Need an easy weeknight meal that your kids will eat? Try this Thai Peanut Stir Fry!

Finding meals is tough. Even if you enjoy cooking, deciding what to eat day in and day out can get tedious. Then you introduce a kid into the equation and suddenly all you’re eating is grilled cheese and watermelon.

E is a decent eater. He loves fruits and vegetables, he’s usually good about bread but gets picky with meat. I can understand, I also would choose blueberries over ground beef or bread over chicken. We eat meat as our source of protein and it’s expensive so I prefer he eats it (instead of waste it).

But this is one of his favourite meals. He gobbles it up without too much complaint. I find rice all over the house for days but hey, that’s a small trade off!

I like this recipe because it’s easy and uses ingredients that are in my pantry. Like all stir fry’s it’s versatile and can be adapted to your preference. Unfortunately if you have a peanut allergy this is not the recipe for you (I don’t think there is an alternative that would work in place of peanut butter!)

Share this Thai Peanut Stir Fry with someone who needs an easy meal tonight!

Thai peanut stir fry is quick to make and forgiving, in other words you can make it with the baby in your arms and it’s still edible! It comes from my university recipe book, so you know it has to be easy. It also makes a good leftover, which every mom (or university student) loves!

Thai Peanut Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp Catalina dressing
• 2-3 cups frozen vegetables*
• 1-1 1/2 cups prepared rice*
• Chopped peanuts (optional if you want to get fancy)

Sauce

• 1-1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1/8 cup Catalina salad dressing
• 1/8 cup peanut butter
• 1/8 cup soya sauce

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook meat until browned. Drain excess fat if necessary. Prepare rice while meat is cooking.
2. Return meat to skillet and add garlic, cook until fragrant then add ginger and dressing. Stir to combine.
3. Add frozen veggies. Cover and cook over medium heat until thawed (usually about 10 minutes).
4. While veggies are cooking, prepare sauce. Whisk 1 cup broth, dressing, peanut butter and soya sauce together. Reserve extra broth for later (you may or may not need it).
5. Once veggies are cooked add sauce to skillet, stirring to coat everything in the pan. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick. Add more broth as needed, depending how thick you want your sauce.
6. Remove from heat. Add rice to skillet and mix to combine. Or if you prefer you can pour over rice. Top with chopped peanuts for crunch, if desired.

Notes:

• Any frozen vegetable will do, broccoli, beans, stir fry mix etc.
• I’m terrible at making rice and can never make the same amount twice, so anywhere between 1 and 1 1/2 cups should do. I make it in a rice cooker to simplify things.
• This recipe is versatile, add more peanut butter if you like that flavour or soya sauce for salt etc.

Check out my other kid-friendly recipes like Taco Pasta or Brownie Baked Oatmeal.