Noodle Bowl Recipe
Every year I get to the start of January feeling like a barrel on legs having eaten everything that doesn’t eat me first and drinking my own body weight in bizarre alcoholic concoctions [in the name of research, you understand].
So, we get to January and we all decide we are going to eat healthily and turn over a new leaf. However, I think a lot of the time people work really hard on what they cut out and forget about the good things that they actually need to put in. It isn’t about eating as little as possible, it’s about eating things that genuinely nourish you, provide you with the vitamins and minerals you need and the energy to function properly.
There is an enormous amount of information on the internet and people have to do what works for them. It’s no good starting an eating plan that leaves you absolutely starving hungry because you will not sustain it. It’s much better to create yourself a sensible eating plan that you know you are going to be able to stick to. The key to any plan at all though is just that - planning.
Sit down once a week and write a meal plan for the whole week ahead. Think about the time that you have available to cook, how late you are getting home, what you can cook to give you leftovers for lunch the next day [no, go away naughty sandwich van with your full fat mayo and baguettes] and how many people you are cooking for. From your meal list, write yourself a shopping list, bearing in mind likely shelf life of any products and using them earlier in the week. If you stick to this you won’t have that awful “what are we going to have for tea tonight” thing every day, your waste will reduce because you are only buying what you need and you will save yourself a heap of time. You can combine it with batch cooking if you have an evening that you have longer to cook, making enough to freeze in portions for future weeks’ plans.
Here is a fab noodle recipe, full of fresh veggies, to get you started for January. You can substitute the chicken for tofu or meatless chicken. You can basically leave anything out and add in other bits and pieces depending on what vegetables you have to hand, or just use a bag of stir fry vegetables for quickness instead of chopping your own.
Ingredients:
Chicken noodle bowl with vegetables [serves 4]
3 or 4 chicken leg portions
Vegetable or chicken stock [I always use Marigold vegetable stock powder]
Chilli flakes
Soy sauce
Lemongrass stalk or paste [optional]
Fish sauce [if you have it]
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Raspberry, white wine or red wine vinegar [to steep the onion]
2 x onions
3 x carrots
1 x leek
1 head of broccoli
Baby corn, mange tout, any other veg you want to add
Rice or egg noodles, whichever you prefer
4 eggs [optional]
Method:
Put the chicken, lemongrass if using, garlic, about 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, a pinch of chilli flakes to taste, 2 tbsp fish sauce and one onion chopped into chunks in a big saucepan with the stock and poach the chicken until cooked through.
Whilst the chicken is cooking, chop the carrots, leek, broccoli or whatever other vegetables you are using into pieces of the same size. Keep one carrot back and grate it and put it in a bowl with a little lemon juice or vinegar. You could add some cumin seeds or poppy seeds if you have them.
Cut the second onion into thin rings and put in a bowl, cover with the vinegar and leave to gently pickle.
Once the chicken is cooked through, for about half an hour, remove it from the pan and set aside. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and simmer gently.
Whilst the vegetables are cooking through, shred the chicken.
When the veg is very nearly cooked, add the noodles to the pan to cook through.
In bowls, put some noodles, vegetables and some of the broth into each bowl. Add a pile of shredded chicken, a pile of grated carrots and another of the pickled onion. If you feel like pushing the boat out, top it with a soft poached egg.
ENJOY!
Written by Sarah-Jane
Sarah-Jane lives in Bridgwater, Somerset with her dog, Daphne and her partner, Simon. She loves walking and nature and volunteers for WWT at Steart Marshes. She also loves crafting and wishes she was actually Kirstie Allsopp (and had her frock collection).
