Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry

Stir fry is quick, easy, and a great way to get veggies into your meal.  One of my go to counseling recommendations is half your plate fruits and vegetables.  And, not just for meals but also snacks.

Just to share... this week I decided to cut down on my gluten free pretzel snack consumption... which is A LOT haha and instead I am going to snack on fruits and nuts :).  I bought pears, honey crisp apples (I learned to love these while I lived in Ithaca), and frozen fruit for smoothies!  My mom and dad also bought this huge mixed nut jar from Sam's club.  I can see where I get it from haha.  Anyways, they gave me half of it yesterday because they won't finish it.  So, now it is in a mason jar in my cabinet where I used to store the gluten free pretzels.  It is a little goal, but I think manageable and achievable :).

I am a fan of realistic goal setting.  I think goals should be made one at a time, worked on, reassessed, and modified.  Now, that we are about to start February, with the holidays over and we are back to our routines, I think it is the perfect time to make and start working on one goal.  Maybe choose one meal to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Like my snacks.  Maybe go to the gym for the first time or if you decided to join a gym in January go an extra day this week.  Or, try a new work out like yoga.  Whatever it is, this healthy stir fry will help fuel you to reach your goals and satisfy your taste buds :)

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingedrients

• 3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 lb of string beans (honestly, any veggies work.  I just bought a huge Sam's club bag of string beans so I used that.  But, I have added water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn, peppers... experiment a little and have fun!) 
• 1 crown of brocolli
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 large white onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 cup of stir fry sauce.  I used Kikkoman Stir-Fry Sauce because it is lower in sodium 190 mg in 1 tbsp.  More nutrition information on sodium intake below.
• sesame seeds for topping

Directions

1. Heat your wok on high heat, add 1 tbsp of sesame oil, and chicken.  Stir periodically until chicken until cooked.  
2. Take chicken out of pan and leave on plate.
3. Add the other 1 tbsp of sesame oil and let get hot.  Then add garlic, onions, carrots, and string beans or whatever veggies you have :).
4. Cook veggies until tender.  
5. Add 1 cup of stir fry sauce and chicken to wok and stir.
6. Let simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and enjoy!

Nutrition Nugget on Sodium 

The American Heart Association Recommends less than 2300 mg of salt a day with an ideal limit of less than 1500 mg.

• Do you know why we should stay away from a high salt diet?  

It is because it increases our blood pressure.  High blood pressure is bad because it injuries our vessel linings and damages our heart.  Water follows salt.  So, if you eat a high salt diet, your body will retain water and that water increases the volume of blood in your arteries causing increased pressure, hence high blood pressure.

• What are food high in salt?  

Do you know everything has salt... even vegetables!? So, less than 1500 mg a day is really hard.  But, a good rule of thumb is to stay away from processed, canned or takeout foods.  For example, if you eat a sandwich with deli meat for lunch, 2 slices of whole grain bread are about 280 mg of sodium, 2 ounces of deli meat turkey has about 600 mg, 1 slice of cheese 175 mg, and 1 tbsp of mustard is 55 mg.  Then add a bag of baked chips is 150 mg and a sugar free ice tea is another 50 mg.  Your total for lunch alone is 1310 mg!!!  See how easy it is to go over the sodium intake recommended in a day.

• What foods are low in sodium?  

Fresh fruits and veggies are always the right answer in a healthy lifestyle.  This fits perfect with this weeks goal for me!  But, now in days most food products have a low sodium option, so try to pick those instead :)

Funny Note 

The other day my jar of sesame seeds fell out of my cabinet and exploded every where!!  It was such a mess.  They're so tiny the vacuum just kept shooting out the other end.  I still keep finding in every room of my apartment.  But, when we went grocery shopping this weekend I bought tuxedo sesame seeds... they're black and white.... to fancy up my dishes and make my dishes pop.  I am still working on taking better pictures and letting my creative side out.  Life is always a work in progress haha.

Stay warm in cold!