Meet Holly Stein | Organic GF Postpartum Meal Prepper

We had the good fortune of connecting with Holly Stein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Holly, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve been into holistic/lowtox living for over a decade after I self taught my way through a host of chronic digestive issues, horrible periods, etc. Turns out the food I was eating and the products I were using were affecting my health…who would have thought?

Anyways, we had two beautiful, amazing, empowering out of hospital births (first at a birth center, and second at home), yet my postpartum experiences were night and day. For the first, I didn’t know to do research on postpartum nutrition. I ate “healthy” things like cold smoothies, crunchy salads, raw/crunchy foods, and some well intentioned junk food from family and friends. I was chronically constipated for the first month. I just felt so tired and fatigued, and kind of bleh. I just figured that was postpartum.

Then I discovered the book, The First 40 Days…boy was I doing it all wrong. When I got pregnant with my second I was SO excited to have a do over. I prepped over 60 warm, moist, easy to digest meals (many that you see on the menu today), to have on hand. All my husband had to do was defrost and reheat. The difference was night and day. NO digestion issues, my mood and energy better, and I felt like I was being wrapped in a warm hug with every meal.

At about a year postpartum, I knew this needed to be a thing, so I started Mama Meals so you could be wrapped in that same warm hug of brightness I experienced with each meal.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are focused on bringing organic, gluten-free and pasture-raised ingredient foods, specifically designed for what a postpartum body needs. It’s been easy and hard at the same time. It’s been easy in the sense that the business and concept has been well received by our community. There is a huge need for something like this in our area. Challenges include learning the food space, product business (my former business was service based), keeping up with production and learning all the ins and outs of permits needed, and scaling effectively without taking on more than we can handle. I would love for the world to know that we are a family centered business, and get so excited with each order and the chance to make a positive impact on someone’s life through high quality nutrition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am in Huntington Beach so we would most definitely make a trip or two down to the beach for the day. I would definitely take them to eat at Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa. Possibly a mini overnight staycation at the Hyatt Huntington Beach in one of the rooms with its own private firepit, and definitely hit the spa for a massage and facial. Lots of walks down by the beach…and probably grab lettuce wrapped burgers at a local spot. We would of course do an ice bath in my backyard, and probably stop by my gym for a circuit workout and infrared sauna.
Essentially a week full of wellness and relaxation

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The First Forty Days by Heng Ou Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Website: www.mama-meals.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mama.meals.oc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollandschoenke/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mama.meals.oc

Image Credits
Alaina Nunez Photography