One pan, five dinners: a lazy cook's honest week

I am not a meal prepper. Sunday-me refuses to cook for Thursday-me, and I have accepted this about us.

What works instead is one sheet pan and a formula: a protein, two vegetables, an oil, and a different sauce every night. The oven does not care that I am tired. Forty minutes at 425 forgives almost anything.

Monday was chicken thighs with broccoli and a soy-honey glaze. Tuesday, sausage and peppers with chimichurri from a jar. By Friday I was throwing in chickpeas and calling it Mediterranean, and nobody complained because nobody else lives here.

Five dinners, one pan, zero decisions after 6 PM. The dishes take four minutes. This is not a recipe, it is a survival strategy, and it has fed me better than any meal plan I ever abandoned.