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Tips to Meal Prep like a Boss

      Here are some rock-solid tips to help you meal prep for the week like a boss. I’m not talking about lame ideas like making a shopping list, so don’t stress out. These are actionable ideas that will help with your meal prep lifestyle.

      Kitchen Tools to Help You Meal Prep like an Iron Chef

      A chef is only as good as his tools, and these are my must-have tools to navigate the kitchen and rock your meal prep recipes like a boss. All of these kitchen tools can be found on www.flavcity.com/shop.

      Large Cast-Iron Pan:

      If it was good enough for grandma, it’s good enough for you. You can cook everything except for eggs in your cast-iron pan. Nothing distributes heat quite like it, and nothing sears meat the way cast iron does.

      Large Non-Stick Pan:

      Do you see where I am going? Bigger is better! You can always add fewer ingredients to a pan, but you can’t increase its surface area. You are going to need a non-stick pan to cook seafood, veggies, and anything you don’t feel like busting out your cast-iron pan for.

      Cutting Boards:

      You will need two cutting boards for all of that meal prep you are going to do—a wooden cutting board and a plastic one (for raw proteins). A large wooden board will handle everything except raw meat and protein which have bacteria that can breed in the wood and cause contamination. A large surface area will prevent you from chasing veggies on the floor—trust me, I’ve been there. A plastic cutting board should have rubber around the edges, so it does not slide around when being used to prep for recipes.

      Eight-inch Chef’s Knife:

      99 percent of the chopping you will do for meal prep can be done with a good chef’s knife. I have ones that cost fifteen dollars and ones that cost over two hundred dollars. You can choose either one and don’t need to bother buying any other knife besides a paring knife.

      Microplane Zester:

      Fans of the FlavCity YouTube channel do not call me “obsessed with zest,” or #ObZest, for no reason. I love how you can zest fresh lemon, orange, or lime over the top of any dish and totally transform the flavor and add a subtle pop of acid. The microplane is also my favorite way to grate Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese as it creates this snow shower that is so darn beautiful.

      Lemon and Lime Juicer:

      Once you have zested the citrus, you are likely going to squeeze some juice into something. Instead of using your hands and feeling the burn on that fresh paper cut, you can use a citrus juicer that can squeeze way more juice out than your hands can. Trust me.

      Half-Sheet Tray:

      People always ask me how my sheet trays stay so clean. It’s because I buy new ones as soon as the old ones get nasty. They are cheap, durable, and a meal prep essential for all of the veggies and chicken you will be cooking in the oven.

      Splatter Guard:

      Sometimes the cleanup process takes more time than the actual cooking! Make sure that never happens again by using a guard to cover the pan while you are cooking; it blocks the oil from going all over the place.

      Probe Thermometer:

      Never overcook another piece of chicken or meat by using a digital probe thermometer; this gadget stays inside the meat while it’s baking in the oven. It has an alarm that tells you when it has reached the desired cooking temperature.

      What’s in Your Pantry?

      Having a stocked pantry is the key to adding flavor and creating various types of meal prep recipes at a moment’s notice. When you have a fully loaded pantry, you can literally make any meal you want, and these items will last you a long time.

      Make sure you have a variety of spices on hand. My favorites are smoked paprika, cumin, ancho chili powder, turmeric, and coriander. Try to buy spices from a spice shop or the bulk section of Whole Foods. The ones at the grocery store have been sitting on the shelves for gosh knows how long, and ground spices start to lose their flavor after three months.

      Make sure to always cook with kosher salt and finish with Maldon or flakey sea salt, if desired. Keep on hand different vinegars like balsamic, red wine, and rice wine vinegar. Cooking and finishing oils are a must. Carry olive oil, avocado oil, and expeller pressed grape seed oil for cooking with heat and use extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over a finished dish.

      Carry condiments in your pantry like tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil (store in fridge), hot sauce, liquid stevia, and coconut milk.

      Costco Is Your Best Friend

      This may seem obvious, but stock up on non-perishable items at Costco like nut butters, nuts, almond flour, coconut milk, and cooking oils. You will be using lots of those items to meal prep, so why not save some money? Watch my Costco grocery haul video on YouTube for more inspiration and lots of mean comments.

      Why I Love Glass Meal Prep Containers

      Glass meal prep containers are much safer than plastic ones and perfect for warming in the oven or microwave. I don’t care what they say about plastic meal prep containers being safe for the microwave—that is total garbage—the chemicals from plastic are not safe for the food: end of story.

      FAQ

      Here are some questions going through your head now, because I know you guys so well!

      How Long Can I Store Meal Prep?

      Each recipe in this book has storage instructions, but most meal prep recipes can be stored in the fridge for five days or frozen for two

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