When our kiddos were little, Saturday nights were sacred. We had the routine down to a science. Since they went to bed fairly early, we would feed them first then, when they were finally off to dreamland, my husband and I would make a delicious meal just for us which we would eat on the coffee table in the family room while watching a movie.
Going out on the town wasn’t always an option, so these evenings became like a lifeline…a lifeline keeping us connected to each other while these tiny humans tried to do everything in their power to pull us apart.
Those Saturday nights gave us the chance to savor our meals, taking our time without someone asking us how many bites they needed to eat before they could leave the table. It was an opportunity to experiment with dishes that would have been totally wasted on our munchkins.
And even now, as our kids are getting older, we still try and have one evening a week that is just ‘ours’.
Last weekend, I decided to try a new recipe recommended to me by my sister. It’s a healthy chow mein using zucchini noodles and even now I’m salivating just seeing these photos of it. You guys, this was AMAZING!!!
I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make and my husband and I practically licked our plates clean. We have no shame. And knowing that it’s so incredibly healthy just makes it that much better!
The tide is changing in our home. We now have a teenager (how that is even possible I have NO idea!) and an almost tween and frankly, even though so much is easier now than when they were really little, we’re finding it just as challenging to get time together. They have later bedtimes and their own social lives that have us always on the go.
But, that’s ok. Because, we are fully aware that before we know it, it will just be the two of us again. And then, every night will be Saturday night.
So, for now, we’ll keep juggling and balancing and squeezing in time together when we can get it. And you can bet that when we find that time we will be making this recipe again and again!
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini noodles (you can make these using a vegetable peeler)
- 4 cloves of Garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated Ginger or 1 tsp dried ginger
- 1/4 cup low sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp White/Black Pepper powder
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/2 cup green spring onion
- 1 cup Celery
- 2 cups shredded Cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Peel and grate 3-4 cloves of garlic.
- Add the soy sauce, ginger and pepper to the bowl and stir it all together well. Set the sauce mixture aside.
- Slice the onion, celery stalks & set aside. Also shred roughly 2 cups of cabbage too.
- Heat the olive oil and toasted sesame oil together in a large wok or skillet.
- Add the onion and celery and toss or sauté them on high heat for about 1-2 mins until slightly tender (you want them still crisp and not soggy)
- Immediately add the zucchini noodles and sauce mixture, tossing and stirring until everything is well coated in the sauce (2-3 mins).
- Toss in the cabbage and turn the heat off, keeping the cabbage fresh and crispy. Give it a quick taste and add salt if necessary.
- Add chicken or shrimp for added protein.
So glad you could meet me at the Fence today,
Leave a Reply