The Zack Arnold Podcast How to Systematize Meal Planning
Post-production schedules are brutal and relentless, but one of the perks that many people have in our industry is having the option to order lunches and dinners every day at the office.
But is this a perk? Or is it because producers want us chained to our workstations?
And has anyone ever thought about what a steady diet of Chinese takeout, pizza delivery, and Hot Pockets does to your creative energy and focus?
In this episode I have a conversation with Allison Schaaf, the creator of Prep Dish, an online service that systematizes the process of meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, and cooking into an easy-to-follow package. If you love workflows and systems, you'll love this service and this episode. We also jump into the rabbit hole of nutrition and food science as well. Check out our topics of conversation below.
Our show sponsors:
Topics of Conversation:
- Prep Dish’s origin story
- What is Prep Dish?
- Why waiting until 5pm is a bad time to decide what to eat for dinner
- How Allison balances her meals from week to week
- Allison’s tips on how to efficiently grocery shop and cook for the week
- Making a “household” inventory of food in Trello
- How to introduce yourself to Prep Dish and making your own meals
- In January Allison introduced a lot of new stuff including a new monthly “Super Fast Menu”
- The process of using the crock pot and having your own frozen meals ready to go
- Bring a mini crock pot to work and have your own frozen meals at work!
- Why is gluten bad for you?
- How taking gluten out of your diet can help you think more clearly and be more creative
- Why Allison chose to include paleo recipes in Prep Dish
- The positive impacts of having a whole foods diet
- If you want a good intro to whole foods meal plans--try Prep Dish
- When changing your diet--focus on what you can have, not what you’re missing
- Try the recipes! They’re really good!
To receive a free trial and a free recipe just visit www.prepdish.com/post.
Useful Links:
FiP Podcast Ep39: Quick and Easy Meal Preparation with Jessa Greenfield
Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter
Guest Bio:
Chef Allison Schaaf, MS, RD, LD is a food, nutrition & culinary expert and founder of Prep Dish, a subscription-based gluten-free and paleo meal plan service. Allison holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, a Masters in Nutrition Communications from Tufts University, and became a Registered Dietitian at New England Medical Center. When she isn’t cooking, Allison fully embraces life as an Austinite. She is an avid yogi and enjoys hiking, standup paddle boarding and regular walks around Lady Bird Lake. Allison is also an avid traveler and draws culinary inspiration from each trip; recent adventures include Africa, Japan and South
America, Spain and frequent trips to Colorado, California and her home state of Kansas
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, the show notes were prepared by Natalie Boschan, and this show is executive produced by Kanen Flowers. We are a member of the THAT STUDIO podcast network.
The music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Dorian Cheah from his brilliant album ARA.