Sept Meal Prep Challenge Recap

DAY 5 RECAP:

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 5 VIDEO TRAINING!

Hey Friend!

I can't believe we are already on Day 5 of our Meal Prep Challenge, can you? Before we get into the final day of the challenge, I have to first say how incredibly proud and AMAZED I am with how all of you showed up this week! We've covered a lot and I can see from your comments that you're feeling like Meal Prepping is actually DO-ABLE instead of overwhelming!

Here are just a couple of the many AHA's I've seen in the comments in the accountability posts:

Jen P: "I am so glad i came across this! I have learned so much so far and think I CAN DO THIS! The notebook is a super great idea! Being able to look back is what i need in my life! Also looking forward to learn how to prep food for longer storage so my fresh fruits/veggies don't go bad so much. I run to the store it seems every other day to get fresh items. help!"

Kelly M: "One (of many) thing I’ve learned is that you are an amazing teacher because taking it step by step is making this feel totally doable! AND I can’t wait to get dark dish towels—why didn’t I think of that?!?!"

Elizabeth D: "I have learned so many things already, but my favorite are the tools needed to get this done! I was lacking in a couple of things that would really make my life easier. Also, I am loving this group so far. All of the positive energy, great tips and learning make me happy and excited for my meal planning journey."

Now on to DAY 5....My favorite Shortcut for making a week's worth of lunches in a pocket of time...SHEET PAN MEALS! Today, during my live video on my Allison Hollinger page, I'm going to go over my best tips for where to fit in pockets of time and what to make during them. I'm a total pro at this so be sure to tune in!

So why do I love Sheet Pan meals so much?

1. It saves time! You can cook a complete meal for a busy night or for multiple lunches on one pan in 30 minutes.

2. Clean up is a breeze, especially if you line your pans with parchment paper!

3. THE FLAVOR! Roasted vegetables are by far my favorite way to make veggies that my entire family will love. It's just so delicious!

4. It's SIMPLE! With sheet pan meals, you don't need any fancy equipment or ingredients!

DAY 5 CHALLENGE!

1. Download this SHEET PAN quick start guide.

2. Tune in to today's LIVE VIDEO and bring a notebook to write down my tips!

3. Now check into the group in the comments of the DAY 5 ACCOUNTABILITY POST telling me what you loved most about this challenge

Your Secret word is: Grace (because we all need to give ourselves grace when it comes to meal prepping...it gets easier over time and with support!)

You got this! See you inside the group!

xoxo

Allison

PS. DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS??? Because we've gotten so many emails and inquiries, and Sandi has been put into Time-Out, We've opened the door to Plan to Nourish NOW!!! Join the thousands of other families...CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DAY 4 RECAP:

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 4 Q&A SESSION!

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 4 LIVE TRAINING!

We are on Day 4 of our Meal Prep Challenge and I couldn't be more proud of all of you! I love the energy in the group!

Now that you know how to plan your menu, it's time to focus on how to make the actual prep FASTER & EASIER!

Today and tomorrow during my live videos on my Allison Hollinger page, I'm going to go over my best timing saving tricks, what to do first when you get home from the store and how to make meals for YOU that will keep you full and satisfied during the day so you can better take care of your family.

Here are some quick tips that you can use now...I'll be going over all of this in my live video at 4pm CST today so be sure to tune in!

1. The first step, before you even hit the store, should be to organize your fridge. Clean out the old bottles and anything rotten and clean the shelves. This will give you room to place your prepped items for the week. Take the time to do this once and I promise, you'll love opening your fridge every day. So much time and money is wasted by looking for buried ingredients and then forgetting what we have. Having an organized fridge allows you to easily see what you have and need.

2. Purchase precut veggies...these are a great shortcut for snacks and meals.

3. Wash your produce as soon as you get home from the store and lay it to dry on towels while you put everything else away. Your produce will last longer this way and it won't get forgotten in the back of the fridge!

4. Healthy snack options are often overlooked when it comes to meal prepping! Portion out healthy grab-n-go snacks when you get home from the store but keep them SIMPLE. Snacks are a crucial part of living a sustainable healthy lifestyle and I'll show you how to prep a few today on my live video!

5. Use your freezer. Freezer meals and kits are a fantastic option for extra busy weeks.

DAY 4 CHALLENGE!

1. Download this SNACK quick start guide.

2. List 2 healthy grab-n-go snacks that you can prep RIGHT NOW!

3. Take a picture of your refrigerator before you clean it out...this is just for YOU. No need to share this in the group. This will be a reminder of where you started and you'll see the progress that happens when you apply all that you're learning this week!

Now check into the group in the comments of the DAY 4 ACCOUNTABILITY POST with your 2 snack ideas!

**Don't forget that i'm doing a ton of amazing giveaways at the end of this challenge! All you have to do is participate in the daily accountability posts inside the Facebook Group & comment on the Live Videos!**

Your Secret Word is: Faster

You got this! See you inside the group!

xoxo

Allison

PS. I'll be going live inside our group each day for a Q&A session just for us. This will help keep the training videos shorter. The Q&A chats are optional but are here to help you get the most out of this week. You can find me inside the group at 8pm EST/ 7pm CST/ 5pm PT for the Q&As. xo

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

DAY 3 RECAP:

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 3 LIVE Q&A SESSION!

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 3 VIDEO TRAINING!

We are officially in the middle of the 5 Days to Simplify your Meal Prep Challenge! Welcome to Day 3!!

So far, you've learned what meal prepping is and why it's important...but more importantly that it is completely do-able, even if you're busy and have no experience with it! You've also learned what tools you need to have on hand for cooking and storing all of your yummy meals and snacks!

So now you're ready.....to make a PLAN! But not just any plan, a plan that's easy and family friendly! Today during my live video on my Allison Hollinger page, I'm going to go over my exact process for creating a plan that meets the needs of my family and won't break my food budget! I've been using this system for years and it works beautifully! It's perfect for beginners too. Creating a plan is the very first step when it comes to meal prep!

Here are some things to keep in mind while planning:

1. Check your fridge, freezer and pantry FIRST! I always want to use what I already have on hand so I'm not wasting food and money. If you have anything you need to use up in the upcoming week like veggies and meat, you can make your recipe choices based on those ingredients.

2. Check your weekly savings flyers. I have my favorite local grocery store's website bookmarked on my computer so I can easily check their weekly savings flyer for ideas. If chicken is on sale, then that narrows down the recipe choices for me AND saves me money!

3. Get your family involved. I've learned that including my family in the meal planning process makes my life so much easier. When my kids have a say in our plan, they are more likely to actually eat what I'm making. My days of making multiple dinners to satisfy the different picky tastebuds in my family are over thanks to this one step!

4. Pick your recipes. It's important to have resources ready for finding healthy recipes. We all need inspiration and new ideas so having a website bookmarked for easy searching, makes creating a plan so much faster.

5. Keep a rotation of favorites. You don't have to re-create the wheel every single week when you keep a list of your favorite tried and true recipes on hand. I actually store all of my meal plans in a simple notebook and star our favorite recipes. That way, I can go back to old plans for inspiration.

6. Keep it simple. This is what can make or break your new planning habits. If your meal plans are complicated and time consuming, your chances of repeating the process quickly decreases.

SO KEEP IT SIMPLE...

Plan one breakfast for the week (for yourself).

Plan one lunch for the week (for yourself).

Plan at least one Clean Out The Fridge Night.

Plan a couple easy grab-n-go snacks.

Plan a few different dinners to add variety with help from your family.

7. Make your grocery list. One thing that saves SO MUCH TIME is to go shopping just ONCE for the entire week. Once you have your plan done, make a categorized shopping list to make shopping easy. You'll be surprised at how much time is saved throughout your entire week by cutting out extra trips to the store.

I will explain all of this in my live video today so be sure to tune in!

DAY 3 CHALLENGE!

1. Download this MENU PLANNER to use as a template.

2. Bookmark one local grocery store's website.

3. Make a list of QUICK resources you can use to get inspiration and recipes.

Now check into the group in the comments of the DAY 3 ACCOUNTABILITY POST by telling me one NEW thing you've learned so far this week and anything else you'd like to tell me about your experience in this group so far!

Your secret word is: PLAN.

You got this! See you inside the group!

xoxo

Allison

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DAY 2 RECAP:

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 2 Q&A SESSION!

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 2 TRAINING VIDEO!

Hey Friend!

Before we dive into Day 2 of our Meal Prep Challenge, can we chat for a moment about Day 1? Can you FEEL the energy in the group, because I can! I love how everyone is showing up ready to learn and create some new healthy habits! Trust me, stick with this challenge and you'll see how manageable meal prepping can be.

NOW ON TO DAY 2: MEAL PREP TOOLS!

Food storage is an essential part of meal prepping. All of the produce that you stocked up on over the weekend or the delicious meals you prepped ahead of time won't do you much good if it all goes bad before you get a chance to enjoy it! But with so many options available, it's hard to know where to start, right? I've got you covered! Today, in my live video at 4pm CST on my Allison Hollinger page, I'm going to go over all of the tools I love and use on a daily basis...from storage containers to the essential cooking tools you need! Your tools don't need to be fancy, but they do need to be functional so tune in to learn my insider tips!

Keep in mind, when meal prep recipes and freezer meals are stored correctly, they can last for 4-5 days in the fridge or up to 3-4 months in the freezer!

DAY 2 CHALLENGE!

It's time to take an inventory of what tools you have and make a list of what you need! Be sure to watch my Live Video today so you see which items and brands I specifically use to make meal prepping easy!

Here's a handy CHECKLIST for you to use as a guide!

Now take a picture or screen shot of your Checklist and post it in the comments of the DAY 2 ACCOUNTABILITY POST!

Today's secret word is: STORAGE. Be sure to write that down. Collect all the secret words that will be shared in your emails & on my live videos and at the end of the week, we'll have a link for you to enter them all in for extra chances to win one of our Giveaway Prizes! If you joined Sandi in messenger, she'll send you an extra secret word each day for extra chances to win...so that's 15 words in all!

You got this! See you inside the group!

xoxo

Allison

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

DAY 1 RECAP:

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 1 Q&A Session!

CLICK HERE FOR THE DAY 1 TRAINING VIDEO!

Hey Friend!

Welcome to the 5 Days to SIMPLIFY your Meal Prep Challenge! Congrats on taking this first step towards conquering your kitchen!

As a busy mom of 3 and a military spouse, I completely understand that Meal Prepping can be very overwhelming. Social media can make it look complicated and super time consuming too, right? Don't worry...I'm an expert meal prepper and yummy healthy recipe creator, so I've got your back! I'm here to help you streamline the process!

Everyday this week, you can find me LIVE at 5pm EST/4pm CST/2pm PT on my Allison Hollinger page for our trainings. If you've signed up for Sandi, my virtual sous chef bot, she'll remind you! If you haven't, you can sign up for her here! I know this may sound confusing but Sandi will keep you on track so you don't miss anything!

Before we dive into the challenge, let's chat a little about what meal prep is and how it really can help save you time, save you money and make your life healthier too!

WHAT IS MEAL PREP?

Any time you cook ahead for the week, whether it's breakfasts, lunches, dinners or snacks, you're meal prepping!

Most people think that meal prep involves gigantic shopping lists, hours upon hours of prepping every single meal for the week, all in one day. I'm here to to tell you that meal prep can take just one to two hours out of your week! Meal prepping is POSSIBLE even if...

- you don't have a moment to spare in your day.

- you don't have the budget for organic food.

- you only have access to stores like Walmart.

- you have picky kids, and let's be honest, hubbies and significant others!

- you don't know how to cook.

- you don't have organizational skills.

My process uses shortcuts and busy mom recipe hacks so that it makes life easier, not more stressful or complicated.

How Will This Meal Prep Challenge Help?

Learning where to begin, how to plan and how to prepare and store your ingredients will ensure that you create more food in less time. By learning this simple process, you'll spend less time in the kitchen and more time feeling relaxed knowing that you're ready for the upcoming week!

DAY 1 CHALLENGE!

Before we work on making things simpler and developing new healthy habits, we first have to get a good starting point.

Grab a sheet of paper and answer the following questions as truthfully as possible. There's no judgement in my group so be as honest as you can!

1. Do you meal plan already? If you do, how long does it take you to create your plan?

2. How often do you eat out or get take out?

3. How many times per week do you go to the store?

4. How long does it take you to make dinner?

5. Do you have to make multiple dinners to meet the needs of picky eaters?

6. Do you eat lunch?

7. Do you eat breakfast?

8. Where do you find healthy recipes?

9. On average, how much do you spend each week on groceries (including dining our or takeout)?

Now take a picture or screen shot of your answers and post them in the comments of the DAY 1 ACCOUNTABILITY POST!

I'm doing a ton of amazing giveaways this challenge! Here's how you can enter to win:

Participate in the daily accountability posts inside the Facebook Group, comment on the Live Videos & collect the Secret Words: You will have the chance to collect 3 secret words each day...1 from the emails, 1 from my live training and 1 from Sandi! Each word collected is an entry for winning the prizes so the more words you collect, the more chances you have to win. But wait, there's MORE.....when you collect Sandi's Secret Word, she'll automatically enter you in a SPECIAL DAILY PRIZE DRAWING!!! Please keep in mind that Sandi's words can't be collected the next day, meaning if you miss Monday's you can't go back on Tuesday to collect it.

HERE ARE THE PRIZES UP FOR GRABS:

SANDI's DAILY PRIZES INCLUDE....Glass storage containers, a beautiful crockpot, a Food Saver and the most amazing Instant Read Digital Thermometer that will change the way you cook (and it's valued over $100!)

CHALLENGE GRAND PRIZE... the Ultimate Meal Prepping Package!!! This package is valued over $500! This will include my favorite tools to get you started on your journey including a brand new Ninja Foodi, storage containers and other items that you'll love!

CHALLENGE RUNNER UP.... my favorite Air Fryer by GoWise USA! This 8-in-1 digital Air Fryer allows you to fry, bake, grill, and roast with little to no oil!

CHALLENGE RUNNER UP... a set of my favorite glass food storage containers...these are perfect for storing lunches that need to be heated up!

SOPHIE'S BIRTHDAY JUNIOR CHEF SURPRISE....my daughter Sophie is turning 11 on Saturday and her request is to cook for you with me but also to give away a special prize to a lucky viewer. The catch: you have to be LIVE with us on Saturday. And if you don't have kiddos and you win, don't worry because we'll send you a gift card in its place!

*** or the equivalent in an Amazon gift card if I can't ship to you.***

Today's secret word is: START. Be sure to write that down. Collect all the secret words that will be shared in your emails & on my live videos and at the end of the week, we'll have a link for you to enter them all in for EXTRA chances to win one of our Giveaway Prizes!

You got this! See you inside the group!

xoxo

Allison