Food is the F in FLOW, and it’s where my story starts, but lately, I feel like I’ve been talking less about food. So I’m really excited to talk with Allison Schaaf on this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast. Alison is a chef, nutritionist, registered dietician, and founder and CEO of Prep Dish, a meal planning company featuring gluten-free, paleo, and local foods. 

Having a plan reduces stress and helps you eat better. I’ve shared the tool of writing what’s for dinner on a Post-it in the morning. Allison agrees that the key to healthy eating is to not wait until dinner time to decide what is for dinner. Having a plan also cuts down on picky eating and struggling with kids at dinner time. Kids don’t have the capacity to answer the question of what’s for dinner. 

By taking a week's view, you can build in efficiency—having the same soup on Monday and Thursday so it doesn't feel like leftovers or making pesto to have on salmon on one day and on chicken later in the week, so it feels like a whole different meal. You have fewer things to prep, but also feel like you have variety. 

We talk about: 

• Batching and prepping ahead, plus ideas on when to do it
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• Time upfront saving you time for the rest of the week
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• The importance of family meals and how planning and prepping ahead can change the whole feel of your evenings and give you more quality time 
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• Gluten-free, paleo, and keto options that allow people to try eating different ways to see what feels good for them (all real food, all with a focus on delicious)
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• The headspace planning opens up, plus getting past the mindset that food is a chore
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• Tips for the overwhelm of grocery shopping including online resources, curbside pick up organizing your list like your grocery store, and going alone
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BIO

Allison Schaaf is a chef, nutritionist, registered dietician, and founder and CEO of Prep Dish. For six years and counting, Allison has made her way into the hearts and kitchens of home cooks all over the globe. Allison created Prep Dish after a decade as a personal chef and gourmet chef at high-end spas because she knew there was a more efficient, cost-effective, and sanity-saving way to put healthy, crowd-pleasing meals on the table. Her personal cooking style shifted after she experienced major changes in her health and appearance after adopting a gluten-free and Paleo-ish way of life. 

LINKS

• prepdish.com/plansimple
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• https://www.facebook.com/PrepDish/
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• https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/
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• https://twitter.com/prepdish
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• https://www.pinterest.com/prepdish/
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Doable Changes from this episode:

• KNOW WHAT’S FOR DINNER AHEAD OF TIME. Plan your week of meals every Friday. An even smaller Doable Change, write what’s for dinner on a Post-in in the morning, so you know. You can pick up anything you need while you are out for the day. You could even do a little prep while you make breakfast or lunches. But just knowing ahead can lessen the stress of dinner time. You can get a free two-week trial from PrepDish that tells you what to buy, what to prep ahead, and what do to each day.
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• CHECK YOUR MINDSET. Does dinner feel like a chore you have to do? Are you reluctant to commit to prep time because it seems like a lot of your Sunday? Notice how you feel about planning, prepping, and making dinner. What happens if you switch those thoughts around. I’m making food that gives me more energy and makes me feel great. I’m teaching my kids about being together as a family and eating healthy. I’m going to be so excited on Wednesday when dinner comes together so easily. What new story can you tell yourself to support healthy eating?
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• UPGRADE YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING. Choose one way to reduce grocery shopping stress. That might look like going alone (no meltdowns, no begging for foods you don’t want to buy). It might look like organizing your shopping list so that you flow effortlessly through the store. It might mean ordering staples online (or even putting them on repeat so you don’t even have to think about reordering). It might mean a delivery or curbside pick up option. Pick one thing to try. Experiment with building ease into grocery shopping. 
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