Who's the Joneses and why is everyone trying to keep up with them?

Who's the Joneses and why is everyone trying to keep up with them?  I  know a lot of people complain about getting older, but I think the best part about getting older is learning to care less about others opinions of you and just live life for yourself.  Life is less about comparing yourself to what others are doing and what they have.  The older I get I don't feel the constant pressure to impress people with what I am doing at work, or what I wear, or what my house looks like if someone drops in.  It's crazy but once you stop worrying about what others think of you it frees up so much time to focus on the things that actually count like spending time with friends and family and living in the now.  Plus if you knew how little others were actually talking or judging you, you would be surprised.  Our minds are great tools but can make you crazy and make you overthink to much.

I always find myself happier when I let my housework go and stop worrying about how my kids and family's future is going to turn out and just live in the now.  For this little reason I have always been a believer in embracing the convenient items and foods that our society has to offer for us.

Did you know that even though I am a chef I don't cut every little fruit and vegetable or make every sauce for dinner at home 100% of the time?  I know maybe that's crazy for you to think but hey, I'm busy too and not everyday do I come home from work from cooking all day and want to make a gourmet meal from scratch for my family.  Yes I love my family and I do want them to eat the best but I have just learned to embrace convenience as well.  I will tell you that I do like to take extra time on cutting everything by hand, or making every marinade and sauce by hand or taking that extra 3 hours to braise the meat but let's face it, there's a time and place for everything.

With the unseasonably warm weather and more time being spent outside we embraced one of our favorite fast, convenient, fresh and fairly healthy dinners.  It was chicken stir fry with rice and cut up fruit.

Look how colorful and pretty it turned out!



I started out with a small box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice* and cooked it according to the box.  I will say I have been cooking in professional kitchens for 15+ years and this is one of the best seasoned rice products around.  I have used this product in almost every kitchen I have ever been in and love the smell and taste of this product.  Plus the texture of the the wild rice makes it more complex than just old boring rice.



Next I thinly sliced up 1lb. of chicken and sautéed it up in a little olive oil and sesame oil with some McCormick's Perfect Pinch Asian Seasoning*.  I let that cook for about 6-7 minutes, depending on how thinly sliced the chicken is, then I added in yet another convenient and delicious product that you can find in the produce aisle, Taylor Farm's Stir Fry Kit Teriyaki*.  I love this product more than others because it not only has carrots, broccoli, and snap peas in it that my kids love but it also adds in some cabbage, shaved Brussels sprouts, and kale.  I then cooked the chicken and vegetable mixture for another 4-5 minutes, added the sauce packet in it, and served over the rice.

If you don't feel like you have enough seasoning add a little soy sauce and a little sriracha for some heat and you have a delicious little meal!

 

Pair it with some cut up fresh fruit and what a meal it was.  Easy, delicious and the whole family went back for seconds.  Only bad part was that there wasn't any leftovers for me for lunch!



*Just so you all know, I'm not getting paid for my opinions from any of the products I mentioned.  I am not very brand specific on a lot of items but when I find a great product that I love I like to give the exact brand to give them the credit they deserve.  Feel free to use what brands you like.