20-Minute Skillet Stir Fry

Need a quick, easy and painless meal?  And not to mention, pretty darn friendly on your wallet?  I don't know about you but we live on a weekly food budget and finding meals that feed a lot, are relatively healthy and don't cost and arm and a leg is always a double win.

One of the goals of my weekly grocery hauls is stocking up on fresh produce.  It forces me to incorporate them into our meals.  It also helps us to get in our greens and fruit.

Our staples include: bananas, apples, berries {strawberries, blueberries, etc.}, spinach, carrots, broccoli, oranges, lemons and mushrooms.  We eat the bananas and apples with meals, use a lot of the berries and spinach in smoothies, throw carrots, broccoli and mushrooms in dishes like this one, garnish dishes with lemon or put in our ice water, etc, etc.

Other things we throw in the cart, but not on a weekly basis: kale, lettuce, fresh melons in the summer {cantaloupe, watermelon}, sweet potatoes, asparagus and corn.  The kale and lettuce are used for side salads, fruit again in smoothies or to eat fresh, sweet potatoes baked as "fries" and asparagus and corn as a side dish.

I've often said when I'm craving vegetables, I make a stir fry.  To me it is the easiest way to get in a lot of nutrients in one dish.  This is my go-to stir fry.  I have it down to a tee.  And all in under 20 minutes!

Now - let's clarify a bit.  Prepping can help a bit with this dish and getting it under 20 minutes.  If you are using white rice you are fine {cooks in 15 minutes}, but if you are using brown rice {cooks in 45 minutes} you will need to have it pre-cooked.

As for the veggies, having those washed, chopped and ready in the fridge will again save you precious time.  Make an effort to do this right when you get home from the grocery store.  It may be a pain in the butt then, but you'll thank yourself later.

Here we go!

Save this one for sure.  And feel free to swap in any veggies you want, use whatever you have on hand.  There are NO rules to this dish.

Zucchini?  Sure!  Celery?  Yes!  Apricots?  No.

I was just seeing if you were still with me.

20-Minute Skillet Stir Fry
{Print this Recipe!}
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 c. vegetables {I used 1 c. each of broccoli, kale, mushrooms and carrots}
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. brown sugar
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. pepper
1 T. olive oil
cooked rice

In a large hot skillet or wok, cook cubed/stripped chicken in 1 T. of olive oil.  In a small bowl combine garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and pepper and set aside.  When chicken is done, add in the vegetables, continuing to stir until they are crisp tender.

Pour in sauce mixture, stirring to combine.  Serve the stir fry mixture over rice.

So, I'm going to let you all have a couple more days to leave a comment on this post for a chance to win some cute, spring kitchen plates and potholders.  Get commenting!

I don't know about where you live, but we still really haven't seen spring here in the Midwest yet.  Maybe these will brighten your day a bit?

Have a fantabulous Friday.