At best, Krista and I spend hours planning healthy meals for the week, only to get home from a long day and not feel like cooking the planned meal. At worst, we don’t feel like making any decisions and cook what’s easiest. Cereal, anyone?
But Chef Allison Schaaf is here to save us all from making the lazy, substandard, unhealthy food choices we tend to make after tiresome days of work with PrepDish: a subscription service that provides healthy, creative meal plans for the week. And, I want to be up-front with you: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am writing this because PrepDish is just downright awesome, and its awesomeness must be shared with the world.
This service has saved us time and energy, enables us to spend more time together, and has made our lives healthier.
How it works:
1) Sign-up on PrepDish.com to receive weekly meal plans.
2) Receive said weekly meal plans that include a shopping list, instructions for prep-day, and instructions for each meal.
3) Go grocery shopping.
4) Find 1-2 hours to prep meals for the week.
5) Spend 15 minutes or less preparing a meal.
What does it yield: “4 crave-worthy meals, 1 creative side-salad, 1 wholesome breakfast, and 1 delicious dessert.”*
Krista and I have been using the PrepDish meal subscriptions for the last couple of weeks, and have found it to be easy, healthy, and something fun to do together. We usually go grocery shopping on Friday morning, and then prep sometime on Sunday after Church. Sure, it takes a couple hours. But, it’s time we intentionally spend together. After that, it generally takes less than 15-minutes to prep a meal the night you’re ready to have it.
And the best part? There are no decisions to be made. There’s no guessing about whether the meal is healthy. And it’s actually enjoyable. We have fun prepping the meals together, and it has made us more intentional about sitting down and eating as a family.
The meals are also flexible. Chef Schaaf encourages people to make the recipes their own, and “swap veggies out for your favorites, use the fruit that is looking especially good at the grocery store that week, increase/decrease portions as needed, etc.”**
We have found that PrepDish provides the perfect amount of food for the week. We generally do not eat more than four meals at home, especially during wedding season. Since the dinners are portioned for four people, we use leftovers for lunch the next day. And pre-made snacks like trailmix and fresh fruit make for an easy grab when you’re in rush. It’s a step up from rummaging around the pantry for whatever sugary snack I could find and eat quickly!
The meals require very few tools that you don’t already have in your kitchen. Krista and I have made three purchases that make our PrepDish lives easier: 1) Pyrex storage containers for prepared meals; 2) plastic spiral vegetable slicer; 3) a ninja master prep blender. (To be clear, PrepDish does not require any of the above equipment–but, the blender is my new favorite kitchen appliance in the house!)
You can sign-up for a free 1-week meal plan on the website. If you like it, subscribe monthly for $14/month, or annually for $99/year. So go ahead and start grubbing on some Pork, Pineapple, and Veggie Kabobs, Walnut Crusted Chicken with Sauteed Spinach, Bison Burger with Sweet Potato Wedges, and Almond Butter Brownies.
I think you’ll find out what we did: The best kind of meal planning is the kind where you don’t have to plan. Oh, and when it’s done by a Chef who is also a Registered Dietician.
Or you could always continue eating cereal three times a day.
Have questions, or your own tips on eating healthy throughout the week? Please leave a comment below!
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Interested in more tips on staying healthy and balanced? Check out yesterday’s post about staying happy and healthy while working an unconventional schedule.
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*quote taken from the PrepDish website – www.prepdish.com
**quote taken from an e-mail interview with Chef Allison
