Coffee shop corkboard taught me a better way to organize my weekly menu

I saw a note pinned up at Brew House Cafe that said 'meal prep backwards - cook proteins first, then veggies.' I used to chop everything at once and it took me 3 hours every Sunday. Now I just roast a whole pan of chicken thighs on Sunday night (takes 45 minutes) and throw veggies together during the week. Has anyone else picked up a random trick from a bulletin board that actually stuck?

2 comments

2 Comments

king.river24d ago

Oh man, I actually picked up something similar from a note taped to the fridge at my buddy's garage. It said "prep your grains in bulk, freeze them flat in bags." Changed my weeknight dinners completely. I cook a big batch of rice or quinoa on Sunday, spread it thin in ziploc bags, and they stack like pancakes in the freezer. Then during the week I just grab a bag, run it under hot water for 30 seconds, and it's perfect. Saved me from having a sink full of dirty pots every single night.

derek_burns24d ago

Man I feel that whole "messing up the timing" thing hard. That backwards trick you mentioned, cooking the protein first, it clicked for me too a few months back when I read a similar note at a hardware store of all places. I used to burn through a whole Sunday afternoon just standing over the stove sweating over every little thing. Now I toss a pork shoulder in the slow cooker on Sunday night and suddenly Wednesday's dinner feels like a cheat code. Veggies are quick, man, they don't need that same upfront love.