We have a problem. A takeout problem. Chinese takeout to be specific.
Every Friday night, husband and I fix a drink.
- Me: wine or a cocktail.
- Him: some sort of dark ale.
Then as soon as we get the kids off to bed, we set up a board game for our mommy-daddy date night. After board games, where I kick his butt most of the time, we microwave the congealing takeout that was purchased several hours earlier, and settle in on the couch for some Netflix. The takeout is partly because I just want a break from cooking, but also because it is a greasy treat. The problem is, it adds up and can be expensive. It is only $25-$30, but when you add it up to every Friday, that is something embarrassing. Like $1500 per year embarrassing. So, I try to cut that cost down by making our “takeout” at home sometimes. If I cook it in shifts, in between bedtime routines and game turns, it isn’t so bad as far as standing in front of the stove goes. Plus, then I can control the ingredients and attempt to regain my pre-baby figure.
Sweet Pepper Cauliflower Stir Fry with Thai Basil
- 20 small sweet peppers
- 4 cups fresh cut up cauliflower
- 2 cups chopped cabbage
- 2 large carrots sliced thin
- 4 chicken breast tenderloins or two chicken breasts thawed
- 1/2 lb fresh green beans
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
- 1/2 tablespoon dried ginger
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- 20-30 leaves of fresh Thai Basil
Place your thawed chicken in a frying pan and cook on medium heat for five minutes on each side. Set aside.
Seed your peppers and cut them into larger chunks (one inch). Place the peppers in a wide pot ( I use my big Farberware soup pot) with oil, garlic, pepper flakes and ginger. Begin to fry on medium heat. Cut up your cauliflower into 1-2 inch pieces and a it to the pot with your thinly sliced carrots. Continue stir frying until peppers appear to be caramelizing. When the peppers are softer, add your cabbage, honey/sugar, tamari/soy sauce, and fresh green beans. Dice up your cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Give it a good stir and keep stirring on medium-high heat for five minutes. Add your basil leaves minus a few for garnishing. Remove the pot from heat and stir it a few more times. The pot should only have been on the heat for around 20 minutes to avoid mushy veggies.
Note: I find stir fry much easier on a gas stove top than electric, but we have electric now and it still works, but without as much heat control. I don’t find electric skillets very good tools for caramelizing.
If your stir fry is too soupy, you could add a teaspoon of cornstarch and mix it a bunch to thicken the sauce. Although, if you are eating it with rice, you might like it a bit soupy. I tend to try and avoid too many carbs, so I just eat it as is, but I do make some rice to go with it every now and then. Especially if we just ate super healthy all week and are feeling super hungry. I figure, even with rice, it is still healthier than our takeout habit. I find rice does not affect my insulin levels the way potatoes and pasta do.
Making stir fry from fresh veggies can add up and be more expensive than making spaghetti for dinner, but it is cheaper than our takeout preference. I can usually get two meals out of the $30 expense making it myself versus one takeout night for $30. Plus, in summer it is actually super cheap if I can get the ingredients at the farmers market. Then we do the stir fry on the grill burner outside to avoid heating up the house.
