As summer time break attracts to an finish, the back-to-school season could make your schedule fairly hectic. Between searching for college provides and signing up for extracurriculars, you most likely don’t have fairly as a lot time to give attention to cooking, which is why these back-to-school meal prep necessities from Walmart are such a time-saver.
As a substitute of frantically attempting to make everybody’s lunches within the morning earlier than they head off to highschool, I like to have wholesome meals ready upfront. A lot of my meal prep recipes make for excellent weekday lunches, and a few may even be packed forward of time if wanted! In case you’re in search of methods to ease the transition into the brand new college yr, 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 Vast-Mouth Mason Jars – $15.44 at Walmart
- Greatest Storage Luggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag – $12.99 at Walmart
Opinions of Again-to-College Meal Prep Necessities at Walmart
1. Greatest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meals Storage Meal Prep Container Set
These reusable glass containers from Ello are the greatest meal prep containers I’ve tried, and so they’re nice for older kids and adults. They arrive in a set of 4, and the thick glass has a colourful silicone sleeve that protects it towards bumps and makes it simpler to grip. The containers, which include matching lids, are simply the correct dimension for a single serving, and since they’re created from glass, not plastic, they gained’t stain or develop odors.
They will also be put within the dishwasher for simple cleanup and might go within the microwave, so long as the lid isn’t on.
2. Greatest Bento Field: Bentgo Leak-Proof Lunch Field
For youthful kids—or adults who snack—this bento field is ideal for smaller parts of meals, and it has 5 compartments to maintain snacks separated. Advisable for ages 3 to 7, the bento field is created from BPA-free plastic, and the lid has rubber seals that stop liquids from leaking. Plus, the sides of the field have a rubber lining, defending it towards drops. The design is available in quite a lot of kid-friendly colours and patterns, and the detachable meals tray is dishwasher-safe.
3. Greatest Soup Container: Thermos 16-oz Insulated Meals Jar
In case you’re meal-prepping one thing like my On the spot Pot Rooster Noodle Soup, this Thermos is a superb possibility for maintaining it heat and mess-free. The leak-proof, insulated jar holds 16 ounces—loads of meals for older youngsters—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 Vast-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 In a single day Oats, that are a fast and filling breakfast for varsity days, and in the event you go for bigger jars, you can too use them for meals like Cobb Salad in a Jar. To not point out, they’re splendid for storing chopped vegetables and fruit, which you’ll be able to toss into lunch packing containers for a wholesome college snack.
5. Greatest Storage Luggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag
Do you undergo dozens of plastic baggage every week whereas packing lunches? In that case, you may need to spend money on Stasher Luggage, that are handy and reusable. They’re created from high-quality silicone, and you will get them in all totally different sizes, from sandwich and snack baggage to bigger half-gallon sizes. They’re straightforward to seal, and the perfect half is you can clear them within the dishwasher and use them many times. I like packing all the things from sandwiches to fruit slices to pretzels for varsity.
6. Greatest Mandoline Slicer: OXO Softworks V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
A superb mandoline slicer will help you shortly and simply prep vegetables and fruit 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 a must have for lunch packing containers, and these reusable ones are budget-friendly, so you possibly can stash a number of in your freezer to get you thru the week. Every ice pack weighs only a few ounces, and it’s crammed with a non-toxic gel that may preserve meals chilled till lunchtime. At simply $1, you may as nicely 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, and so they every can maintain 4 ounces. They’re nice if you wish to pack salad dressing, hummus, or one other dipping sauce, and you may simply fill them up upfront and retailer the containers within the fridge. This 3-pack is created 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 Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper
For meal prep recipes that require a lot of chopping, like my Greek Orzo Salad, you possibly can velocity up the method with the assistance of this Cuisinart Mini Chopper. It’s basically a mini meals processor, and you need to use it to shortly chop up components—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 varsity snacks, too!
10. Greatest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes 1-Cup Silicone Freezing Tray
Certainly one of 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 components into 1-cup increments, and every one has a sturdy plastic lid so you possibly can stack them within the freezer. When you should 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 college nights.
11. Greatest Muffin Tins: Wilton Bake It Higher Non-Stick Muffin Pan
Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins are a tasty grab-and-go breakfast for varsity days, however that’s not all you can also make in a muffin tin, like this one from Wilton. For an additional enhance of protein, you possibly can whip up a batch of Loaded Egg Muffins for the household to eat within the morning. I like that this recipe may be custom-made primarily based on no matter components you will have useful. Or, my Excessive Protein Egg White Muffins are one other straightforward possibility for busy days if you’re dashing out the door.
12. Greatest Sandwich Cutter: Ihvewuo Sandwich Cutter and Sealer
For youthful kids 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 it’s a must to do is place the sandwich contained in the gadget and press it shut. It can chop off the crusts and seal the sides shut, maintaining all of the scrumptious filling in place till lunchtime.
13. Greatest Egg Cooker: MyMini Premium 7-Egg Cooker
Exhausting-boiled eggs are a protein-packed snack that works nicely in lunches, and this useful egg cooker enables you to make as much as seven at a time with minimal fuss. It may well cook 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 creator 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 worrying, 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 customers.
Costs have been correct at time of publication.
