Chicken, fish, mince: cook the piece you bought
Most weeknight stress is a protein going dry, or a packet of mince becoming the same chilli again. Name the cut. Ask for a method that matches the time you have, and a flavour you already know you like.
Name the cut, not just the animal
Chicken breast is not chicken thigh. Breast dries out if you treat it like a stew. Thighs forgive you. Mince wants browning and a bit of liquid. A salmon fillet wants less time than you think, and it keeps cooking on the plate. Pork chops are the ones people overcook out of nerves.
Say which you bought. A recipe for "chicken" that does not know the cut is guessing, and you will be the one chewing.
Doneness without a performance
Chicken and mince should be cooked through. Fish can be a little translucent in the middle if that is how you like it, and fully cooked if you do not. A thermometer helps if you own one. If you do not, cut one piece and look. Rest meat a few minutes so the juices stay put. None of this requires a restaurant voice.
Leftovers: cool them, fridge them the same day, and reheat until hot. That is the whole policy. Do not keep a dodgy soup because the plan said Thursday.
Flavour is a pairing you already understand
Lemon and thyme, soy and ginger, tomato and cumin, yoghurt and garlic. Pick one and stop. A generated recipe that adds five spices and a glaze is showing off. Ask it to commit.
If you are eating more protein because you are trying to stay full, say high protein and say what else is on the plate. A naked chicken breast is not a meal. It is how people decide dieting is miserable and give up.
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