Up Your Nutrition Game By Growing Your Own Stir Fry

As March is winding down, so is National Nutritional Month. Getting the proper nutrition is sometimes difficult in the fast-paced world that we live in these days. But an easy way to do that is to be sure you are consuming the proper and recommended amount daily fruits and vegetables.

One way to be sure you always have fresh veggies and fruits on hand or to grow them yourselves – like in container gardens.  Not everyone has a green thumb or large amounts of land grow garden but finding an old bucket or feed trough is an easy way to start your own container gardens.

Here in Texas, there is plenty of sunshine, so container gardens are something we can just throw in the side yard, or even on the front porch as long as your plants can get adequate sunlight. The availability of starter plants is large, as you should be able to find them at your local feed or discount stores, maybe even some grocery stores. If you really want to get your hands dirty so to speak, you can buy seed packets to grow your own plans. Maybe even growing some to share with your neighbor as well.

Growing those fruits and vegetables at home gives you easy access to fresh things such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, and tomatoes, just to name a few.

You can also grow your own herbs in container gardens. The fresh taste of basil, oregano, or cilantro straight out the window seal, adds a great touch of flavor to any dish.

A great way to use all those vegetables is in a simple stir fry. You can add a protein/meat or just make it a vegetarian dish and also a homemade stir fry sauce.

First, wash all vegetables.  Secondly chop or dice the vegetables to desired sizes and amounts.

Second, choose your protein. Lean ideas include chicken, shrimp, or tofu.   Cut protein into decided sizes.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add your protein and cook until brown and almost cooked through.  Moved protein to a clean plate.

Third, add another tablespoon of oil to pan and add your vegetables.  Stir fry until they are crisp.  Then add the protein back into that same hot pan.

Next is your stir fry sauce, and here is where you really have to watch the sugar content.  There are several options of sauces available to buy off the shelf, but you can also make your own.  Again, the amounts are what your tastes desire and also allows you to control your ingredients and flavors.

Some chicken broth, low sodium soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, minced fresh ginger, crushed red pepper flakes and minced garlic, and cornstarch are a good place to start.  Pick and choose the amount of each ingredient you want in for flavor into an airtight jar/container.  Then just shake all the ingredients together. The sauce can also be made in a small bowl and mixed with a whisk.  The leftover sauce should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Add the prepared stir fry sauce into the pan with the vegetables and protein.  Stir until the sauce thickens and the protein is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

The stir fry can be served alone, or with some brown rice, or the ever so popular cauliflower rice.

Growing your own food takes time and patience, but the benefits are well worth it in keeping our proper nutrition consumption in check.

Written by: Marie Bakken