Meal Prep Recipes Containers

Thai chicken lunch bowls have roasted vegetables and chicken served over rice with a tangy homemade peanut sauce. Easy to prep and keeps well for four days!

If your mornings are anything similar to mine, it is a rush to get out the door most weekdays. And busy days are exactly when you need a quick grab-and-go lunch, like these Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls or Chicken Fajita Lunch Bowls. Another tasty and satisfying meal prep recipe are these Thai Chicken Lunch Bowls.

Made by hundreds Lunch Prep Challenge participants, this was one of our most popular recipes in the challenge because it was easy to prepare and packed full of flavor.

Meal Prep Ideas (+ Free Printables!)

Wondering how this recipe comes together? Watch this 1-minute video to see how easy it is to prep! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

These lunch bowls are excellent for making with whatever fresh vegetables are available; I used broccoli and carrots, but think the chicken and peanut sauce would also be great with cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and/or bell peppers.

To change things up a bit from just using plain white rice, for this recipe I used brown basmati rice with some salt and chicken stock to add a touch more flavor to the rice.

Ultimate Guide To The Best Meal Prep Containers • A Sweet Pea Chef

Serving: 1 bowl , Calories: 495 kcal , Carbohydrates: 49 g , Protein: 36 g , Fat: 19 g , Saturated Fat: 3 g , Cholesterol: 70 mg , Sodium: 596 mg , Fiber: 6 g , Sugar: 10 g

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.Are you all-in on prepping healthy foods for you and your family, but struggling with how to keep your food fresh? I’ve got the Best Meal Prep Containers for taking your lunch to work and prepping healthy dinner ingredients. Included are some great tips, recipes and healthy meal prep ideas for staying organized and efficient!

Cheese And Fruit Snack Box {starbucks Copycat}

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This just means that should you decide to purchase any one of these items, I receive a very small portion of the sale.

Also note, this post is strictly my recommendations, opinions and thoughts on what containers have worked best for me and my family. This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts, opinions and ideas are 100% my own.

Meal prepping has been a part of my healthy living lifestyle for several years now. Through my 100 lb. weight loss journey, I’ve discovered that if I have healthy meal options ALREADY MADE and ready when I need them, it makes it MUCH easier to make healthy choices.

Best Meal Prep Containers

Having go-to recipes and the best meal prep containers at the ready is my way of staying organized and ahead of the game when it comes to healthy eating.

If weight loss is your goal, or maybe you’re just looking to be more mindful of healthy eating, meal prepping your food is a great way to go. Meal prepping provides numerous benefits, but the primary purpose is to have healthy, pre-portioned options ready to go when you need them.

This takes the guess-work out of what to have for breakfast or lunch. It also helps eliminate impulse food choices like fast food and pre-packaged processed food.

Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

My favorite are these Prep Naturals 3 Compartment 34 oz. Meal Prep Containers. They are made of sturdy, thick glass, with a sealing plastic lid, with vent. They are freezer, dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. (The plastic lids are not oven safe.) Because of the sealing lid, I’ve never had an issue with these leaking.

Best Used For: I love these for packing and prepping meals that I want to keep somewhat separate. For example, I’ll often add things like crackers, in one area, fruit in another, and cheese in another. This way, the crackers still stay crisp, and separated from the moisture of the fruit & cheese.

Again, Prep Naturals has my heart! These 2-Compartment 29 oz. Prep Naturals Meal Prep Containers are fantastic. They are constructed of thick, sturdy glass that is dishwasher, microwave, freezer and oven safe. The lid is latch-sealing (made of plastic) that is not oven safe.

Ranch Chicken Meal Prep

Best Used For: I will often use these for an entree and side. Pictured above is my Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice along side some fresh veggies. This 2 compartment meal prep container helps keep the food separate and as fresh as possible. For reheating, I will simply remove the cucumbers & broccoli and reheat the fried rice directly in the container.

Definitely my favorite of all three Prep Naturals containers! These Single-Compartment 30-oz. Prep Natural Meal Prep Containers are fantastic. They are constructed of thick, durable glass with a tight-fitting clamp-seal lid.

Best Used For: These containers are my favorite for salads and entrees. I will often build my salads on a Sunday night and the food keep well and un-wilted through the week. It is not uncommon for me to make a salad on a Sunday night, and by Friday afternoon the food is still fresh and ready to eat. The salads I featured above are my Italian Chopped Salad topped with my Italian Grilled Chicken (top left), and my Healthy Salmon Cobb Salad (bottom right).

These Containers Make Meal Prep Super Simple

For dressing, I will fill a separate cup or small jar with my 2 Tablespoon portion. I will do this when I’m preparing the salad so it is ready to go (and portioned out!) right when I need it.

Any entree that doesn’t require separating the food, I will use these single-compartment containers. My Easy Vegetable Beef Stir Fry (top right) and my Sheet Pan Sweet & Sour Shrimp (bottom left) are fantastic in these containers.

There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t use my refrigerator storage containers. I use them on a constant rotation for things like sliced watermelon, pre-washed and cut veggies, lettuce and more. I’ve discovered that having the right size of containers is critical. I’ve found that rectangular and square containers trump round containers. Square and rectangular containers get the most use out of refrigerator space, have the best footprint and are most easily stack-able.

Best Easy Meal Prep Recipes

The brand that I really love for these is Sistema Klip-It Collection. These come in a multitude of sizes and are Phthalate & BPA Free. They are clear, on both the tops and sides, so you can easily see what is inside the container without having to open it. (No more hunting for what you are trying to find in the refrigerator.)

Sistema containers are hands-down my favorite for packing items in my kids lunch box. They come in multiple sizes – I prefer square and rectangular sizes, but they offer circular sizes as well. I love these because they are durable, easy to clean and the latching lids seal well. The side-handle latches are also easy for kids to open and close without assistance.

I also love these because you can purchase them individually or as sets. There are snack sets, lunch sets and even larger food storage container sets. The design of these containers are unmatched. I personally love the two-compartment containers and the snack & dip containers. Great for veggies with dip or peanut butter or a multitude of other combinations.

Easy Cashew Chicken Meal Prep

PS – I’ve you’re looking for some great kids lunchbox ideas, especially if your kids aren’t into sandwiches, check out this post by Cupcakes and Kale Chips on 35+ Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids!

Hands-down, the unsung hero of meal prep containers. Mason jars are fantastic! They come in multiple sizes, are inexpensive and easy to store in your fridge or lunch bag. You can pack vertically anything in a jar!

Best Used For: Jars are definitely best for foods that are more liquid. Perfect for storing single servings of soup, my blueberry overnight oats, pumpkin slow cooker steel cut oats, chia pudding, sauces and dressings. Jars work well because of their tight-fitting lids & seals. I’ve had many containers of soup topple over in the refrigerator, only to spill everywhere. When in a jar, I’ve never had a spill happen.

Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes And Ideas

Jars are also great if you want to make a salad WITH the dressing already in the container. Simply add the dressing to the bottom of the jar with the protein on top of it. Layer the other ingredients over the top. See my recipe & post for Kale Apple Salad and my Chicken Taco Salad Recipe for how I do this.

I hope these meal prep containers offer you some solutions to keep you healthy and organized. I know meal prep can often be overwhelming. Having the right tools in place takes much of the guess-work out of the process. Having the right containers and tools also helps keep you organized and well on your way to looking and feeling your best!This filling grilled chicken