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Rubbermaid® TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Meal

This blog post is sponsored by @Rubbermaid   

Sometimes all you need for a successful meal prep is a good set of @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Containers and a healthy Crock-Pot recipe. Meat, vegetables, and even seafood cook all in the same Crock-Pot in this easy & healthy one-pot recipe.

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The new year usually brings new, healthy resolutions. If you’re someone who is adopting a new diet or adjusting to a new lifestyle, meal prepping will assist you in having a successful journey. There are a couple of components to a good meal prep: good recipes are one, but also and just as important are good, reliable meal prep containers.

Products and compensation were provided to me by the Rubbermaid brand, but my opinions are my own.

@RUBBERMAID – THE RIGHT TYPE OF CONTAINERS

@Rubbermaid is an American household name for a reason. They do what they do best. @Rubbermaid’s food storage containers are known for being sturdy and reliable, so it’s no surprise that @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Containers  are just that. In addition to being sturdy, they’re also lightweight, reusable, and they come in an assortment of shapes & sizes. They’re perfect for meal prepping full meals, sides, or just snacks.  Other benefits of @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Containers  include:

  • Some containers have built-in divider to keep food separate
  • Microwave-safe (reheat only)
  • Freezer-safe
  • Dishwasher-safe (top rack)
  • Lids click into place, so you know your content are secure at home or on-the-go
  • Stack easily for neat storage

Get yours now from Walmart!

WHY USE A CROCK-POT FOR MEAL PREP?

There are several reasons to use a Crock-Pot for your meal prepping. In my opinion, the most important reason is to take the fuss out of cooking and to save time! This meal prep meal is a true set-it-and-forget-it recipe. After you add the ingredients to the Crock-Pot, you now have time to attend to other things. Using a Crock-Pot for meal prep also allows you to cook all or most of the food at once. Finally, meal prepping with a slow cooker assists you in staying on track; you not only control the portion sizes but you also control the ingredients you’re putting in your mouth.

3 pounds cut up beef roast in the Crock-Pot

WHAT TYPE OF MEAT TO USE?

For this meal prep meal, I chose to cook a beef roast with the intention of shredding the meat down and re-using it in my meal prepping for the remainder of the week. While I used sirloin beef roast, you can actually use a different protein like pork, chicken, or even seafood (I’ll get to that later). Slow cookers can cook everything from seafood to the toughest cut of meat. Below are cooking guidelines for using other proteins. Please note these are a guideline. Every slow cooker is different, so your protein might need more or less cooking time.

  • Red meat (large cuts):  Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8. An example of a large cut is chuck roast.
  • Red meat (small cuts):  Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6. An example of a small cut is beef stew meat.
  • Chicken (dark meat):  Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8. An example of dark meat is chicken thighs.
  • Chicken (white meat): Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6. An example of white meat is chicken breasts.
  • Pork (large cuts): Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8. An example of a large cut is pork shoulder.
  • Pork (small cuts): Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6. An example of a small cut is pork chop.

use your preferred fresh vegetables

WHAT TYPE OF VEGETABLES TO USE?

You can use your preferred vegetables with the recipe, but keep in mind the long cook time. You will want to use vegetables that can withstand the low & slow cooking method of the Crock-Pot without turning to mush. Root vegetables work well. Green vegetables like green beans, asparagus, and brussels sprouts (they will not be crispy) can also be used. Here’s what I used: red bell pepper, onion, yellow zucchini, and green zucchini. If you’re going to use a more delicate vegetable like squash, cut them into larger pieces than you normally would or cook them whole and cut them up later. I wrapped the vegetables in foil because I wanted them to cook along with the beef but I also wanted the choice to later serve them separately. I intend on using the vegetables for meal prep that does NOT include beef. As I show you below, I also added shrimp to this Crock-Pot meal.

add vegetable foil packet on top of the beef

USING OR ADDING SEAFOOD

If you are looking to add seafood into your meal prep, you can do it directly in the Crock-Pot! Of course, you can cook seafood in the Crock-Pot however it doesn’t need to cook as long as other proteins. I recommend adding the seafood for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.  This can be shrimp, scallops, or fish. I used half a pound of shrimp that I drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and a homemade seasoning blend.

shrimp drizzled with oil and seasoned with a homemade blend

place seafood packet in the Crock-Pot on top of the beef

THE SEASONINGS

You may have noticed that the seasonings for both the beef and the vegetables are fairly basic. This was done on purpose. I like to think of this recipe as a starting point and only you will know how it finishes. Meaning, when you go to add the food to the @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Containers, you might want to add a sauce on top of the beef. Or tomatoes on top of the vegetables. Condiments are a great way to jazz up a repetitive meal prep! Of course, if you have preferred seasoning you want to use, feel free to swap it in.

HOW TO SERVE THIS

How you serve this will depend on your dietary needs. Cauliflower rice is my go-to these days because it’s what I call the trifecta: low-carb, paleo, and whole30 compliant. If you are not concerned about that, other suggestions include regular rice (white, brown, basmati, etc.) or potatoes. You can always just eat the protein & veggies.

Here is what I used for this meal prep meal:

  • 3 pounds beef sirloin roast
  • 2 medium-size yellow squash
  • 1 medium-size zucchini
  • 1 medium-size onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper

To make this recipe, I use a 6-quart Crock-Pot.

You can find @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Containers at your local @walmart.

Print
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cover Rubbermaid® TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Meal

Rubbermaid® TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Meal

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5 from 1 review

  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 serings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 pounds beef roast
  • 3 pounds of your preferred vegetables
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

Beef seasonings:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Vegetable seasonings:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or more)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Season beef evenly with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Add beef to the Crock-Pot. Pour broth on top.
  2. Season veggies with oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place vegetables on a sheet of aluminum foil. To fold the packets, bring the two longest edges towards each other and roll them together to create a seal. Then, fold in the sides. Place foil packet of vegetables on top of beef.
  3. Cover and cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 4-6.
  4. Carefully remove vegetables with tongs. Shred beef.
  • If you are using seafood, 30 minutes before cook time is up, remove the vegetables and add your seafood foil packet. Cover & cook an additional 15-30 minutes or until seafood is done to your liking. Carefully remove the seafood with tongs.
  • Assemble the meal into the @Rubbermaid TakeAlongs® Meal Prep Containers.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/affiliates.

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Lorenzo

Monday 25th of January 2021

Great article! I meal prep all my lunches from my leftover dinners, so I can really use these containers. Its really cool that they have different sections to keep servings separated, and everything stays sealed, even if it flips over.