Recipe: Beef and Veggie Soup - Whole30 Approved Instant Pot Edition

I think my ultimate recipe combo is when it's under 20 minutes to make + simple ingredients + delicious + easy! This recipe is all of that for me and I wanted to share it with you! I began my Whole30 journey yesterday and needed something really simple to make for dinner the first night. It was chilly/rainy outside and I really wanted comfort type food. This hit the spot! If you want to learn more about Whole30 is and why I'm doing it you can go here: Why I'm doing the Whole30 and What it is  

Want to give this recipe it a try?

Ingredients:

1 lb organic grass fed ground beef

2 russet potatoes chopped

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 small onion diced

1 tbsp crushed garlic

16 oz can of crushed tomatoes (blended first for a creamy soup)

5 cups bone broth

Himalayan salt and pepper to your taste

2 tsp dried parsley

Avocado (optional) on top the soup before serving

Directions: (makes 4 servings)

Total Time: took about 15 mins!

Turn Instant Pot on saute mode. Once hot add a little avocado oil (or olive oil) and add ground beef, onions and garlic. Stir frequently tell the beef is cooked all the way. Then add rest of the veggies and stir frequently for 5 mins. Turn the instant pot off and add everything but the avocado in to the pot. Give it a good stir then seal the lid and make sure the pressure valve is closed. Hit Manual, 8 mins and let the IP do it's thing! After it's done you can release the pressure valve right away and serve! I added half a small avocado to my bowl and it was SO delicious. 

This was my first dinner on day 1 of Whole30 and it really hit the spot after craving things I couldn't have all day. My husband loved it too and I know this recipe will be made again during these next 30 days!

Want to join me on my journey of completing a Whole30 here on our ranch? I will be sharing about it daily over at my Facebook Page and Instagram!

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Are you ready to commit to starting a round of Whole30 with me or have questions about it? You can reach me here: I have an awesome accountability group I can add you too also to encourage you on your 30 days.

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Whole30 Time - Beginning May 15th

I've been bouncing back and forth on the idea of doing another round of Whole30 for awhile now. I completed one back in 2015 and felt amazing and it really helped set the tone for a new healthy lifestyle I was on a mission to maintain.

So I've made the decision to do it again starting this coming Monday, May 15th. I'm putting it out there to keep myself accountable and to see if anyone wants to join me!

Instead of writing a really long blog post on WHY I am doing this an WHAT Whole30 is, I'm going to give you a few short simple bullet points...

Why I'm committing to the Whole30:

- Kick Sugar Cravings

- Help reduce symptoms of PCOS

- Accountability 

- More Energy

- Better Sleep

- Overall Health

What IS the Whole30:

There is the short answer for you! But there is a WEALTH of knowledge that goes in to greater detail at Whole30.com if you want to check it out!

Want to join me on my journey of completing a Whole30 here on our ranch? I will be sharing about it daily over at my Facebook Page and Instagram!

Click the icons above to head on over there.

Are you ready to commit to starting a round of Whole30 with me or have questions about it? You can reach me here: I have an awesome accountability group I can add you too also to encourage you on your 30 days. 

Fill out my online form.

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Don't worry... Coffee is allowed! (Or I wouldn't do it LOL)

Recipe: Instant Pot Bone Broth on a Budget

I love bone broth. What is bone broth you may ask? 

It's a broth that is rich in minerals that supports the immune system and contain healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline. The collagen in the bone broth heals your gut lining and reduces intestinal inflammation.

Long story short, it's really good for your gut, has amazing things in it that will help improve your digestive system, strengthen your hair and nails and the list goes on and on.

I'll be honest, buying organic bone broth in the store can be a bit pricey. Yes it goes on sale sometimes but you can save SO much money by making it yourself at home!

How? Every time you cook use veggies... save your scraps! I keep a on going zip lock freezer bag in my fridge that I put the following scraps:

-onion 

- celery 

- carrot 

- bell pepper 

-garlic

-zucchini

-squash

-mushrooms

-herbs (parsley is my favorite to keep for this)

Also the day I am planning to go to the grocery store I will take out any veggies in my fridge that will be going bad and set them aside to use to make my bone broth. 

Then when I got to the grocery store I pick up an organic cooked rotisserie chicken from the deli. I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of cooking a big dinner after grocery shopping and putting everything away. So the day I go grocery shopping is always chicken night with a salad and some other simple side dish. At our store an organic cooked chicken is $9.99 so not only am I feeding my family of four dinner for under $15, I am also going to use that same left over chicken to make my bone broth the next day. Do you see where I'm going with this?

A store bought container of prepped organic bone broth is typically around $7.99 where I live for usually 20 oz. Making it myself at home will not only save money but I can make over 65 oz (sometimes 90oz) with this one chicken and my saved veggie scraps. I don't have an exact total amount saved, but you can see it's definitely a lot.

So now I'm going to tell you how I make it!

First add your left over chicken into your instant pot. (I have a 6qt duo)

Then add all your veggie scraps. No exact science to this, just add the scraps you want. I like to throw in some extra baby carrots, some fresh parsley and a little extra crushed garlic when I have it on hand. 

Next I fill up the instant pot with water. No exact amount.. I just make sure I cover the chicken and most of the veggies. Then I'll add a little Himalayan salt and ground pepper and sometimes a tbsp of apple cider vinegar. (But not every time, just depends on the what I'm in the mood for. The Apple Cider vinegar gives the broth a little kick)

Then I seal the lid, make sure the pressure valve is closed and then Instant Pot to Manuel High for 90 minutes.

After it's done I release the valve for a quick release (so right away) and take the lid off and turn the IP off. Then I let it cool for awhile. 

Afterwards I get a large glass bowl out and put a strainer inside. I slowly pour the instant pot mixture into the bowl through the strainer tell it's full. After it's full I lift the strainer out an pour the glass bowl full of broth into a 1/2 gallon glass mason jar. Then repeat the steps again tell I empty out the entire batch of bone broth from the instant pot. I let that batch fully cool in the glass bowl.

Once it's fully cooled pour the rest of the bone broth into a freezer bag. Then just lay it flat in your freezer and wha-la! Not only do you have about a half gallon of homemade delicious bone broth to use in your fridge but you have EXTRA in your freezer to use when needed. 

**Bonus Tip: Save the plastic container your rotisserie chicken comes in. Once you have strained the broth you can toss the veggies and chicken bones into the plastic container, seal the lid and dispose of. Then it's not all lose in your trash can.

I get asked often when and how often do I drink bone broth? I drink a coffee mug a day usually in the morning while we do school time. I used to have a cup of coffee then but now I love drinking this instead and it's much better for me!

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A little bit about me

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd write a quick little blurb about me so you could get to know me a little bit better. My name is Jenny, I'm a Wife and a  Mama to two silly, spunky kiddos.

This is my little family right here:

A little more about me? 

- I love all things Pumpkin

-My favorite Movie of all time is Forrest Gump (boom, double win on the meme for this one!)

- I heart Coffee

- I love photography. I used to have my own photography business. Now it's just something I do for fun.

- I have a passion for Whole Wellness and Fitness and I'm the Co-Founder of the Dream Big Tribe. The DBT is a fellowship group with 400+ women filled with daily encouragement, fellowship and health and wellness tips. 

-I love the smell of puppy breath (I know I'm weird)

- I don't like fruit (again, I know I'm weird)

- I'm a recovering picky eater (self diagnosis)

- Random fact I refused to try black beans until my mid 20's. I'm a work in progress.

-I married my HS Sweetheart. We started dating when I was 16, and been together overt 14 years now!)

Over the course of my 20's I gained and lost over 70 lbs twice. Being diagnosed with PCOS, giving birth to my 2 beautiful babies, loss and anxiety gave my body the run around and I struggled to maintain an healthy lifestyle. I started to work out 5 days a week, eat clean portioned meals and started to replace chemical based cleaning products and make up. Over the course of 2 years I lost 40 lbs and found a passion in making a healthy lifestyle simple and wanted to share it with others! Which is why I started this blog :)

I homeschool our kiddos! God put it on our heart to start this homeschool journey here on our homestead. I'm honored to have this role in our family's life. It's not always easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Now:

Now I live out in the country with my family! We are building our forever home and in the early stages of establishing R&M Ranch. A legacy we plan to leave to our children one day. We spend our days together exploring, getting dirty (there is a lot of dirt when you live on dirt road), and working hard. The best part of it all? We get to do it together. You can read more about our Homestead Adventures HERE.

Why I decided to become a wellness coach and share what I do:

I love to serve others! To be able to encourage you, cheer you on as you go through your journey is a privilege.

I'm on this journey right along side you and as a team we can cheer each other on, support one another and motivate.

Why do I love essential oils? Wow where do I begin!? Young Living Essential Oils have helped me replace over the counter medicines, cleaning products and even beauty products I used to keep in my home. They help me combat my PCOS, anxiety, fight off cold, boo boo's and keep bugs away from my garden! 

Young Living Essential oils are the best out there. They are the only Essential oil company that guarantee's "seed to seal", own their own crops and have full control of the quality control AND have been around for over 20+ years. You can learn even more about them HERE.

Can I help you with your goals? It would be a blessing to be able to do this along side you. To help encourage you and give you the tools you need to make a change for the better in your life. 

There is no quick fix. There is no magic pill. There is taking the time, to be consistent, eat clean foods, get your 30 minutes of exercise in, and changing your mindset to this being a lifestyle change.  I promise you it's not something you will regret. You will see a shift in your life, the positiveness you will spread to your loved ones and others. The chance to be a light and pay it forward.

Let's do this together. Fill out this quick application and I'll get back to you ASAP :)

CLICK HERE: http://bit.ly/DreamBigTribe