You will need:
A wok
A wooden spoon
A strainer
1 vegetable bullion cube
A pinch of salt
Grape seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
Instant egg noodles (stir-fry style)
Frozen mixed vegetables (large sized)
Frozen broccoli
Teriyaki sauce
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds (black are good but use what you have)
Time: About 30 minutes
Eating healthy is hard enough, but feeding my kids can be almost impossible. I’m diabetic and both my wife and I are lactose intolerant. These are just set backs in cooking for us. It’s one of the reasons we eat as gluten free and we can afford and mostly vegetarian. We cut carbs where we can, but there are times when we just give in and indulge. I pay for it later, but it’s usually not too bad. When I write about the food I talk about what’s worked for me. I’m pushing 80 pounds I’ve lost. The combination of exercise, vitamins, and eating right has helped. Don’t follow any my advice blindly. See a doctor, dietitian, or almost anyone other than a fat guy on the internet who loves to cook.
If you read my blog you know I do what I can to keep my kids eating healthy. This was a tight month and like most people in this economy it’s hard to eat well and keep money in your pocket. I buy bulk when I can. Stuff I know we’ll eat. Pasta, rice, dried beans, lentils, etc. You can find almost anything in bulk if you want, just make sure it’s something that’s not going to waste. (Like the 50 pack of plain yogurt, what WAS I thinking?) We also buy a lot of frozen vegetables. All sorts, mixed peppers, peas and carrots, name it and we most likely buy it frozen. These frozen vegetables will be the base of this whole meal.
I use a wok, a wooden spoon, and strainer to prepare this entire meal. I start by boiling the noodles. I buy a dried egg noodle. Medallion makes my favorite. The have an instant egg noodle that’s perfect. I toss in a vegetable bouillon cube, a pinch of salt, and let it come to a boil. Then drop in the noodles and let them cook until al dente. Then we strain them, keeping about a t-spoon, and set them aside. I then walk over to the freezer. I grab a few different veggies. I usually buy the vegetables that are a little bigger, for stewing. This is only because this is what my boys like. Plus it has quite a few different veggies in it. I also grab a bag of broccoli. Add as much as you think you’ll need/eat. I usually add a cup and a half of the mixed, and ¾ cup of broccoli. I use grape seed oil, but extra virgin olive oil will work as well. I normally toss the veggies in the t-spoon of water, and then add the oil. I’ve been burned in the past… but that’s a different story. Mix the vegetables with your wooden spoon. Add some teriyaki (to taste). The sugar free stuff seems a little sweet, which helps with the kids eating vegetables. Add a very small amount of sesame oil (add it to taste but too much is, in Ian’s words, kinda icky). Cook these guys for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in your noodles and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Top it with some black sesame seeds and you’re done. We buy fortune cookies (or save them on those rare times we eat out) just to serve for fun to the boys. They love the noodles, and can pick the vegetables they want to eat out as we serve it (another reason to choose the larger veggies).
The best part is it takes about 30 minutes and it’s healthy. (healthier than a burger and fries maybe) I don’t like to spend a lot of time cooking when I could be playing with the boys or out shooting photos.
Thanks for reading…
