We eat varieties of the same types of meal, and then build on the produce that's in season, or the meat or fish that's on sale. I usually plan to make 2-3 "full meals" per week, which to me are meals from scratch, usually using pre-prepped items. I front-load these because I think you get 2 days of uncooked pre-prepped food before it tastes bad, and at least 2 more days after it's cooked of leftovers.
Whenever possible (aka where it doesn't ruin the taste or texture of the food for me) I use frozen, pre-cut items from TJs. Of course, if it is cheaper, you could buy a ton of produce from Costco, chop, and freeze it, or buy frozen from Costco and divide a week's worth into Ziplock bags as soon as you get them home so you don't ruin what's still in the bag as you use it. I also love canned tomatoes in recipes.
My "full meals" include roast chicken, spaghetti and meat sauce, tostadas, shrimp creole, pork chops, that kind of thing. The other meals we eat per week are either leftovers supplemented with lots of veggies, usually over rice, or take-out, depending on our work schedules. I also always make either stock or beans, sometimes both, in the slow cooker over the weekend. If you get into a good schedule, you can do stock one week, beans the next. Use your freezer wisely!
Here's a rough schedule:
Friday (1 hour):
- Clean out fridge and do one load of laundry; make note of any items you need to buy.
- Roughly take note of what you already have and need to use.
- Plan meals that incorporate the things you have.
- Complete grocery list.
Saturday (2 hours):
- Before 10 am: Grocery shop while it's not crowded so it's faster.
- At home, immediately put beans in slow cooker and start it. Set aside. These can sit overnight without being removed from the slow cooker.
- Chop the vegetables you need in the next 3 days. Bag them in individual ziplocks (you can wash these out and put veggies back in them as you use what's inside). This works well with onions, garlic, kale, carrots, broccoli, etc. NOT lettuce, spinach, or anything else delicate. All of it will keep for at least 3 days if chopped.
- Unwrap and prep all meat.
- Chops, steaks, and boneless/skinless chicken: either marinate, or salt them down with about a teaspoon of salt each, re-wrap in paper and/or put in ziplock bags. Freeze or refrigerate.
- Chicken with skin, incl. whole chicken: either marinate, or spatchcock whole chicken (cut out the spine with sharp kitchen shears; directions below); salt all over with large-grain kosher salt; place chicken on grate over baking sheet so air can circulate and dry out skin to increase crispiness. Chicken can sit in this "dry brine" for a max of 48 hours. So, you'll eat it Monday if you do this today, or Tuesday if you do this tomorrow.
- Roast meat bones for stock 1 hour. Refrigerate to make stock tomorrow.
- Laundry is a great companion chore because both laundry and cooking have down time.
- Season beans in slow cooker, and remove them to store. Divide in thirds, and freeze 2/3 in ziplock bags, while putting 1/3 in the fridge for the week.
- Start stock, if you're making it. Cook stock for 8 hours, season, bag, and freeze
- Pre-cook meat sauce for spaghetti.
- Make any salad dressings and refrigerate.
- Pre-cook caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes or peppers, or any other similar recipe component. Juice and zest oranges and lemons for recipes. Combine spices if you like certain blends and save in ziplock baggies.
DIRECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STEPS:
Stock: While you cook, always save carrot peels, celery ends, onion and garlic paper, chicken spine (from spatchcocking), pork and beef bones, etc. Put them in a plastic bag in the freezer so they're ready for stock when you are. I roast the chicken spine and bones in the oven for an hour before I make stock with them.
Spatchcocking: Fun to say, fun to do, and makes the chicken cook faster.
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