It’s Wednesday night and you’re asking yourself what your going to make for dinner tonight. This is something many of my friends dread, they hate the monotony of cooking night after night. They tell me they like to cook when they have time and are making something special but to think of something every night is daunting.

I think that is the difference with those of us that love to cook. We think about cooking ALL OF THE TIME. Weird. I know. Seriously, when I have guests staying with me, often they stumble out of their room in the morning and before they have thought about their breakfast, I am asking them what they want for dinner. With startled looks on their faces, they say “I haven’t even thought of breakfast yet!” “Oh, sorry” I say, “I woke up this morning thinking about what I was making for dinner!”.

One of my tricks for midweek cooking is to have a list of dishes I know how to make. I keep this list on my ipad in the list section, right next to the grocery list. Look at the bottom of this post and you will see all of the recipes we have made together so far. All of these are on my list. Then, on Sunday, I sit down and select only the dishes I want to make during the current week. I usually select a few midweek dishes and a few “fancy” dishes that feel more like a celebration, these are for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I don’t have to remember everything I make, its already on the list, I just select the things I feel like eating that week. Some dinners we eat every week because we like them so much, others are only rotated in once in a while. After I have selected which recipes I will make, I make a list of the groceries I will need. Because these are all items I have made before, in fact often, they are not hard for me and don’t demand a lot of thinking on my part like a new recipe does. In fact, I have most of the ingredients. I just need to buy the fresh ingredients needed.

So, if I know that I am making Broccoli Stir Fry, I know that I will need to lay the frozen beef out from my freezer the morning I want to make it. Usually, when I buy the thinly sliced beef, I know that I will either use it for Fajitas, Broccoli Beef Stir Fry or Vietnamese Beef salad. Usually, I buy it when I see a good deal, bring it home, slice it up and stick it in the freezer in a baggie. Then the morning I plan to make it, I set it out, add the spices and marinade to it and leave it on the counter to defrost and marinate. Then, when I get home, tired from work or my days activities, I only have to do 30 minutes of work to have a hot, healthy dinner on the table. Move over Rachel Ray, theres another “thirty minute cook” in the house!

Chinese Broccoli Beef Stir Fry is a dish I have been making for years. This is a good mid-week meal and can be made in many variations. Over the years I have made it vegetarian by using Portabella mushrooms instead of beef. It can also be adapted for the Keto diet by omitting the rice and making it a “Keto Bowl”. For this variation you would also omit the cornstarch and water, the sauce will not be as thick but still very good. Its a good way to get all of your veggies and fiber! We eat it on nights we have a meeting to attend and need a quick and easy meal that doesn’t make us feel too sleepy or heavy.

Chinese Broccoli Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

Beef Marinade:

1 pound beef (500 g)( I usually use a cheap steak or any thin sliced beef)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 garlic minced

Stir Fry:

1 bunch broccoli

1 pound (500 g) white mushrooms (use portabella if you want a vegetarian version)

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1 1″ section of ginger

a few dashes crushed red pepper flakes

Stir Fry Sauce:

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Sriracha hot sauce if you have it

1 teaspoon Sesame OIl

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch (omit for Keto)

1/4 cup Tablespoons water

Rice:

2 cups white long grain rice (400g)

4 cups water (1 liter or 1 quart)

1 teaspoon salt

Toppings:

1 red hot pepper

sliced green onions

sesame seeds

Instructions:

Early in the day slice beef into thin slices and marinate with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.

If the meat is thick cut or tough you may want to start its cooking a little earlier. Sauté in a pan until brown, then add a little water and continue cooking until it is fork tender. A pressure cooker really speeds up the time.

A half hour before serving dinner, start your rice. Add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water and salt to a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on low for 20 minutes.

Prepare sauce by adding corn starch, Sriracha, soy sauce and sesame oil to a small bowl, stir and have ready.

Cut onion into wedges, cut broccoli into small spears, quarter mushrooms, mince garlic, peel and mince ginger. (See directions below if you are new to cutting up ginger). Set aside all veggies.

After the beef is ready and fork tender, remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare a large skillet or wok with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and mushrooms to the hot skillet, cook until all are brown. While they are cooking add the garlic and ginger, not too early because you do not want to burn the garlic, you may want to add it toward the end. Add the beef but there should be no liquid. If there is reserve it and set it aside, if you need to add more liquid later you can use it.

Add the broccoli and 1/4 cup of water(or reserved beef broth)to the skillet with the onions, mushrooms, ginger and ginger , bring to a boil and cover for 3-5 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green. Stir in the sauce, it should bubble and thicken, add more water if necessary.

Arrange your plate by spooning your rice on the plate. Top with Broccoli Beef and sliced green onions, sliced red hot pepper and sesame seeds. Serve to your happy family. My husband eats it Keto style!