Plan the quantities
Five lunches for one person take less food than people expect. About a pound and a half to two pounds of raw protein, two cups of dry rice or another grain, and two full sheet pans of vegetables will cover it. Two cups of dry rice cooks up to roughly six cups. Add two sauces, because sauce is what stops the fourth bowl from tasting like the first. A jar of vinaigrette and a jar of something creamy or spicy, such as a yogurt sauce or a peanut sauce, are enough.
Run the session in order
A full prep takes about two hours if you start the slow things first.
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees, then cut the vegetables and get the sheet pans in.
- Start the grain on the stove while the vegetables roast.
- Cook the protein next, in the oven once the vegetables come out or in a skillet beside the grain.
- Wash and chop the raw items, such as cucumbers, cabbage and scallions, while everything else cooks.
- Shake the sauces together in jars, and wash the dishes as you go.
Pull roasted vegetables while they still have some bite. They soften further when reheated.
Cool and store it safely
Spread hot food out in shallow containers so it cools quickly, and refrigerate it within two hours of cooking. Cooked rice in particular should be cooled and chilled promptly rather than left in the pot on the stove. Cooked food keeps for three to four days in the refrigerator. That means a Sunday session safely covers lunches through Wednesday or Thursday. For the end of the week, freeze two portions on Sunday and move them to the refrigerator on Wednesday night, or do a second, smaller cook midweek.
Keep the textures apart
Food turns dull in storage when wet things sit on dry ones. Store sauces and dressings in their own small jars and add them when you eat. Keep crunchy items such as nuts, seeds and raw vegetables separate from anything warm and damp. Cut avocado, soft herbs and dressed greens do not survive, so add them on the day. When you reheat, bring leftovers to 165 degrees, or until they are steaming hot all the way through, and stir halfway so the microwave leaves no cold center.
Tip Prep the same way for two or three weeks before buying a set of matching containers. By then you will know how many you use and which sizes you actually reach for.
