Instant Pot Experimenting

Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice Pilaf   (Instant pot is just for the rice.) We didn't have brown rice (when did we run out?) so I used white with the same ratios in the instant pot and it worked great. I omitted the salt in the rice with full salt chicken broth, and it was perfect. Shannon said to do quick release for rice. We didn't have reduced sodium broth for the chicken either and then Hans put more salt on the raw chicken, and it was a bit too salty :(.

Refried Beans  We need longer than 35 minutes--maybe try 40? We used full sodium chicken broth and omitted the salt. I knew I would need to add more salt when mashing them, but I needed to add quite a bit! I didn't have time for a natural release--does that make a big difference on cooking times? I forgot to buy a jalapeno, so I added cumin.
Pinto Beans (not to mash) Oct. 2017: Covered generously with water, added some chicken Better than Bouillon, dried onions and cumin. 38 min on high, but could do less. Using some for chili tonight, saving some for healthy quick snacks and freezing the rest.

Mashed Potatoes  These were perfect--could do even more potatoes to milk mixture ratio.

Au Gratin Potatoes Such an easy dish (I added some cubed ham to make it dinner). This does call for broiling them in a different dish for a crispy top layer, but you could skip that step.

Chili Garlic Instant Pot Noodles These are really good. Following the recipe (except I couldn't find the brown rice noodles and had to use regular rice noodles), they're rather salty, so I steamed some more veggies for 10 minutes on my stove and added them--so good! I'd do reduced sodium soy sauce if you aren't adding more veggies. I tried adding some veggies into the instant pot the second time (hoping they wouldn't get too mushy), and while the taste was still good, and the veggies weren't mush, they kind of clouded up the dish itself so that everything didn't look as crisp anymore (the texture wasn't great). So I like veggies cooked separately, but is that worth it to use the instant pot when you could just do it all on the stove at that point?

Marcy's Favorite Brownies

The trick to these is that my mom first made them wrong and melted the whole package of chocolate chips in the batter. I think that may have contributed to a thicker brownie, which is what I've been going for for years--I want the kind you can cut and take to a party because it doesn't just flop apart. So make it either way with the 2nd cup of chocolate chips, but I've found a favorite here!

Healthy Recipes for Future Reference

These mostly come from the health challenge fb page:

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Carrot Tomato Coconut Soup

Kid-friendly Spaghetti Sauce

Tacos: ground beef cooked with taco seasoning (i make it myself- less sodium and maltodextrin) mix in romaine lettuce, cut up tomatoes, cheddar cheese, OPA ranch and salsa. Sometimes we bake corn tortillas to make "chips"
I use 90% lean ground beef and usually add black or pinto beans and corn to the meat and seasoning.
This stuff is really good with ground turkey: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/

Overnight Oats  (Karin uses plain Mountain High yogurt)

Chick Pea and Roasted Cauliflower Salad--I love this simplified. Just roast chick peas along with the cauliflower and onion (seasoned as desired with olive oil and cayenne for heat) in the oven, and then toss with hummus. Voila!


CCK: Banana Peanut Butter muffins (cook longer than the 20 min)

Want to try this healthy "potato" soup.



Just now I cut a nectarine over a bed of spinach--so all that good juice flavored the spinach--and I added almonds. Voila! Mid morning snack to feel like a million bucks.

Healthier Spanish Rice made in rice cooker. Use low sodium or no-salt for the canned items, if desired.

2 rice cooker cups of brown rice
1 can of vegetable/chicken broth
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small can tomato sauce and then fill can halfway with water to add too
diced ½ onion
diced bell pepper
½ tsp chili powder (could do more)

Stir everything. Cook on brown rice setting.

We added black beans to it in our individual bowls. Ground turkey would be yummy.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

These are great, in my opinion. I don't think my kids were fans of the oats in there. They wanted regular banana bread texture. I love the oats. The tops bake to a good sugar crunch--I'm not a fan of muffin toppings because they're so messy and unhealthy (and an extra step), and the tops of these were perfectly tasty. I made these without any modifications, but I'd definitely see what less sugar is like, or whole wheat flour, or applesauce for some of the butter.

Alfredo Sauce

For next time I make alfredo sauce: freshly grated Parmesan is key. I should get one of those planer graters. The time I made alfredo sauce without a recipe is the time that the kids raved about it. I just melted some butter, added cream, garlic powder, freshly grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste (maybe some milk too?)

Healthy Shakes

I love milkshakes--always have. They are my favorite way to eat ice cream. As a teenager I'd love to take vanilla ice cream and blend it with canned peaches for a super easy treat.

So how do you make a milkshake healthy? This is even dairy free, if you want--yes, that sounds like a contradiction. You use frozen bananas. Anytime your bananas are too ripe for eating (unless you're making banana bread), peel them, break them into about 3 chunks, and put them in a freezer baggie. To make your shake, fill your blender with frozen banana chunks--the bulk of your shake. Then let them thaw on your counter for 10 minutes or so. Add a little liquid (almond milk or whole milk is what I always have on hand) and whatever mix-ins you want, and blend it. It's ice cream consistency so much healthier.

I often do this chocolate one:
frozen bananas, almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder and peanut butter or pb powder
OR
flavor your frozen bananas with whatever fruit you have available. If using a tart berry, add a little honey ;)

Come to think of it, I haven't tried it with peaches yet. I need to get on that.

Apple Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Makes 12 muffins.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (or half butter, half oil)
¾ cup white sugar
2 eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2  cups chopped apples

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let sit 5 min. before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack.