Meal prep can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Instant Pot to the rescue!

I’ve been experimenting with cooking spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot. It is admittedly a bit of a different texture than when baked in the oven as it is cooked with moisture in the Instant Pot rather than dry heat. But, it gets done SO much faster and I like that. I love how spaghetti squash is so porous and takes on flavors so easily. I recently had a meal from my favorite meal service, Paleo Works, that combined spaghetti squash, chicken and tomato bruschetta. I decided to try to do a quick copycat recipe using my Instant Pot. While mine is admittedly a hack in comparison to that chef’s creation, I think I threw together a tasty meal. You can certainly make your own homemade bruschetta, but I use a jarred grocery store kind in this recipe in order to save time.

I also have been exploring warm potato salads. Have you ever had a Hot German Potato Salad where the potatoes are slightly over cooked and starting to fall apart? The potatoes begin to fall apart as you stir in the dressing and it creates a thick sauce. It is so good! It occurred to me that I could create an Italian version of Hot Potato Salad using jarred basil pesto and red potatoes. I also threw in some green beans for a veggie kick, and chicken for added protein. Best of all, I could cook it all in the Instant Pot at once!

I made four of each of these meals for a total of EIGHT meals all at the same time in roughly 45 minutes. While the squash was cooking, I prepped the chicken, green beans, and potatoes. When the squash finished, I removed it and washed my pot. I then added the chicken, potatoes and green beans to the pot to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. I scraped out the spaghetti squash and mixed in some tomato bruschetta. I portioned it out in four containers. When the pot timer went off, I released the steam and removed half of the chicken and evenly distributed over each of the servings of squash. I added a heaping spoonful of bruschetta on top of the chicken, and BAM! Four meals were done.  Next I scooped out the potato mixture and put it in a bowl. I thinned out some jarred basil pesto with olive oil and then gently tossed the potato mixture with the pesto until it was coated evenly. I divided it into four servings, and BAM! Four more meals done!

A couple notes: I tried the hot potato salad using frozen chicken. I cooked it for 13 minutes. It was good, but the potatoes were extremely soft. I think if you are using frozen chicken, then you should cook the potatoes and green beans separately for 8 minutes. Cook the frozen chicken for 13 minutes. Then, combine. Also, if you don’t like basil pesto, just use melted butter instead. I also made this with cilantro pesto and it was delicious!

This prep is easy, quick, AND healthy. Get yourself an Instant Pot and give it a try!

Interested in the mesh steamer basket shown in my instruction video! Grab it here! Or, try this one that was just released on Amazon!

xo Jaime

The links found in this post are affiliate links that help support the life of this blog. All opinions are my own, and I am not sponsored by any companies at this time. When you use my links to purchase, you help keep Modern Day Fox going!

Copycat Starbucks Egg Bites are ALL the rage in the Instant Pot Community? Why? Because they are SO good, and the Starbucks ones ain’t cheap. These are permanently replacing oven baked egg muffins. They don’t hold a candle to the texture and deliciousness of these!

There are recipes all over the web, but I was most inspired by this one at Foodie and Wine blog. I am watching my fat calories these days so I lightened up her recipe, and also increased the serving size to six. I only have a six quart Instant Pot and my ramekins were a bit over-sized so I had to cook in two batches. No big deal to me, I had plenty of other prep to do while these cooked! If you use pint size mason jars or 6 oz ramekins, you may be able to cook in one batch. Many people also recommend these Silicone Baby Food Molds as an alternative. I don’t have these but I have friends who certify that they work.

Feel free to embellish on the recipe. Use ham or sausage instead of bacon, or all three! Add spinach or herbs. Use feta or goat cheese. Make this recipe your own. That’s what I did!

I hope you enjoy! Here’s a video showing the process:

I love rice. I think it constituted about 90% of my diet in college. The other 10% was Fruity Pebbles. Lately, I have been craving that Yellow Rice that you get in the grocery store. You know, the kind that is like 65 cents, full of sodium, and looks like this…

But, I’m not in college anymore. So, I care about things like my blood pressure.

During a recent vacation, my friend whipped up her version of Yellow Rice in her Instant Pot and I was intrigued. I took her recipe home and tweaked it out to fit my taste preferences. I thought you might enjoy it too! This recipe is very, very basic and can be enhanced with additional seasonings like onion power or curry. You can also opt to toast your basmati rice in the oil before adding the other ingredients. Go crazy and throw in some diced onions sautéed in the oil too! Or, be lazy like me and follow the easy recipe below.

If you are a visual person, here is a how-to video complete with Paw Patrol in the background. Yay!

Enjoy!
xo Jaime

This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog. All opinions are my own. When you use my links to purchase products I recommend, you help keep Modern Day Fox going!

“Carrot soup? That sounds… um, not good.”

That’s what I said when my best friend, Kelley, suggested we throw together an Instant Pot soup for my blog. But, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of disguising a serving of vegetables into a smooth soup. Make it tasty enough and no one in my family would know they were eating a full serving of veggies. Heck, I hardly noticed myself!

Both Kelley and I deal with food intolerances in our households, so we immediately knew we would make it gluten and dairy-free. We strive to create dishes that are easy, and that meet the needs of our loved ones too. Our end result was a rich, almost buttery-tasting soup that was a cinch to throw together. Even my six year old wolfed down a bowl, and that says something – trust me!

We hope you enjoy it too!

Check out the prep video here:

xo Jaime

Note: This post contains affiliate links that directly help support the life of this blog. When you use my links for purchase, you help keep Modern Day Fox going! I’m not sponsored by any company, and anything I recommend in this post I have actually purchased myself.

There is something about making my own chicken broth that makes me feel like I’m the next Pioneer Woman. It is a wonderful feeling to take an extra step after cooking a whole chicken in my Instant Pot and make something that will not only save me money, but continue to nourish my family after the chicken meat is gone. Ok,ok. I’ll stop getting sentimental over chicken broth. But, you know what I mean. In this day and age, it feels good to be resourceful instead of always leaning on convenience.

I get asked quite often how to make chicken broth in the Instant Pot so tonight I documented the preparation. My photos are not glamorous. Let’s face it – chicken carcass is not glamorous. Even still, I hope you will find these step by step iPhone photos helpful if you want to take a shot at making your own broth.

Instant Pot Chicken Broth

This recipe yields roughly 13 cups of broth, just over 3L.

Step One: Place chicken carcass into liner pot. Make you’ve removed as much meat and fat as possible from the bones. You will see in this photo that my carcass is sitting in broth. This is the broth that settled at the bottom of the pot while I cooked my whole chicken. No reason to waste that broth! I simply added to it.

Step Two: Add vegetable trimmings such as celery, carrots, and onion. I added a heavy dash of salt and pepper for my seasonings. You may opt to also add garlic powder or onion powder (or other seasonings) as well. I also like to add a bay leaf. Seasonings are completely optional but add to the flavor of your broth. If you are sensitive to sodium, then by all means leave salt out.

Step Three: Fill pot with water to 3.5L Mark.

Step Four: Set Instant Pot to 120 Min High Pressure and turn valve to sealing. You may let the steam release naturally or use a quick release.

Step Five: The broth will be scalding hot. Allow to cool for a bit before handling your pot.

Step Six: Place a colander over a large bowl or stock pot inside your sink. It tends to splatter so I like to keep it in the sink to reduce mess.

Step Seven: Strain broth through colander into large bowl or stock pot.

Step Eight: I recommend double bagging the carcass and trimmings and tying it tight before discarding. 

Step Nine: Pour broth into a plastic storage container with a tight seal, or mason jars, and refrigerate. You may also opt to put into smaller containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Use this broth for any number of dishes in your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot requires some liquid to come to pressure so I like to keep this broth on hand for that purpose, and I also use it to make wonderful soups like my Better Than Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup or my Tortilla Dump Soup!

xo Jaime

This post contains affiliate links that help support the life of this blog! When you purchase items using my links, you directly help me keep this blog alive. All opinions are my own, and I only recommend products I’ve purchased and love.

Wow! This recipe took off fast in the Instant Pot Community! So happy to see so many excited about how EASY using the Instant Pot can be. There is nothing to be scared of, folks! Not only is this soup easy though, it’s also healthy, gluten and grain-free, and fits perfectly with the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan.

A little warning – this soup has some kick. If you are sensitive to spice or have little ones who go crazy with the slightest hint of heat, sub the Rotel for another can of diced tomatoes. You may also consider cutting the chili powder to a half tablespoon and the pepper to a half teaspoon. As for me, I love a lot of flavor in my recipes so I love all the spices.

Check out my video on how to make this soup:

This post contains affiliate links that help support my blog. When you make purchases using my links, you help me keep it afloat! All opinions are my own and I only recommend products I actually use.

Print Recipe

Modern Day Fox Instant Pot Tortilla "Dump" Soup

Course

Soup

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Passive Time

8 min (time to pressure)

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh chicken breast
• 1 can black bean drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel (Mild) (Rotel is diced tomatoes w green chile peppers
• 1 TBSP Cumin
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 1 TBSP Chili powder reduce to 1/2 TBSP if sensitive to spice
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if sensitive to spice
• 1 TBSP minced garlic heaping
• 6 cups Chicken broth

Course Soup Prep Time 5 min Cook Time 15 min Passive Time 8 min (time to pressure) Servings servings Ingredients 1 lb fresh chicken breast 1 can black bean drained and rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can Rotel (Mild) (Rotel is diced tomatoes w green chile peppers 1 TBSP Cumin 1 TBSP Salt 1 TBSP Chili powder reduce to 1/2 TBSP if sensitive to spice 1 teaspoon Black Pepper reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if sensitive to spice 1 TBSP minced garlic heaping 6 cups Chicken broth

Instructions

1. Dump in all ingredients and stir.
2. Set pot to manual HP for 15 min. You can either do a quick release or let steam release naturally. I find the chicken is a bit more tender with a natural release.
3. Remove chicken and shred well.
4. Return to broth and stir.
5. Serve with tortilla chips! Or, save the calories and just sprinkle on cilantro, a little cheese, and a slice of avocado!

Recipe Notes

If you use frozen chicken, I would do 20 min HP to be safe (although 15 min has worked for me in the past. I've found it depends on whether I laid my chicken flat to freeze.) Note that if your chicken is frozen in a big ball, it may not cook thoroughly in the center. If you find your chicken is not cooked through, my quick trick is break it apart and set pot to Sauté. Chicken will finish cooking in the boiling broth.

Share this Recipe

About once a week, I get a message in my inbox from yet another friend coming to Nashville and asking me where to go. Don’t get me wrong – I want to help! But, my days of going out on the town have been replaced with soccer games and PTA meetings, so I always immediately freeze up when I’m asked this question. It’s not that I don’t know where to tell people to go, it’s just that my mind is somewhere completely else in this season of my life. So, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and sit down and really compile a great list of suggestions. Nashville has an incredible amount of food, fun and flair. Too much for any single blog post, that’s for sure! This list is for all my friends coming to Nashville, and all my other friends who live here and are always asked the question – “Where should I go while in Nashville?” Please feel free to send your friends this post and save some time!

By all means, please feel free to comment with additional suggestions. This is merely a starting point and I am well aware that I have probably left off your favorite place. Put it in the comments and I’ll update this list periodically!

Love you all, and welcome to our wonderful city!

(Photos by yours truly, Foxfoto)

Craving ethnic food? How about one of these…

Siam Cafe

Taj Indian Restaurant 

Athen’s  Great late night spot!

Samurai Sushi Bar

Have a cocktail with a beautiful view…

Rooftop Bar at Famous Saloon

George Jones Rooftop Bar 

L.A. Jackson (Thompson Hotel)

How about some great live music?

The Stage

Acme Feed and Seed (also has great rooftop bar)

Legends Corner 

Paradise Park Trailer Resort Go see a fun band and get a late night snack. That tater tots are the BEST!

Robert’s Western World  On Wed-Fri from 6-10, go see the Don Kelley Band- many say they are the Best Honky Tonk and best band on Broadway! Great Bar food too (Fried bologna sandwich and burgers are to die for… especially at 2am!)

Station Inn (You often catch stars sitting in with the band here!)

Tootsies Orchid Lounge  Enjoy the front and back bars and stage! You just gotta go. It’s a Nashville staple.

Blue Bird Café Shhhh… this is a place for listening to world class song-writers. No talking during performances! Better get your ticket fast. The shows sell out!

Grand Ole Opry World Famous Radio Show, but you watch it live on stage!

Ryman  The Mother Church of Country Music

Wild Horse Saloon

The Listening Room Great place to see local entertainment and songwriters. Great menu too!

Try out these hip little shops while you are in town…

Fanny’s House of Music Cool music shop. Taylor Swift says its her favorite.

White’s Mercantile Modern take on a general store.  Located in 12 South.

 

Love to check out trendy ‘hoods with restaurants and shops? Check these out…

Hillsboro Village, lots of shops and restaurants.

12 South – shops, restaurants Imogene + Willie – denim custom made jeans for you and check out Draper James Reese Witherspoon’s shop. Five Daughters Bakery and Jeni’s ice cream shop. The line is always long at night at Jeni’s but better during the day.

The Gulch

East Nashville
8th Avenue

Want to see all the goings on in Nashville during your stay? Look no further…

Nashville Events Calendar

I was inspired to try the ever popular Zuppa Toscana soup in my Instant Pot, but trying to find sausage without added sugar and additives proved to be a tough feat. Just take a look at the sausage in the meat department of your local grocery store and you will find all kinds of unsettling things in the ingredients list. For this reason, I decided to change up the traditional recipe using sausage and instead use reduced fat ground pork and seasonings. The result was absolutely delicious, completely sugar-free, and got six thumbs up from my crew!

Although I don’t follow a whole 30 or Paleo diet exclusively, my husband does in an effort to help with his Ulcerative Colitis struggles. It’s hard trying to keep things interesting but this recipe hits the spot!

This is a tough one to calculate on 21 Day Fix, but here’s what I came up with: 1/2 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue (for coconut cream) and 1 green IF you make sure to get a lot of kale in your serving. If you think the container counts should be different, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did!

xo Jaime

This post contains affiliate links which directly help support this blog. I only post links for products I’ve purchased and recommend, and my opinions are my own.

I frequently feature my neighbor, Sharon, on my blog so she can share her wonderful recipes. She is a dynamite cook! Today she is sharing her Thai Spring Rolls and two dipping sauces. Take it away, Sharon!

Hey y’all!!!

I’ve been wanting to try these Thai spring rolls for a very long time. I’m not going to lie – they were a little time consuming, but in my opinion, worth it! Once you get all set up and do the first two or three rolls, it’s a piece of cake!

I discovered Thai Spring Rolls in Cali at my favorite Thai place. When I went in to pick up my roasted chicken and rice and egg rolls, I became very curious about them sitting on display in the case. One day, while in line, I noticed all the people in front of me and several opeople behind me all ordered the spring rolls. On my next visit, I went for the gusto!

After much searching, I found a International Grocery Store that carries all sorts of wonderful Thai ingredients in the Tennessee town where I now live.  I purchased the wraps and rice noodles some time ago, but they’ve collected dust in my pantry waiting to be used. Finally, I decided today was the day!

First, I baked two chicken breasts at  425°with olive oil and  multi-seasoning for 20 minutes. After they cooled, I used two forks and shredded the chicken.   You can also use cooked shrimp if you prefer that over chicken .  Or,  you could go veggie all the way!

Next, I julienned an English cucumber, carrots, two jalapenos, and two avocados.  Thank goodness for my garden! I had kale, cucumber, jalapenos, basil, cilantro, chives and mint right at my doorstep.  You can find wraps with many different combinations of these ingredients.  I decided to use ALL of them!

I then brought water to a boil in a pan large enough to lay the wraps in. No need to boil the wraps, but you will give them a quick dip in the hot water before rolling them. Before dipping the wraps, I boiled the noodles, pulled them out and strained them. (See my note about this below.)

Now it was time to build the wraps.  I learned some lessons while building these so I’ll try to make your experience a little easier than mine! After dipping the wrap in the warm water, I first started on parchment paper and they dried out quickly and stuck to the paper. I found it best to roll them directly on my granite countertop. I also learned that it is better to put the noodles back in the water on the bottom of the pan during assembly because they stuck together. I pulled them out as needed and drain them as much as possible before laying them on the wrap. Finally, less is more!  Do try to get a little bit of everything in your wrap. But, be aware- the more you the use, the harder they are to roll.

Here is the order of ingredients I used when building of the wraps:

• Rice paper wrappers
• Rice noodles
• Kale (stack up from here with kale on the bottom)
• Avocado
• Mint
• Cilantro
• Jalepeno
• Carrots
• Chicken
• Basil
• Chives on one side of stack
• Cucumber on other side of stack

Lastly, I put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and laid them on the parchment as completed.

I prepared two different sauces for dipping -a peanut sauce, and Nuoc Mam Pha.

Peanut sauce

• 1 clove garlic grated or 1 inch Squirt from tube of garlic
• 1 thumb of Ginger grated or 1 inch squirt of Ginger from tube
• 2 T Tamari
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1/2 T srirachha
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water

Nuoc Mam Pha

• 1 cup hot water
• 5 T sugar (I used stevia)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 1/2 T fresh lime juice
• 1/2 t sambal olek (you can find this at most groceries in the international section!)

I’m on my fourth week of removing grains from my diet and on cue (usually lined up with a certain time of the month, if you know what I mean), I’ve started craving dessert. I saw where you could cook cakes in the air fryer, so I just had to give it a shot.

I kind of threw this recipe together as a hail Mary after looking at some similar recipes I have made in the past and not having all the ingredients needed on hand. I have to say that I came up with a combo that hit the spot!

These would be fantastic with a Paleo frosting, but I sprinkled on chocolate chips instead. Full disclosure – these are regular chocolate chips. I typically use EnjoyLife chips, but I was all out today. I tolerate dairy just fine, but I wanted to be honest about my photos since my chips are not Paleo. EnjoyLife Chips are non-dairy and cook just like regular chocolate chips. They are amazing!

I hope this turns out well for you. Before you ask, I have not baked this recipe in the oven yet, so I can’t say what the cooking time would be. My advice would be to set your oven at 350, cook it for 15 minutes and then check every few minutes after to see when it is done. One other note – all air fryers vary in cooking time. Keep in mind that I used a Power XL Air Fryer and this timing worked out for me. You may want to check your cakes at the 10, 12, and 15 minute mark to make sure they do not overcook. Good luck!

xo Jaime

This post contains affiliate Amazon links which directly help support this blog. When you purchase items using my links, you directly support Modern Day Fox and keep it alive! My opinions are my own and I have no sponsorships. These are purchases I’ve made and love!