Disclosure: I received an advance copy of the cookbook in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. Recipe and image shared at author's permission. Amazon Affiliate links are included with this post.
If you check out my meal plan posts you know I am a fan of 100 Days of Real Food for easy, unprocessed meals. I have regularly use recipes from the blog and the two previous cookbooks. So, I was super excited to be chosen to review the newest cookbook and test a recipe!
I fixed the Easy Chinese Chicken from 100 Days of Real food on a Budget for my family. It took me a lot longer to prep and cook than listed in the book. Maybe I'm slow, but I do know my skillet is small and took 4 groupings of chicken to get it all cooked. (Maybe someday I'll get the Le Creuset 3 3/4 quart braiser I have been eyeing). I was pretty worn out and don't want to make chicken nuggets again for a while. I told my husband if I make it again I'd probably do chicken strips instead to reduce prep time. I also think chicken strips wrapped in a lettuce leaf would taste great and be easier to eat than the nuggets. I also substituted ghee for some of the coconut oil since I don't like the taste of coconut.
The result: The adults thought the flavor was amazing the kids did not like the sauce. One said it was too spicy (I even halved the red pepper flakes) and the other two just didn't like it. I served the chicken on a lettuce leaf bed with sides of mandarin oranges and a quinoa blend.
Easy Chinese Chicken
Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 10 - 15 minutes. Serves 4-5.
For Chicken
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
For sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp if you prefer mild)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
For full recipe instruction, refer to the book, but basically you marinate the meat, pan fry and top with the sauce.
As far as the book, I love it! I am a frugal gal and have a Eating Healthy on a Budget handout on my For Subscribers page. It's free, just subscribe. So basically this book is right up my alley. Plus, there are lots of recipes I want to try. This has helped get me out of my meal panning rut. I am getting tired of the same old stuff. We have tried 3 recipes so far and my kids didn't like any of them, but the husband and I liked them all. Maybe one day, I'll win the kids over.
One note, in order to truly save money, you have to meal plan otherwise you could end up with lots of waste and not any savings. Have a plan for leftovers, especially produce that you don't use up in the recipe. Lisa, the author, includes 4 seasonal one week meal plans to get you started.
What do you like about 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget? Let me know in the comments below.
Health really does happen at home,
Erin Marie
A review on the new 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget Cookbook!