will thank you.

Shop My Favorite Meal Prepping Supplies

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