Mindful Menu (Acacia Sieling)
Instagram @Mindful Menu
Facebook: Mindful Menu
www.ourmindfulmenu.com
App Store ‘Mindful Menu’
How did you get involved in The Mindful Menu?
Acacia and four other women that she knew from various online health coaching, and friendships, were always trying to come up with ways to make healthy meal planning simpler in their spare time. They would search on the internet for recipes, and try to consolidate them to make it easier. This led to creating a PDF document with recipes picked out, and shared between the team. From that, it evolved into a website and eventually an app.
Can you tell the listeners how the app works and what you can expect while using it?
It’s an App available currently in the Android or Apple store. It is meant to be as simple as possible. Each week, there are 7 meals seasonal meals provided. You can customize the recipes and add or remove as you go. You also have access to past recipes, as well as favorite recipes that you want to repeat. Every week, they try to include a GF, dairy free and vegetarian option as well. Whichever 7 recipes you choose for the week will generate a shopping list for you to use when you go to the store. The last feature available is a prep list, which you can use to prep your ingredients ahead of time such as cut up an onion etc.
How did you develop the app?
It started out as a PDF and then they reached out to a connection in the app development community who helped their team create the app.
Are there any features you hope to add to the app in the future?
A search feature where you can search by ingredients to find a recipe.
Partner with a grocery delivery service.
What ingredients do you usually use for your recipe?
They try to pick items that are mostly staples, and try to keep everything family friendly as well as low-cost. Everything that you see in the app has been tried by their families first before they even release the recipes.
How do you select and plan your recipes each week?
Some are family favorites, others are created by inspiration from recipe blogs, pinterest etc. They then tweak it, and make it healthier or more family friendly.
Do you think you will eventually build a cookbook with all of your recipes?
Yes, on their horizon is to create an E-Cookbook with the most favorited recipes on their app.
What do you find people have the most trouble with when it comes to meal planning and prep?
The biggest obstacle is typically time. The easiest way to overcome that problem is to start simple and small. You can seperate veggies in a bag, hard boil eggs ahead of time or chop veggies in advance. Another great idea is to create a salad bar in your fridge. Freezer meals are also very helpful, especially this time of year when kids go back to school.
Any tips for back to school time for families?
-Make food in mason jars for the adults to grab and go in the morning.
-Have things ready to go the night before. Pack your lunch ahead of time.
-Let your children choose, pick a veggie, fruit, protein etc. It makes the kids more involved and also increases the chances that they will eat more of their food.
Any tips for freezer meal cooking and to prevent freezer burn?
-Make sure that all air is removed from the freezer bags. A vacuum seal gadget can be helpful.
-Keep the liquid out, until you need to cook the meal.
-Research which fruits and vegetables that don’t freeze as well such as tomatoes and keep seperate.
-Label the bag with date as well as instructions on how to cook the meal.
Do you do most of your freezer cooking in batches or separate?
Acacia recently attended a freezer meal swap which was a fun way to create a bunch of meals at once. Getting together with a group of people and putting the freezer meals together is also another idea. Spend a couple hour one Saturday cooking with friends.
Any tips to prevent food waste?
-Have a plan and stick to it. Plan out the meals for the week ahead of time.
-Do not buy bulk of things that don’t keep well such as spinach or vegetables.
-Buying bulk in dry goods or things that will not spoil quickly is a better option.
Do you enjoy cooking more since being apart of the Mindful Menu? Yes, as a child Acacia was not interested in cooking, but now she really loves to cook. She finds that it is not as boring or as difficult that she thought that it would be when she was younger.
How long does it take to cook the recipes on Mindful Menu?
A typical meal is usually 15-45 minutes. There are also instant pot, grilling, and slow cooker meal options.
What do you usually focus on for healthy foods?
Their definition of healthy meals is: Good ingredients, real ingredients and clean eating.
Favorite gadget for chopping vegetables?
A food processor is very helpful, especially for chopping onions.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a business?
Acacia’s biggest advice is not to be scared of something you don’t know. You won’t know what it’s like until you do it. If you are passionate about something and have a dream then you need to go for it. If something is big and scary there is a world of resources at your fingertips.
What is the cost for joining Mindful Menu? There is a 2 week free trial, after that there are various plan options. Month to month its $6 per month, 6 month plan is $30 and a one year plan is $55.
Any favorite fall meals that you would like to share?
