Balsamic Vegetable Stir-fry with Grilled Chicken Recipe

Balsamic Veggie Stir-fry with Grilled Chicken

Balsamic Vegetable Stir-fry with Grilled Chicken is a simple and quick meal to prepare! It's loaded with veggies, which helps with one of my healthy lifestyle goals. AND it's extremely versatile.

My kids even eat this meal. For full disclosure I'll admit that they pick out the veggies that don't particularly like. But, exposing them is the first step, right?!

Here's the recipe:

Balsamic Vegetable Stir-fry with Grilled Chicken

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
salt (to taste)
canola or vegetable oil
Veggies: carrots, onions, summer squash, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms
Grilled Chicken (or bite-sized pieces of beef, pork, or even meat-free)

Combine vinegar, honey, and salt in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.

Cut up desired veggies and meat to bite-sized pieces. Keep each ingredient separate. Heat oil in a large skillet or pan. Add veggies to the oil in order of cooking time: carrots, squash, onions, peppers, mushrooms. Cook the carrots until almost tender and then start adding the rest.

When the veggies are almost finished, add the balsamic/honey mixture and cooked chicken. Stir to completely coat veggies with mixture and cook until the mixture is evaporated.

Serve immediately as is or with a side of rice.

Note: Use any combination and amounts of veggies. I find 2 cups of carrots, 1 large onion, 1 medium yellow squash, and half of a red bell pepper makes 1 meal (plus a leftover lunch for daddy) for my family of 6.

See? I told you a versatile, quick, and easy recipe. Did I mention delicious? You might also like my Kielbasa Stir-fry Recipe. It's easy to cook but has a different flavor.

What is your favorite stir-fry meal?

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10 Excuses Not to Exercise

I am the Queen of Excuses when it comes to not exercising. Just ask my husband!

I limited myself to only sharing 10 excuses in this post. I have used every single one of the excuses. I'm not proud of it. Just stating a fact.

Which excuse not to exercise is your favorite?

Creating an exercise habit is one of my personal goals for Project 10. Unfortunately, I've used excuses more than I've exercised and my lack of weight loss reveals that fact.

So, starting today - NO MORE EXCUSES.

I am training for a 5k, NK5K.net using Couch to 5K as a guide. That means I'll run/walk 3 times a week. At least 2 times a week I'll use some other type of body weight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, etc.).

To help keep me accountable I've set up a profile on My Fitness Pal. I'm stephmommybrain. Throughout the coming weeks I'll publicly track my food and exercise using this app. Please friend me! The more people checking up on me the better!

Which excuse not to exercise is YOUR favorite? Will you join me on My Fitness Pal?

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Teaching Children to Share Their Thoughts

Ellie after sharing her thoughts and falling asleep.

As I'm tucking Ellie in at bedtime almost every night she asks, "Mom, can you snuggle with me?"

If I say yes she scoots toward the opposite edge of her twin bed and I lie down beside her. Then she props her head up on her 5 year old hand, looks me in the eye and says, "So, what do YOU want to talk about?"

I always counter, "I don't know. What do YOU want to talk about?" Most nights she pauses or shrugs her shoulders. If I wait a few seconds longer she'll start chattering about whatever is on her mind.

The mind of a 5 year old girl is filled with many thoughts! The day's events, a future activity, a desired play date, and her upcoming birthday all make their way into our current conversations.

I don't consider these topics important, but Ellie does. 

We definitely discussed swimming in a friend's pool!

I also, don't WANT to snuggle most nights. I'm tired and ready for my children to sleep. But, I'm trying to say yes to Ellie's request more often than I say no.

Because one day her mind will be full of truly important topics.

Topics like a boy she has a crush on, her faith in Jesus, and a painful interaction with a friend will all make their way into our future conversations.

So for now I listen to her chatter, knowing that I'm building a habit and confidence in her that I'll always listen.


Do you have snuggle time? How are you teaching your children to share their thoughts and feelings with you?

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