Meal Prep: Instant Pot Edition - Part 2

Good Morning Friends! I have been having all kinds of fun with my Instant Pot. If you have been checking out my Instagram or Snapchat you know I've been cooking a TON with it. I am shocked that so many people have been checking out my first post "Meal Prep: Instant Pot Edition" that I wanted to create a part 2 with more healthy, tasty recipes you can use throughout the week!

All these recipes below will be used as breakfast and lunches for me throughout this week. I'm on my last week of Country Heat and want to make sure I am using my containers 100%. I know the more tasty clean foods I have prepped in my fridge, the more likely I will do just that!

All these took about 90 minutes total to make! As one was cooking I was cutting, prepping the next recipe. I had a good factory line up going and let me tell you my kitchen smelt amazing!

Sweet Potato Hash: 

Ingredients:

3  small sweet potatoes OR 1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced in 1/2 inch chunks)

3/4 cup diced onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 zucchini diced

a dash of sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Turn Instant Pot on to "saute" mode. Add evoo, onions and let simmer for a few minutes. Add diced sweet potatoes and mix together. Add seasoning. Close Lid and set manual for 1 minute. When done use a quick release, remove lid and add diced zucchini in. Toss together well and let sit together for a few minutes. Then scoop and serve or place in meal prep storage containers for the week ahead.

21 Day Fix Container Equivalent: 1 yellow,  1/2 Green, 1 Tsp

Oh my gosh wait tell you try doing your Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot. You'll never want to cook them any other way again! Easiest peeled eggs EVER.

Farm fresh eggs from our ranch. So yummy

Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs:

Ingredients:

8 Raw Eggs

1 cup water

Directions:

Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Place rack inside and gently place eggs on top. Set steamer timer to 6 minutes. When done, set to natural release (on warm setting) for 6 minutes. Then remove eggs and place in bowl of ice for 6 minutes. Peel with ease and store in your meal prep container for the week,

21 Day Fix Container Equivalent: 2 eggs = 1 Red

(Do you do video chat meal prep with your friends on the opposite coast? I do! lol)

I wasn't sure how this next recipe was going to go. I had to give myself a good pep talk to make this. I wanted to make this to use as breakfasts for the week and took the plunge and went for it. 

I am SO happy with the results...

Feta and Zucchini Frittata:

Ingredients: 

6 eggs

1/2 cup 2% milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

1/2 zucchini, shredded

2 tbsp crumbled feta

a dash of sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Place 1 cup of water at the bottom of the Instant Pot and place rack inside. In the bowl you will cook in add eggs and whisk. Add milk, feta, zucchini, and seasoning. Mix well. Place bowl inside the instant pot on the rack and close the lid. Cook on manual for 20 minutes. When finished turn valve for quick release. Remove dish and slice into 6 pieces. 1 slice per serving. 

21 Day Fix Container Serving: 1 red, 1/2 blue, 1/2 green

BBQ Chicken:

I made this simple, this week. I cooked 2 chicken breasts using my recipe here: I added my favorite all natural BBQ sauce called "Stubbs". It came out delicious!

These Instant Pot recipes were easy, time savers and DELICIOUS! Stay tuned for more clean eating meal prep recipes coming soon.

 In the mean time...

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

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Healthy Homemade Meatballs and Sauce: Instant Pot Edition

I'm gonna get straight to the point with this recipe. It's a modification of my favorite recipe from the Fixate Cookbook and when I tried it out in the Instant Pot for the first time last week I was VERY pleased.

I'm all about keeping it simple, reducing the amount of dishes I have to wash AND eating delicious healthy comfort foods. 

Doesn't that look amazing?! Can you believe that that is 21 Day Fix approved? No need for "diet" food or "processed frozen meals" when you can make something that tastes like this and is actually good for you. Bonus that this doesn't take much time at all.

Wanna know how to make it?

Step #1: Prep Meatball mixture to chill

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup 2 % milk or unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 lbs organic grass fed beef or organic lean ground turkey (note: we prefer this recipe with beef)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan Salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl add bread crumbs and milk. Let it soak while you cut up the rest of the ingredients. Add diced onions, garlic, turkey, eggs parsley, cheese, oregano, salt, pepper into bread crumb mixture and mix well. Cover bowl and place in fridge for 1 hour.

Step #2: The Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (6oz) can organic tomato paste (no salt)

1/8 cup red wine

1 (28oz) can pureed tomatoes (organic, no salt) or you can get canned whole peeled and just blend them before

1 tbsp organic honey or agave nectar

1/2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Set Instant Pot to saute mode. Add oil and onions and stir frequently for about 3-5 mins. Add Garlic, tomato paste, and stir constantly (don't let paste burn) for about 2 mins. Add wine, cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Then add pureed tomatoes, honey, salt and pepper. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes. Then switch IP over to "keep warm mode" add basil, mix well and stir occasionally for 20 mins. Then turn off IP until it's time to add the meatballs in and keep the cover on.

Step #3: Time to get cooking!

Take meatball mixture out of the fridge and take lid off instant pot. Give sauce another good stir. Star rolling those meat balls. Use a spoon to scoop the mixture out, roll it and lay them in the sauce mixture inside the instant spot. I start on the outside rim of the pot and do a full circle. Then continue to add meatballs inside the outside circle tell all the space is gone. Cover the lid and set it to manual, high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve is sealed. Once the pot has pressurized and cooked for 5 minutes put it in "natural release mode" ( set to warm for 10 minutes, then release the valve and remove the lid). 

That's it! Dinner is served! You can poor this meal ball mixture over whole wheat pasta, make open faced meatball sandwiches from the Fixate Cookbook and more! Such and easy recipe that tastes like something you'd get from a Italian restaurant! 

21 Day Fix/Country Heat/Portion Fix Container amounts (per serving): 

2 Greens 1 Red 1/2 Blue (add 1 yellow if you use whole wheat pasta. Make sure you use the container to measure out the portion of the pasta into the bowl and then pour your sauce and meatballs on top.) 2 meatballs = 1 Red Container

Mmmmmm. I like to top mine with a little fresh basil.

So what's the verdict? Well, if you ask myself, my Hubby, my two kids or Nacho Libre they'll tell you...

So what do you think. Will you try them?

Want to see a video of me cooking these? I went on FB Live last night as I was cooking dinner. Check it out:

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

Have a blessed day,

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Healthy Homemade Hamburger Helper: Instant Pot Edition

I love Instant Pot, I love Instant Pot, 

Meow Meow Meow Meow...

Did you sing the song in your head?

It's catchy isn't it?

One one of my favorite things to do is take a not so healthy comfort food recipe and convert it to a delicious comforting healthy recipe using organic clean eating ingredients. The next step is to make it something that my kids will eat too. When all of those factors come together,... I may jump for joy. Or do a cartwheel.

I work from home, am beginning a new chapter of Homeschooling my kids and am helping us grow our ranch! So I'm on the go a lot to say the least (ask my fitbit, lol). The Instant Pot and how quickly I can produce yummy, hot, comforting healthy foods has been such a blessing!

I hope you are enjoying these recipes I'm putting on the blog! If you would like MORE recipes like this you can join my new Facebook Group Clean Eats: Instant Pot Edition by clicking the link.

Last night's dinner was another win for the Instant Pot. 4 happy full bellies in our house and I wanted to share the recipe with you! 

This recipe only took 15 minutes to cook and bonus, it's Fix Portion Approved! 

Healthy Hamburger Helper: Instant Pot Edition

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs organic ground beef

2 Cups uncooked whole wheat organic macaroni pasta

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cup shredded cheese

3 TSP "Better than Bouillon" organic Beef Paste

*Note: You can find this paste at most grocery stores right next to the broths. This is SO much better than using bouillon and so much healthier too!)

3 1/2 cups of hot water

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Dry Ingredients:

3 tsp parsley flakes

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp of turmeric (optional)

1/2 tsp celery seed

1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt

1 tsp sucanat (or unbleached sugar)

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Directions: 

Turn Instant Pot to "saute" mode. Add EVOO and beef and start to brown beef. While beef is browning add all the dry ingredients into 1 bowl. Add hot water, better than bouillon beef paste and dry ingredients blend together and mix well. 

Continue to stir beef while it cooks and make sure it's crumbled well. Once it has cooked add liquid mixture and uncooked pasta. Put lid on Instant Pot and switch mode to "steam" for 5 minutes. Once this finishes pull the pressure valve for a "quick release" and remove lid. Add cheese and stir well. 

Turn off Instant Pot and serve meal.

Enjoy!

21 Day Fix/Country Heat/Portion Fix Container Equivalent:

1 Red 1 Yellow 1/2  Blue 1 Tsp

*Note I used a Red container to measure out my serving.

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

Have a blessed day!

Healthy "Combination Fried Rice": Instant Pot Edition (Recipe)

So as you can see I'm kind of on an Instant Pot blog post kick right now. Yesterday I blogged about how I did all my Meal Prep for the week and how much time I saved HERE.

Now that I've been cooking for a week with this thing I decided to get a little brave tonight. My mission: to convert my 21 Day Fix Approved Chicken "Fried" Rice to the Instant Pot. I didn't want to stop there. I decided to make it a little more decadent and still keep it healthy...

Meet "Healthy Combination Fried Rice: Instant Pot Edition":

Ingredients:

2 cups Brown Rice (uncooked)  or about 2 1/2 cups cooked Brown rice (add more if you prefer)

1/2 chicken breast (cooked)

1 lb organic ground beef

3 eggs

1/2 onion (chopped)

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 cup of a blend of chopped carrots and sweet peppers

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSP Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/2 cup sliced green onions

Other seasonings to tastes

Serves: 6-8

Directions:

You can have some of this pre made on Meal Prep Day or you can cook everything in one evening. Either way it won't take too long!

Step #1: Cook the Brown Rice: Add rice to the Instant Pot. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Close and lock the lid. Press "manual" and then set to 22 minutes pressure cooking time. Once done set pot to "keep warm mode for a Natural Release for 10 minutes.  Then press cancel and turn the pressure valve "venting" position. One steam has finished releasing remove lid, take rice out and place in a bowl and set aside. If you happened to cook your rice ahead of time on Meal Prep Day go ahead and skip this step.

Step #2: Cook the Ground Beef:  Add 2 tsp of  evoo and the onion to the instant pot and set it to "saute" mode. Then add ground beef and stir/flip frequently until beef is cooked all the way through. Remove Beef from instant pot and set aside in a bowl. *Note: this takes about 8 minutes 

Step #3: Time to cook the eggs! Keep IP on saute mode and add another tsp of evoo. Crack 3 eggs into pot and scramble. *Note: this only takes about a minute

Step #4: Add all the things!: Add in your rice, chopped veggies, ground beef, chopped chicken, braggs liquid aminos, green onion and mi everything together well. Toss frequently for about 3 minutes then switch IP to "warm mode" and toss for another 3 minutes. 

Step #5: Serve and enjoy!

Total cook time (rice and chicken already cooked ahead of time): 15 minutes

*Note: If you need to cook up a chicken breast see my recipe here. 

Total Container Servings for those of you doing 21 Day Fix or Country Heat:

1 Red

1 Yellow

1 Green

1 tsp

1 Orange

The verdict? My family LOVED this recipe! Husband gave it two thumbs up, and our 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old gobbled it up without even realizing how many veggies were in it. 

And it fit in with my week #3 meal plan for Country Heat. 

Amazing. I'm one happy Mama!

Want more recipes like this? Want more recipes like this, meal prep tips and/or to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the picture below....

Have a blessed day!

Meal Prep: Instant Pot Edition - How much time did I save?

Last week I got something that's been on my wish list for a while now for my birthday. An Instant Pot! My crockpot bit the dust awhile ago and we are in a pretty small cabin while our house is being built. So I don't have a lot of space for multiple appliances and thought the Instant Pot would be the perfect fit. 

(My instant pot getting acquainted with my favorite cookbook)

I cooked several dished in it this past week and loved every single one of them. I will post more recipes soon! In the meal time I wanted this first blog post on the Instant Pot to be about Meal Prep! Here is everything I cooked in the IP this past weekend for meal prep.

First up... Sweet potatoes! I cut two large sweet potatoes in half with peel still on. Placed them on the rack inside the instant pot, added 1 cup of water. Closed the lid and turned the sealing vent to "sealed". Next clicked the "manual" and set the time to 10 minutes. Once the cooking was complete I set it to "warming mode" for 15 minutes for a natural release. Then I pulled then out using the handles of the rack and let them cool before cutting up a little bit more and putting in the food storage containers. I peeled mine before storing them. The peels come off really easy after they've cooled a little. Daily Serving Note: 1/2 a sweet potato = 1 yellow. No need to measure out with your container.

Next up.. Cauliflower rice! I was very excited to give this a go! I will blog this recipe soon. I can't get over how quickly this cooked. And it's SO delicious. Daily Serving Note: Fill your green container to the top with cauliflower from this rice throughout the week as you are serving up your daily lunches.

Moving right along... Next up was chicken! I took 2 frozen chicken breasts and placed them at the bottom of the instant pot. Added 1 cup of water and sprinkled on my homemade taco seasoning rub from the 21 Day Fix eating guide. Sealed the lid and pressed the "poultry" button and set the time for 20 minutes. *Note these were very large chicken breasts. Set timer for lower if needed. After cooking is complete, carefully open the pressure valve for a quick release then remove the lid after it's finished. Then I took my Pampered chef "mix and chop" and shredded the chicken apart. You can use a potato masher instead if you don't have one of those. After I finished shredded I transferred the chicken to my meal prep storage container and placed it in the fridge. Daily Serving Note: I just take my red container and fill it with chicken from this batch each day to use with my meals.

**Note curious about those containers I keep mentioning? They are BPA free color coded portion control containers that come with 21 Day Fix and Country Heat. You can learn more about them HERE.

What I prepped outside of the Instant Pot while those items cooked...

Clean Eats Ranch Dip: This is a favorite recipe of mine and SUPER easy and clean! You can find my recipe for this one HERE.

"Pickled" Carrots: This is really easy to make and a great way to sneak in a dose of Apple Cider Vinegar in your daily intake. I pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into a mason jar. Slice up 1/2 purple onion and about 20 baby carrots sliced in half. Then I fill the rest of the jar with water. Put the lid on and store in fridge. Throughout the week as I am craving something crunchy to munch on, instead of grabbing chips. I'll grab a few of these instead. *Note: make sure you get the apple cider vinegar with " the mother". That's the good stuff and really good for your gut! 

That's it! Guess how much time this took? Before I answer I'll tell you I typically spend 4 hours in the kitchen on Sunday afternoons prepping for the week ahead. That includes waiting for times to bake, cook, etc. while taking care of other things throughout the house getting us ready for the week ahead.

Ok so now that you know how much time it takes normally, you want to know how much time it took now with the Instant Pot right?

90 minutes. Yes 1 hour and 30 minutes. I was shocked. Not only was the prep quicker but there was 90% LESS DISHES to clean up! Can I get a high "WHOOT" and fist pump for that one?!

So the verdict is in. The instant pot saved me 2 hours and 30 minutes worth of cooking and an entire sink worth of dishes I didn't have to wash... and my little window ac powered cabin didn't get heated up any extra with all that cooking?! I am so happy, I can't even tell you.

Instant Pot is now a meal prep essential in this house.

Want more meal prep tips and/or wanting to get started with a fitness routine? I would LOVE to be your coach! You can reach out to me by going to my Facebook page by clicking the pic below...

Or send me an email at CoachJennyM@gmail.com

Have a blessed day!

Taking the first step: Where I was and where I am now

The day you make the decision to change the way you view food and your health can either be very a blurry memory or crystal clear.

Mine was crystal clear.

I was on the beach with my little family on my 29th birthday. Lily was almost 7 months old and it was her first trip to the beach. I was too self conscious to wear even shorts so here I was on the beach in the hottest part of the summer wearing maternity jeans and a baggy shirt. We had to walk a few blocks away and I remember feeling so out of breath, so tired. I couldn't even run around with my 3 year old for long. I had to sit there on the beach and encourage him to play in the sand instead.

My Husband took a picture of me on the beach with the kids and when I looked that the picture that night I realized how poorly I had been taking care of my body. Yes I was a new mom and there are body changes that come with that (all which are beautiful).

The poor eating choices, zero exercise, tired all the time and the realization I had lost my drive/passion to do the things I love outside of being a mommy hit me looking at that picture.

My health in my 20's consisted of a lot of yo-yo dieting, searching for one quick fix to the next and my metabolism was tanked from it.

I made a promise to myself then that my 30's were going to be my healthiest years yet. I was going to do it the right way. Clean eating, exercise, and resetting my mindset from this being a chore to a blessing was the way I was going to do it.

10 days ago I turned 31. I thanked God that I was celebrating another year, and was still on track with the goal I set out to reach 2 years prior.

21 Day Fix's exercise and simple portion control eating plan, my daily shakeology and a challenge group started this ripple effect for me. It's why I became a coach. I want to help others create that ripple effect in their lives too.

If you are ready, or if this very long but very true message touched you in any way. Will you fill this out below? I want to help.

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Dream Big: Coach Summit 2016 Nashville Recap

2 weeks ago I was off on an adventure I had been dreaming and planning for over a year.

 If you had asked me even 18 months go there's no way I would have even thought that I'd be off to Nashville by myself spending the weekend with ladies of a team I helped create surrounded by 20,000 + other people who shared the same passion I had. Say what?!

God had plans (as usual) for my life that I did not see or expect.

I am so thankful for that.

Instead of writing a novel on the entire recap of Summit, I'm going to share some of my favorite moments instead.

(Stepping off the plane and getting to give this beautiful woman on the righht here a hug was amazing! Long story short, we've actually been online friends for over 8 years and have NEVER met in person. Ashley you are so dear to me! Business partner, dear friend, accountability partner... I could go on and on. I thank God daily that he put us in each other's  lives!)

Live workout with Autumn Calabrese! We got to workout live with Autumn and do the "Chisel Agility". Oh my goodness, wow! It was crazy fun, intense and we sweated, A LOT. Definitely a highlight of the trip!

Getting to be with my coach Michelle! She's been an incredible mentor and friend to me over this past year and we hadn't seen each other since 2009 in person. It was a very LONG over due hug for sure! 

The sight seeing! I didn't get to do much of it because we were on the go so much in and out of workshops, general sessions, events, etc. But what little I did get to see of Nashville outside was pretty cool! This San Diego girl couldn't get over how GREEN everything looked ! LOL

The CORE: Oh my goodness so many pretty things I wanted to buy haha. All the latest apparel, gear and more was inside that Core. Ashley and I had so much fun exploring we had to go not once but twice while we were there. I was also able to pick up my Country Heat kit before it had even started shipping. Whoot!

The Shakeology Bar; Need I say more? Ashley and I had so much fun getting our daily dose of delicious dense nutrition to fuel our jam packed days! My favorite recipe I had was Friday's special "Honey Nut Latte" that you can find HERE.

General Sessions and Workshops: I filled my brain, heart and notebook up with so many amazing take aways from these sessions! What did I hear over and over again? Servant heart, servant heart servant heart. Help others without expecting anything in return. Be a light, be an encourager. 

I can tell you that leaving those sessions each day I felt very encouraged and inspired to keep going in the direction that we are going with the Dream Big Tribe.

80's Night/Billy Idol Concert: Because who doesn't like dressing up in fun clothes, wearing glow necklaces and rocking out? LOL

Our work at the house sessions and our Coach Sneak Peek Q&A we hosted on 2 LIVE formats. Ashley and I streamed a live Q&A inside our Dream Big Tribe group on FB AND on Zoom Thursday night. We had been planning for this for months and we gotta say it was pretty amazing! Over 150 of our DBT ladies tuned in. 

Morning workout at the house with the ladies! We got our Country Heat on! I think we burned half our calories laughing and the other have learning the moves. Needless to say, it was fun.

Sharing the same flight home with creator of Shakeology & Ultimate Reset, Darin Olien. I got to personally thank him for how the Ultimate Reset helped me rid several of my PCOS symptoms without having to go on medication. This former breakfast skipper is in the best health of her life with the help of Shakeology and the tools I've learned from the reset. 

Summit is over. 5 days, 4 nights, non stop team building, dreaming, learning and growing. I remember sitting at the airport trying to digest it all. Now more than ever I am excited to pour into the Dream Big Tribe, encourage others and help them with their health and wellness goals. 

I never want anyone to think I have it all figured out when it comes to being healthy. I will never pretend to know more than I do. I will always be honest, real, and share the highs, lows and the hallways. In my 20's I gained and lost over 70 lbs twice. It wasn't until I was coming up on 30 did I realize I needed to make a change. I needed to stop chasing the magic pill and jumping from one thing to the next. 

I needed to commit to a long term healthy lifestyle change. My husband, our two awesome kids inspire me daily. They are my why, the reason I am doing this. I used to think by taking time for me was being selfish, that as a mom I wasn't allowed to have that anymore. 

I've now found that by taking those 30 minutes a day to workout, to make healthier choices with my food... I am able to pour more into my family.... because I have more energy! I'm happier, healthier and more passionate about the future than I ever have been.

I thank God everyday for this opportunity, I know it's gift and I plan to give it back every chance I get.

So, to sum it up. Summit was amazing. I missed my family like crazy, and I'm so happy to be home. Next year I'll be in New Orleans with even more ladies from our growing team. It's gonna be awesome, because we'll be together.

Is it on your heart to make a change? Are you ready to take a step forward and make the goals you've only thought about in the back of your mind, that you've been too afraid to speak up about a reality?

I want to help. I want to do this with you.

Will you reach out to me? I'm here and excited to begin this journey with you.

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Have a blessed day,