Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry

Serves: 4-6, depends on the portion

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

I made this stir-fry with the veggies just hanging out in my fridge and some other pantry items. SO good!


 What It Takes:
2 Chicken Breasts, small, bite size cubes
2 T Cornstarch
2-3 t Vegetable Oil
3 t Sesame Oil (I use the red chili sesame oil)
10 Asparagus Spears, cut in bite size pieces
2 Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then make half moon pieces
4 Small Carrots (2 Large), cut at on a biased into discs
1 Sweet Onion, cut in half and then in half moon pieces
4 T Soy Sauce
4 T Honey
1 T (overflowing) Sriracha Sauce
1 1/2 t Fresh Grated Ginger
Salt and Pepper to Taste

How To Do It:

Heat oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat chicken in cornstarch. Add chicken to skillet and cook until cooked through (~5-8 min).
Add all of the veggies to the skillet with the chicken and cook until crisp tender but not soggy (6-10 min), season with salt and pepper.
While veggies are cooking, mix the soy sauce, honey, Sriracha and ginger together.
Add sauce to cooked chicken and veggies and let heat through and thicken for 1 minute.
Serve with Jasmine Rice.

Best Ever Sloppy Joes

I have learned that there is no point in buying a can of sloppy joe mix when you can make it healthier and tastier from scratch.

Serves: 4    Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes

What You Need:

1 lb. ground meat (I normally use turkey but of course beef in the norm)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I have also used a whole zucchini and it turns out great)
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t mustard
3/4 C ketchup (more if it is to dry)
3 T brown sugar
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

How to do it: 

Brown meat with the veggies. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined. Let simmer 20-30 minutes. Taste to make sure sauce is to your liking. At this point you may feel it isn't sweet enough (add more brown sugar) or isn't spicy (add some hot sauce).

I serve mine over a slice of bread and eat it open faced.

Cheesy Chicken and Vegetable Skillet

Serves:  8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

I used the stuff I had in the fridge and freezer to come up with dinner last night. It was good but it would have been even better if I would have had jalapenos on hand.





 What it takes:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or whatever you have on hand)
3 baking potatoes, cubed (red skin or yellow potatoes would work great as well... you may need more)
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper (or whatever colors you have)
1 cup broccoli
4 oz grated cheese (I used Colby)
1 Tablespoon oil (vegetable, olive or whatever you prefer)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes for seasoning
* jalapeno (fresh or pickled in the jar)

How to do it:

Place potatoes in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Cook until soft (10-15 minutes).

Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and place chicken in a single layer. You may need to cook in batches. Cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add oil to pan and then add the onions, peppers and broccoli. Cook until veggies are starting to get soft (5-6 minutes).

Drain the potatoes and add them to the skillet with the rest of the vegetables. Allow the potatoes to brown a little. Season mixture with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add the chicken back in a cook for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium-low and top with cheese. Cover skillet and let the cheese melt.

*If you chose to add in some jalapenos, I would add them in with the rest of the veggies. I think having that extra kick (if you like that sort of thing) would have made this dish dynamite!