In episode 218, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf discusses basic kitchen skills in a month-long series and shares some of the best ways to keep your knives sharp.   One of the number one items on Allison’s list of kitchen equipment must-haves is a good quality knife, and she encourages meal preppers to upgrade their kitchen knives.  Some brands Allison has in her kitchen include Wusthof, Shun, Nakano, and Eberhard Schaaf.  Allison notes that the best way to find the right kitchen knife for you is to put it in your hand and see what feels most comfortable.   Once you’ve got ..read more

In episode 217, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf welcomes cookbook author, chef, and seasoning mix creator Michelle Dudash to chat about healthy flavorful meals.   Michelle is a Registered Dietitian, personal chef, seasoning mix creator, and one of Allison’s earliest mentors when she started her career.  She is the cookbook author of Clean Eating for Busy Families and Clean Eating Kitchen: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook, created her own seasoning mix line, SpiceKick Seasoning Mix, and loves helping people get delicious, healthy meals on the table.   Allison and Michelle dis ..read more

In episode 216, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares about clothing management and how her working from home clothes evolved into a new uniform.   Allison enjoyed many benefits from streamlining her closet during a home renovation, and maintained a smaller wardrobe even afterward.  She notes that many of us have a go-to wardrobe for working at home or in the office.  Allison finds that when she changes into her work clothes and maintains a simple skincare routine to begin her day, she feels more put together and productive, which often leads to having a productive day.   ..read more

In episode 215, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf talks about how she manages closet clutter and shares her Rent the Runway review after trying the service for a year.   While renovating their home, part of the plan was to include Allison’s master bedroom closet.  Allison discovered that the Rent the Runway service wasn’t just relegated to fancy dresses for black-tie events, but that the service also offers clothing rentals for everyday outfits and she decided to give RTR a try.  She streamlined her closet and made a commitment to minimize additional clothing purchases while usin ..read more

In episode 214, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, discusses some key takeaways she’s gained from the book Home Management Plain and Simple, and notes home habits she’s incorporated into her daily routine for simple management.   Allison has implemented home habits such as:   Each time she takes a bathroom break, she will clean or tidy something. Using a timer for her own household tasks, or as a means to make a chore fun with the kids (think of a “beat-the-clock” game to get the job done before the timer runs out). This is a great habit to use for meal prep, too! Setting th ..read more

In episode 213, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf highlights daily home routine tips inspired by Kim Brenneman’s book Home Management Plain and Simple.  Allison includes Kim’s daily house management recommendations along with what works in her own home in her current season of family life.   In Kim’s home, Monday is dedicated to taking care of laundry.  Allison’s personal hack for laundry is having multiple washing machines in the house and batching all of her clothes cleaning, drying, and putting away on the same day.  Tuesday is a kitchen day, where a batching practic ..read more

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 ..read more

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 h ..read more

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 ..read more

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 dr ..read more