On Weekday Cooking
It can often be a daunting task to commit to cooking at home on the weekdays. We all live busy lives and often, the thought of finishing a day of work to come home, make a meal, eat it and then clean up can seem like a lot - mostly because it is a lot.
I’m anti-meal prep. Meal prep as in let me make one dish on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. I do not like eating the same thing for dinner over a week. I think it’s boring and I think four day old chicken is incredibly questionable. However, I am pro-prepping for your meals. The scope of this prep can vary and be as simple as buying your groceries or as complex as Zoe Barrie Soderstrom . How you prep can also vary week to week depending on what you’re making.
My weekly goal is to cook Monday through Thursday’s dinners and Sunday’s. More often, I cook three weeknights and Sunday night. All things considered, I impress myself.
How do I achieve this task? Well, on Sunday morning (or Friday or Saturday if I’m proactive), I try to brainstorm dishes for the week. Inevitably, I exclaim I’m completely out of ideas (much like the “I have nothing to wear” we all endure) and then I figure it out and quickly assemble my grocery list. I order groceries from FreshDirect (bless the Express feature) and receive my groceries on Sunday evening.
Depending on my selections for the week, I may prepare a marinade or a sauce or do some chopping on Sunday night but generally that’s about it as far as “meal prep”.
Now all of this is to say, let me help you by sharing what I’m cooking this week:
Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, Roasted Broccoli
My sauce and meatball recipe is something I’ve developed all on my own and am quite proud of them. To avoid opening myself up to criticism I have no interest in hearing, I will not be sharing the recipes.
Monday - Molly Baz’s Golden Get Well Soup
*I have a Monday evening commitment every week so I try to pick a recipe that I’ll make on Sunday and easily reheat on Monday. This is a new-to-me recipe so it could be a totally bust. And then that’s why they invented takeout.
Tuesday - The Modern Proper’s Miso Skillet Chicken
Miso paste lasts awhile in the fridge! Don’t forget you have it and look for recipes with it in the future.
Wednesday - Pasta e Fagioli - I omit the ham and start the recipe by browning 4 links of Italian Sausage.
*I also have a Wednesday evening commitment so I’ll make this dish on Tuesday night.
Thursday - Pork Fried Rice
A disclaimer: I own a lot of cookbooks and have referenced two recipes from cookbooks here. To avoid copyright infringement, I won’t copy over the recipes but will happily share them privately if you’re interested!
