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"Upbeat and productive, this playlist is thoughtfully crafted to 'spark joy' in your kitchen."
Jan 14, 2021
For those who want me to cut the case & share the playlists links: Spotify; Apple Music
Welcome back to the blog! This week, I wanted to share my first ever Meal Prep Playlist with you, call it version 1.0.
Even though I don't consider myself a 'music' person (i.e. someone who is always listening to tunes), I put this together for 3 reasons:
I was inspired by this podcast episode tutorial: The Lazy Genius Episode #167 - How to Make the Perfect Playlist.
In this episode, Kendra, the host, passionately spoke about her unique talent in assembling together amazing playlists. Bless her heart - she not only included links to her playlists (I loved Quarantine Groove), she also provided the fundamental approach towards creating your own. Three tips that stuck out to me:
a) Start with the mood you want the listener to feel (I went for upbeat, productive, and motivated since this energy is vital when tackling meal prep!)
b) Order matters: Strategically think about your first and last song - they should 'hold hands' and seem like one seamless order. Also try to change the vibe of the song ever so slightly between songs, ensuring that they still like each other.
c)The number of songs: Aim for ~17-18. Have length, but keep everyone wanting more. ;)
2. Apple Music playlists are subpar relative to Spotify
It might sound contradictory, but I am not a Simon Cowell-esque music playlist critique. In fact, I am quite the opposite. Prior to purchasing Bose Sport Earbuds in 2018, I seldomly listened to music because traditional headphones simply do not fit my ears- they always fall out. Seriously, if regular headphones fit you, do not take it for granted - it is a gift!
Anyway, as Rob was partial to Apple Music, we selected it over Spotify - there was no reason for me to fuss since he actively downloads new music (where I do not). Additionally, the seamless sync with the iWatch is very convenient. Unfortunately, one thing I've noticed about Apple Music is that playlists are very limited. The 'spotlighted' ones feel dumped together. As a user, I feel that it forces me to pick and choose the tracks, and customize my own -i.e. lots of work.
Now that I feel like I understand the basic 'tricks of the trade' a good playlist, I discovered it is a unique way of storytelling! It was so much fun, and I hope to do more for myself (and will share if you liked this one). Always know that feedback is welcome, so if you are a playlist guru and see improvement opportunities, please let me know especially since this is my first attempt and it generally takes me 5 times to get it right.
3. I couldn't find a good playlist that was specific for meal prepping
Meal prepping is when I'm in my out-of-body Disney-Pixar Soul 'zen mode'. I have already started documenting my specific meal prep routine from start to finish, but as a preview of Saturday nights, I spend 30 minutes on chopping for a week's worth of lunches for two. Thus, I wanted to compile songs that had a lot of beats to pair well with slicing and dicing! I hope you can feel like the music is matching some of your cuts. ;)
Bonus: I found this playlist is also perfect to wake up to and working out due to all the beats! As I am trying to not sleep with my phone in my room, the first song is a nice intro to my day.
Anyway, without further adieu, here are the playlists: Spotify; Apple Music
A Note from Donna:
Did you notice the Purple Pot in the playlist icon? Last year, I worked with my designer, Laura to bring my blog mascot to life. There is still work to be done (e.g. give them names, personalities, and consistent usage), but I am so happy with the final designs we landed on. While I originally envisioned the main mascot to intimate lavender, we ultimately landed on the Yellow one as it was more 'on brand', and feels more like me. My brilliant friend Hyunsoo had a fantastic suggestion to associate the purple one with meals. Since meal prepping lead to these meals, I selected her as the mascot to represent the playlist cover. As the other topics come up, you'll see my pantry friends make their debuts. If you have a suggestion for her name - let me know!
Quick shout out to my friends: Alex and Vicky separately previewed the playlist and gave me their feedback. Alex also had a super-smart follow-up idea that I have logged for a potential future post (in case you want more playlists). Of course, thanks to Rob- who my ultimate muse & guinea pig. He sourced a few songs, and also encouraged me to include tracks that were outside of 'Top 40 charts' :P. As I listen to things on repeat, poor Rob has been hearing this for 2 weeks straight in our tiny apartment. Thus, if you have tracks you'd like to recommend for future playlists, please do send them my way! (Rob says thanks in advance).
If you also noticed the photos are sprinkled throughout, that's thanks to Melissa's suggestion! She also introduced me Anchor platform for audio which is awesome! So my 'podcast' (I use that word very loosely as it is currently just my year-in-review post read out loud) is now on Spotify. (For those who love checking out new podcasts and like Asian Boss Girl type podcast categories, you can check out her & her best friends' lastest passion project/podcast: T4L.
Thoughts behind a few songs: The playlist debuts with Good Day for Dreaming - I remember listening to this in the car after it was aired in a recent Apple announcement. In the middle of the pandemic, listening to this track gives me hope for a post-pandemic future. 10,000 Hours is a subtle note that this is how long it takes to become an expert at anything, inclusive of cooking. Finally, I hope songs like I'm Ready, Unstoppable, and Fun Tonight can transform the playlist into a live cooking companion.
Food for Thought:
Word of the week: Consistent. I simply want to be more consistent and routine this year. I do not think I'll be able to share a post every week, but my goal is to have a minimum of 1 post a month, with a realistic target of 2 (which means yay, I've hit my goal for January)! Thursday is the day I am experimenting with this month since people are probably starting to think about weekend cooking.
Hope this playlist can be your musical 'sous chef'!
- Donna
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