IN THE KITCHEN WITH ALLISON SCHAAF
Meet Allison Schaaf, an accomplished personal chef and founder of Prep Dish. The company was born so that Allison could make her healthy gluten-free paleo recipes available to more people than she could as a personal chef. Prep Dish menus are based on real, whole, unprocessed foods with an emphasis on fresh and seasonal ingredients! We hope you enjoy her recipes!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey! My name is Allison Schaaf & I’m the founder of PrepDish.com, an online meal planning website that gives the tools necessary to quickly & efficiently prep healthy meals for the week. We offer gluten-free, Paleo and auto-immune protocol meal plans.
I live in Puerto Rico. In addition to my passion for food & cooking, I love traveling with my husband (we’ve visited 16 countries in the past year and a half!). When I’m at home, I enjoy snuggles from my cat and trusty Prep Dish assistant, Lucius Tiddlypus.
How did you get involved in cooking?
I worked as a personal chef in the summers during high school and fell in love with cooking. Inspired by this experience I attended culinary school where I received my bachelors degree in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University and then a masters degree in Nutrition Communications from Tufts University. After my schooling, I returned to what I loved and started a personal chef company in Austin, TX. In order to reach more people with my healthy recipes, I started Prep Dish! At Prep Dish we deliver weekly “meal plans” straight to our customer’s inbox. Each plan contains 3 parts 1) an organized grocery list 2) instructions for prepping meals ahead of time 3) simple instructions for quick & easy meals throughout the week
Describe your cooking style.
Fresh, seasonal, healthy & “not too fussy”
How did you learn about grass-fed meats?
Being a dietitian, I’ve always had an interest in knowing more about my food and where it comes from and it was this research that led me to grass-fed meats and US wellness meats as a resource.
What is your favorite recipe featuring grass-fed meat?
I have so many! My current favorite is probably my Curried Beef Short Ribs.
You’re stranded on a desert island; luckily you’re stranded with your top 5 ingredients and must-have kitchen tool. What are they?
Lemon, sweet potato, avocado, eggs, wine (I may not use wine as an “ingredient”, but I’d definitely want some on hand!)
Must have kitchen tool: a good quality knife (I prefer either a Wusthoff or Shun santuko).
What is one of the best cooking secret/tip/piece of advice you’ve learned?
When a dish (like soup, sauce, dressing, marinade, etc) feels like it’s “missing something” often a splash of acid is all you need! My go to is usually lemon, but vinegars and other citrus works, too.
What is your favorite quote or song for culinary inspiration?
“Let food be thy medicine.” Hippocrates
Is there anything else you want to share?
Sure, here’s a time saving tip – I love finding ways for my meal plan subscribers to save as much time as possible. I encourage them to take advantage of grocery delivery services. For example, I provide weekly pre-populated Instacart links and a monthly list of meat needs with links to US Wellness Meats for easy ordering. Even if you don’t use a meal planning service, you can take advantage of planning ahead and having groceries & meats delivered to your doorstep.
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