Cooking is easy! For just about everyone except me… Everything I touch tends to end up in some kind of amazing disaster. But if it’s one thing I’ve learned to perfect, because it doesn’t necessarily require me to “cook” per se, it’s baking my lunch in foil wraps. Super easy and better than the alternative of buying fast food. Anything with more than 5 steps (one of which is to turn the toaster oven on) is a no go for me. All the prep takes less than 5 mins. Today, I baked a slab of steelhead trout. Looks like salmon. Hope it tastes like salmon. We’ll see.
Step 1: Wash the fish/pork/chicken and veggies. Cut veggies into smaller size if necessary. I’ve used this method to bake chicken breast cutlets, pork tenderloins, salmon, tilapia, and shrimp. With that, I’ve also used broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers as the side. The foil pack can be as big or small as you like as long as the veggies are easy to cook. Avoid potatoes.
Step 2: Season the meat. Salt, pepper, whatever you feel like throwing on there. I like using Mrs. Dash as a salt alternative. OR if you are good at marinating your meats, you can do that prior to this step for a few hours or the night before.
Step 3: Wrap the meat and veggies in foil.
Step 4: I use a toaster oven to cook my lunches. Why? Because my oven at home is broken and I’m ghetto and I’ve learned resourcefulness. The toaster oven works just well if not better than an oven. Plus, since the serving is for one person, it’s perfect. Set at 350 degrees at broil and I leave my foil present in for 30-35 minutes.
Step 5: Take it out and check to see if the meat is cooked through. Nothing sucks more than undercooked food. It takes a few tries. If it is undercooked, don’t worry about the opened foil. Just pop it back in for another 5-10 minutes.
The finished product should be delicious. Ta daaaa!! I’m totally not a fan of eating the same thing 5 days in a row. It’s just boring. So I make these as I go. Sometimes, I’ll create an extra foil pack for the next day to pop into the toaster oven or I’ll buy a different protein when I change my meal mid week. Any leftovers after a day is gross to me. You won’t catch me making a week supply of grilled chicken breast. I prefer fresh and delicious!
