Stir-fry is a quick and easy meal—allowing for a quality protein and muscle-friendly carb with the use of little oil. With that said, it’s a meal that should be added into your busy training repertoire. Yet this basic dinner concoction can get old fast. To add more life to this convenience, consider the following options. They’ll expand your palate preferences while fueling your hard-trained body with the most optimal nutrients.
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Incorporate Other Meats
Boneless, skinless chicken breast is a protein staple for many, however the variety of recipes for it can be limiting. Other proteins that should be added to stir-fry are shrimp, tofu, and beef. For starters, three ounces of shrimp contains 18 grams of protein and betaine, an important nutrient that regulates levels of homocysteine—a hazardous amino acid that stimulates inflammation, something that could impede recovery time. Shrimp also contains arginine, which is an important nitric oxide (NO) producer, creating that glorified pump. Made from bean curds via soy milk coagulation, tofu is one of the most versatile foods, taking on the flavor with whatever it’s cooked in. Low in calories, one cup of tofu packs an easy 20 grams of protein. In regards to this next meet, the buyer needs to be aware that the leanest cut for beef is the healthiest—90 percent lean. Three ounces of 90 percent lean beef offers 21 grams of protein, nine essential amino acids, and an impressive micronutrient profile—thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and B12. Several of these micronutrients are involved in energy metabolism. Beef also provides the body with two grams of creatine, allowing you to lift heavier.
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Add More Vegetables
Whether it’s stir-fry in a bag from the frozen section of the grocery store or a homemade version, the most common vegetables are carrots, broccoli, watercress, onions, and peppers. For more of a nutrient and flavor boost, consider adding shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, edamame, cherry tomatoes, and baby spinach. Shiitake mushrooms will bring a smoky flavor to the stir-fry, being able to stand alone in the presence of garlic or ginger. As for eggplant and edamame offer a significant amount of fiber and some protein to help fill you up. Adding cherry tomatoes will not only help brighten up the dish but will also fuel your body with vitamin E and C and beta-carotene—all of which are needed for muscle maintenance. Lycopene is also abundant in tomatoes, and it works to reduce inflammation in the body—an important recovery aspect. Lastly, spinach is a natural NO booster.
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Consume Other Carbs
White rice is typically the foundation for most stir-fry recipes and it can destroy your carb macro for the day. Consider opting for Traditional Shirataki Noodle Substitute from House Foods, where 1.5 ounces has zero calories and fat and less than 1 gram of carbs. Shirataki noodles are clear Japanese noodles that are made from Konjac, an Asian yam. However, House Foods offers a blend of Konjac and tofu-giving you Tofu Shirataki Noodle Substitute. The new blend called Smart Noodle contains added fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. The new blend contains added fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. But if you still want that rice texture, try cauliflower rice. One cup of cauliflower rice contains 25 calories, 5 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein. To make cauliflower rice, use a box grater or food processor to break down the cauliflower head into rice-sized bits. Then transfer the rice to a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Once that’s done you can throw it into your skillet to start cooking stir-fry.
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Add Some Heat
Add a little heat to your stir-fry with Lee Kum Kee’s Chili Garlic Sauce. It’s made of ripened chilies with a touch of garlic. The bonus: chilies contain capsaicin, which is capable of boosting thermogenesis or the rate at which your body burns fat. The sauce can be mixed in with the vegetables and carb base.
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Lower The Salt Content
Stir-fry can offer a significant amount of sodium, mostly due to the amount and type of sauce that’s being used. With that said, stir fry sauce can be altered and other ingredients can be added to make it more flavorful. To do just that, you can swap out traditional soy sauce for the low-sodium version and reduce the amount of soy sauce that’s being added to the dish. Other sauce options to look out for are hoisin or duck sauce. Hoisin sauce will provide that Asian flavor and it only contains 250 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. As for the duck sauce, mix it in with low-sodium soy sauce to get that sweet and salty taste but for a lesser sodium impact. Acidic ingredients like citrus juice or rice vinegar can also be used in place for soy sauce to cut the salt content even more.
Stir-fry is a quick and easy meal—allowing for a quality protein and muscle-friendly carb with the use of little oil. With that said, it’s a meal that should be added into your busy training repertoire. Yet this basic dinner concoction can get old fast. To add more life to this convenience, consider the following options. They’ll expand your palate preferences while fueling your hard-trained body with the most optimal nutrients.
Incorporate Other Meats
Boneless, skinless chicken breast is a protein staple for many, however the variety of recipes for it can be limiting. Other proteins that should be added to stir-fry are shrimp, tofu, and beef. For starters, three ounces of shrimp contains 18 grams of protein and betaine, an important nutrient that regulates levels of homocysteine—a hazardous amino acid that stimulates inflammation, something that could impede recovery time. Shrimp also contains arginine, which is an important nitric oxide (NO) producer, creating that glorified pump. Made from bean curds via soy milk coagulation, tofu is one of the most versatile foods, taking on the flavor with whatever it’s cooked in. Low in calories, one cup of tofu packs an easy 20 grams of protein. In regards to this next meet, the buyer needs to be aware that the leanest cut for beef is the healthiest—90 percent lean. Three ounces of 90 percent lean beef offers 21 grams of protein, nine essential amino acids, and an impressive micronutrient profile—thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and B12. Several of these micronutrients are involved in energy metabolism. Beef also provides the body with two grams of creatine, allowing you to lift heavier.
Add More Vegetables
Whether it’s stir-fry in a bag from the frozen section of the grocery store or a homemade version, the most common vegetables are carrots, broccoli, watercress, onions, and peppers. For more of a nutrient and flavor boost, consider adding shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, edamame, cherry tomatoes, and baby spinach. Shiitake mushrooms will bring a smoky flavor to the stir-fry, being able to stand alone in the presence of garlic or ginger. As for eggplant and edamame offer a significant amount of fiber and some protein to help fill you up. Adding cherry tomatoes will not only help brighten up the dish but will also fuel your body with vitamin E and C and beta-carotene—all of which are needed for muscle maintenance. Lycopene is also abundant in tomatoes, and it works to reduce inflammation in the body—an important recovery aspect. Lastly, spinach is a natural NO booster.
Consume Other Carbs
White rice is typically the foundation for most stir-fry recipes and it can destroy your carb macro for the day. Consider opting for Traditional Shirataki Noodle Substitute from House Foods, where 1.5 ounces has zero calories and fat and less than 1 gram of carbs. Shirataki noodles are clear Japanese noodles that are made from Konjac, an Asian yam. However, House Foods offers a blend of Konjac and tofu-giving you Tofu Shirataki Noodle Substitute. The new blend called Smart Noodle contains added fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. The new blend contains added fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. But if you still want that rice texture, try cauliflower rice. One cup of cauliflower rice contains 25 calories, 5 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein. To make cauliflower rice, use a box grater or food processor to break down the cauliflower head into rice-sized bits. Then transfer the rice to a paper towel to remove any extra moisture. Once that’s done you can throw it into your skillet to start cooking stir-fry.
Add Some Heat
Add a little heat to your stir-fry with Lee Kum Kee’s Chili Garlic Sauce. It’s made of ripened chilies with a touch of garlic. The bonus: chilies contain capsaicin, which is capable of boosting thermogenesis or the rate at which your body burns fat. The sauce can be mixed in with the vegetables and carb base.
Lower The Salt Content
Stir-fry can offer a significant amount of sodium, mostly due to the amount and type of sauce that’s being used. With that said, stir fry sauce can be altered and other ingredients can be added to make it more flavorful. To do just that, you can swap out traditional soy sauce for the low-sodium version and reduce the amount of soy sauce that’s being added to the dish. Other sauce options to look out for are hoisin or duck sauce. Hoisin sauce will provide that Asian flavor and it only contains 250 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. As for the duck sauce, mix it in with low-sodium soy sauce to get that sweet and salty taste but for a lesser sodium impact. Acidic ingredients like citrus juice or rice vinegar can also be used in place for soy sauce to cut the salt content even more.
