Do you have $20(ish) in your pocket? Do you have 3 hours to spare? Are you ready to be an adult and make your meals at the beginning of the week? Well what would you say if I told you you could make 8 MEALS with the resources I have just listed?

Well I’m telling you that YOU CAN! I did it, so can you!!!

First things first, go to the grocery store and grab the following items. It should be fast because you have a list to follow! Also, I went at midnight which was glorious because that means no one is at the grocery store to awkwardly maneuver around or interact with.

Grocery List:

1. Quinoa (hopefully you already have it)
2. Season Chicken Leg Quarters (pack of 5) (so cheap!!)
3. 1 Red Bell Pepper (more expensive than green, but so much sweeter)
4. 1 Onion
5. Bag of Frozen Corn
6. Sriracha Mayo (YES  THEY SELL THIS NOW)
7. 3 Sweet Potatoes
8. 1 Bag Pre-Washed Spinach
9. 2 Can Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
10. 1 Bag Frozen Cauliflower Rice (or Couscous)
11. 3 Heads Broccoli
12. Butter (if you don’t already have it at home, but who doesn’t have butter?)
13. Cayenne Pepper (if you like a little spice on those chickpeas)

The following dishes we will be making (YES, WE) are:

Dish A) Quinoa with shredded chicken and sauteed onions, bell peppers, and corn topped with sriracha mayo (3 meals)

Dish B) Mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach, and roasted chickpeas with cayenne pepper (3 meals)

Dish C) Cauliflower rice with sauteed broccoli and shredded chicken (2 meals)

In 7 (or more) easy steps you can make the next 8 meals of your life, which means your tummy will be satisfied more quickly (when you get home from work) and your hands less wrinkly because less dishes (YES!).

Summary of Today’s Conquest:

1. Bake chicken leg quarters/sweet potatoes
2. Cook quinoa
3. Slice red bell pepper/onion saute with corn
4. Prep chickpeas to bake
5. Saute spinach
6. Microwave frozen cauliflower rice
7. Cut broccoli and saute

Detailed Instructions:

First, gather some containers for your 8 meals. Here’s a glance at mine:

1. Bake chicken leg quarters/sweet potatoes @ 400 degrees
   1. Turn on the oven to 400 degrees
   2. Cover 2 sheet pans with aluminum foil and lay chicken quarters on it
   3. Cover another sheet pan, wash sweet potatoes, poke holes in sweet potatoes with fork, lay them on pan
   4. Set timer for 45 minutes
2. Cook quinoa
   1. Measure out 3/4 cup of quinoa, 1 1/2 cups of water into a pot
   2. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes
   3. Stir occasionally
   4. Divide into three containers for Meal A
3. Slice red bell pepper/onion saute with corn
   1. Slice red bell pepper into strips, cut the strips in half, place in pan with oil and saute
   2. Slice onion into strips and separate “layers”, place in pan and mix with peppers
   3. Once peppers/onions have cooked down, add in frozen corn
   4. Feel free to season with cayenne pepper and salt
   5. Divide into three containers for Meal A
4. Prep chickpeas to bake
   1. Take out chicken and place on counter to cool
   2. Increase temperature to 450 degrees
   3. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil
   4. Drain and rinse chickpeas, then pour them into a single layer on the pan
      
   5. Cover with oil and season with cayenne pepper and salt
   6. Use a spoon to mix the seasoning into the chickpeas evenly(ish)
   7. Place chickpeas into oven and set timer to 20 minutes
5. Saute spinach
   1. Heat up some oil in a pan
   2. Throw a handful of spinach into pan
   3. Add some water to help “wilt” spinach
   4. Once spinach starts wilting, stir in some more spinach
   5. Repeat steps B-D until all spinach in bag is gone
   6. Divide into 3 containers for Meal B
6. Microwave frozen cauliflower rice (can substitute couscous here)
   1. Dump bag of frozen cauliflower rice into bowl
   2. Microwave for specified amount of time on package
   3. (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
   4. Divide into 2 containers for Meal C
   5. Shred chicken once cooled, and divide into 5 containers for Meals A and C.
7. Cut broccoli and saute
   1. Take chickpeas out of oven and divide into 3 containers for Meal B
   2. Cut broccoli into “chunks” and saute in a pan with some oil and water
   3. Divide broccoli into 3 containers for Meal C
   4. Take sweet potatoes out of oven, split open, mash with butter, and divide into 3 containers for Meal B
   5. Top Meal A with Sriracha Mayo if so desired

YOU DID IT! You’re done!! Feel free to survey your work.

Counterclockwise starting in top left: Meal A, Meal B (sideview), Meal B (topview), Meal C and leftover broccoli.

Look how fast you finished everything! Look how easy food will be to reheat! Obviously, you can expand this plan into 9 or 10 meals, but I only needed 8 meals this week.

Shoutout to my friend Sabrina for teaching me the word “adulting.” I feel like I’m growing up faster than my soul is allowing me too. I felt so grown-up cooking all these meals :’).

Disclaimer: This could cost more than $20 depending on what you already have in your fridge/pantry.