Sweet and Sour Chicken

While I did my fair share of baking over the holidays, I pretty much got a free-pass on fixing meals (thanks, Mom!). So, now that we're back to the ebb and flow of a normal schedule, it's time to feed the fam. We rarely eat out and, when we do, it's often either Freestate Brewery or sushi. That being said, some of the less-often prepared tastes, like Chinese cuisine, are still fairly new to the girls. I'd like to change that, so this little dish was a good start:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

• 2 local, free range chicken breasts
• Fresh organic broccoli (approx 2 C. chopped)
• 2 organic carrots, sliced into thin strips
• 1/2 organic yellow onion
• pineapple (canned or fresh, cut into small chunks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• fresh ginger, minced
• For the sauce, whisk together:
• 1/4 C. low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 C. rice vinegar
• 1/8 C. organic cane sugar
• 1 T. local honey
• 1 T. organic hoisin sauce
• 1 T. cornstarch
• splash of pineapple juice, from canned pineapple if used
• extra soy sauce and vinegar if dish needs a big more sauciness
• Cut chicken in 1-inch chunks; saute chicken and veggies in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender
• Add garlic and ginger; saute until fragrant
• Stir in sauce and add pineapple
• Simmer all together until ready to eat
• Serve over organic short grain brown rice

This was super easy to put together, it is a great way to use any veggies you have, and I made it a bit in advance so the girls and I could go out walking before John got home. If only we'd had enough leftover for dinner again tonight!

We love our hats and mittens, Auntie Sara!