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175 Best Instant Pot Recipes Cookbook

I had no idea that it has been so long since I’ve posted on my blog.  I’m sorry to have abandoned you the last few months.  Hopefully you have been following along on my Instagram account as I am posting photos on there on a regular basis.

Today I wanted to tell you all about one of my newest, favorite, small appliances – the Instant Pot.  You have probably have heard about it recently but might not be sure what it is.  The Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker with other options included – like a yogurt maker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and a saute pan.  I have made a few recipes with my pot and over the next month I will be showcasing some of them.  

I stumbled upon a cookbook by Marilyn Haugen called “175 Best Instant Pot Recipes” – I tried two of them already and I’m excited to give more a try.

This morning I cooked breakfast in my Instant Pot – Apple Yogurt Chia Power Breakfast.  A mixture of apples, steel cut oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, chia seeds, yogurt and walnuts (my walnuts had gone rancid so I substituted a small handful of granola).

For supper I made Orange-Glazed Pork Chops (recipe in the cookbook) and served it with some Green Beans.  There was enough of the orange sauce left over that I used some of it for the green beans.  Very flavorful.

Due to copyright rules, I can’t type up the recipe for you but I highly suggest picking up a copy of the cookbook!

The Cookbook is 240 pages with 16 color photographs.  Retails for $19.95.  ISBN:  978-0-7788-0542-7

You can find the cookbook at places where books are sold – Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.

disclaimer:  I was provided a free copy of the cookbook

 

My Trip Back to Weight Watchers

That’s it.  I did it….again.  I joined Weight Watchers.  Out of all the programs I have ever followed, I have found Weight Watchers to be the easiest to follow and I’ve always had success with it.  Plus I have about 10 20 50 100 Weight Watcher Cookbooks and although they change their points program on an almost yearly basis, they have their nutritional info included on each recipe.  That makes it easy to convert to the new SmartPoints Program.

Week one has finished and I’m down 5.4 pounds.  With the new SmartPoints plan fruits and vegetables that you chew (compared to drink), don’t have any points value – so you can eat as many as you’d like.  Bravo!  I have been so impressed at how much I can eat and how big a serving portion is.  Me and the SmartPoints Program are now best friends.

When I joined Weight Watchers online I received a Welcome Kit and included in that is the most-amazing-cookbook-ever, “Fresh & Easy”.  All recipes are for 1 or 2 servings and they give you tips on how to use your leftover ingredients.  I am a BIG one on meal planning and as I sit down and create my menu for the week, I use my cookbooks as my guide.  Having the tips in this cookbook helped with pairing meals, one after the other, so I could use up the ingredients.

Here are some of the items from the Cookbook that I cooked this last week.

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Butternut Bulgur Chili – One Serving is 4 Smart Points

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Spanish Chicken with Chorizo Rice – Each Serving is 8 Smart Points

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Garden-Style Penne with Sausage and Ricotta – 6 SmartPoints

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Prosciutto-and-Mozzarella Panzanella Salad – 9 SmartPoints

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Italian Turkey Burger with Crispy Oven Fries – 9 SmartPoints

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Turkish Meatballs with Yogurt-Pomegranate Sauce – 9 SmartPoints

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All of the recipes for these dishes can be found in the Fresh and Easy Cookbook by Weight Watchers.  

 

Chicken Apple Sausage Patties

I posted a photo of my Chicken Apple Sausage patties on Instagram (and Facebook) and a few people have contacted me for the recipe.  It’s perfect for Phase 2 of the hcg/Omni Drops Program.  When you cook it, just add some water, not oil, to soak up all those awesome cooked bits in the pan and give your patties that nice golden color.  I sauteed some cabbage with the patties.

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chickenapplesausage

 

Chicken Apple Sausage
Phase 2 Approved
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Ingredients
  1. 4oz ground chicken breast
  2. 2 tablespoons minced apple
  3. 1 serving Melba toast crumbs (optional)
  4. 2 tablespoons chicken broth or water
  5. 2 tablespoons apple juice
  6. 1 tablespoon finely minced onion
  7. Dash of garlic powder
  8. Dash of onion powder
  9. Dash of cinnamon
  10. Dash of clove or nutmeg (optional)
  11. Dash of cayenne to taste
  12. Stevia to taste (optional)
  13. Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine ground chicken, diced apple, and dry spices in a small bowl. Add in the minced onion and apple juice and mix thoroughly. Form into 2-3 round patties and fry in chicken broth until fully cooked and lightly brown. Deglaze periodically with a little water to intensify the flavors and keep the patties moist.
My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/

Chicken Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette featuring Zaycon Fresh

Zaycon Foods provided me with complimentary products (chicken). The opinions I have expressed are my own. #ad #sponsored

The food prices are going higher and higher at the grocery store and I’m always trying to find ways to save money when buying food for my family. A couple of years ago I heard about a company called Zaycon Foods. They sell chicken (and other meats) in large quantities (bulk) at a reduced price. Even more importantly, their meat is farm to table fresh. What does that mean? It means that it takes a shorter process (which equals less time) from the farm to the retail customer (me!).  They cut out the middle man.  Since they combine the buying power of many families, it enables them to negotiate huge savings on food purchases for our family…and yours.

You place your order online at Zaycon Fresh, then on the pick up date, head to your pick-up spot, pull in, grab your order and drive away.  It’s very quick and easy.  The food is fresh and not frozen.

I used some of the chicken we purchased last night to make a Maple Vinaigrette Chicken Quinoa Salad.

zaycon foods chicken

Zaycon Fresh
Maple Vinaigrette
Chicken Quinoa Salad

2 Zaycon chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked
1 cup uncooked red lentils, cooked
1 cup black beans, drained
1 cup corn
Maple Vinaigrette Dressing (or any vinaigrette dressing), I use store bought

Mix everything together. Drizzle with the Maple Vinaigrette and mix until well blended. Serve warm or cold.

zaycon fresh logo

BBQ Chicken, Pocket Radishes and Fourth of July Roundup

Our weather here in Vermont has been amazing for the past month. Gorgeous, 80 degree days with very little humidity (knocking on wood). It’s time to put our grill to full use and not dirty any pots or pans in the house. Thankfully our garden has been producing a ton of radishes and I knew I had to figure out a way to be able to utilize them on the BBQ Grill. Before our low-carb days, we used to make pocket potatoes all the time. I figured I’d give it a shot with some fresh radishes and see how they would turn out. Ahhhhmazzzing! Seriously, I love the versatility of radishes and how you can use them in so many recipes to replace other ingredients. When you cook them, they change their flavor so much. If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try.

Since radishes are usually very small, utilizing aluminum foil help keep them from falling through the cracks of the grill.

Wash your radishes, trim the roots and greens and then slice them. Layer them onto a piece of aluminum foil.  Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you’d like.  I used garlic powder, seasoned sea salt and pepper.

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Then take the ends of the foil and wrap up your radishes, sealing the ends so the steam doesn’t escape the packets.

IMG_1207Now, it’s grill time.  Put them on a pre-heated medium heat grill and cook for about 15 minutes.  The radishes will turn semi-translucent and will soften up like a cooked potato.

We enjoyed some BBQ Chicken along side the radishes.  I used the same blend of spices to rub on the chicken.  They cook for the same amount of time, flipping the chicken after 7-8 minutes.

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Pocket Radishes

 

With Fourth of July just around the corner, check out these amazing recipes from my Foodelicious Friends.

 

Join us for the #Foodelicious July 4th Recipe Roundup!

 

Chicken and Asparagus Bake

Asparagus is awesome.  If you haven’t had a chance to try it yet, please do.  This recipe is super easy, cooks/bakes in only 30 minutes and gives you that “comfort food” feel.

chicken asparagus bake

 

Chicken and Asparagus Bake
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 4oz cubed chicken
  2. Asparagus chopped
  3. ½ cup chicken broth or water
  4. 1 Melba toast or Wasa cracker crushed (optional)
  5. 1 clove garlic crushed and minced
  6. 2 tablespoons onion chopped
  7. Dash of paprika
  8. Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place chicken, asparagus, liquids, and spices and pour into small baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Top with crushed Melba toast crumbs and sprinkle with paprika.
Notes
  1. Omni Drops Phase 2 Recipe. If you're making it for the whole family, just double, triple or quadruple the recipe.
My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/


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Spicy Orange Chicken and Asparagus

I originally posted the Spicy Orange Chicken recipe on April 24th and last night we enjoyed it again for supper.  This time I included asparagus with it and added in a chopped jalapeno (may not be on your particular protocol for the Omni Drops).

This morning I’m on R3P2D10 (My 3rd round, phase 2, on day 10) and I’m down 11.2 pounds.  Last night I had a little slip up.  What is it about going for a ride on a beautiful summer evening that makes you crave a soft serve ice cream?  I broke down last night and enjoyed one.  It was so good.  Ice cream is my biggest weakness and it’s what I crave all the time.  I haven’t found a good substitute but would love some suggestions.  Right now the only way to not give in is to just not go for our evening ride to enjoy the sunset on the lake.

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spicy orange chicken asparagus

 

Spicy Orange Chicken and Asparagus

Round 3 and a Hamburger Stew Recipe

Last weekend my husband and I loaded for our third round on the Omni Drops Program.  I was so ready to get back on track and start losing weight again.  I completed phase 3 over a month ago but had to hold off on starting another round until after our cruise on the Carnival Splendor out of NYC.  I wanted to enjoy the cruise, especially the food, and not worry about what’s approved to eat and what isn’t.  I’m happy to report that after 10 days of indulgence, I only gained 4 pounds.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much ice cream I consumed on the cruise.  

Now that we’re home we’re back on track.  Time to start losing again.  Last week was my first week and I lost 9.2 pounds while my husband lost 11 pounds.  Omni Drops are truly a fantastic program.  Many people look at the approved food list and feel that there isn’t enough variety.  I definitely disagree with that and I hope that my blog is helping some of you out with additional options.  One of my favorite recipes is so quick to make and includes one of your fruit servings for the day – Hamburger Stew.

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Hamburger Stew
Serves 1
Phase 2 friendly for the Omni Drops Program
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Ingredients
  1. 4 oz ground beef (hamburg)
  2. 3 oz tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned - no sugar added)
  3. 1 apple, peeled and chopped
  4. 1 oz spinach
  5. 2 squirts of mustard (spicy brown is okay to use also)
  6. salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown the ground beef in a small pot. Add in the tomatoes, apple and mustard. Mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted (about 1 min). Add salt, pepper and cayenne. Serve.
My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/

Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowl with Lime Nut Sauce

If you have never tried Spaghetti Squash, you don’t know what you’re missing.  It’s so versatile and you can treat it just like you would any other pasta.  It’s a great low-carb, gluten-free alternative but even if you aren’t following a special diet, give it a try.  You’ll be thanking me.  

If you need steps on how to bake one, stop by my blog post on that.

spaghetti squash noodle bowl collage

Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowl with Lime Nut Sauce
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 large spaghetti squash
  2. 2 cups of kale, chopped
  3. 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
  4. 3 T sesame seeds
  5. 2 T basil, chopped
  6. 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets, steamed
  7. salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the spaghetti squash on it bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes, to cool. When it's cool enough to handle, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds from the inside and discard. Take a fork and scrape the "strands" from the inside of the squash. Place in a bowl. Add the kale on top of the squash so the steam can slightly wilt the kale.
  3. Toss the squash and kale together and divide evenly into four serving bowls. Top each bowl with 1/2 of the cauliflower, sesame seeds, basil and shallots.
  4. Drizzle with the Lime Nut Sauce and serve.
Notes
  1. low-carb, paleo, phase 3 Omni Drops Program
My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/
peanut sauce ingredients

 

Lime Nut Sauce
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 tsp ginger, dried (or 1/2" of fresh, peeled and minced)
  2. 2 tsp of garlic (or 2 cloves, peeled and minced)
  3. 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
  4. 2 T almond butter
  5. 1 lime, juiced
  6. 1 T apple cider vinegar
  7. 2 packets of Sweetleaf Stevia
  8. 1 1/2 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos
  9. 1 tsp sesame oil
  10. 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and blend. Serve on top of the Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowl or as a salad dressing.
My Eating Clean Journey http://www.myeatingcleanjourney.com/