Who said that taking shortcuts was a bad thing?

The workweek was (thankfully) cut short by Martin Luther King Jr day and this week’s menu was cut short by work lunches and social outings, meaning I only had to prepare 6 meals this week. The theme of this week’s menu is shortcuts: made clear by the proliferation of frozen food in the grocery list below. An Arctic chill swept across the East Coast last week, dropping temperatures as far down as -8C, with the wind lowering the “real feel” to -13C. Whilst this may have inspired me to take refuge in my tiny New York studio apartment, my rattling radiator’s reach does not extend as far as rhetoric kitchen, making it the coldest corner of my apartment. Aiming to spend as little time slaving over a hot stove in a cold kitchen, fresh lasagne sheets, and Trader Joe’s chicken and rice all found their way into this week’s list.

Breakfast
Toast/Oatmeal
I’ll be the first to admit it: I am extremely unimaginative when it comes to breakfast. My mornings start in the gym at 6:30am and even then I still find myself struggling to be showered, dressed and fed in time to be sitting at my desk in Midtown by 9am. A minor goal for myself this year is to evolve beyond toast and oatmeal for breakfast for no other reason than the simple truth that I’m bored. This is a boring meal. It’s extremely reliable, but also supremely lacklustre.

Lunch/Dinner
Mary Berry’s Express Lasagne
This recipe is a godsend – comes together in less than an hour, only uses 1 pot and is insanely delicious. Did I also mention that it’s easily frozen for use at a later date? Nothing like layers of cheese to keep me going through the frigid temperatures, link to cheesy goodness here.

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Chicken and Rice
This combination was introduced to me by my college roommates, and I haven’t looked back. Done in 10 minutes or less, this is my go-to lazy meal when I can’t be bothered to break out the chopping board.