5 Ways to Use Your Instant Pot Today to Save Time All Week–by doing a little prep work on Monday you can save time, money and calories all week. These five Instant Pot recipes will help you to eat healthy and stay on track all week.
5 Ways to Use Your Instant Pot Today to Save Time All Week
I feel the best about myself when I eat right. It’s hard for me to eat right when “there’s nothing in the fridge.” Usually this just means that there is nothing prepared and ready to go in the fridge. And if I want to eat a healthy lunch I actually have to put some time and effort into it. If there’s nothing prepared in the fridge I’ll just go for my standard “I’m too lazy and too hungry so I’ll just get a bowl or cereal and subsequent handfuls of cereal all afternoon.”
My favorite thing to do is to prepare a few things in advance and have the fridge stocked up and ready to go so that eating healthy is fast and easy and I don’t have to think about it. I don’t always do this but when I do I just feel so happy with myself. Here are my go-to items to make ahead of time.
3 Ways to Use Your Instant Pot to Save Time, Calories and Money (Video)
1. The best seasoned and shredded chicken. By having cooked chicken that is pre-portioned into containers (like these*) I am able to eat it with a salad or stir fry vegetables for a healthy lunch. I like knowing what’s going into my meat and not eating lunch meat every day that has nitrites in it. My favorite way to make this chicken is in the Instant Pot. It works so well. You can even use frozen chicken. I LOVE the seasonings on this chicken. It tastes amazing. You can also make this chicken in the crockpot.
2. Instant Pot quinoa. Quinoa is my favorite healthy food. I like to eat a 1/2 cup of it on top of spinach salads and drizzling it with Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. I love making a huge batch of it in the Instant Pot and eating it all week long. I store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can make quinoa in the slow cooker as well. If you’re not a fan of quinoa you can make a batch of brown rice to serve with veggies and chicken.
3. Instant Pot hard boiled eggs. Hard boiled eggs are a great snack with protein. I like to slice them up for breakfast and serve them on toast. I also like to chop them up and sprinkle on my spinach salads. Or you can sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper and eat them plain. I love making hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot because they are so easy to peel. I pile about 12 in there and eat them all week. I usually use a sharpie to make a little mark on them so I know which eggs are hard boiled and which eggs are raw.
4. Instant Pot homestyle vegetables. Vegetables that are cut up and prepared are going to get eaten. That’s why I like to steam some veggies in my Instant Pot and then store in individual containers to enjoy along with my chicken and quinoa. You can just make the carrots and beans if you don’t want the potatoes. I use my steamer basket* in the Instant Pot to cook vegetables.
5. Instant Pot yogurt. I use a gallon of milk every other week to make yogurt. It is my go to never-get-sick-of-it-breakfast. This time of year I love to eat it with strawberries or nectarines and maybe a little granola sprinkled on top. I use a little honey or agave to sweeten it. I love how much protein it has in it to keep me full all morning long. I store my yogurt in a 9 cup container like this*. I also use my yogurt in recipes like Instant Pot chicken gyros with tzatziki sauce. Sometimes when a recipe calls for sour cream I substitute with yogurt as well.
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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
I use a 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I have been making yogurt according to your directions. It seems that the longer I make it the better it tastes plus it turns out thicker with less liquid that drains out. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe. I make a batch about every two weeks. Your method for boiled eggs is a game changer. I had tried all suggestions that I could find for making them easy to peal. None worked until I found your method. Every time they come out peeled without losing any part of the egg. I have shared your link to friends and family. Any recipe I have tried has turned out. tasty!
Thank you Audrey! I love both of those recipes! Both staples at my house too.
Can you make the yogurt with almond milk or coconut milk I am not a animal milk fan but would like to make my own yogurt still.
I’m really unfamiliar with this. I would google it. I’m sorry I’m not much help.
When making yogurt in my 6 qt Ultra Instant Pot
my recipe says to use a 7 cup round heatproof
glass container: do you have a suggestion for this
type of container & where I could buy one? I am
in Canada. Thanks for your help!
you could get a pyrex container or a stainless steel container. My yogurt recipe doesn’t use a container. So that is interesting.
My name is Al and I’m the chef of this home. I bought a Lux 6 qt. insta pot from Walmart that does not have the yogurt function. My question is can I make yogurt in this insta pot, and if so “How”?? Never liked or would eat yogurt but if I made it at home i might give it a try, Al
I haven’t tried that yet but here is a recipe: https://www.sparklestosprinkles.com/how-to-make-instant-pot-yogurt-without-the-yogurt-button/
What is the difference between a pressure cooker and a insta pot?
an instant pot is an electric pressure cooker. So they are the same thing. Just a brand name. But a good brand!
Thanks for your great hard-boiled egg Sharpie pen tip! Too many times making alot of hard-boiled eggs, I’ve gotten raw eggs mixed with hard-boiled. Can’t shake the eggs unless I want pre-scrambled raw eggs.
You’re welcome! It saves me too 🙂
I really like your idea about having seasoned and cooked chicken ready for dinners. Sounds like a perfect summer solution for quick meals and meals you haven’t thought about beforehand! Thanks.
Yes it really is the best!