30 Minute Stir Fry

Stir fry is a staple in my house. My husband loves stir fry and there are a lot of simple ways to change up the way you eat stir fry - different veggies, sauces, and meats help to create a "new" meal each time you add stir fry to your dinner menus. For someone who loves her meat and potatoes, stir fry is one of the simple ways I get in a meal chock full of veggies and healthy proteins. Stir fry is simple - pick a protein, a sauce, and some veggies and you've got a meal ready to go (usually) in under 30 minutes. This post doesn't contain a recipe, but a few no-brainer ways to put together stir fry for another easy weeknight meal to add to your list.

Sauces // One of my new favorite sauces for stir fry is from Trader Joe's. My sister-in-law introduced me to this sauce -- it's called soyaki. It's the perfect mix between a soy sauce and a teriyaki sauce. It's not quite as salty as your typical soy sauce, but a tad saltier than your typical teriyaki. But, I love a good teriyaki or a kung pao if we are trying to kick it up a notch! I always keep a few bottled asian sauces on hand for stir fry.
-- Teriyaki: perfect mix of salty and sweet; more mild if you're not into spicy
-- Kung Pao: hot and spicy
-- Stir Fry: also mild, often with a soy and sesame taste
-- General Tso: sweet and spicy combo

There are so many options! Your ethnic food aisle of the grocery store will have lots of sauce options.

**Tip: I love buying my sauces at Aldi! They're so cheap and each bottle will last you 2 meals if you're feeding two-three people.

Protein // In terms of proteins, we typically use chicken but if I've got pork chops on hand, I will use those, too! I'm not fan of tofu but if you're vegetarian, tofu could easily be substituted for any meat. Cut your meat into cubes about the size of your thumb. Try to keep them all the same size -- this will help with even cooking.


Veggies // I always have frozen stir fry veggies in my freezer. Always. You can find a mix of broccoli, carrots, onions, water chestnuts, mini corn, pea pods, and sprouts in the freezer section of your grocery store. Each mix has a good variety, and you can always add in whatever fresh veggies you've got at home. Peppers and mushrooms always go great in a stir fry as well. When my sister-in-law comes over for the Bachelor, she always brings a container of fresh cut veggies from Trader Joe's. These are super awesome because you can literally dump and go. The fresh stir fry veggies will definitely be more costly, which is why I go with the frozen veggies that I usually add a few fresh cut veggies to.

**Tip: I also buy a lot of my frozen stir fry type bags at Aldi. They have a wide variety and they're always getting new, temporary products and many of them are different stir fry options. 

Starch // I always have minute rice on hand for when I cook asian food. But, you can use noodles too! Regular pasta noodles will work or you can always find some chow mein or rice noodles in the ethnic foods aisle at the store.

Ready for your next 30 min. meal? //
Feeds: 3-4
Total Time: 30-35 mins. 

• 3 chicken breasts or 3 pork chops, sliced on the thin side and cubed (if they're thick, just cut them in half through the middle or pound them out)
• 4-6 cups veggies (4 if frozen, 6 if fresh) [this is a heavy on the veggies recipe]
• 3-4 tbsp sauce (keep bottle handy if you need more
• Oil (vegetable works fine)

1. Heat about 2-3 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I just use vegetable oil) until hot. How do you know it's hot? Get your fingers wet and shake off a few drops of the water into the oil in your skillet. It should pop when hot.
2. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in another skillet over medium heat

3. Once the oil in your large skillet is hot, add your veggies. Fresh veggies will take longer to cook than frozen. How do you know they're done? The frozen ones will get pretty soft. You also want your fresh veggies to get soft too. Not mushy squishy soft. Just softer than the crunch they'd have when they're fresh. Taste as you go along! This is one of the only ways to truly know. A watched pot never boils -- you want to make sure to sauté your veggies and keep them moving in your skillet, but you don't have to stand over the stove moving them around in your pan every 30 seconds. The fresh veggies should also be bright in color as they cook, too. I personally like a little char on some of my stir fry veggies, so as you sauté your veggies in the skillet and as they near done-ness, let them sit a bit longer in the pan to achieve a little char.
4. In your other skillet with hot oil, add cubed protein. Sauté the meat until almost fully cooked. Why not fully cooked? You're going to add it to your veggies and sauce after a while and it'll continue to cook in the hot sauce. For cubed chicken, I'd say 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Pork will cook faster and gets tough FAST, so maybe a minute or so less for pork.
5. Once meat and veggies are about done, add meat to veggies. Add sauce over everything and turn down the heat to a low simmer. How much sauce is up to your personal preference. Asian sauces go a long way because they're typically salty. It's easier to start with a few tablespoons first and then add more if needed.

6. Let simmer for approx. 5-8 mins. Add more sauce if needed
7. Cook rice. I use minute rice, so I make about 2 cups for 3 people. 2 cups minute rice + 2 cups water + 6 mins in the microwave = rice ready 😀
8. Serve stir fry over rice and enjoy!


Want to add a yummy extra to this meal? 
Trader Joe's has delicious chicken and pork potstickers. And, they're seriously so easy and fast to make. Follow the directions on the bag to have potstickers ready to add to your meal in less than 10 minutes, serve it with soy sauce or their tasty gyoza sauce, and you've got a little extra something with your meal.