Al Fresco Basmati and snow pea stir fry with teriyaki chicken meatballs

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador(a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews on Bundts n' Bowls. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of T. Graham.

Basmati and Snow Pea Stir Fry with Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

First let me say, I do not like using prepackaged, precooked anything. But I signed up for the Allrecipe Allstar Brand Ambassadors because I love to try new things. So I knew going into this that I would be stepping out of our norm ( for us) when it came to ingredients. Having said that, I will give my honest opinion on all the recipes that I make, and I will try to keep an open mind and set aside my prejudices.

I will also apologize in advance for the quality of my pictures. I have the worse camera EVER! and until I get a new one I have to endure the slightly blurry photos I share ( with much embarrassment..Sorry!!).

Okay, I will say the meatballs keep their firmness and have a generous ginger flavor. It would be better to brown the meatballs before adding the rest of the ingredients. I doubled the sauce.  My husband refused to take a bite. He stubbornly rebels against all things that I do not mix the ingredients to. He wouldn't taste it, no matter what I tried to bribe him with.  My daughter did try the dish. She felt the texture of the meatball was a little weird with the peppers, but thought the dish wasn't "horrible".  I'll be honest and say I tried the meatballs before and after it was put in the dish. I personally do not like ginger, and it was all I tasted. I also do not like hoisin sauce, which turned me off from the dish. But I think it looked yummy!

Why then did I make this particular dish? I thought it would entice my husband to try it since he likes stir fry, hoisin sauce and he loves ginger!  It was easy to make, took almost no time at all. Since my family can't always be reliable to try new things, I use my neighbors (they are like Mikey.. they'll try anything!).  They loved the dish. They ate it with relish and even had seconds and asked for the recipe. The loved the meatballs and even were surprised that it was chicken. I was relieved to have someone to give me an opinion I could use.

Hello!! Hello!!

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador(a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertisers are only used for experienced-based reviews on Bundts n' Bowls. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of T. Graham.

I, at times find this to be difficult. I am at a stay at home mother and wife. I cook from “scratch” 99% of the time. I do not use prepared, pre cooked, or premade items. No T.V. dinners here! I use fresh ingredients; I have an actual butcher (not the kind you find in the grocery market). I do my best to grow my own vegetables or at least buy them from local farmers markets.

I do not consider myself superior in any way to cooks who use items of convenience.  Given my financial situation I am extremely lucky that I have the luxury (extremely careful planning).  Living on an income of less than $1000. A month, I find myself in the same situation as millions of other people.  Choosing what foods to buy is a grueling task.  I have to feed a family of 3, which includes a meat eating husband who won’t settle for less and a teenage girl whose taste buds change day by day.

There are days I long for the quickness of opening a box of hamburger helper or popping a T.V. dinner in the microwave.  What I do not miss is the price of these convenience foods. 10 for $10. Sounds pretty good until you are making 2 per person and everyone is still looking for more afterwards. It turns out to be just not cost efficient.  I would prefer to fill my limited freezer space with a variety of meats. 

I’ll not stand on my soap box and preach the evils of what I call “fast food” in the kitchen. I could drone on about fat and salt and unknown ingredients – but I’ll spare you. Given the choice I would hope you would give “home made from scratch” a try.  I know for some individuals and families this type of cooking is unrealistic. We all do the best we can. I’ve checked out books and websites about once a month cooking. Personally, that never appealed to me. I rather like cooking daily (remind me I said that when I am tired and have no desire to cook!). I have known people who swear by once a month cooking.  I have checked out books and websites on how to feed your family for $50. a week.  Completely unrealistic! The price of food differs so drastically from state to state and with price increases everyday there is no way for it to be accurate or even remotely possible (unless daily ramen noodles are to your liking).

I plan my meals for the month, and I grocery shop once a month. I will continue to get fresh ingredients as needed, but the bulk of the shopping happens at the beginning of the month. So far, this has worked for us.  I can offer you a look inside my kitchen and maybe pass on some recipes you would like to try or some helpful tips. I do not claim to be an authority on cooking or saving money on groceries. I am just like so many others trying to feed my family and hopefully make it fulfilling and enjoyable.

I use family recipes, some from friends, magazines, cookbooks and websites like Allrecipes.com. I will do my best to site the source of each recipe I post. If I do not know for sure, I will post that as well.