Tips for Keeping Meal Prep Fresh

When you're trying to simplify your life with food prep, you devour recipes and best practices, but keeping it all fresh isn't talked about nearly enough. The right storage and techniques can keep your food prep longer to maximize your convenience and cost savings. Here are some of our best tips for fresh meal prep practices to make the most of mealtime.

One of your best defenses against ruining or spoiling your food prep is keeping everything in airtight containers. Airtight containers help keep food as fresh as possible to avoid bacteria growth and contamination. You're also less likely to experience rancid food with the right containers. Airtight options help slow down the oxidation process that can wreak havoc on your food prep efforts and lead to spoilage.

Airtight containers may be the gold standard for preserving your food prep, but you'll derail your efforts without proper organization. You need a clear label with a prep date for when you put the food together in the first place. If your ingredients come with a best-use date or expiration date, add that as well. Include what's in the containers so you don't have to go digging through everything when you decide you need more pasta or salmon dishes with healthy Omega-3s in your life.

If you want to make your ingredients last as long as possible, keep your produce stored in whole pieces. Once you start chopping up your fruits and veggies, they'll start to degrade faster, even with the right container. You can combat bacterial growth by leaving them in whole pieces and placing them in your fridge. Fruits for smoothies, such as strawberries and blueberries, are easy to store in your freezer and keep for six months or more, even if you've cut them up.

Depending on the produce you choose, it should last about five days after being chopped up in the fridge, giving you more flexibility in your food prep. Start chopping the day of your meal or a few days in advance for fresh snacks and entrees.

The freezer is perhaps the greatest invention for food prep storage. Tuck away pre-made entrees, snacks, and breakfasts for easy defrosting. Just make sure you follow sound defrosting habits. Once it defrosts, eat your food within 24 hours. Otherwise, you could risk bacterial growth and lose flavor and texture if you keep freezing and defrosting. 

Make sure you reheat your food thoroughly and properly at the right temperature. According to the USDA, you should reheat food at 165°F and use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food.

It's also wise to stir and cover your food to ensure all of it reaches optimal temperatures for safe reheating. Covering your food helps retain the moisture, avoiding splatter as you reheat. Stir and let your dish sit for a moment before adding more time in your microwave or oven.

Avoiding cross-contaminating your food keeps you healthier and avoids food-borne illnesses. But it also keeps your food fresher for longer. It's one thing to prepare a meal and put it in the freezer for later. But you should avoid throwing raw meat in with veggies and grains and leaving it in your fridge or out on the counter for too long. Always freeze or cook your meals as soon as possible and store food prep items separately. 

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We focus on seasonal ingredients with fruits and vegetables that are naturally grown and our meats are grass-fed and fish are wild-caught. They're packed with protein and easy to prep in the microwave for safe reheating on the go. Browse our subscription options here. 

We also offer a la carte options so you can build out the meals you want. Grab our 2 lbs of top sirloin steak, asparagus, seasoned veggies, rice, and anything else you want, and use these bulk staples as the foundation of your food prep.