I am sharing my fool-proof “how-to” system to make the best stay-at-home stir fry in four easy steps. I use this method daily to make delicious and healthy meals in five minutes. Having bulk prepped food on hand is the ultimate tool to succeed in your weight management goals. A little time on the front end will save you hours throughout the week. If you don’t have healthy food prepared and ready to eat, you may find yourself hangry and reaching for some not-so-healthy choices. Prepare yourself for success!
Prep Your Food When You’re in the Mood
In order for this 4-step stir fry to be fast and efficient, having prepped food on hand is required. I prefer to bulk-prep my food. Items that I bulk cook are proteins (chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish, etc) and starches (rice, quinoa, or other grains). These items are the most time consuming when it comes to cooking meals from scratch. For example, brown rice can take 45 minutes on the stove. Why spend 45 minutes cooking rice for one meal when you can spend 45 minutes cooking rice for 6 meals? Those five extra meals equate to 225 saved minutes (almost 4 hours)! You can’t afford NOT to bulk prep.
The same goes for cooking proteins. I prefer to buy in bulk, oftentimes I will by 8-12 pounds of chicken at a time. I will cook it all at once, seasoning simply with only salt and pepper. Keeping with only salt and pepper on the initial cooking allows me the flexibility to season it however I like it when I am actually transforming it into a meal. Now, if you are food prepping for lunches that you will be eating straight from the container you will want to fully season these right away. The simply seasoned “naked” prepped protein is a good rule when you know you will be reinventing it in a one-skillet meal at a later time. The key to the protein is to make sure you don’t overcook it! It will continue to dry out as the days pass, so cook it gently and to the point of barely cooked through. You will be recooking it again at stir-fry time!
As far as prepping vegetables go, you will want to trim these down and store properly in airtight containers in your refrigerator. My RV refrigerator is prone to condensation and moisture, so proper storage is an absolute must if I want to see my produce survive more than a couple of days. After your vegetable is trimmed and chopped to your desired size, make sure it is fully dry before storing into your refrigerator. I like to store mine in Rubbermaid Brilliance food storage containers along with a couple of dry sheets of clean paper towel (one towel on the bottom and one towel on the top).
Step #1: Wake up Your Prepped Meat
For step one, simply measure out some cooking oil (avocado, coconut, ghee, or olive oil) into your skillet and let it get piping hot. Add in your protein and sear to your desired liking. You want it to get beautiful and browned.
When I cook my meat during prep I like to leave it in it’s whole form, if possible. For example, cook a chicken tender as an entire tender or a chicken breast as a breast. This allows you to decide how you want it broken down during meals. When using in stir fry’s you can get creative. Sometimes dice it and other times cut it into strips. The more variety you can add in the better. A small change such as how you cut your protein can keep you from feeling stagnant in your menu.
Step #2: Add in Some Veggies
Next, add in some vegetables…whatever you have on hand. Stir and saute until cooked to your desired liking.
In efforts to prevent food waste, I always have a general inventory of what is in my refrigerator and use whatever is going to spoil the soonest, first. You may find it helpful to write out a list of what is in your fridge so you don’t “forget” about anything. For step two fresh veggies really are the best, however, you can definitely use frozen or even canned for this simple process. Having your vegetables prepped into bite-size pieces will allow the vegetables to cook up quickly in your hot pan. Fresh produce such as broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, and onions are my favorite go-to items. have in bite-size pieces so that it cooks quickly. Some items may require a pre-cook (same approach as prepping meat) so that they are quick-cooking when you want to use them. These items include potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots, root vegetables, etc.
Step #3: Pick a Carb, Any Carb
Add your desired carbohydrate source to the pan. But hang tight, don’t stir yet, because we will go straight from this into step #4…
Having prepped carbs on hand is really the time saver here since starches can take 20-45 minutes to cook on their own. Choose whatever you like best: white rice, brown rice, short grain, long grain, quinoa, barley, couscous, legumes, noodles, etc. Cook in bulk and rotate week by week so you don’t get bored with your selection. Using cold rice in this step actually works better than fresh, hot rice because it breaks up much easier and the clumps release quickly.
Step #4: Spice up Your Life
Add in your personalized spice mix into the pan and mix well to evenly distribute into the protein, vegetables, and carb. Mix and cook until your carb source is free of clumps and everything is fully heated through. Finished!
The trick to making your stir fry delicious is the flavor! Get to know your spices and don’t be shy using them. I find most people who are new to cooking or just getting started have a tendency to under season. This not only includes salt and pepper but also dried spices and herbs. Use a heavy hand!
One of the best things about this stir fry in four easy steps process is it is so flexible and customizable. You can control everything in it. Control the amount of oil, the amount of protein, the number of carbs, and the flavor profile. You can customize it exactly to fit your nutritional needs and goals. Make a stir fry for a single serving or make a stirfry for an entire family (or some extra lunches!). For an exact recipe from scratch, try my Chinese 5-Spice Stir Fry.
Hello! I'm Chris, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Precision Nutrition PN2 Nutrition Coach. My husband and I have lived on the road as RVers for over 3.5 years and love sharing our tips for Healthy RV Living. Thanks for checking out our site!
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