I don’t like cold sandwiches for lunch and I never have. There, I said it. In particular, I don’t like cold sandwiches that were made hours before. Ick! I still want a quick healthy lunch, but I would rather it not come between two slices of bread unless they are freshly buttered and grilled!
I prefer a nice hot lunch, (although reheated is just fine with me!) To cope with my lunch weirdness and our generally crazy homeschooling schedule, I have taken to making a big batch of “lunch food” early in the week that I can just pull out and re-heat during the week and take to our co-op on Wednesdays. This Asian rice noodle bowl is my current favorite. I swear I could eat it everyday!
For the sake of honesty, I have to admit that not everyone in my family love this quick healthy lunch as much as I do. My oldest daughter and my mom are on Team Rice Noodle with me, but Eric and the littles, well, if they want the sad sandwich instead, that just means more noodles for me!
The beauty of this dish is that I make it with whatever meats and vegetables I happen to have on hand. That means, that often as not, I make this a beautiful vegetarian dish. In fact, I took this as a “get well” meal to a vegetarian friend recently and it was well-received. (It traveled the 40 minute trip very well in a covered disposable dish.)
But enough about me, let’s talk about those delicious noodles. I find them easily at the larger grocery stores around here. Even Wal-Mart has them. Go figure. They are called “Maifun Rice Sticks.” I soften them with boiling water, but if you were to fry them very briefly, you might recognize them as the crunchy white noodle things that are often served under Mongolian Beef in Chinese restaurants.
So, we’ve established what type of noodle to use, and that we can throw in whatever meat or veggies we have on hand. How about we up the protein level by scrambling in a bunch of delicious farm fresh eggs? Chicken keepers are nodding along, thinking, “Hooray! Another recipe to use up some of these eggs that are taking over my counter!”
Don’t be shy, I heard you.
So, since I’m starting to get really hungry just thinking about it, here’s the recipe for you!
***Disclaimer! This is not meant to be an authentic Asian recipe. It is merely something I put together and enjoy frequently using ingredients I love. Please don’t get mad if it’s not like your mama made!***
Quick Healthy Lunch Recipe
- One 6.75 oz package of maifun rice sticks
- 1 kettle of boiling water
- ½ cup soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 cups vegetables, chopped
- 2 cups cooked meat in bite-size pieces (optional)
- 8 eggs, beaten
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Place rice noodles in a ceramic bowl (that can take heat) and pour enough boiling water over the top to cover them. Set aside.
- Mix up sauce ingredients: soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha and garlic and set aside.
- Melt coconut oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Stir fry vegetables in the oil, adding a little salt and pepper if desired.
- Add in the meat to warm if using.
- Make a "well" in the center of the mixture and pour in the eggs. Let them set for a minute before scrambling them about the pan and into the meat and veggie mixture.
- Noodles should be soft by now, so drain them well and add to the pan.
- Toss with the meat, eggs, and veggies.
- Pour sauce onto the noodles and toss it around, adding a bit more soy sauce if it looks dry.
- Serve and enjoy! The leftovers reheat very well!
In case some of my ingredients seemed unusual to you, here are a couple affiliate links that may help, but you should be able to find these things in most larger grocery stores.
Liquid aminos is just a soy sauce substitute. It’s tasty, it’s supposed to be healthier and I can find it a great big bottle. Score! (Using regular soy sauce is just fine though. I’m NOT the food police!)
Sriracha. Yum, this Asian hot sauce is simply amazing! It just gives food a happy little kick! I highly recommend grabbing a bottle (or 2) next time you are out if you like spicy foods at all
Am I alone in my love of a hot lunch?
What do you and your family like to eat for lunch?
If you like this quick easy lunch recipe for Asian rice noodles, you might also like my “Yummy Food” Pinterest board and my recipe index for this blog.
Also, if you haven’t heard, I have a cookbook coming out soon! Sign up for Beulah’s mooooooosletter and she’ll deliver all the farm news, recipes and cookbook updates from the cow’s point of view!
***This post contains affiliate links. That means that a small percentage of the purchase price of items bought through my links goes toward keeping this blog up and running and food in Beulah’s bowl, so thanks!***
