Weekend prep for weekdays

Before a workweek starts (this week, Sunday is my Monday), I need to do some work at home. Preparation. Otherwise, laundry completion is haphazard and I impulse buy frozen pizza and candy orange slices on my way home from work. Yes, really. Today was prep day; a day to get everything in order, so that when our week starts, I feel, well, prepared. It takes commitment, but it's worth it to feel ahead-of-schedule at the start of the week. Then, when household tasks fall to the wayside a bit during the week, we don't feel like our whole world is crumbling (cue the drama, I know). This is what I did today so that I feel more balanced tomorrow.

To prepare food:

• Oven-roast chicken breast* for a few meals on the meal plan this week.
• Wash, dry, and chop kale, so it's ready to be sautéed for a quick side dish
• Roast cauliflower for this simple soup
• Modify and recipe test a gluten-free chocolate chip scone recipe

*see recipe for oven-roasted chicken at bottom of page

To prepare our home:

• Wash and dry two loads of laundry
• Iron my scrubs (This is not a usual task for me and it's my absolute least favorite of all the household tasks. But lately, it's a necessary one, since my scrubs come out of the dryer rumpled, even if I remove them promptly from the dryer).
• Wash all the dishes I dirtied preparing food
• Run the dishwasher, empty the dishwasher

To prepare my heart & mind:

Revisit a Bible study I'd put aside for awhile and read through my daily devotionals on my phone.

To satisfy my creativity:

• Continue seaming the side seams on my Anna Vest
• Visit a favorite local coffee shop and pick up a bag of coffee beans roasted in Minneapolis (two of my homes intertwining!)
• Take photos of the bits and pieces of my day for this blog post ;)

Easy oven-roasted chicken breast

This is my no-fail method to quickly prepare tender, flavorful, versatile roasted chicken. You can roast as many chicken breasts as you need to at one time, just complete the simple steps with each breast. Easily diced or shredded for use on salads or in recipes that call for cooked chicken.

• Chicken breast(s), boneless and skinless, as many as you have/need
• olive oil
• salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a rimmed baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper. Brush each chicken breast with a small amount of olive oil on one side, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip chicken breast(s) over and repeat with oil and seasoning on other side. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted at the thickest section of the chicken reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve hot. Or, once cool enough to handle, dice or shred chicken for desired use and refrigerate.