
Meal Prep Monday Podcast™
Meal Prep Monday Podcast™ brings you 10 minutes of actionable meal prep advice, helping you answer the dreaded "What's for Dinner?" question with ease. Host Allison Schaaf is a personal chef, dietitian, mom and founder of meal planning website PrepDish.com. Listen along as she teaches you how to save time, money & energy through meal prep. Her healthy gluten free, paleo & keto meal plans have helped thousands! And in this podcast, she's sharing all of her time saving tips and tricks with you! Tune in every Monday to up your mealplan and mealprep game!
Latest episodes

Nov 14, 2022 • 12min
5 Fall Beverages I’m Loving l EP#144
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of Prep Dish! Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares 5 delicious, healthy fall beverages she’s loving lately. Ghia This is a non-alcoholic aperitif. It tastes like a fancy cocktail but with no alcohol. With ginger, rosemary, orange peel extract and juices, it tastes amazing and feels fancy! You can serve it with sparkling water. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cider For an alcoholic option, this cider is tasty, and gluten free! It tastes a bit more like a beer than a cider, not too sweet or fruity. It is a bit heavily spiced but I liked it overall. Teas in Bulk If you drink tea every day like I do, buying in bulk makes sense financially and avoids the waste of individually wrapped tea bags. I like Tulsi tea to start the day and then caffeine free rooibos chai. Iced Tea If you’re having a hot fall like we are here in Texas, iced tea is a good option. I’ve been particularly loving raspberry leaf tea and the mint lavender tea from Siply iced. Golden Milk Lattes I’ve always loved golden milk lattes but I just found an option on Amazon that I love even more than my homemade version (linked below). It is so smooth and so easy! 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! Ghia - https://drinkghia.com/ Dry Farm Wine - dryfarmwines.com/prepdish (

Nov 7, 2022 • 10min
Welcome Back! Upcoming Meal Prep Monday Topics l Ep#143
Meal Prep Monday is back! After a couple of months off from podcasting, host Allison Schaaf is back and full of ideas for upcoming episodes. In this episode, she shares what she’s been up to as well as some topics she’s excited to talk about in the coming weeks. Upcoming Topics: Freezer Meal Prep Getting Healthy Sleep Travel With Toddlers (including food!) Kitchen Remodel - What went well, what didn’t How to Handle Meals During a Renovation “Super Thinking” Time - How to Create More Space in Your Life 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!

Aug 1, 2022 • 6min
Our Podcast is on a Break - Back in November 2022! l Ep#142
In episode #142, Prep Dish Founder, Allison Schaaf, shares that we will be taking a break on this podcast for the next 3 months. Please subscribe so we will show up in your podcast feed when we are back in November 2022! In the meantime, we recommend searching through previous episodes at https://prepdish.com/mealprepmonday/ and connecting through our other resources! See you soon in November =). 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: Sign up for our free newsletter: prepdish.com/podcast Follow me on Instagram @prepdish Email info@prepdish.com for any episode requests Join our super supportive Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537447836539716/ Check our blog for weekly recipes & resources: https://prepdish.com/blog/ See recipe videos & tips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/prepdish

Jul 25, 2022 • 11min
Batching is Freedom - How to Create More Time in Your Day l Ep#141
Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf talks about different ways she uses batching to make life easier and to create more time. Meals: The Prep Dish meal plans focus on batching meal prep. I also use batching for other meals not covered by the meal plans. Chop your produce all at once. It saves a lot of time! Similarly, you can double or triple a salad dressing recipe and use some of it as a marinade. Any time I make a recipe that freezes well, I double or triple the recipe and freeze some to save my future self time. Laundry: My husband and I do laundry once every two weeks. This is so much more efficient than always feeling like you need to throw a load in. Work Items: For example, I batch podcast episodes. I record at least a month’s worth of episodes at once rather than getting my microphone out each week. We use a similar strategy with newsletters and social media. I try to schedule all of my calls on Tuesdays so I don’t have calls distracting me every day. Mail: I don’t sort through the mail every day. Some tasks like this don’t need to be done daily. I also choose the Amazon delivery day for receiving packages so I don’t have to break down boxes, etc. on multiple days. Email: I try to check my email every 24 hours but if there’s nothing urgent, I either respond once a day or every other day. I do the same thing with text messages. Having my phone off is so much less distracting. 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! Chill and Prosper podcast with Denise Duffield Thomas https://www.denisedt.com/podcast Using Batching to Boost Efficiency: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep107/ Does batching have to be boring? https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep38/ 3 Ingredient Marinades: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep49/

Jul 18, 2022 • 14min
10 Years of Prep Dish! 10 Lessons Learned l Ep#140
Host Allison Schaaf reflects on the 10-year anniversary of Prep Dish and shares 10 business lessons learned, including the importance of having a plan and trusting oneself. The significance of support systems and systems in business is explored, with emphasis on building a community and practicing patience. The power of a meal plan is discussed, along with finding joy in the process. The implementation of systems and the offer of a free trial are highlighted.

Jul 11, 2022 • 12min
Becoming a Caregiver - Part 2 (Caring for Aging Parents) l Ep#139
In part 2 of this “Becoming a Caregiver” series, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares tips she’s learned for caring for aging parents. Becoming a caretaker often happens unexpectedly and it’s helpful to have an idea of what it might look like. 5 Lessons Learned: You Can Hire Caretakers. Depending on the level of care needed, having a hired caretaker can be really helpful. You can find live-in caretakers if needed. You can hire through agencies or you can hire directly. Background checks and reference checks are important. Document Everything. I used Trello to track conversations with doctors, keep track of phone numbers, etc. This is an easy way to share information with siblings, etc. Meal Plans are Helpful! Whether or not you’ve hired a caretaker, using a meal plan to organize meals for the household is very helpful. Our Prep Dish meal plans make it easy for someone to jump in and help. Try Therapy: Therapy can be very helpful as you process things emotionally. Specifically, the EMDR approach has been helpful for me. Treasure: Try to find moments to treasure amidst the chaos. Take photos and find simple activities you can do together. If a parent is living with you, it can be hard but it can also be an opportunity to form new memories together. 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! Trello: https://trello.com/ EMDR Therapy: https://www.healthline.com/health/emdr-therapy#:~:text=What%20is%20EMDR%20therapy%3F,don't%20process%20them%20completely. How Will You Measure Your Life? (book): https://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0008316422/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1654974194&sr=8-1

Jul 4, 2022 • 13min
Becoming a Caregiver for Parents - Part 1 (Preparing for the Future) l Ep#138
In this episode host Allison Schaaf shares her recent experience of becoming a caregiver for her mother. Specifically, she goes into 4 helpful things to have in place for older relatives (and yourself) in planning for the future. 4 Helpful To-Dos Before Becoming a Caregiver: Understand Parents’ Wishes: Have the conversations around how they see the next 10 or 20 years playing out. Where do they want to live? How do they feel about assisted living or nursing home care versus living at home? Get things in writing if possible. Organize Passwords: Make sure their passwords are written down in a safe location or in a password manager they can share with you. Financial Accounts: It’s helpful to have a list of all of their financial accounts. Power of Attorney: Having in writing who should be taking over things and how things should be handled is very important. The more detailed, the better. Having a will is of course also important. 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! Great Courses: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/

Jun 27, 2022 • 13min
Strength Training (My Experience with Barbell Logic) l EP#137
This page contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of Prep Dish! Prep Dish founded Allison Schaaf shares her recent experience with getting back into serious strength training. 5 Reasons to Love Barbell Logic I feel really strong! I’ve been doing this for 4 months and feel noticeably stronger. The accountability is awesome. They offer virtual one-on-one training. I love the challenge. It’s amazing to see the progression through weights and to know that a trained coach is setting safe and appropriate weights. I don’t have to think about it. There’s no decision fatigue because the plan is made for me! Just like Prep Dish meal plans ;) It feels good to have someone else do the planning sometimes. It’s actually fun! I was not necessarily expecting this but I’m really enjoying strength training and it feels good to do something that’s just for me. 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! Barbell Logic Free Trial: https://store.barbell-logic.com/ref/allison.stevens/ This page contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of Prep Dish!

Jun 20, 2022 • 10min
Best Cooking Blogs Round 2 l EP#136
Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf is back with another roundup of favorite recipe blogs from the Prep Dish team. From baking to Instant Pot to recipes for large families, we’ve got you covered! Best Cooking Blogs: Pinch of Yum: https://pinchofyum.com/ (Not all gluten free, but delicious flavors!) Minimilist Baker: https://minimalistbaker.com/ (These recipes are so well tested!) Real Food Dietitians: https://therealfooddietitians.com/ Venison for Dinner: https://venisonfordinner.com/ (Great for large families) This Pilgrim Life: https://www.thispilgrimlife.com/ (Many good Instant Pot recipes) (Psst! Don’t forget the Prep Dish blog! https://prepdish.com/blog/) 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! The Best Recipe Blogs Round 1: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep120/

Jun 13, 2022 • 12min
More Costco Favorites - Part 2 l EP#135
Host Allison Schaaf is back today with more Costco must-haves! There are some seriously good items here you’re going to want to try. Costco Must Haves: Shredded Roasted Chicken Organic Quinoa (Tri colored too!) Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) Fruits & Veggies Almond Flour Wildbrine Sauerkraut Adam’s Peanut Butter Frozen Blackened Salmon Jam Hard Boiled Eggs Coastal Cheddar Tillamook Baby Loaf of Cheddar (You can shred & freeze some!) Dave’s Bread Olive Oil Seasonings: Cinnamon & Vanilla Simple Mills Almond Crackers Date Syrup Grass Fed Butter or Kerrygold Butter Frozen Sausage Patties - 5 Ingredients Cheese Sticks Wrapped in Pepperoni, Prosciutto & Salami Organic Cheese Sticks Sprouted Oats Keto Grain Free Granola Healthy Noodle Street Tacos French Onion Soup Bag of Peeled Garlic Paleo Chicken Sausage Jalapeno Garlic Olives 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! My First Costco Trip & Costco Meal Prep: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep67/