Sundays are wonderful, especially book club Sundays... They begin with food for my family's soul (Church/Mass), then food for my mind (book club choice was GOOD, go Stacey L.:
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton ) & a diner brunch with the "World's Best Pancakes", then onto the supermarket for the week's necessities. I create my list around a weekly menu & go from there. The rest of the day is food prep for the week! Being a full-time, working mom, this part is really important. Heck, just being a commuting, working woman, it's important! It provides me with ample time to cook a real dinner for my family which can be difficult during the week especially with my schedule.
For this part, I have to stress how much I love my rice-maker/steamer! It's wonderful.
My toddler, Gabriel is 21 months & loves his vegetables so besides prep for the week, I also prepare go to veggies for him since he's not the average eater (won't eat pizza or chicken nuggets!) Today's steaming was: cauliflower, potatoes & carrots... Then onto rice for another meal.
Meanwhile, I was cleaning other produce & chop, chop, chopping for dinner. What's quicker & healthier & least demanding on a prep day like this? Stir fry! Now some have said to me they are afraid to stir fry because they do not have a wok BUT that is OK! You can use a stainless steel saute pan and a flat wooden paddle spoon. I actually have a
Stainless Steel Wok (Stir Fry Pan). Stir fries are so versatile but the one I made tonight is a combination my husband Michael loves.
All of the following amounts are approximate:
Chicken Stir Fry
- 1 & 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
- Chinese Five Spice (Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, pepper & fennel)
- Soy Sauce (we use low sodium)
- sliced scallions (green onions)
- white, button mushrooms
- Sugar snap peas or the flat pea pods
- S & P to taste
I place the chicken pieces in a bowl, add the corn starch & Chinese five spice and some soy sauce & mix it up with tongs...
I use a little canola oil in the wok on medium-high heat... add the white part of the scallions for a moment then add the chicken pieces. Cook chicken halfway through, then add the mushrooms... cook some more till the chicken is almost done, add some more soy sauce, & then, near the end, add the sugar snap peas... Stir, make sure the chicken is cooked & it's done!
I serve with white rice or rice noodles.
Did I mention that cleaning & chopping produce is therapeutic for me? I love Sundays...
Have a great week everyone!
We live in a unique area of the Garden State (NJ) that is part suburb, part city... Our Bayonne Bridge connects NJ to NYC, Bayonne to Staten Island. We have a small, cute yard. And my Father-in-Law's green thumb manages to grow fresh veggies, fruit & herbs in pots... And still have a garden for his grandson to play in & a patio for us to BBQ & eat outdoors... & Gabriel to play basketball. 
Just take a look at these BEAUTIFUL Sugar Snap Peas 
