Meal planning and meal prepping is a great way to set yourself up for success when it comes to eating a whole-food, plant-based diet? Even if you’re not the most organized person, these 15 meal planning tools/equipment will help you master meal planning in no time!
A whole-food, vegan diet has a variety of health benefits, like better weight management and even protection against certain chronic western diseases. However, if you’re new to this lifestyle and way of cooking, finding meals and preparing them can feel overwhelming.
So, why not set yourself up for success? The best way to do that is to utilize meal planning and meal prepping. If you just try to wing it, as I’m often prone to do, you could get discouraged, give up, and never experience for yourself the tremendous benefits of living plant-powered.
You don’t have to be an organized person to be successful in organizing your meals. FYI, I’m the most unorganized person in the world. But, I’m convinced with the help of my personal meal planner and these other tools, you can be a meal planning and prepping master in no time.
15 Meal Planning Tools
Shane & Simple Meal Planner
My simple meal planner allows you to plan your meals ahead of time! It's great for helping you track what you plan on eating as well as keeping tabs on recipes you've already made. You can also make notes on recipes you liked or have no desire to ever make again. The Shane & Simple Weekly Meal Planner will let you keep track of your meals and grocery list. And, because it's a digital download you can download pages as you need them as opposed to a hard copy planner.
Ballarini Parma Nonstick Fry Pan Set, 2-Piece
A good set of nonstick pans are essential for oil-free vegan cooking. But, you don't have to break the bank. These Ballarini pans are my favorites and hold up very well. I've been using the same set for several years and they're still going strong!
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6 Quart
Dutch ovens are excellent for soups, stews, and chili. I don't know if you'd call this "essential", but my kitchen would sure be lonely without it.
Organic Bamboo Cutting Board
A good cutting board is important when it comes to prepping ingredients! Personally, I love the wooden cutting boards
Chef's Knife, 6-Inch
A good sharp knife is more important than a fancy one and you don't have to spend tons of money. A chef's knife is the most versatile. I prefer to use a 6-inch knife because they're much easier to handle and great for the home cook. Be sure to sharpen it regularly.
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
I LOVE my Instant Pot! You can cook delicious meals in no time at all! Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup, Sweet Chili Garlic Noodles, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, and Vegan Instant Pot Chili.
6-Quart Programmable Crock Pot/Slow Cooker
A slow cooker is great to have alongside your pressure cooker. You can use both at the same time to make the most of your time!
Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade
Yes, a Vitmamix is expensive. It's worth every penny you spend on it and you get what you pay for...EXCELLENCE! These things are built to last and live up to the hype.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor
A good food processor is a must when prepping and planning. It's great for making hummus, no-bake cookies, and other things you can store and save. My advice would be to get one that's a little bigger than you think you will need. Because...you will need it.
Large Baking Sheets, 2-Pack
You need a good set of sheet pans for roasting up all those healthy veggies in your oven. I'd also recommend accessories like a non-stick silicone sheet or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Sheet pans are great for these oil-free potatoes, roasted asparagus, and holiday oven-roasted veggies.
Reusable Freezer Bags (BPA Free)
When it comes to freezing cut and prepped vegetables it’s important to use good freezer-safe bags to reduce the chance of freezer burn on your food. You can use Ziploc-styled freezer bags but I prefer reusable ones. It saves money. Be sure to mark your bags as well.
Food Storage Containers
The important thing for storage containers is that they must be airtight to keep your food as fresh as possible. I prefer glass but there are plastic ones as well.
Prep Bowls
Using prep bowls for your ingredients makes following a recipe less stressful because you'll have your ingredients prepped and ready to add to whatever you're cooking. It can prevent hurried measuring while you're cooking and hoping nothing burns while you rummage through the cabinets looking for that elusive spice that's always hiding.
Mason Jars
Mason jars are great for storing soups, salads, dressings, and even spices. They come in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
Souper Cubes
These Souper Cubes are new to me but I can't imagine meal prepping without them. They are perfect for portioning out broth or soup, freezing, and saving for later. I like to make a batch of Instant Pot Vegetable Soup, store it in these cubes, and dinner is at my fingertips.
Yalp
Thank you for sharing with all of us your wonderful Vegan Blog, with those wonderful and delicious vegan recipes of yours! I really appreciated it, and I am quite sure the entirely Vegan world’s community, out there, too. ( 😉 . I read this article and YES!!!, I am already settled with those tools…yeihhhh ;-). Thanks for your tips!
Shane Martin
Thank you!
LaTrice
Shane Hi, We need to see how to get you nominated this year! Best Chef, Easy cooking, Fun, full of energy, SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS, NOW MEAL PREP! WE LOVE YOU SHANE AND I VOTING! Now next question Shane lol! I WANT A VITAMIX please help me with what could be my valentine’s day gift SHANE HELP LOL! Ok focus LaTrice.. so Shane I have been reading, and watching that price tag.. but I know its worth it, I need to know is there any hidden parts where food can get stuck. I almost fell out when I saw an amazon review of a nutribullet and when some owners had taken it apart and found SHANE.. gook, worms, etc. I’m not making this up! One owner had shown us his after waiting 2 weeks, Shane I have a Kithen aid and It will out live me Im sure but I still want a VITAMIX. So how well built is it? I know you can put water in it and push a button and viola it’s clean but I’m talking about specifically under the belly of it if that’s makes sense. Oh 2nd. how do you feel about food savers I own one and love it!
Shane Martin
Hi, LaTrice! I wouldn’t go anywhere without my Vitamix. Yes, I travel with it:) So, it’s totally worth the money and super easy to clean…NO WORMS!
I’ve never owned a food saver so I couldn’t objectively respond. But, I’ve heard good thing. Hope this helps.
Kasia
Hi Shane! Do you also use or recommend air fryer? Thank you
P. S. Im a big fan of your recipes 😊
Shane Martin
Yes and yes. I think they’re great! So glad you enjoy the recipes. Thanks for reaching out.