Since the majority of my generation is getting to the point in their lives where they're going for their dream careers and eventually thinking of getting an apartment, I thought I'd put my two cents in when it comes to cleaning and meals.
Basic Meals for Your First Apartment
Let me start out by saying that I don't meal prep (meaning, I don't cook a bunch of food at the beginning of the week and parcel it out throughout the week and eat it every day). I get bored with food way too frequently. I like to cook simple, quick meals every day or every other day. Maybe this will change in the future if I have children or if I get a job that requires my presence more often, but for now, I'll stick with the quick meals.
My Version of Meal Prepping
Disclaimer: I'm the one who cooks more often, just because I enjoy it and I like finding new meals to make.
My version of meal prepping means on Thursday nights, I write on a sticky note or small piece of paper what meals I want for dinner for the following week. It looks something like this:
On Monday's and Sunday's, I usually make something that requires minimal effort. That could either mean pizza (frozen, of course) or spaghetti/pasta salad. Sunday's are my chill days and Monday is just Monday. The last thing I want to do after work on a Monday is making something that requires more than the bare minimum.
On Tuesday's, I'll make something that requires a little more pep in my step. That could be shredded chicken tacos with salsa verde or marinated beef with roasted broccoli and white rice. Toward the middle of the week, I'll make something a little more heart and filling. This is usually roasted smoked sausage with potatoes or baked chicken with dirty rice and bell peppers.
At the end of the week, we usually grab food from somewhere. On the rare occasion that we don't, I'll cook something easy that I hadn't already cooked earlier in the week. Then, I start the cycle over.
I'm not sure which is cheaper--buying food for every day or buying a lot of one kind of food for the entire week. Either way, let me know your thoughts! Which method would you prefer?
Basic Meals That Take 45 Minutes and Under
Frozen pizza: 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pizza, but we never get frozen deep dish--it's just not the same)
Roasted beef and broccoli with stovetop white rice: 20 minutes (12 minutes for the beef and broccoli to roast in the oven, 15 minutes for the rice to cook, and then add another 5 minutes for the rice to absorb the water after its cooked)
Roasted sausages and potatoes: 30-45 minutes (this depends on the temperature you cook the food on AND whether or not you like your sausages crispy; regardless, make sure you spray the pan with Pam or use olive oil to coat the baking dish in order to prevent the food from sticking)
Shredded chicken tacos: Depends on when the chicken is no longer pink. However, I usually add a fajita seasoning afterward for flavor and cook it a little longer. So, I make sure the chicken isn't TOO done so that I can let it marinate in the seasoning afterward. I also shred the chicken when it's a LITTLE bit cooked so it's easier to tear a part the chicken.
Pro tip: Use a hand mixer to shred the chicken. Put the non-shredded chicken into a large bowl and cover with your arm or a towel so the chicken doesn't fly everywhere while it's being torn a part.
Dirty rice: If you use boxed rice that already includes the mix, about 25 minutes.
Spanish rice: If you use the boxed rice that already includes the mix, about 18 minutes.
Regular white rice: 20 minutes (15 to cook, 5 to absorb the water)
Spaghetti: 17 minutes (I cook mine for 15 minutes and then add in the sauce--after the spaghetti has drained--over low heat for 2 minutes).
Pasta salad: It depends on how long I refrigerate the pasta. I cook the pasta for 15 minutes, drain it, run cold water over it for about 10 or so minutes, then refrigerate it for about 15 or so minutes before eating. If I'm super hungry, I may not even wait that 15 minutes.
Baked chicken: Depends on what temperature you cook it on. If it's 450, it'll take about 15 minutes. If it's 350, it'll take about 35-40 minutes.
My Basic Weekend Cleaning Plan
We do the majority of my cleaning (including laundry) on the weekend because that's when we have the most free time and the most energy. In the new year, I hope to assign each day to cleaning a specific part of my apartment. Here's how my Saturday is laid out:
Wake up around 9 or 9:30 (because Greyleigh, my cat, meows until I feed her)
Feed my cat, make some coffee, and eat breakfast
Straighten up/clean the bedroom
Clean the kitchen, including: cleaning the table, the stove, sink (because sinks get dirty too!), dish drying rack, countertops
Sweep the kitchen floor, vacuum any stray kitty litter around the litter box, and mop the floor.
Clean the bathroom, including: sweeping the floor, cleaning the toilet, wiping down the mirror, cleaning the tub, and mopping the floor
Sweet and mop the living room floor, vacuum the rugs, dust off the tables and TV, and spray down the couch with fabric freshener
Every now and then, I'll sweep and mop the bedroom floor. Our room is pretty small, so moving things around can be a pain.
On Saturday night or Sunday night, my boyfriend and I do the laundry because there's fewer people doing their laundry at those times. My cleaning plan is pretty simple because I do a little bit of cleaning every day.
When I wake up, I make the bed and spray it with fabric freshener.
I try to make sure the counters and stove are clean at the end of the day.
If the bathroom sink is getting dirty, I take a Clorox wipe and clean it up.
If I notice the tub doesn't look too great, I spray it with Clorox or sprinkle Comet in it and clean it.
Floors looking dusty? I take 2 minutes out of my day and sweep them.
Wondering about our closets? The only closet that can get messy is our linen closet. I recently rearranged it so my boyfriend and I have easy access to everything we need and to remind us to put things back where they came from.
Doing these things throughout the week helps me stay on top of the cleanliness of my home and prevent me from taking hours out of my day to clean. By around 11, I'm done cleaning and I can shower and relax before it's time to go grocery shopping.
I hope my meal plan and cleaning plan helps you out when you're ready to move out on your own (or influences you to try new food and a new cleaning plan). If you have any favorite meals, leave them in a comment below! If you have your own cleaning schedule, I'd love to hear that, too!
