At first, quarantine cooking was really intimidating, can anyone relate?! I had about five dishes that I would make on rotation and honestly that was all my husband and I needed since we mixed those in with going out to eat a few times a week. We both have pretty time intense careers so investing time and attention on learning new recipes wasn't a priority for us before coronavirus struck.

During the first few weeks of shelter-in-place I supplemented our regular dinner recipes with yummy home made Banana Bread, cookies and other baked goods. But I quickly saw that combining more carbs with a less than normal workout routine took my energy levels for a downward spin and it was getting harder to keep my mood boosted. That's when I decided that I had to step up to the plate, literally and figuratively, to start making different meals so I wasn't relying on the easy baked goodies in between my daily jewelry to-do list. 

Pinterest was huge in helping me get into a joyful cooking spirit as well as helping me plan for our meals. Since trips to the grocery store were taking a lot longer, I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything when I would go on the weekly shopping run. So I started pinning yummy meals and I'm happy to say I've been getting into the groove of cooking up different recipes every night for dinner and my confidence in the kitchen has really gone up! 

For this first edition of What I'm Cooking I'm serving up my favorite Fried Rice Recipe. I found out about this one from a friend on Instagram Stories and I've made this weekly since I first tried it in March. 

Below is a full pictorial guide on how to make the recipe step-by-step for you to refer to. I always find it easier to learn a new dish with pictures of each ingredient and step within the recipe. But also listing the ingredients for easy reading!

CHICKEN FRIED RICE RECIPE 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup of chopped chicken or protein of choice (or none at all!)
• 4 Eggs whisked with a pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 Head of broccoli chopped (you can substitute or add in more veggies like carrots or peas)
• 4 Cups of white or brown rice cooked
• 3-4 Scallions chopped
• 1 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil for cooking broccoli

SAUCE 1, combine the following:

• 1 TBSP White sugar
• 1.5 TBSP Soy sauce
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Large garlic cloves chopped
• 2 Inches of ginger grated (do not leave this out!) 

SAUCE 2, combine the following:

• 3 TBSP Rice Vinegar 
• 3 TBSP Toasted Sesame Oil

Optional: 

• At the end, add a TBSP of Sriracha if you like a little heat
• Spritz some lime on top right before you dig in

For extra good measure, throw on your favorite dainty jewels, put on a fun outfit and blast the music or your favorite podcast (I prefer smooth jazz or an episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz) to make your daily cooking even better!

Have a great time and let me know how you liked it! 

XOXO, Katie

*First picture by Hello Fresh