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!