Weekly Meal Prep Framework — The Ancestral Kitchen System

Consistency in ancestral plant-based cooking requires a system, not willpower. The Sunday Prep System is a 2 to 3-hour investment once per week that sets up the entire week’s meals.

The Four Components of Sunday Prep

• Component 1: Cook Your Grain Base (30 minutes, mostly unattended)
  Cook a large batch of one or two whole grains at the start of prep. They can cook unattended while you work on everything else. Cooked grains keep 5 days refrigerated and 3 months frozen. Cook once, eat all week.
• Component 2: Prepare Your Legume Base (60 to 90 minutes, mostly unattended)
  Soak legumes the night before Sunday prep. On Sunday, cook them plainly in salted water until tender. Season minimally — you will add specific flavor when you use them in each dish.
• Component 3: Prep Your Aromatics (20 minutes active)
  Mince a large batch of garlic, ginger, scotch bonnets, and scallion. Store garlic-ginger paste in a small jar covered with oil (keeps 1 week refrigerated). This eliminates 10 to 15 minutes of prep from every weekday meal.
• Component 4: Roast or Blanch Your Vegetables (30 to 40 minutes)
  Prep a variety of vegetables in different formats: roasted (cubed sweet potato or yam) or blanched (leafy greens).

The Weekday Assembly Method

With your Sunday prep in the refrigerator, weekday meals become 10 to 15 minute assembly exercises:

• Quick Bowl Formula: Grain base + legume + roasted vegetable + sauce + garnish. Done in 10 minutes.
• Quick Stew Formula: Heat oil + garlic-ginger paste + blended tomatoes + precooked legumes. Simmer 10 minutes. Add blanched greens. Done in 15 minutes.
• Quick Soup Formula: Broth + garlic-ginger paste + scotch bonnet + thyme + precooked legumes + roasted root vegetables. Simmer 15 minutes. Done in 20 minutes.