Quick Low Carb Egg Roll Stir Fry

I’m a pretty lazy cook. With the exception of a few spurts of inspiration per year, I like to keep things quick and easy in the kitchen. Most of our clients at Custom Fit approach nutrition similarly. We’re busy people. We have hectic, full lives. Sure, we care about nutrition and obviously health, but we need strategies to achieve our goals in ways that won’t take too much time away from everything else on our plate. This quick egg roll stir fry checks off all the boxes. It’s quick, it’s macro-friendly, and it tastes great as leftovers. A meal-prep dream.

What is an egg roll stir-fry?

An egg roll stir fry is basically all the fillings you would stuff into an egg roll, sauteed and eaten like a stir fry. It’s low carb, high protein, and not fried in pro-inflammatory vegetable oils. In this version, we used ground pork, but you can substitute chicken or turkey if you prefer. 

What makes this recipe so great

1. It’s a one-pan meal. This means less clean-up which is always a plus when you’re short on time.

2. It’s protein-dense. 34 grams of protein per serving!

3. Great way to use up any extra vegetables you have in your fridge. You can put almost any vegetable in this dish and it’ll go great. Carrots, celery, broccoli, you name it.

4. Excellent for meal prep. This tastes great leftover and is easy to reheat.

5. It’s relatively low calorie, but will keep you feeling full. One serving has approximately 366 calories, 34 grams of protein, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fiber. That’s a nice balance of fat, protein and fiber to slow digestion and have you feeling satisfied.

---

Quick Egg Roll Stir Fry

By: Marissa Mather

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Approximate Calories per serving: 366

Ingredients

• 1 8 ounce bag coleslaw mix

• 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms

• 1 pound ground pork or turkey

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced

• 3 green onions thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp tamari

  Optional Garnishes/Sides

• avocado

• sesame seeds

• lime

• cilantro

• kimchi

Instructions

1. Brown the pork in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 more minute.

3. Add the slaw mix and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the tamari and cook for another minute.

5. Remove from heat and add the sesame oil, rice vinegar and green onion.

6. Optional but recommended to serve with sliced avocado seasoned with fresh lime juice and sea salt.

---

Other Quick Recipes You'll Love

• Low Carb Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

• Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken & Lentils

• Sriracha Lime Salmon with Miso Almond Broccoli

Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs

This Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs recipe is from Michelle Tam at nom nom paleo. I just adjusted cooking times to account for a freezer meal portion of it. Her blog has some amazing paleo style healthy recipes and she also has some great cookbooks that I often refer clients to!  I especially love her Instant Pot recipes.

These tender, melt in your mouth, short ribs, braised in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce are a dinner dream! 

The fact that this can be made as a freezer meal with no cooking required, and then it can be cooked FROM FROZEN straight in the Instant Pot just takes it to the next level...Dinner Bliss.

How to Meal Prep Korean Short Ribs

What I like to do when I make this dish is double up on ingredients. I make one portion to cook and serve that day, and while I'm prepping that, I also prep a freezer meal portion. Work once, eat twice.  

Check out this video to see how Korean Short Rib meal prep is done.

Freezer meals are just such a great way to consistently eat healthy, delicious food.  

Even on the nights when you know you won't be able to cook. I can promise that you will not be disappointed to bust this out of your freezer after a long day with no dinner plans.  It's even a great meal for entertaining guests because all the work is done for you and you can just hang out with your guests and then serve them a delicious, impressive and healthy meal.

If you're not feeling red meat tonight, check out our Golden Healing Chicken Soup freezer meal recipe.

What pairs well with Korean Short Ribs:

• Rice or cauliflower rice (buy the frozen precooked version -you can get it at TJ,s and Whole Foods- if you really want to save time)

• Cilantro

• Kimchi (this is my favorite brand and I love the daikon radish one)

• Sliced Scallions

• Sesame seeds

• Pickled cucumbers or sliced cucumbers

• An Asian inspired slaw

• Sliced avocado

• Grated carrots tossed in lime juice and olive oil

• A green salad

• Roasted shitake mushrooms

• Sauteed spinach

Are Korean Short Ribs Healthy?

Short ribs are a higher fat cut of meat.

Ok, so we have established that these short ribs are delicious and easy.  But, let's talk a little bit about what they are doing for us. One thing to note is that they are a higher fat cut of meat which means higher calories.  However, it's important to keep your diet varied. This means eating a large variety of plant based foods but it also means keeping your protein sources varied. 

It's important to vary your protein sources.

We often see clients eating a lot of chicken breast, day after day because they know this is a lean protein. Eating the same thing every day is not only boring, but increases the likelihood that you are not giving your body the wide spectrum of nutrients that it needs to thrive! Each specific food contains different nutrients and an optimal diet includes a wide variety of foods. 

Short Ribs contain glycine and proline, which help your body build collagen.

Short ribs (as well as other cuts of meat that are typically braised) contain a high amount of glycine and proline, which are amino acids that help your body build collagen. This is great for muscle and tissue repair. Whether you are an athlete, recovering from an injury, or just had a baby, this is what you need! Also, because the ribs are attached to the bones and then braised in liquid (that delicious blended sauce), you are also getting all those amazing nutrients from the bone marrow and bones. This includes minerals like zinc, iron, selenium, potassium and magnesium.  

Lastly, short ribs and other tough cuts of meat require long but gentle cooking methods to make them more tender. The braising/slow cooking process gently breaks the meat down while still retaining much of the nutrients. One thing to note is that slow-cooking meats causes loss of some B vitamins into the cooking fluid. Use the fluid to make a sauce and this problem is solved.

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs

Yield: 6

Author: Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

These Instant Pot Korean short ribs are tender, flavorful and super easy to make.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds short ribs

Marinade

• 1 apple or pear, peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 green onions, roughly chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos

Instructions

Meal Prep

1. Add all marinade ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Place ribs in freezer safe container and pour marinade all over, making sure they are fully coated. Freeze!

Instant Pot Instructions

1. From frozen, add everything to Instant pot insert and add 1/2 cup broth of choice (I did beef broth). Cook on high pressure for 75 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
2. Remove the ribs from the sauce. Skim the fat from the top of the sauce using a turkey baster or big spoon. Discard fat.
3. Serve ribs with a nice spoonful of sauce over them along with garnishes and sides of your choosing. Here we served it with precooked frozen rice, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, kimchi, sliced cucumbers and shredded carrots.

Golden Healing Chicken Soup

It's true.  Grandma knew it all along.  Chicken soup is one of the most healing foods out there.  Cultures around the world have known this for centuries. It's truly the best food you can eat when you're sick, stressed, just had a baby or medical procedure, or simply to warm up and feel cozy on a cold or rainy night. 

Wouldn't it just be so nice to have this soul hug of a meal in your freezer, waiting for you when you come home from a long day, or just when you need to feel taken care of?

There are so many delicious variations of chicken soup to choose from, but this one is extra special for the following reasons:

• Ease - Honestly meal prepping or making this cant get much easier. All you have to do is chop a few things and add to a freezer safe container (here & here are my faves), or add straight to the instant pot and then the work gets done for you while you prep your favorite toppings. And when it comes to making soup exciting, it's ALL ABOUT THE TOPPINGS.

This chicken soup is full of immune boosting, gut supportive nutrients, healthy fats, ample protein and antioxidant rich vegetables.

• Health - Bone broth is a big reason why this soup is so nourishing. It's full of gut-healing amino acids, collagen, minerals and nutrients in their most bioavailable form. Its also easy to digest and extremely nourishing and supportive. Here you can find some great info on bone broth. I make my own in my Instant Pot and always stock my kitchen with great store bought brands as well. You can find many good pasture raised bone broths available online and at grocery stores. Some of my favorites are Bare Bones, Kettle & Fire and Epic.

Let's not forget about taste - It HAS to be delicious for me to even consider eating it, feeding it to my family or recommending it. I love how this variation is totally different from the OG classic chicken soup (still great but I like variety). The brightness of the lime and fish sauce with the freshness of the basil and mint and the spice of the chilis just check all the boxes for me. I’m pretty confident it will for you too!

If you're looking for more freezer friendly meals, check out these absolutely killer Pickled Ginger Salmon Burgers, and our beloved Maple Dijon Beef Stew!

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Golden Healing Chicken Soup

Yield: 6

Author: Marissa Mather

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This bright and comforting chicken soup is packed with flavor and healing nutrients.

Ingredients

Freeze Together:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
• Juice of 3 limes or about ¼ cup

Add to Instant Pot day-of

• 6 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce or coconut aminos

Optional Garnishes

• toasted crushed peanuts
• 3 cups baby spinach
• lime
• fresh basil, mint and cilantro

Instructions

1. From frozen, add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
2. When the timer goes off, let the steam natural release for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken and shred/ cut into bite-sized pieces, set aside.
4. With the broth and veggies still in the pot, set the Instant Pot to saute and add 1 cup of jasmine rice. Let rice cook for about 15 minutes or until done.
5. Add chicken back to the pot, plus 1 tbsp of either fish sauce, soy sauce or coconut aminos. Stir to combine.
6. Serve with toppings of choice. Here we added 3 cups of fresh baby spinach (wilted in the soup for 1-2 minutes), toasted crushed peanuts, pickled chili, and a generous amount of fresh basil, mint, and cilantro plus more lime.