When it comes to kitchen gadgets, I am so apprehensive to buy in because I hate the thought of cluttering my kitchen (and life) with dust-collectors. There are two items that I truly feel are worth every square inch of storage space they take: my dutch oven and my 8 quart Instant Pot. I seriously use each one at least weekly!
Since today and tomorrow are Amazon Prime days, there are some awesome deals! I have a similar Dutch oven to this one. The key is that it tolerates heats up to 500*. And you can’t beat the price of this 6 qt . Instant Pot.
We use the dutch oven for braising meats and cooking soups, plus our weekly sourdough bread. We haven’t bought a loaf of bread in years because we’re hooked on this gut-healthy version of a food staple. I’ll be sharing a step-by-step of how we make our bread in an upcoming post! It takes minimal effort to keep up once you get used to it.
Now, the Instant Pot is a true gem for a busy person. You can have frozen bone-in chicken thighs cooked in 20 min! A bonus if you’re like me and not the best meal planner.
When I come across things that simplify my life I fully embrace it! Currently loving this healthy eating meal prep trick:
Take about 10 lbs (Hello Costco!!) of bone-in chicken thighs and toss them in the Instant Pot with a few bay leafs, 2 onions peeled and cut in half, a few carrots peeled and cut in half or thirds (to fit the pot), salt and pepper, and three garlic cloves – whole or roughly chopped, doesn’t really matter. Add enough water so it’s about 1-2 inches below covering everything. Lock the lid on and make sure the vent is CLOSED. Select pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
Separate out your flavor packed chicken thighs and you have just prepped for at least 3 meals plus made a chicken stock (soup anyone?).
Meal one:
Shred a few thighs and toss with onion powder, worcestershire sauce, and BBQ sauce for pulled chicken. Add coleslaw and sweet potato fries for a perfect summer meal!
Meal two: Chicken tacos. Inspo here.
Meal three: Chicken stir-fry like this one
Thanks to Pinterest there’s so many healthy meal options, and almost any recipe is adaptable to the Instant Pot. Here are a few more favorites, but check out my Pinterest board for more tasty options. Here’s a few I’m looking to try…
These Whole 30 and Paleo friendly meals from Whole Kitchen Sink:
Healthy Chicken Piccata from Rachel Cooks (Whole 30, GF, DF)
This is a super tasty Instant Pot Lasagna Recipe from Meal Plan Addict. I subbed the noodles and ricotta for brown rice lasagna noodles and cottage cheese.
Hope you’ve got some healthy meal option inspiration for your week, thanks to Pinterest 🙂
Happy Mangia Monday!!
xx, Rae
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