I don’t like cooking. I just want that out there. But Sundays are when I have time to do it, so that’s when it happens.
I’d make something on Sunday night, it would carry into Monday, maybe Tuesday. El wouldn’t touch it. I’d get tired of it. By Wednesday we’d be eating out, and by Thursday the best I could manage was pasta. Rinse and repeat. Every week.
Meanwhile, the list of things I needed to deal with kept growing. Weight. Cholesterol. Acid reflux. A digestive system that has opinions about everything. I knew I needed to change what I was eating, but the weekly cycle kept winning.
So about two weeks ago, I sat down with ChatGPT and worked through all of it. The health goals, the restrictions, the need for something simple enough that I’d actually follow through. We landed on a meal prep system: cook everything on Sunday, eat from it all week. Vegetables as the main event. Chicken and either rice or potatoes on the side. Four different flavor combos you add after reheating so it doesn’t taste like the same thing every day.
14 meals a week. Lunch and dinner. Oatmeal for breakfast. That’s the whole plan.
Sunday: Cook Day
I printed out the entire system. Grocery list, timeline, portions, flavor guide, a two-week rotation. It looked organized. Professional, even.
Then I actually started cooking.
El helped cut up the carrots while I got the first batch of chicken going in the Instant Pot. I had this idea that I’d constantly have something cooking so the whole thing would wrap up in 90 minutes. That did not happen.
Chicken went in first. Then I rinsed the rice and started it in my little rice cooker. When the first batch of chicken was done, I pulled it out and put it on a plate, loosely covered with foil. Seemed right. It was not right. I could see it starting to dry out so I asked ChatGPT what I was supposed to do. Apparently you rest it in a bowl with some of the broth you cooked it in. That was never mentioned in the plan. I genuinely need every single step spelled out for me. I don’t know these things.
Second batch went better. I put the first batch in broth and cut it up. I think it helped.
Baby potatoes went into the Instant Pot next. I walked away to relax while they cooked. They may have overcooked. Maybe more than a little.
And then there was the rice. Fresh, hot, beautiful jasmine rice. I transferred it into a plastic bag to cool down and the bag sort of… collapsed in my hands. Half the rice ended up on the floor. A quick tip: you cannot sweep up freshly cooked rice. It goes everywhere and sticks to everything. I lost a solid chunk of my side dish supply to the kitchen floor.
The plan said everything would cool in 5 to 10 minutes. ChatGPT was very optimistic about that. I wasn’t tracking the time closely, but it was probably closer to three hours before everything was cool enough to put in the fridge.
The Week
Monday morning was technically the first meal of the plan. The system called for rolled oats instead of my usual Quaker Instant Oatmeal Raisin, Date and Walnut packets. I picked up Quaker Old Fashioned oats instead. The idea being you control the sugar and toppings yourself. Still microwaved, just better ingredients. The instructions said to use a medium bowl, half a cup of oats, one cup of water, microwave for about three minutes. I used what Corelle calls a “cereal bowl.” It’s deeper than a typical small bowl, so I figured it would be fine. When I opened the microwave, roughly half the oatmeal was sitting on the turntable. I have not tried oatmeal again since Monday. That’s a problem for next week.
Monday night was the first real meal. Steamed green beans (frozen, even though I had fresh ones… don’t ask) with chicken and rice on the side, plus the garlic herb flavor. Olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pinch of salt. It was surprisingly good. Like, genuinely enjoyable. I wasn’t expecting that from something I prepped myself.
Tuesday lunch was a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread from the grocery list. Dave’s Killer… something. A bit too seedy for my taste. I’ll need to find a different bread or maybe bend the 3g fiber rule a little. Tuesday dinner was steamed carrots and spinach with chicken and rice. I finally remembered to put the spinach under the food before microwaving. I used the honey garlic flavor that night. A little sweet, not bland. I liked it.
Lunches during the week were mostly covered. I had options at home. There were a couple of exceptions. One day I didn’t have a lot of time. Another day I really wanted pizza rolls. It happens.
Wednesday was supposed to be another prepped meal, but it was a tough night for El. So we went out. That’s fine. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is fewer nights eating out, not zero.
Thursday, I had an anxiety attack that turned into a migraine. Cooking wasn’t happening. We ordered pizza. Some nights are just about getting through it.
Friday will probably be fast food or pasta. I’m pushing for pasta.
One thing I noticed: I didn’t feel as full after meals, which led to snacking. I had healthy options on hand though. Apples and rice cakes helped. The apples actually did double duty because we got to share them with Reese, El’s guinea pig. He was very enthusiastic about the apple situation.
I also noticed stronger cravings for sweet stuff. The apples helped there too. Something to keep an eye on.
El’s Review
She didn’t try the meals. I didn’t force it.
I’ve actually been working with AI separately to build her a “pick 3” menu. The idea is she’d have a short list of things she already likes that are in the house, making it easier to eat at home instead of defaulting to going out. It’s not done yet, but I’m hoping it helps. That’ll probably be its own post.
What I Learned
I wasted more food than I should have. I meant to freeze the meals I wouldn’t eat within the first few days, but I never got around to it. By the time I thought about it, the 3-to-4-day fridge rule had already passed on some of it. Next week, I’m freezing the back half on Sunday while I’m still in the food prep mindset.
I also need a better weekly rhythm. Maybe prepped meals Monday and Tuesday, eat out Wednesday, back to prepped Thursday. The real win would be having the food ready so I’m not grabbing junk for lunch during the work week either.
Next Sunday
Doing it again. Chicken goes in broth this time. Rice goes in a real container. Potatoes get more supervision. And I’ll freeze what I need to freeze before I sit down and forget.
Week one wasn’t perfect. Half the rice hit the floor, the chicken dried out, I ate pizza rolls for lunch one day, and Thursday was a write-off. But I also made meals I actually wanted to eat, tried flavors that surprised me, and proved to myself that this plan isn’t just a document sitting on my counter. It’s something I can actually do.
I’ll call that a win.
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