Previously (on LA law), I showed you how I normally cook my meals for the week – 90 minutes, one session, done. Last week, I didn’t have a 90-minute block of free time for cooking, so I got my food set up in an ultra-fast early morning cooking jam. Here’s how I made crustless quiches, hard bolied eggs, Indian spiced chicken and veggies, plain old chicken, baked tofu with sweet potatoes and lemon chive green beans, breakfast oat bars, and spinach & cream cheese stuffed peppers in just one sleepy, 6 a.m. hour.
Minute 60
Heat the oven to 350. Put eggs in a pan of cold water and start them boiling.
Put rice in another pot of cold water and start it boiling.
Put chicken breast tenders (regular boneless, skinless chicken breast that comes pre-cut into strips for no extra charge!) into yet another pan to brown in a little olive oil.
Take out cream cheese and goat cheese to soften.
Minute 55
Mix oats with water, cherries, pineapple, and (measured!) chocolate chips. Place in oven to bake.
Wash sweet potatoes; place in oven to bake on baking sheet.
Whisk together eggs, egg whites, and herbs. Pour over frozen spinach in small baking dishes; place in oven to bake on baking sheet (to catch any overflow).
Slice tofu and place in baking dish with marinade; place in last remaining oven spot to bake.
Minute 48
Heat a skillet on the last remaining burner and saute the first batch of green beans.
Wash and trim mini peppers to stuff.
Turn the chicken.
Minute 43
Remove the green beans and toss in lemon chive dressing; portion. Start the next batch sauteing.
Blend smoothies; portion, freeze.
Remove hard boiled eggs and rinse with cold water. Store.
Minute 35
Remove the chicken from the heat.
Remove the next batch of green beans and toss in lemon chive dressing; portion. Start the last batch.
(Probably) remove the rice from the heat.
Set aside half of the chicken (store); add frozen peas, frozen spinach, and sauce and bring to a simmer.
Minute 28
Remove the last batch of green beans, toss in lemon chive dressing and portion.
Saute a small amount of spinach with olive oil and spices for the stuffed peppers.
Portion the rice.
Minute 25
Remove the chicken and veggies from the heat. Store.
(Probably) remove the oat bars from the oven.
(Probably) remove the baked eggs from the oven. Store.
Remove the spiced spinach from the heat and mix with the cream cheese and optional goat cheese. Stuff the mini peppers.
Minute 15
Remove the tofu from the oven; portion.
Cut the oat bars; store.
Minute 5
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven; portion. Store everything.
Feign cleaning.
Appreciate that some weeks have more time in them than this one, but remember that done is better than perfect.
