Weeknight meals are consistently evolving with my family. Maybe it is because I have a toddler at home but it seems every month as he continues to develop and gain new skills our plan for quick family meals gets a revamp for what’s working in the moment. Regardless of how our family meals come together I am always committed to a family mealtime where we all sit together without electronic distractions and share a meal of wholesome real foods. I strive to create practices that make mealtime with a toddler easier but some days we just have to embrace the fact that he is tossing everything on is plate across the kitchen and take heart in knowing that this too will pass.

One thing that is currently consistently working for us is my spin on healthy takeout. Making a homemade easy stir-fry is one of our favorite family meals for adults and toddler friendly foods. Stir-fry is great for family as it cooks quickly and offers variety so there is always something that everyone likes and a way to easily introduce new foods in a familiar setting. The best part of this easy weeknight cooking is it can use up ingredients I have on hand serving up a variety of tasty vegetables in a homemade version of healthy takeout sauce without the extra sugar and fat. This is one easy stir-fry everyone will love for weeknight dinners.

Asian Orange Ginger Stir Fry

1-2 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced (1 clove)

2 oranges zest and juice for 2 teaspoons zest about ½ cup juice

3-4 cups vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, green beans, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms all work well)

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1-tablespoon cold water

Wash and cut vegetables so they are similar sizes and set aside on night I know I will be home late I usually do this the night before. Remember the larger and denser the vegetable the longer it will take to cook. Carrot chunks will take longer to cook and sliced zucchini, add carrots in the beginning of the cooking process and add softer vegetables like mushrooms once the denser vegetables are partially cooked. Our use shredded or matchstick carrots for quick even cooking.

In a small bowl combine the orange juice, zest, soy sauce, water and cornstarch mixture and set aside.

Once you have all your vegetables cut and sauce ready you are set to begin cooking. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant but not burned, about 1 minute.

Add the cut vegetables and cook until just slightly tender 2-3 minutes.

Add the reserved orange juice mixture bring to a boil and allow to simmer 1 minute until sauce is slightly thickened*. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over cooked rice or quinoa.

3 Tips for Success:

Size Matters: Knife skills are important for visual interest; texture and making sure things cook evenly. Use a shape knife and try to make your vegetable roughly the same size.

Don’t Crowd the Pan: If you have too much food in the pan the ingredients will not cook well. They need room to move in the pan, they word sauté its self means “to Jump” the ingredients need room to jump. Use no more than four cups of chopped hard or medium-hard vegetables or eight cups chopped leafy greens in a 14-inch wok. A sauté pan will work for sit fry as well but it is not the best for large amounts of leafy greens.

Dry the Vegetables: If your vegetables are wet you will not be stir-frying but steaming and braising* in the pan creating softer vegetables this may be ok if you need a softer texture for younger eaters. If you need to cook the vegetables longer to achieve a desired texture feel free to add a little more orange juice to the pan so there is moisture.