Telling people about my college experience and moving far away from home, I often got the “you must’ve eaten a lot of instant noodles”. All I could do was to awkwardly laugh along at this over played joke. To be fair I can understand where this impression comes from; in my first year of university the firefighters had to come to our dorm because someone put a cup o’ noodles in the microwave without any water (insert eye roll here).
However, eating 20 cent noodles with mystery powder spice out of a Styrofoam cup is not something you will ever ever catch me doing.
It doesn’t make sense to me, yeah it is only a few pennies or a dollar, but what are you actually eating?
You don’t really know and that is the problem. Eating a wholesome diet, is understanding all ingredients in what you are eating. Our bodies are not made for ingredients that are over 10 letters and a list that is a mile long.
At first it can be a bit of a struggle, it will take you longer because you actually have to think ahead.
Top Tip: Take some time on the weekend to do a weekly grocery shop. On Sunday night your fridge should be stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables for lunches and dinners. If you are even more keen, pre chop and slice your veggies to make snacking that much easier and healthier.
We don’t all have to be professional chefs to make a delicious wholesome dinner every night of the week. These noodle bowls are the perfect example. It is quick, full of vegetables (you can use any!) and super tasty. So next time you want to reach for that pre-packaged instant noodle, make sure to try this recipe instead. It is made of real ingredients that you know how to pronounce, and I promise it will taste better too.
SESAME NOODLE BOWLS
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless boneless
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 broccoli crown ( 2 cups florets)
- 2 small shanghai bok choy
- 1 package (450g) fresh shanghai noodles
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Directions
- Step 1 Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Step 2 Cut broccoli into small florets and chop bottoms off the bok choy.
- Step 3 Bring large pot of water to a boil, blanch broccoli and bok choy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the veggie from the pot and set aside.
- Step 4 Add noodles to the pot of water, let sit for 5 minutes or until noodles can easily separate. Drain and run cold water over the noodles, leave in colander.
- Step 5 Slice chicken into thin slices and toss in cornstarch
- Step 6 place a large saute pan or wok on medium-high heat with a touch of oil. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes, then add the sauce. Continue until the chicken is cooked through fully.
- Step 7 Add noodles and veggies to the wok. Let sit on the heat for a few minutes, for the noodles to absorb some of the sauce.
- Step 8 Toss in the sesame seeds and green onions.
- Step 9 Use tongs to dish out, enjoy!