Meal Prep Monday Podcast™

In episode 222, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf welcomes Denaye Barahona, Ph.D., LCSW of the Simple Families podcast to chat about simple family meals and mealtime with children, from a child psychologist’s (and mother’s!) perspective.   Denaye hears quite a bit about meal time and food in her work.  The idea of coming together at the table can help foster relationships and well-being, provided the family circumstances and season of life allow for it.  Sometimes, however, the dream of family mealtime doesn’t necessarily match reality.  Where you’re at in life, plus children’s personalities, often determine how families gather at dinner, and this can also be unpredictable.  Denaye suggests finding a different way to connect with your kids if meal time isn’t fostering togetherness in your family.   The Prep Dish service and prep-ahead approach has worked well for Denaye and her family, especially with support in the meal prep either from her husband or their nanny.  She often will use the Super Fast menu and not always complete the prep day work ahead of time.  Denaye also finds that choosing 2 meals from the menu and doubling them for the family’s meals during the week is the ultimate minimalist hack!   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Episode 338 of Simple Families: The Family Dinner  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-family-dinner/id1202569587?i=1000598521446 Simple Families: https://simplefamilies.com/ IG: @Simple_families

In episode 221, founder of Prep Dish Allison Schaaf discusses some of the best small kitchen appliances and compares the Instant Pot vs. Crock Pot to help determine which one can work best for you in your kitchen.   While the majority of Prep Dish customers either have an Instant Pot or a Crock Pot, you certainly do not need to have both in your kitchen.  Allison discusses how each kitchen appliance can be most useful when cooking up family meals, and notes that timing is what really matters.   If you have time in the morning to prep your ingredients by chopping and mixing, the Crock Pot is an “easy button” to manage dinner mealtime and simple cooking features, such as temperature variations.  If your schedule dictates that you’re thinking about meal prep later in the day, the Instant Pot will be a more useful kitchen appliance for you, as heating can happen much more quickly.  Instant Pots offer more cooking features as well, providing more options in dinner preparation.   Consider your own schedule and timing, along with your own season of family rhythms when determining which appliance will work best for you!   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Reset Meal Plan: https://prepdish.com/shop/specialty/reset/ Instant Pot Recipe Resource: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep136/

In episode 220, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, talks about the popularity of healthy high protein recipes and shares why she thinks they’re worthy of their moment.   Earlier this year, Prep Dish featured a special bonus high protein recipes menu that went out to all subscribers, and those were a huge hit with the meal prep community.  Behind the scenes, our food editing team reviewed the Prep Dish meal plans to confirm that most meals do reach the optimum 30 grams of protein mark to ensure those counting macros could find meal plans that support their health goals.   Prep Dish is excited to announce we’re launching an educational protein workshop that digs into reasons why increasing protein at meals can be beneficial, help you to discover why high protein can support your health goals, and provide creative, tasty protein recipes that you can make in your own kitchen.   The protein workshop begins by finding out the “why” behind increasing protein and will guide you to discover your personal motivation:  whether it’s to keep up with the kids or grandkids, aid in intense workout recovery, or to reach a healthy weight so you can enjoy your favorite hobbies, the aim is to bring motivation front and center.  Then comes the fun part of discovering a carefully-curated menu of irresistible, easy recipes that reach the optimum protein mark per serving.   The Protein Workshop begins Saturday, May 4, 2024.  Premium Prep Dish subscribers get free access to the Protein Workshop after opting-in from their accounts.  Now is a great time to upgrade and gain free access!   Listeners who aren’t current subscribers can get a $10 discount on the workshop with code JOINMPM.   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Sign up for the Protein Workshop: http://prepdish.com/challenge $10 off the workshop with code JOINMPM Health Metrics with Laura Ligos: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep205/

In episode 219, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf continues the meal prep basics series by addressing a common question: what’s better to have in your kitchen - a blender or food processor?   Though Allison does have both tools in her kitchen, she advises that just having either a blender or a food processor is necessary.  But which one to choose?  A lot depends on what you’ll be whipping up in the kitchen.  Blenders work best for recipes with mostly liquid ingredients.  If you’re mixing up smoothies, marinades, dressings, homemade nut milk, or soups, then a blender is the way to go. Pro chef tip: elevate your simple salad dressing recipes with a stick (hand) blender.  It makes all the difference in taste and texture!   A food processor is the kitchen tool of choice for making energy bites, thicker pesto or dressings with herbs, homemade flours, or in baking recipes such as when making a crust.  Head over to our Facebook group and weigh in on which kitchen tool is in your meal prep space - we’d love to hear from you!     Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans!   Vitamix: https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/ Prep Dish Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537447836539716/

In episode 218, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf discusses basic kitchen skills in a month-long series and shares some of the best ways to keep your knives sharp.   One of the number one items on Allison’s list of kitchen equipment must-haves is a good quality knife, and she encourages meal preppers to upgrade their kitchen knives.  Some brands Allison has in her kitchen include Wusthof, Shun, Nakano, and Eberhard Schaaf.  Allison notes that the best way to find the right kitchen knife for you is to put it in your hand and see what feels most comfortable.   Once you’ve got a high-quality kitchen knife, it’s important to keep your tools in top shape on a regular basis, preferably sharpening them twice a year.  Allison has used local sharpening services, door-to-door services, and most recently Kife Aid, which sharpens your kitchen knives by mail.   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Choosing Quality Kitchen Knives | Ep#160 https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep160/ Three Must Have Knives for Your Kitchen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icilR3xb164 Knife Aid https://knifeaid.com/

In episode 217, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf welcomes cookbook author, chef, and seasoning mix creator Michelle Dudash to chat about healthy flavorful meals.   Michelle is a Registered Dietitian, personal chef, seasoning mix creator, and one of Allison’s earliest mentors when she started her career.  She is the cookbook author of Clean Eating for Busy Families and Clean Eating Kitchen: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook, created her own seasoning mix line, SpiceKick Seasoning Mix, and loves helping people get delicious, healthy meals on the table.   Allison and Michelle discuss what inspired the beginning of the SpiceKick Seasoning Mix line, as well as helpful kitchen tips and tricks to flavor food that everyone in the family can enjoy.  Plus, Michelle shares what’s worked best in her family when it comes to serving up food her two children love to eat!   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Michelle Dudash:  https://www.michelledudash.com/ SpiceKick Seasoning Mix:  https://spicekick.com/

In episode 216, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares about clothing management and how her working from home clothes evolved into a new uniform.   Allison enjoyed many benefits from streamlining her closet during a home renovation, and maintained a smaller wardrobe even afterward.  She notes that many of us have a go-to wardrobe for working at home or in the office.  Allison finds that when she changes into her work clothes and maintains a simple skincare routine to begin her day, she feels more put together and productive, which often leads to having a productive day.   The new staples in her work from home clothes came about after receiving a gift of two new skirts.  From there, Allison’s uniform became a skirt, a tank top, and a sweater or cardigan as needed.  She loves the brand Mate the Label for their organic cotton material, especially for workout clothing that lies close to the body.   We’d love to know:  what’s in your work from home (or office) wardrobe?  Do you have any staples that are your go-tos?   Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/   Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast   Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Mate the Label https://matethelabel.com Best of Both Worlds Patreon (Jan 25 - Work Uniform): https://www.patreon.com/bestofbothworldspod

In episode 215, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf talks about how she manages closet clutter and shares her Rent the Runway review after trying the service for a year.   While renovating their home, part of the plan was to include Allison’s master bedroom closet.  Allison discovered that the Rent the Runway service wasn’t just relegated to fancy dresses for black-tie events, but that the service also offers clothing rentals for everyday outfits and she decided to give RTR a try.  She streamlined her closet and made a commitment to minimize additional clothing purchases while using this clothing rental service.   Allison found several uses for the RTR service, including having a wardrobe ready for events (gatherings with friends, work events, date nights), a travel wardrobe, for filming video footage for work, as well as going out for dressier events like weddings and other celebrations.   Perks Allison found with RTR include fewer decisions about what to wear, sticking to her commitment of minimizing additional clothing purchases, having a much smaller wardrobe in her closet, and confidence in the up-to-date clothing fashions she’s wearing. Allison recommends the RTR or similar services for those who aren’t as much into fashion and the process of clothes shopping and putting together outfits.  She also learned to always read the reviews, especially with sizing notes for your own reference.     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! Rent the Runway $30 off link: https://www.renttherunway.com/shares/u68eQKP2_DgrS0-19L5Omg== email info@prepdish.com if code is expired

In episode 214, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, discusses some key takeaways she’s gained from the book Home Management Plain and Simple, and notes home habits she’s incorporated into her daily routine for simple management.   Allison has implemented home habits such as:   Each time she takes a bathroom break, she will clean or tidy something. Using a timer for her own household tasks, or as a means to make a chore fun with the kids (think of a “beat-the-clock” game to get the job done before the timer runs out). This is a great habit to use for meal prep, too! Setting the stage for a great meal by cleaning up from the meal you just enjoyed. Having kids indicate they need your attention or assistance by coming over and resting a hand on your arm. When an issue arises with the kids, ask yourself the important question of “Is this a kid problem, or is this a mom problem?”  In other words, work to discover if the problem is arising by how the child has received instruction about a task or how to work through something. Work through the “how” of teaching kids to do chores.  Model the chores for them, do the chores with them, and repeat!  Modeling chores includes both the how-to as well as the attitude with which we complete the work.  Eventually, kids will be able to independently complete various tasks around the house; make tasks fun! Have tea parties! (Or picnics, or make s’mores).  Including various special family time into your home habits adds elements of whimsy and helps foster fond memories. Allison also includes a bonus boy mom tip that can work wonders for helping to keep bathrooms clean :)   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! Kim Brenneman interview: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep212/ Home Management Plain and Simple: Home Management: Plain and Simple

In episode 213, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf highlights daily home routine tips inspired by Kim Brenneman’s book Home Management Plain and Simple.  Allison includes Kim’s daily house management recommendations along with what works in her own home in her current season of family life.   In Kim’s home, Monday is dedicated to taking care of laundry.  Allison’s personal hack for laundry is having multiple washing machines in the house and batching all of her clothes cleaning, drying, and putting away on the same day.  Tuesday is a kitchen day, where a batching practice (like meal prep!) comes in handy to prepare all of the meals for the week ahead.  Kim uses Wednesdays as her office day, and Allison notes that this time could be used for business as well as family schedule management.   Thursdays are dedicated as town day, when running errands in town can be accomplished.  Like Kim, Allison lives in a rural area and batching errands, appointments, and meetings on one day of the week has become a useful approach to checking off important to-dos.  Home Management suggests Fridays as cleaning days, Saturday for gardening, and Sunday for the Lord’s day/day of rest to spend with family.   Kim also approaches deep cleaning by dividing the month up into a five-week rotation.  Allison has adopted a similar approach in her home, but focuses on organizing each of the areas (dining room/bookshelves, bathroom & mudroom, bedrooms, living/family rooms, and play room) on a monthly rotation.   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!   Home Management Plain and Simple:   Home Management: Plain and Simple