Meal Prep Monday Podcast™

In episode 212, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf welcomes author Kim Brenneman to the Meal Prep Monday Podcast where she shares how she went from a new mom struggling to manage her home rhythms to a thriving homeschooling mother of nine with routines that keep home and farm life humming along. Kim is the author of Home Management Plain and Simple and founder of The Home Management: Plain and Simple Blueprint Course. She lives in Iowa on a farm and is a wife of 33 years and a homeschooling mom of nine children. Kim realized she’d grown up with the advantage of having outside systems manage her life through school, college, and her employment. She’d never truly had to be the boss of her own life until she was an adult starting a family. Her book started as a blog in 2004, where Kim began documenting all the systems she was creating to manage her home, as more children were added to the family, the farming business grew, and homeschooling became a part of her day-to-day life. Kim’s home management system is based on getting a strong evening rhythm established first, to set up your morning of the next day for success. She notes that the evening rhythm consists of a kitchen routine and a personal routine, and that these will be personalized to you to set up what’s needed for the morning. The kitchen routine involves cleaning and tidying from the previous meal, and can be personalized by setting up what you’ll consume in the morning, such as coffee or tea, or prep-ahead breakfast items that can be set up the evening before. The personal routine includes what you do to get yourself ready for bed and how you’ll wind down your evening, perhaps with a book or a bath. Getting the kids involved with mealtime and chores has been an important part of Kim’s home management strategy, and she details some additional tips about setting the tone for different parts of the day and having the kids contribute to these household tasks.   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! ‌Nourishing Traditions: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/117835 Home Plain and Simple https://homeplainandsimple.com/ ‌Home Management Plain and Simple book ‌Home Management Plain and Simple Blueprint Course https://homeplainandsimple.com/blueprint Instagram instagram.com/homeplainandsimple

In episode 211, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, discusses the best digital planner apps for home planning and management with her husband and shares what has worked well for them to navigate their family’s schedules, trips, and activities. ‌ Allison and her husband use Google Calendar as an invaluable shared digital planning resource to help them ensure everything at home runs smoothly. With this tool, Allison’s husband is able to share the details of his work schedule, but Allison is able to pull up his calendar notes as needed without overwhelming her own calendar. This schedule view helps the family see where there might be overlap with work and daily family tasks. Allison’s husband also books all of his work travel through Tripit, which can sync with their Google Calendar apps. ‌ Together, Allison and her husband also have a shared calendar for the kids’ schedules. Allison has her own personal digital calendar with combined work and personal tasks. She uses this digital tool in conjunction with a portable classic paper planner. Allison finds putting pen to paper extremely helpful in managing day-to-day life and focusing on important tasks that, when completed, will help propel bigger goals forward. ‌ A weekly meeting helps Allison and her husband review upcoming scheduling conflicts and work out details with their au pair. They also use this time to plan ahead over the upcoming weeks or month, especially if a new event or activity has recently been added to their schedules. Allison has also used the Trello App as a digital tool to help her organize specific longer-term projects and keep track of detailed project tasks. ‌ 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! ‌ Interview with Sarah Hart-Unger: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep209/ Google Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/ Tripit: https://www.tripit.com/ Trello App: https://trello.com/

In episode 210, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf reviews some of her favorite classic planners that she’s used over the years to manage family, work, and personal goals. ‌ Allison has used and enjoyed several different types of paper planners to help her keep track of important details and work through longer-term achievements. Why switch through multiple planners over the years even when she finds one she enjoys? Allison can’t resist trying something new and mixing up her planning routine! Different planners each offer a unique approach and have features that work best for the variety of life stages Allison has found herself in. ‌ Allison’s recommended classic paper planners include: ‌ Day Designer https://daydesigner.com/collections/shop-all-flagship - An ideal smaller portable size ‌ Sol Planner https://solplanners.com/products/2024-sol-planner - Great for when there’s a baby in the house to track all of the details. The bigger size worked well for all the daily notes and when Allison was home more. ‌ Full Focus Planner https://fullfocusstore.com/collections/planners - Allison used this planner daily when work was her main focus. Pages are purchased and updated quarterly. Cons were that many tasks needed to be copied over and Allison didn’t care for the daily pages setup. Pros were that the planning and project pages worked well. ‌ Golden Coil Planner https://www.goldencoil.com/ - A beautiful, aesthetically pleasing planner. This planner is highly customizable, which is a fun way to personalize the planner, but so many choices could be overwhelming. Has a weekly calendar “at-a-glance” style. ‌ BestSelf Planner https://bestself.co/products/self-planner - An undated 6-month, week-to-week style planner that also includes daily pages and top 3 tasks to complete. Allison liked not having to transfer anything over, the option to write out notes for the week, and monthly reflection questions. This planner is not customizable and isn’t as aesthetic in style. ‌ 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!

In episode 209, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf talks about planning strategies with guest Sarah Hart-Unger from Best Laid Plans and Best of Both Worlds podcasts. They cover big-picture planning all the way down to smaller daily details, and even include a peek into Sarah’s personal meal planning approach at home. Sarah is a mother of three living in Florida, and is a physician, podcaster, and blogger with a passion for all things planning. She approaches planning as something essential to having her days run smoothly, not only to make the day-to-day less stressful, but also keep goals and dreams moving forward. Sarah’s approach to planning involves a nested-level strategy, touching on yearly, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. This strategy ensures big goals don’t get left behind, while small details aren’t abandoned only to pile up later in the future. She explains that at each level, you’re referring back to the level above and using that to shape what you’ll accomplish. An annual planning strategy Sarah loves to utilize is breaking up her year into quintiles, or fifths of the calendar year. Both paper and digital aids are in Sarah’s planning arsenal. One of her favorite current planners is the Hobonichi Cousin A5 from Japan. She often tries out different planners and reviews them on her Best Laid Plans podcast. Prep Dish services have been a steady part of Sarah’s meal planning for many years and she loves the Super Fast menu in particular. She splits the meal prep work with her nanny, which is a streamlined process that has worked well in this season of Sarah’s life. The flexibility of Prep Dish meals and high protein options work very efficiently for her family’s current meal planning needs. ‌ 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! ‌ Hobonichi Cousin A5 Planner https://www.amazon.com/Hobonichi-Planner-English-Version-January/dp/B0CBRV53C5/ref=sr_1_2?hvadid=580661785858&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002273&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=13874281725403070126&hvtargid=kwd-144025243986&hydadcr=4079_13192561&keywords=hobonichi+cousin+a5&qid=1707341391&sr=8-2 ‌ Best Laid Plans podcast https://theshubox.com/best-laid-plans-podcast ‌ Best of Both Worlds podcast https://theshubox.com/best-of-both-worlds

In episode 208, Allison Schaaf introduces the newest little recipe tester and family member in a personal update, and discusses a look ahead at high protein recipes support at Prep Dish. ‌ The Schaaf family is officially a family of five! Allison is pleased to introduce their newest baby boy, Tovin, who came to the family through adoption in December. Everyone is adjusting nicely and there will be more family updates to come in future months, through Miscarriage Hope Desk, Substack, and the Meal Prep Monday Podcast. Allison is also looking forward to sharing more on a memoir she has in the works. ‌ One time-saver and constant through the transition to a busy family of five has been the Prep Dish Super Fast and Protein Boost meal plans. While Premium level Prep Dish subscribers have access to nutrition facts to confirm optimum protein per meal, during the month of February, Allison will be sharing a quick video tutorial in Prep Dish emails and on the Facebook group, which illustrates how to ensure your meals are hitting the 30g mark. ‌ Other Prep Dish protein support content to look forward are blog post recipe roundups with protein breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas, Instagram protein breakfast reels, and a potential protein challenge later in the year. ‌ Looking to the month ahead, the Meal Prep Monday Podcast welcomes Sarah Hart-Unger to talk about all things planning and kick off a series that covers tips on outlining everything from your big annual goals to your daily details (like what’s for dinner on a busy weeknight!). ‌ 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! ‌ Prep Dish Facebook Group https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwic6snz84yEAxVxkYkEHVpWCxcQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2F1537447836539716%2F&usg=AOvVaw3Rbinps0rcD3ick-aH4BKu&opi=89978449 ‌ Miscarriage Hope Desk https://miscarriagehopedesk.org/

In episode 207, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares several of her easy high protein lunch ideas to wrap up the January Meal Prep Monday protein series.  These suggestions offer some simple streamlined approaches to achieving your protein health goals and keeping you satiated through your afternoon.   Allison’s approach to lunch focuses on a solid protein base and working around the base for sides and meal accompaniments.  This often means setting aside some protein from the night before, usually doubled in the previous night’s recipe to have the next day as leftovers.   The optimum amount of protein per meal, at least 30 grams, can look like 4 oz of chicken (31g), 4 oz of salmon (23g, plus more when paired with quinoa and veggies), a baked potato with cottage cheese, a can of tuna fish (42g), a 4 oz pork chop (27g, plus more when paired with veggies), or ¾ cup of shredded meat served several ways throughout the week.  Allison suggests several easy ways to serve these ideas up and enjoy during your mid-day meal.   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!   Protein Introduction:  https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep203/   How Eating MORE Could Help You Lose Weight with Aimee Gallo:  https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep204/   Health Metrics with Laura Ligos:  https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep205/   Protein Rich Breakfast Ideas: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep206/   Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Strong-Science-Based-Strategy-Aging/dp/1668007878/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZFYVV0SR8TDI&keywords=Forever+strong+dr+Gabrielle+Lyon&qid=1703609050&sprefix=forever+strong+dr+gabrielle+lyon%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1   Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P3FQMTKMFRI5&keywords=outlive+peter+attia&qid=1703609785&sprefix=Outlive+%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1

In episode 206, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf highlights seven protein rich breakfast ideas in the January protein series to help you reach your health goals in the new year. Each of these protein-packed breakfast options offer at least 30 grams of protein, which is the baseline recommended for each meal for optimum health benefits. Ideas include: ‌ Shakshuka Cottage Cheese Bowls Traditional English Breakfast plate Overnight oats Chorizo, eggs, & plantains Egg-free Hash Smoothies with a protein base ‌ Allison provides a detailed description and breaks down the protein content of each suggested breakfast to reach the desired 30 gram mark. Looking to incorporate protein into your diet? For the month of January, Prep Dish has created Super Fast, Protein Boost meal plans that make getting 30g of protein at meals (even breakfast!) both easy and delicious. Go to PrepDish.com/MPM to get 2 weeks of Prep Dish for free, including these Protein Boost meal plans! ‌ 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! ‌ Shakshuka: https://prepdish.com/recipes/green-shakshuka/

In episode 205, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf talks with Registered Dietitian Laura Ligos from The Sassy Dietitian and discusses important health metrics to track other than weight for optimum well-being. ‌ Laura has been a practicing Registered Dietitian for over ten years and notes that becoming a mother has evolved the approach she takes in her work. She believes going over metrics for health other than weight is quite important to gain a picture of overall well-being and has discovered that though weight is often the outcome, the goal itself should be health. ‌ Other important metrics to measure include sustained energy, improved brain cognitive function, good sleep hygiene, stress, performance, and symptoms (such as headaches and gut issues). The goal is to have a symptom-free life for higher quality health. ‌ Laura suggests reverse engineering your food to assist with many of these health metrics, particularly by eating in the morning to increase daily energy levels. She also recommends eating every 3-5 hours and ensuring each meal provides solid sources of protein starting with breakfast. ‌ Making a protein your starting point, you can then add color to your plate at breakfast time. Some ideas include a homemade breakfast burrito, quiche, or overnight oats with protein powder. Lifestyle and digestion for each person often determines the approach Laura takes in helping her clients in their goals of eating for optimum health. She often asks clients what they would want life to be like if their weight stayed the same. The answers to this question will decide the approach she takes in assisting her clients with their health goals. If extra protein is part of your health goals this month, Prep Dish has created Super Fast, Protein Boost meal plans that make getting 30g of protein at meals (even breakfast!) both easy and delicious. Go to PrepDish.com/MPM to get 2 weeks of Prep Dish for free, including these Protein Boost meal plans during the month of January! ‌ 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 Sassy Dietitian: https://thesassydietitian.com/ IG: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjJlM7I86CDAxX7v4kEHX6uAJsQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fthesassydietitian%2F%3Fhl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw15L97laksXKdQ4hoHQrpmB&opi=89978449

In episode 204, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf welcomes nutritionist and health coach guest Aimee Gallo to discuss how eating more protein could help you lose weight and keep it off. ‌ Aimee Gallo is founder of Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness and is a practicing nutritionist and health coach focussed in the fields of metabolic health and weight loss, along with food intolerance and sports nutrition. She loves helping to find out what will work for her clients in a sustainable way. Aimee featured a post entitled “Eat More, Lose Weight” on her blog, in which she explains that people whose health goals include losing weight need to, in fact, eat more protein. She unpacks the science behind this, noting that protein prevents muscle loss, which is the key to metabolism. ‌ The other key nutrient in the weight loss equation is produce, which provides micronutrients that assist in optimum metabolic health. At every meal, Aimee recommends asking yourself these two questions: “Where is my protein?” and “where is my produce?” She also suggests focusing on what you’re moving toward, rather than avoiding, as this is much more inspiring and sustainable in your health journey. ‌ A third possible focus for losing weight might also include making sure you’re consuming enough calories. Aimee has found that some clients she works with may have lost weight but plateaued. In these cases, it’s often a bite-by-bite, bit-by-bit approach of increasing portion sizes for both protein and produce that helps clients reach their optimal goals. ‌ Looking to incorporate protein into your diet? For the month of January, Prep Dish has created Super Fast, Protein Boost meal plans that make getting 30g of protein at meals (even breakfast!) both easy and delicious. Go to PrepDish.com/MPM to get 2 weeks of Prep Dish for free, including these Protein Boost meal plans! ‌ 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! ‌ Contigo travel mug: https://www.amazon.com/Contigo-AUTOSEAL-Vaccuum-Insulated-Stainless-Travel/dp/B00JE352NO/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1G9X3XF5VW0SZ&keywords=Contigo%2Btravel%2Bmug&qid=1703096648&sprefix=contigo%2Btravel%2Bmug%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-2&th=1 ‌ Eat More, Lose Weight?!?! https://vibrancenutrition.com/eat-more-lose-weight/ ‌ Vibrance Nutrition and Fitness: https://vibrancenutrition.com/

In episode 203, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, talks about a month-long focus on protein and introduces some special new January bonus menus packed with high protein diet recipes. ‌ There has been a lot of discussion recently about the health benefits of increased protein in our diets. Working off of advice from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon’s Forever Strong and Dr. Attia’s book Outlive, along with feedback from the Prep Dish community, Allison set out to create a new Prep Dish menu bonus that focuses on protein for optimum health benefits. ‌ Allison gained inspiration from the Prep Dish Paleo Menus and utilized the ease of the Super Fast menus to create four protein-packed dinners and one sustainable, hearty breakfast meal per week. She created these menus to highlight the importance of a protein-rich diet and the result is done-for-you dinner and breakfast meal plans to enjoy all month long. There is no need to count grams of protein on your own; it’s already calculated for you! ‌ During the month of January, all Prep Dish subscribers will receive Protein Boost Bonus Menus. Now is a great time to try out Prep Dish because trial subscribers receive access to the bonus menus as well. ‌ You can look forward to two interviews this month, along with high protein breakfast and lunch ideas featured throughout the month of January on the Meal Prep Monday Podcast. ‌ 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! ‌ Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Strong-Science-Based-Strategy-Aging/dp/1668007878/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZFYVV0SR8TDI&keywords=Forever+strong+dr+Gabrielle+Lyon&qid=1703609050&sprefix=forever+strong+dr+gabrielle+lyon%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1 ‌ Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P3FQMTKMFRI5&keywords=outlive+peter+attia&qid=1703609785&sprefix=Outlive+%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1