Thai Peanut Sauce Stir-Fry and Chicken Skewers

I have this insatiable craving for peanut butter, at all times of the day. Does anyone else have this problem? Last year I made this peanut sauce with noodles and chicken, but I wanted to try something new when Nick told me he had invited his mother over for dinner. I had my eye on a couple recipes, but ended up with the following recipe that was a huge success (although, I'll warn you, it was messy!).

Thai Peanut Sauce Stir-Fry and Chicken Skewers(Adapted from EatRight.org and a recipe from About.com)

Ingredients
(Serves 6)


Peanut Sauce

• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I omitted the garlic, but wanted to include this in case you don't want to omit it!)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• juice from 2 limes
• 1-1.25 cups water (depending on how thick you want your sauce!)

Stir-fry and Skewers

• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
  

• 2 cups sliced yellow pepper

• 2 cups sliced carrots

• 3 cup cooked brown basmati rice (or any type of brown rice or quinoa)

• 2 pounds chicken breast

• 12 wooden skewers (soaked)

• 2 green onions, chopped (I omitted this, because of FODMAPs)
  

Preparation

1. Sauce: In a small saucepan over very low heat, whisk together all ingredients until well combined (add more or less water, depending on how thick you want your sauce). Keep warm.

2. Bake the chicken at 350 degrees (I sprayed mine with some garlic olive oil and added some fresh ground pepper before baking). Bake for about 25 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Let it cool for about 15 minutes (while preparing the vegetables, below).

3. Add the vegetables to a large saute pan, and coat with about three-fourths of the peanut sauce (the remaining sauce is for the chicken). Saute the veggies for about 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender (stir on occasion).

4. Cut the cooled chicken into 1-inch cubes. Put the chicken on 12 soaked skewers (each person gets 2 skewers).

5. Add the chicken to a grill pan, brush with remaining peanut sauce and heat on medium (you may end up with leftover peanut sauce, but the leftovers can be used for tomorrow's dinner!). Heat until he chicken is hot and ready to be enjoyed.

6. Grab a plate and add your rice (or other starch), the vegetables, and two skewers on each plate.

Nutrition Facts
(1/6 of meal)

** I forgot to use low sodium soy sauce in this evaluation, so the true sodium content should be lower than this! **

I kid you not, this meal was amazing! Nick gave it a 9.5 out of 10. I will definitely be making this again. The sauce was super easy to make and I used it on pasta with chicken the next night. If you want to decrease the calories in this meal you could skip the second skewer, or stick to only 1/4 cup brown rice, instead of 1/2 cup.


QUESTION: Do you crave peanut butter like I do? What's your favorite way to use peanut sauce? Do you have another favorite sauce that you use for multiple types of meals?

A Working Girl's Lazy Dinners

Now that I am a full-time dietitian I have the typical 40-hour (plus more...) schedule, which has me coming home around 6pm wanting nothing more than to sit on my butt and stay there all night. The last thing I want to do is cook, but since I try to eat healthy and practice what I preach, I know we can't just order out every night or eat from a box. The solution to this problem is to prepare food ahead of time, which means taking about 1-2 hours each Sunday to cook meat and vegetables for the following week. I also gather all of the ingredients that need consumed within the next week so I can use them in our meals. Here are some examples of some recent dinners;

Loaded Nachos; yellow corn tortilla chips, topped with spinach, black beans, nitrate-free low sodium bacon, chunks of cooked sweet potato, grilled organic chicken, and shredded cheddar cheese

Spinach Spaghetti Salad: Spinach, cooked spaghetti squash, black beans, organic chicken, canned tomatoes (plain), shredded cheddar, rice vinegar, pepper

Chicken, Yogurt, and Spinach Wrap: Whole wheat tortilla, grilled chicken, plain 2% Greek yogurt, nitrate-free low sodium bacon, spinach, sprinkling of parmesan cheese, Red Hot, mixed spices

Spinach Salad: Spinach, 2 hard boiled eggs, nitrate-free low sodium bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, rice vinegar and a dab of blue cheese dressing


And yes, it's clear that Nick and I will be turning into Popeye very soon. There is spinach in each of these meals! We've also been into the nitrate-free bacon. No longer will I buy turkey bacon thinking it's healthier. We like the real stuff, without the nitrates. Nitrate-free meats should be available at a store near you, as they are becoming more and more popular among consumers. Nitrates and nitrites are used for preservation and can actually produce carcinogens in your body. NO BUENO!


We also did Wendy's one night because we wanted to try out their new "salad combo" deal. It may not be available in your area yet because Columbus is a tester city. Basically you get to choose a salad and one side for $4.50. This is the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad and a baked potato (I didn't eat the apple because it's not on my low FODMAPs diet). This was a good deal, but not something we would do often.

QUESTION: Each of the above meals took me about 15 minutes to prepare (or order...hehe), and are loaded with nutrients. What's your favorite "simple and healthy meal"?

Today I'm going shopping with Nicole. I love shopping with friends when I am not stressed (I only have one more thing to buy for Christmas!). It should be relaxing and fun. We're also stopping at Trader Joe's, which is always a good time :)