Meal Prep Monday Podcast™

In episode 202, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, wishes you a happy holiday and discusses some of the content you can look forward to on the Meal Prep Monday Podcast in the upcoming year. Listeners can look forward to interviews with special guests who are subject matter experts in different health and nutrition-related fields. The Meal Prep Monday Podcast will also dive into some similar topics as a mini series relating to the interview content. ‌ Allison, who appreciates the benefits of batching tasks for work, managing her family’s schedules, meal prep, and other healthy habits, used a batching approach to conduct her interviews with podcast guests for the upcoming year. This concept is particularly helpful in a busy season of life because the approach creates a definitive start and end date for the task at hand. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 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! Podcast topic suggestions or ideas: info@prepdish.com

There’s a new pet at the Schaaf house! Find out who the latest animal is in episode 201, where founder of Prep Dish and small hobby farm owner Allison Schaaf shares about her current menagerie and reveals whether their newest addition could possibly be the best family pet. ‌ 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! ‌ Backyard Chickens: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep28/ How We Got Our Pet Goat: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep104/ Our Beekeeping Adventures: https://prepdish.com/podcast-show-notes/ep98/

In episode 200, founder of Prep Dish Allison Schaaf discusses her experience with the One Line a Day Journal and suggests a unique and meaningful gift idea for your wish list, or to give to others! ‌Allison shares insight into her nearly daily practice over the past five years with the One Line a Day Journal, which is a treasured gift she received from a friend. The journal offers enough room to write about one sentence for each day in the year, and is structured so that you can see what was written on that same day from years prior. Allison has enjoyed the ability to peek into previous entries from the same day and see how far she’s come. She’s learned how much of her life really is seasonal, like certain family visits year over year being scheduled on the same weekend as the year before. ‌The One Line a Day Journal allows writers to document things like weather, milestones with the kids or at work, and special birthday celebrations with friends and family. Allison highly recommends this journal as a gift idea to give to someone, or to ask as a gift for yourself. The gift could also be embellished with a nice pen set if your price point is on the higher side. Other journaling items she recommends are The Artist’s Way and The 5 Minute Journal. ‌‌ 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! One Line a Day Journal: https://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=10WXZTZJ98SZ8&keywords=one+line+a+day+journal&qid=1701313040&sprefix=one+line+a+day+journal%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-4 ‌ The Artist’s Way: https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-Starter-Kit/dp/1585429287/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=3JS846XMM46D5&keywords=the+artists+way&qid=1701313154&sprefix=the+artist%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-4 ‌ The Five Minute Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Change-Mindfulness-Reflection-Affirmations/dp/0991846206/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=J9KW4W6KQZFR&keywords=5+minute+journal&qid=1701313206&sprefix=5+minute+%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-4 ‌ Best Laid Plans Podcast with Sarah Hart-Unger: https://theshubox.com/best-laid-plans-podcast

Join Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf for episode 199 as she shares some of her favorite easy prep tips about preparing for the holidays. As we head into the beginning of December, it can feel like we’re already in the thick of holiday season, but there is still a lot we can do to prepare ahead and make time together with friends and family more relaxing, enjoyable, and easy. Allison recommends focusing on these key categories for the month ahead as well as daily schedules: ‌ Food Prep: not only preparing menus for upcoming events and gatherings, but paying special attention to your regular weekly meals goes a long way this time of year. Planning and preparing some freezer meals for simple heat-and-eat crock pot dishes later in the month ensures you’ll have nourishing food ready for your family during busy weeks. Calendar Prep: taking a look at the month ahead as a whole, as well as the details of daily plans, can prevent stress and ensure you and your family aren’t overextended or overscheduled. You can even block off unscheduled time! Family Traditions: being intentional and taking the time to include special activities year over year that everyone enjoys is a meaningful way to schedule time during the holidays. This might mean reviewing some traditions, and also setting aside materials, time, and energy to ensure the customs remain a significant part of your month. ‌ 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! ‌ Holiday e-cookbook: https://prepdish.com/shop/ Entertainment Bundle: https://prepdish.com/shop/

In episode 198, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, is joined by her son, Ivan, to share with you a special mealtime blessing for this Thanksgiving and beyond. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving from Prep Dish to you! We are so very thankful for you, your support, and your part in the Prep Dish community. ‌ Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ ‌ Now through Monday November 27, get 2 months FREE with code FREE2 when you purchase our Yearly or Premium subscription - PrepDish.com/shop

In episode 197, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, shares a routine that she and her husband started several years ago when they discovered a wonderful way to practice gratitude daily. ‌ The Schaaf household has expanded to include two children, and Allison’s family practice of gratitude has evolved as well. The day ends with the family gathering together and sharing 2-3 appreciations about each of the other family members from the day. Sometimes sweet surprises in what the kids have remembered even pop up in this special family routine! ‌ Allison offers this gratitude practice as a wonderful way to nourish your soul, and those of each of your family members, especially in this season of Thanksgiving. She has found it truly helps everyone feel especially appreciated and loved. ‌ Happy Thanksgiving from Prep Dish to you! We are so very thankful for you, your support, and your part in the Prep Dish community. ‌ ‌ 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 196, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, chats about her experience with healthy screen time and how she navigates a nearly screen-free environment with her young kids. ‌ One way Allison maintains a limited screen environment is that she and her husband do not have a TV in their home, which has helped eliminate the temptation to turn it on. While Allison and her family do turn to the computer for occasional help answering her sons’ big questions about the world, or to say hello on FaceTime to far-away family and friends, Allison offers several other opportunities to entertain her two young boys: ‌ CD player TonieBox for stories and music Yoto Mini for audio while traveling Time outside Creative play Artwork Reading ‌ Allison sees several benefits of this simplified, limited-screen environment for herself and her family, including that her children are very creative and use their imaginations to explore at home and outside. She also finds that it creates a somewhat quieter environment, which is helpful to her sensitivity to noise, though the usual kid sounds and music are ever present! How do you determine healthy screen time rules at your house? ‌ 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 195, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, talks about recently noticing how her morning and evening routines differ and discovering what could be switched for a more productive day. She also gives tips for making a daily routine that maximizes your morning and evening hours. ‌ With the change of seasons and moving from a summer schedule into a fall and school schedule, Allison took a look at her typical morning and evening routines to see if anything needed to shift to optimize her day. Knowing her own sleep personality chronotype based on information shared by Michael Breus, Allison began an adjustment from a later sleep schedule in the summer to an earlier one once fall came around, along with updating the sleep schedule of her children. ‌ Allison shifted some of the tasks in her evening routine to morning and decided to incorporate preparation for the morning into her evening routine, such as preparing her lemon water and tea items for the morning and setting out items she’ll need to prepare the family breakfast. She encourages the idea of reevaluating what your bedtime and waking times look like during any transition from one annual season to another, or shifts in your daily schedule. ‌ 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! ‌ Sleep Chronotypes Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_breus_learn_the_perfect_hormonal_time_to_sleep_eat_and_have_sex?language=en

In episode 194, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf discusses one of the advantages of meal planning, and how it provides many opportunities to add variety to your meals. Allison offers seven top ways to diversify your plate such as: ‌ Think Seasonally: Looking to produce that’s harvested in the fall and winter can lend to cooking up more soups, stews, and chilis when the temperature drops, and doing more grilling, or making a summer salad the basis of your meal in the warmer months can add some seasonal variety to your meal prep. ‌ Change the Protein: Can you substitute something else instead of your usual go-to, or try a different cut of meat? The farmer’s market might offer something different, or try visiting your local grocery store’s fish counter to see what you haven’t tried yet. If you use the Prep Dish meal plans, try swapping out the protein in a family favorite meal to add variety. ‌ Taste the Rainbow: Color can be a great way to incorporate variety into your diet. There are different nutrients represented in the natural pigments of foods, and adding in a diverse range of hues to your meals can up your nutritional game. ‌ Look to New Cuisines: We tend to gravitate toward a certain favorite cuisine profile and add it as a heavy rotation when we’re making meals. Perhaps Mexican food or Italian makes its rounds weekly in your home. If you’ve avoided cooking up some recipes because they seem too involved or complicated, you could be missing out on a variety of new flavors that you’d otherwise enjoy. Is there a new cuisine you could try? ‌ Add Texture: There’s a tendency to offer up softer foods, especially when cooking for kids. However, we’re doing them a disservice by avoiding tougher or crunchier foods because children and adults alike can benefit from deep jaw stimulation through the process of chewing food. Try representing many different types of textures when planning your family’s meals. ‌ Temperature Check: Consider temperature when meal prepping. As a nod back to seasonal meal prep, planning out a chilled gazpacho in the heat of the summer, or a soothing bowl of soup to ward off the winter’s cold can add just the right variety your family needs. ‌ Change the Composition: How are you serving up your meals? Assess whether you usually navigate toward stir-frys, or perhaps the plate is often served up with a protein, vegetable, and starch separated out. See how mixing up the way food is served offers more variety in your meals. ‌ 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 190, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, chats about a recent vacation she and her family took to Panama and offers her best tips for flying with kids. Pro tip: snacks are essential! ‌ Allison’s top tricks for a better flying experience with kids include Having age and experience in your corner. The more children are exposed to air travel, the easier flying becomes. And as children get older, they tend to have (and create) an easier experience with air travel. Going on longer flights from the start helps make the shorter trips more palatable for all. Finding direct flights and avoiding time changes if possible. When traveling for pleasure, attempting to choose destinations that offer direct flights and are in your same time zone can be incredibly helpful for kids. You’ll avoid jet lag adjustments and the hustle of catching connecting flights, and be able to focus on exploring a new place with your family. Investing in a color reveal activity book, such as the Melissa & Doug Water Wow sets. These types of kids’ activities are luggage friendly as you only need one “coloring” accessory and can provide a lot of in-flight entertainment for the family. Brining new toys or activities to enjoy on the plane. This does not necessarily mean needing to purchase several items for your kids, but could include some items that the kids haven’t played with recently. Resurrected toys and activities for the win! Using books as entertainment or travel distractions. There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book or audio book to pass the time during a flight. Remembering to pack the headphones for in-flight screens or music. These can be a great way to entertain kids during their air travel. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! Having a variety of snacks and bottled water on hand is really helpful while flying, especially if something gets delayed or doesn’t go as planned. Don’t stress! ‌ 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: Activity book: https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Reusable-Water-Reveal-Activity/dp/B08DJYTWGG?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1 ‌ Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans!