Meal Prep Monday Podcast™

Chef and meal prep expert Allison Schaaf shares the disadvantages of air fryer cooking and why she does not personally use an air fryer, despite its popularity. Disadvantages of Air Fryer (Allison’s Personal Experience) I couldn’t picture where an air fryer would fit into my cooking routine. Most air fryers have nonstick coatings. PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) are contained in many nonstick coatings. Many studies show that PFAS can lead to serious health issues. I did find a glass air fryer, but didn’t love it. It only fits a small amount of food. For me, I’d rather make a larger quantity of food for efficiency’s sake! I will say it is often quite hot in Texas, so I do get the appeal of not heating up the house. Toaster ovens could be a good alternative for this though. I feel better about sticking with cast iron, glass and stainless steel, rather than researching all of the new alternative non-stick materials to see if they’re really safe. Have a different opinion or an air fryer you love? Pop into our Facebook group and share! I want to know what you think. Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans!  

Today meal prep expert Allison Schaaf shares 4 tips she’s been using for easy, quick meal prep. 1. Ask yourself, is there an easier way to do this? As you’re chopping and prepping, think through whether there’s a more efficient way to chop. I personally love seeing how other people chop things so I can try out which method works best for me. If you’re like me, check out my YouTube playlist where I demonstrate how I chop different items: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZFbto5QrmmjJxk57t9G11lr1YahPZTea 2. Make one sauce and use it twice. For this meal plan, it was a tinga sauce that we used for two different dinners. If you’re going to go through the effort of making a tasty, homemade sauce, why not use it twice? 3. Start with lengthier prep items. For example, if you need to bake some chicken breast, get that started right away so you’re not waiting around at the end. For my meal prep, I stuck some chicken breast in the oven before even doing my mise en place. I would do the same thing for sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, rice, etc. 4. Do meal prep right before a meal. I love doing my meal prep before dinner to gain even more efficiencies. I’m already in the kitchen, already doing dishes. It just flows easily into serving a meal. Just make sure it’s not too rushed! Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! How I Chop Various Items (videos): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZFbto5QrmmjJxk57t9G11lr1YahPZTea

In today’s episode Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares 5 small kitchen upgrades that have been making her happier in the kitchen. Many of these upgrades involve switching from plastic to stainless steel, for both health reasons and simply for quality. Stainless steel is easier to wash, more durable and you don’t have to worry about chemicals leeching into food. 5 Small Kitchen Upgrades: Multiple Stainless Steel Bowls - I love having the small and medium size on hand for food prep. They’re also easy to store as they all stack. Ice Cream Scoops - I love getting several pints of ice cream for people to choose from when I have dinner guests and I wanted an ice cream scoop for each pint. I bought several stainless steel ice cream scoops and I’ve been loving them! Stainless Steel Baking Sheets - Stainless steel is a lot more food safe than many other materials and I love not having to worry about it. The ones I got fit in to the dishwasher which is wonderful. I have three or four of them so I don’t run out when I’m doing my meal prep. Stainless Steel Cups, Bowls and Silverware for the Kids Tea Strainer - I buy almost all of my tea looseleaf in bulk. I have stainless steel tea strainers and love them. ‌ Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 ‌ Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Stainless Steel Baking Sheets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078JG1KSP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Chef & Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares her tips for choosing quality kitchen knives, including her top 3 picks. This page contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of Prep Dish! Purchasing quality kitchen knives is an investment, but a small investment in terms of what you get out of it in both speed and fun in the kitchen. Cooking is so much more enjoyable when you have quality tools. So many people use a small paring knife for all of their chopping. If that’s you, you can halve your meal prep time by getting a good quality chef’s knife! It’s easier and actually safer to use a sharp, larger knife. I actually bring my own knives on road trips now to avoid this issue! My 3 favorite quality kitchen knives are: Wusthof Shun - You can send them your knives to sharpen almost for free! Nakano Look for a knife that feels good in your hand. Make sure it feels balanced in terms of the weight of the blade and the handle. You also want to make sure the blade goes all the way through the handle instead of two separate pieces that connect. Keeping your knives sharp is also very important. I sometimes sharpen my knives at home but do think taking them somewhere to professionally sharpen is worthwhile every 6 months or so. You can sometimes find a vendor who sharpens knives at a farmers market or a knife store. There are also companies where you can mail in your knives to be sharpened. ‌ Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 ‌ Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Wusthof: https://www.wusthof.com/ Shun - You can send them your knives to sharpen almost for free! https://shun.kaiusa.com/ Nakano - https://nakano-knives.com/prepdish (

Today I’m sharing 10 of my go-to healthy portable snacks for kids. These work great for adults too! My priority in selecting these was low mess, easy prep items my kids are actually excited to eat. I’d love to hear your go-tos as well! Message me on Instagram @prepdish or send me a message in our Facebook group, linked below. 10 Portable Healthy Snacks for Kids & Adults Apple Slices - I place these in silicon bags like Stasher bags Popcorn or Rice Cakes - These can be a bit messier! Oranges - I love that we can bring these and just keep them unpeeled to save for another day if they don’t eat them. Meat Sticks - I get mine from Imperfect Foods. They have a grassfed meat stick as well as a turkey one. Cucumbers - These are a great low mess, easy prep veggie. Bananas - This is another one we can just keep unpeeled if they don’t get eaten. If they get bruised, I just throw them in my weekend batch of banana pancakes! Cashews - This is a nice shelf stable one I can just keep in my purse or in the car. My kids love pumpkin seeds as well. Cheese Sticks Plantain Chips - These are definitely a favorite! Blueberries Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Banana Pancakes: https://prepdish.com/recipes/gluten-free-banana-pancakes/ Prep Dish Facebook Group (Just request to join and I’ll approve you! You don’t have to be a subscriber) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537447836539716/ Stasher Bags: https://www.stasherbag.com/

Healthy habits build on each other. Host Allison Schaaf talks about the habit of reading (and how to watch less tv) today. I’ve been quite intentional about adding more reading into my life over the past year. As a bonus, I’ve found that when I read at night, I automatically watch less tv and spend less time on my phone. This is the same mindset I recommend with adopting a new way of healthy eating. This is especially true if you’re doing AIP or another restricted diet for medical reasons. If you focus on eating plenty of the foods you can eat, there’s no room left for the restricted items. Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! AIP Meal Plan: https://prepdish.com/shop/specialty/aip/ Alkaline Meal Plan: https://prepdish.com/shop/specialty/alkaline/ Reset (Whole30-compliant) Meal Plan: https://prepdish.com/shop/specialty/reset/ Books I’ve Been Reading: Hold on to Your Kids: https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Your-Kids-Parents-Matter/dp/0375760288/ref=asc_df_0375760288/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312130960442&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3153010068446577494&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9018993&hvtargid=pla-457209788354&psc=1&region_id=674469 Tranquility by Tuesday: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tranquility+by+tuesday&gclid=CjwKCAiAioifBhAXEiwApzCztnFGQfO5jrWvYhiteER-h-t44LXjUwoCgsYH4tcNUBM9Hv-g-bWutxoC3jIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=602349333266&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9018993&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9757593861283886920&hvtargid=kwd-1664592213304&hydadcr=24956_9954751&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_3090178aa8_e Finance Books Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey) on Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Greenlights/dp/B08HLW2JXD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=18VY96L4OKSSV&keywords=greenlights+book&qid=1675768374&sprefix=greenlights+book%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1

This page contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of Prep Dish! Today’s episode is all about a much requested topic - easy kids lunch ideas. Prep Dish founder and mom of 2, Allison Schaaf, shares her go-to kids’ lunches. No kids? No problem, these work great for adults too! If you’re looking for easy, healthy kids lunch ideas, leftovers are one of the very best options! Double or even triple a dinner recipe to have on-hand for lunches. That said, you likely won’t always have leftovers on hand. These are some great choices when you need to cook up something quick: Proteins: Frozen Salmon (or any fish!) - Once it’s defrosted, it cooks so quickly Frozen Ground Meat - Use for tacos, burgers, meatballs, etc. Frozen Chicken Wings - I get these from Imperfect Foods. Wings cook so quickly and my kids love them! Veggies: Salad Green Beans Cucumbers Zucchini Frozen Broccoli Starches: Sweet Potatoes Potatoes Rice Quinoa Specific Meals: Salmon w/ Dill Mayo w/ Frozen Broccoli & Rice Burgers w/ Potato Wedges & Cucumbers Chicken Wings w/ Baked Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans Mix & Match: Tacos - This is such a versatile option. Use what you have on hand! Different veggies like peppers & onions, any ground meat or leftover roast, salsa, avocado, etc. Bowls - This is a great way to use up leftovers! Use rice or quinoa as a base, some meat, beans, veggies and a sauce. Tzatziki or salsa work! Homemade ranch is also a delicious choice. With the kids, I keep the items separate. Stir Fry - Shrimp or other protein, any veggies and rice, quinoa or rice noodles. We have a simple stir fry sauce linked below! ‌ Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 ‌ Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Stir Fry Sauce: https://prepdish.com/recipes/easy-stir-fry-sauce-recipe/ Homemade Ranch: https://prepdish.com/recipes/paleo-ranch-dressing/ Imperfect Foods: http://imprfct.us/v/allison_8366 (

Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares a concept from author Laura Vanderkam. This episode will get you thinking about how you view your time and how you want to fill the 168 hours you have each week. Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Tranquility by Tuesday: https://lauravanderkam.com/books/tranquility-by-tuesday/ 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think: https://lauravanderkam.com/books/168-hours/

Entrepreneur and meal prep expert Allison Schaaf shares what she’s learned from detailed time tracking. Most Things Take Way Less Time Than I Think When I time my work tasks, I realize that many tasks take just a few minutes. Set a Timer If there’s a task I’m avoiding, I set a time for 20 minutes and see how much I can get done in that time. Many times, the task is complete before the time is up! Filler Tasks “Filler tasks” actually take a lot more time than you might realize. This includes things like scrolling through your phone, last minute errands, washing your cutting board every night if you didn’t have a chance to meal prep, etc. Feeling “Time Abundant” is a Choice Tracking the time you spend working can help you see how much time you actually get to spend doing other things like spending time with the kids or taking time for yourself. Where You Spend Your Time Reflects Your Priorities & Values Seeing how you spend your time in numbers can provide insight on whether how you spend your time is reflecting what you value. Batching tasks like meal prep can also help you find more time in your day! Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think: https://lauravanderkam.com/books/168-hours/ Batching is Freedom - How to Create More Time in Your Day: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep141/