So yesterday I needed to get dinner ready for my family of four without spending hours in the kitchen. Grabbed whatever was in the fridge – chicken breasts, some broccoli, bell peppers, and rice. Didn’t even chop anything first – huge mistake that wasted tons of time later.
The Realization Moment
While burning my fingers trying to slice semi-frozen chicken, I remembered hearing about batch prep. Took out every vegetable we had and just went ham chopping. Bell peppers, onions, carrots – all got diced together on one cutting board. Piled them into separate containers right there on the counter.
Cooking Smarter
Threw the chicken in the skillet with oil first. While that sizzled, dumped rice and water into the rice cooker – one button press and done. Used that waiting time to microwave the broccoli for exactly 90 seconds instead of steaming. Game changer.
- Pulled out two pans simultaneously – protein in one, veggies in the other
- Reused skillet grease for the peppers and onions – zero cleanup break
- Set timers on phone for each item (7min chicken, 4min veggies)
Assembly Line Finish
As soon as rice cooker clicked, scooped rice straight into bowls. Topped with chicken-veggie mix. The whole circus took under 25 minutes start to finish, including washing the stupid cutting board. Kids actually ate without complaining – miracle achieved.