Cooking is one of my favorite challenges to do independently. Not only that – it is another creative outlet for me.  At the beginning of my recovery, I remember people cooking for me all the time. It was such a challenge for me to sit there,  unable to do anything. I eventually  learned about adapted tools and understood how to manipulate my quad hands. If it wasn’t for the tools, it would take forever to cook!!

Fajitas is one of my favorite meals to prep. It has protein, veggies, and carbs. Yummmmmm. I’m not much of a meal prep gal, but with my busy hours, it is really convenient to come home, relax, and  heat up food rather than cooking.

The bonus part is that this recipe is for everyone. Check it out how I adapted this Hello Fresh recipe for Quads:

What you’ll need:

1 medium/large pan (depends on your strength)

Small pot

Small bowl

Cutting board

Papper towels

Knife (Here’s my adapted knife)

Fork

Meal prep containers

Recipe:

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 red onion

1/2 oz cilantro 

4 cloves garlic 

2 limes 

1 jalapeño (if desired) 

1 cup jasmine rice (I only had white and brown rice available)

2 tbsp sour cream 

steak

Salt 

Black pepper

Olive oil

Butter

Ingredient Tips:

When it comes to cilantro, garlic, and lime juice, buy these ingredients already prepped. Gourmet Garden is a brand I like to use for garlic or cilantro. This saves time and energy. It comes in this paste like consistency. For the lime juice, I just buy the juice from a local grocery store

For the steak, you can buy meat that is already sliced for you. This tip saves me so much time and energy.

Steps:

*Serving size of 4*

#1 Prep

Wash and dry all produce. 

Thinly slice peppers. Peel and thinly slice onion, mince a few onion slices so its about  2 tsp ( set aside for your cream sauce)

Mince Cilantro (To save time and energy, I use the brand gourmet garden)

Mince Garlic (You can also buy this as powder or paste at the grocery). Set aside a 1/4 tsp.

Zest 1 lime (I buy lime juice, zesting can be hard for a quad and it takes more energy so I just buy the juice.)

If desired, slice your jalapeño into thin rounds. Remove seeds for less heat. Mince a few slices until you have 1/2 tsp

#2 Rice

Now it’s time to cook rice

I love using rice because I don’t have to drain the hot pot of water afterwards. Drizzle oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant. (15 seconds)

Stir 1 cup rice, 1 1/2 cups of water, and a dash of salt.

Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes 

Keep covered, off heat until ready to serve

#3 Make sauce 

In a small bowl combine: sour cream, cilantro, minced onion, reserved 1/4 tsp garlic, lime juice,  a dash of minced jalapeño, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, black pepper. Stir in water slowly until mixture reaches drizzling consistency

#4 Cook steak

Pat dry steak with paper towels 

Season all over with salt and black pepper. Rub and coat the steak. Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat (I used a medium pan which worked fine for my strength). Place steak in the pan, and cook to desired doneness. 3-6 minutes each side. Make sure the strips are not touching or they will stick together. Turn off heat. Transfer to cutting board to rest. Wipe pan.

#5 Cook veggies

Use the same pan, heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onion, a dash of salt. Stir occasionally, until tender and charred. 

#6 Serve

Stir rice to fluff, add 2 tbsp of butter, a dash of lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Divide rice, meat, veggies, and jalapeños in between meal containers. Drizzle cream over the food or pack the cream in a small separate container. This is for reheating purposes if you want to meal prep. Re-heating the cream will be ruined if it is cooked too long. I forgot about that detail when I prepared my containers. 

I ate one meal for dinner that night and packed 3 meals for the following week. It was so delicious and just got better!

Enjoy your delicious meal and share it with your friends!!

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