This family-friendly supper with flank steak, broccoli, and carrots helps to smooth the transition to fall routines. Assemble all the ingredients, set them near the stove-top, and this stir-fry will take only minutes to get to the table. To slice the raw steak easily, freeze it for half an hour. That gives you time to make the marinade, prepare the vegetables, and put on a pot of rice. Cook the beef in batches to keep the meat from steaming instead of frying, and you have a satisfying meal.

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Leftover steak adds heft to spicy noodles with a new assortment of vegetables. Peanuts, cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro are sprinkled on top, to be mixed into the noodles in each bowl. Make the noodles and the peanut sauce ahead and serve them at room temperature, a convenience when everyone is still settling in.

Shopping list

(For stir-fried beef, peanut noodles)

1½ pounds flank steak

1 cup frozen peas

2 stalks broccoli

3 carrots

½ cucumber

1½ bunches scallions

2 cloves garlic

1 piece (3 inches) fresh ginger root

½ bunch fresh cilantro

2 limes

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

⅓ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (such as sriracha)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon brown sugar

6 tablespoons natural peanut butter

¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts

12 ounces dried linguine