Dinner Ideas & Plans
What to Prep on Sunday to Make 5 Dinners Easier
An hour of Sunday prep that saves time every night: grains, a tray of roasted vegetables, shredded chicken, browned beef and two sauces.
Sunday prep is not about cooking five complete meals. It is about doing the slow, messy jobs once, so each weeknight dinner is a 15-minute assembly job.
The one-hour plan
| Time | Job | Keeps (fridge) |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Start a pot of rice or other grain | 3 to 4 days |
| 0:05 | Put a tray of chopped vegetables in a 425°F oven | 3 to 4 days |
| 0:10 | Poach or bake chicken breasts or thighs, then shred | 3 to 4 days |
| 0:25 | Brown 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef with an onion | 3 to 4 days |
| 0:40 | Wash and dry salad greens; chop onions and peppers | 3 to 5 days |
| 0:50 | Make two sauces | 4 to 7 days |
Use 6 sauces for tacos and burrito bowls or 6 sauces to keep dinner from getting boring.
Turning it into dinner
- Monday: rice bowls with chicken, roasted vegetables and a sauce.
- Tuesday: tacos with the browned beef.
- Wednesday: pasta with roasted vegetables and a quick sauce.
- Thursday: chicken quesadillas or wraps.
- Friday: fried rice with the last of everything.
Keep it safe
Cool cooked food quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Food cooked on Sunday is best eaten by Wednesday or Thursday; freeze anything you will not use by then.
