Pasta Is Our Friend

Is there anything more versatile than pasta?  You can mix it with just about any combo of vegetables and protein and top it with any kind of sauce and you have a meal.  Yes, I know it has a lot of 'carbs'....but kids NEED carbs.  It's what our bodies use for energy and it stabilizes our mood.  And if you choose whole grain pasta, even better.

This is a tried and true recipe at our house.  We happen to love Asian food, so if you are not an Asian food fan, this may not be for you.  But it's totally tweak-able.

This is what you need to start with:
1 lb linguine pasta
1 or 2 chicken breasts, left over steak or shrimp, or any kind of meat you like.  Even the thin 'breakfast pork chops' are good.

Cook 1 pound of linguine noodles according to package directions.  Any long pasta will do, but I think linguine closely resembles the lo mein noodles we love. Save 1/2 c. of the pasta cooking water for the sauce.

While the noodles cook, start cooking your protien.  I always have flash frozen chicken breasts on hand.  Pull out one or two and cook in a covered pan with a little oil until done.  Or the pork or steak can be added.  Or you can make this vegetarian.

Then, the sauce:

1/3 c. peanut butter (smooth)
5 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp canola oil
dash of ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)

Whisk this together with the 1/2 c. pasta water.  The water will give the sauce a creamier texture.

Now-I happen to love the steamable packages of frozen veggies.  In my house, we would add steamed broccoli or carrots.  Sugar snap peas are great too!  What ever your kids will eat, toss it in.

The possibilities of this stir-fry are endless.  It's so adaptable to so many different kinds of things you might just have lying around in your fridge.