6 items you need to meal plan like a pro
Some household essentials help you make the most out of meal planning. From saving time to reducing the amount of dirty dishes, these items ultimately help you make better meals. And what's more, you probably have most of them already!
Here are just 6 items that you need to meal plan like a pro.
#1 Freezer
Most of us already own a freezer. But let's emphasise just how much a freezer changes your kitchen game.
Lets you buy in bulk and on offer
We always have several packs of veggie meatballs, schnitzels, and more ready to be used that we bought at a discount. This predictability makes planning easier too.
Reduces food waste
Almost half of all food waste is fruit and veg. Frozen vegetables have a long shelf life, which cuts waste - of food and money - and gives you options for longer.
Emergency meals at the ready
And finally, a freezer of course lets you freeze extra meals or ingredients. Perfect for an emergency, if you don't feel like cooking, or don't want to spend on lunch.
#2 Shelving space
To make your money go further, especially in Belgium, it's all about bulk buying items on offer. And you need somewhere to store those items.
You don't need a huge pantry - we don't - but just enough free space to store those extra packets of pasta bought on offer, or whatever it may be.
#3 Food containers
If you're going to take meals to work or freeze them, you need containers to keep those meals in. It's a good idea to have a mix of sizes, large ones if you want to freeze bulky dishes like lasagna for example, medium ones to take for lunch, small ones for side salads and sauces.
You don't need to go fancy with it. We have a few nicer ones that we take for lunches - ones you know won't break or spill. The rest are repurposed containers from things we've purchased (like a classic Delhaize ice cream tub).
#4 A mix of spices
Spices and herbs can level up your cooking with no extra effort and open up a new world of dishes. Spices and dried herbs keep forever and don't take much space.
From turmeric to cloves and ají panca, spices let you add variety to similar dishes. Rice with kidney beans and cumin? Try something Mexican. Rice with kidney beans and turmeric, chilli, and garam masala? How about an Indian curry!
Benjamin Daniels
#5 Microwave
Microwaves aren't essential, but they will help you keep to your meal plan and make better meals. Here's three main reasons why:
- Reheats dishes quick and easy
- Speeds up defrosting
- Reduces clean-up
#6 Pantry app/sticker labels
It's good to keep track of what you make. An unlabelled frozen meal is a big question mark - what is it and is it still good? Don't throw away your hard work. Instead, keep track of what's in your kitchen either with sticker labels or an app.
We use Pantrist, an independent app from Germany, to log perishable items and frozen emergency meals. You can even mark expiry dates so that you get a notification before an ingredient goes off - and nothing goes to waste.
