Preparing meals at home is a simple way to save money while allowing you and your family to savor delicious meals throughout the week. But between budgeting, shopping, cooking, and storage, meal prep can feel quite overwhelming, especially for busy individuals juggling multiple responsibilities. However, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. Contrary to what many people might believe, meal prep doesn’t always mean making everything from scratch. Using pre-made items and ready-to-eat components not only saves you time in the kitchen but also makes the whole process easier and even enjoyable.
At Landers, you can access a wide range of products to help make meal prep less tedious: from stocks and sauces to canned produce and pre-mixed seasonings. Plus, with a Landers membership promo credit card, you get unbeatable rewards and exclusive benefits with each peso you spend. When you pay using your Landers Cashback Everywhere Credit Card, you can get up to 5% cashback at Landers, 2% on dining spends, and 1% on all other qualified transactions.* To unlock the 5% cashback rate, all you need to do is accumulate PHP 50,000 worth of total spending on your Landers Maya credit card for the month, which includes spending at Landers as well as using your credit card everywhere else.
To make meal prep more efficient, here are a few pantry essentials you’ll find at Landers that will help you pull together meals faster and reduce stress in the kitchen.
1. Canned or Bottled Pasta Sauce
A good pasta sauce can save you lots of time in the kitchen. With a jar or two on hand, you skip the time-consuming steps of chopping tomatoes, sautéing garlic and onions, simmering a base for the sauce, and adding protein or seasonings. Instead, you simply open the jar or bottle and pour it over pasta or add it to other recipes like pizza, stews, casseroles, or rice meals. This shortcut brings convenience to meal prep without compromising flavor.
2. Canned Beans and Peas
Canned beans and peas, such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, or black beans, are another essential that deserves a prominent spot in your kitchen. These add texture and protein to meals without the need for overnight soaking or hours of simmering. You can add beans straight into soups, salads, wraps, rice bowls, or hearty skillet dishes with little fuss. Moreover, canned beans have a long shelf life, making them a perfect standby for last-minute meal prep.
3. Canned Coconut Milk or Cream
Many Filipino and Asian recipes call for coconut milk or cream to lend curries, soups, sauces, and desserts that distinct earthy flavor and creaminess. Yet it’s not always easy or ideal to source fresh grated coconut and extract its milk or cream by yourself. Picking up a can of coconut milk or cream during your Landers grocery run eliminates this hassle while giving you access to this essential Filipino and Asian cooking ingredient whenever you need it. Whether you’re making Thai curry or a ginataan dish, a can of coconut milk or cream is all you need to bring international or native flavors to life.
Beyond convenience and accessibility, canned coconut milk or cream also comes with an extended shelf life that makes it a dependable addition to any pantry focused on efficient cooking.
4. Ready-Made Broth or Stock
A quality ready-made broth or stock supports efficient meal prep, taking the place of simmering bones and aromatics for hours. Use this pantry staple to prepare soups, risottos, sauces, or rice dishes much faster while achieving the same depth of flavor that comes from hours of work in the kitchen. Pre-made broth also makes it easier to adjust the consistency and taste of dishes during meal prep, reducing trial-and-error as well as food waste.
5. Pre-Mixed Seasonings and Spice Blends
Rather than spending time measuring and combining individual spices for each recipe, opt for ready-made blends that give dishes full flavor with just one scoop or pour. Pre-mixed seasonings and spice blends also reduce the need for chopping herbs, garlic, and onions, saving time and effort during meal prep. With a single mix, you can create marinades and flavor stir-fries, or quickly season vegetables and proteins.
Moreover, these blends add consistency to your dishes, which is valuable when you’re short on time or preparing several servings in advance.
6. Frozen Pre-Cut Vegetables
Frozen vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and beans are a lifesaver for anyone who wants to eat healthier without spending time washing, peeling, and chopping produce. Because these vegetables are flash-frozen at peak freshness, they retain much of their nutrients while staying ready to use whenever you need them. From stir-fries and fried rice to soups, omelets, and pasta dishes, frozen vegetables let you build balanced meals in minutes. Remember: keeping a few varieties in your freezer also helps you prepare more types of meals and eliminates last-minute grocery runs.
7. Canned Tuna, Sardines, and Other Ready-to-Eat Proteins
Having canned tuna, sardines, salmon, or other ready-to-eat proteins in your pantry makes it easy to put together satisfying meals without cooking meat from scratch. These proteins work well in salads, sandwiches, pasta, rice bowls, and even quick ulam options when paired with sauces, vegetables, and other ingredients. Think sardines with sayote misua noodles, tuna mixed into garlic fried rice with scrambled eggs, or canned corned beef quickly sautéed with potatoes and onions for a quick, hearty dish. Since they’re already cooked, they significantly cut down meal prep and cooking time. Ready-to-eat proteins are especially useful on busy weekdays when you need a filling dish fast.
Meal prep doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove or preparing each recipe component by yourself. With a few key pantry items and smart shopping, you can make meal prep much more efficient so you can have more time to enjoy home-cooked meals with your family or to manage other responsibilities. And with a wide selection of convenient and ready-made items available at Landers, you can easily restock your pantry while getting cashback and discounts with your Landers promo credit card, helping make meal prep more cost-effective and fuss-free.
*Transactions that don’t qualify include: cash in, cash advance, quasi cash purchases, casinos and gambling, fuel, supermarket, pharmaceuticals, utilities, telco, and government.