Taters!! No holiday is complete without potatoes. Obviously, we know traditional mashed potatoes are full of butter, milk and/or heavy cream. It’s time to get back to the POTATO without all the dairy!

First, a tip from Fork Over Knives:

An Ingenious Hack for Super-Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

DIRECTIONS:

XO Jaime

I feel like I just had a stroke of genius. I have a surplus of garden cherry tomatoes and needed to do something with them fast. It occurred to me to pop them in my air fryer like I do everything else!

Sadly, my chest puffing over my great idea didn’t last too long. After I made these delectable little bites, I googled and found that some other smart cooks had already thought of this.

So, alas, I’m not doing anything totally revolutionary here, but maybe here is the first time you have heard of doing this. That’s enough for me!

Here’s what I did:

Air Fryer Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Line your fryer basket with foil. This is of course optional, but highly recommended. Tomatoes pop and they are messy.

Toss tomatoes in a bowl with all other ingredients.

Pour into lines fryer basket.

Set fryer at 400 for ten minutes. You will hear some popping! That is normal.

When timer goes off, your Roasted Tomatoes should be done! If you desire more roasting, add an extra few minutes.

Enjoy! I served some over spaghetti with portobello mushrooms and topped with pine nuts! Yum!!

I love lemon. It makes me happy. It makes me think of spring in the midst of these dreary February days. It’s fresh, zesty and blends wonderfully with sweet and savory ingredients!

I also love rice. I think rice was the main staple of my diet in college. I’ve come a long since my days of Minute Rice with butter and salt at the University of Maryland College Park. Now I whip up fancy rice salads like this one which combines two of my favorite things!

This salad has no oil so it stays low-fat and is perfect served on a bed of greens. I used Jasmine Rice for the nutty flavor that it offers, but you can sub other rice types. Just remember that the Instant Pot cooking times in the recipe below are specific to Jasmine Rice. If you change it, then you need to cook the rice you choose to the proper times in the Instant Pot.

Check out a video on how to make this rice salad here and don’t forget to subscribe!

Dressing for this salad adapted from Ordinary Vegan

Vegetables. I’m trying to eat them. Trying hard. And, I’m going to take you on the journey with me.

I already knew that I could successfully cook a beet. I did it in my Instant Pot and actually enjoyed it. If you didn’t see that recipe, check it out here. My neighbor, Sharon, gave me a butternut squash that had been sitting in my window seal begging to be eaten. I had apples in the fridge. I also happened to have a fennel. Why? I don’t know. I just bought one without really knowing what I would do with it. I figured if I tossed all those things with maple syrup and a little oil, then I would have something pretty special. I was right!

My kids wouldn’t touch this dish with a ten foot pole (shocking), but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it with savory pork chops and a kale salad. The next day I had them for lunch over sautéed zucchini. They taste good hot or cold!

This dish tastes great, and it looks gorgeous on the table with the rich, beautiful holiday colors. If you are looking for a healthy dish to serve at your next dinner party, this would be a show-stopper. Enjoy!

In my fitness groups, we have been talking about what a critical time of year this is to stay dedicated to our health and fitness goals. This is when most people throw in the towel and start talking about “Jan 1st” as the magical date to make big changes. I say, why not right now? Just because you make good decisions for your health during the holidays doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge a little too! How about making sure you get in that 30 minutes of exercise each day as a non-negotiable? How about making a plan of action for how you will approach holidays meal. Will you fill your dinner plate with meat and vegetables and skip the bread basket, but indulge on a piece of pecan pie? Or would you rather fill up on rich mashed potatoes and gravy and let the kids enjoy the chocolate brownies? Or, are you going to eat all the food, but make sure that you are back on track the very next day? Make a conscious decision about how you are going to approach these things, and you are bound to feel less guilt-ridden anxiety and make better decisions for yourself.

All that said, why not be the person who brings a dish to the holiday table that doesn’t use refined sugar and a 1/2 lb of butter? If you are looking for ideas, I have a great one for you! Try this super-simple Maple Spiced Sweet Potato dish that you can throw together in roughly 15 minutes in your Instant Pot! Not everything has to be baked with brown sugar and butter to taste amazing. You might be surprised to find that some real maple syrup and unrefined coconut oil adds flavor while also letting you actually taste the natural flavor of the sweet potato. Of course you can sugar up this recipe as much you would like, but this version skips the guilt while serving up all the goodness! Your body will thank you!

Here is a video showing how it’s done. Don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube channel! And, if you are interested in joining my fitness accountability group, send me an email to moderndayfox@gmail.com!

xo Jaime

I’m on a mission to use as my Instant Pot as much as possible in preparing for holiday meals. I have two, after all, and they are just plain fun. I’m also on a mission not to use ANY white sugar or grains in the dishes I prepare for the family. I don’t expect everyone to eat healthy, but I’m going to do my part to offer more nutritious options. And, before you say it, yes, I do know that honey and maple syrup still have a high natural sugar and carb content. This should be considered a Paleo treat. We gotta live a little, right?

Before you tackle making your own cranberry sauce, I need to remind you of something. Cranberries are tart. Like, really, really tart. When you open a can of cranberry sauce and throw it on your Thanksgiving table, it is going to be loaded with refined sugar and have a different flavor than a homemade version. A homemade version like mine uses natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey, and the natural flavor of the cranberry is a bit more prevalent. I want to remind you of that so you don’t taste it and then freak out on me. When you stop using white sugar in your cooking, it’s crazy how different food starts to taste. It seems like there is so much sugar in everything that it’s all we end up wanting to taste. After cutting it out for the last couple months, I’m finding my taste buds are changing and I’m enjoying the actual taste of the food I’m preparing.

If you do find the tartness to be too over-the-top, I included ways to tone it down. An additional tablespoon of honey or maple syrup, or some additional orange juice can really help. I will say that I made this for my son’s Thanksgiving program and I left with an empty bowl. So, that’s a good sign!

Here is a video to show you how I did it!

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!

I just wrapped up week one of the 21 Day Fix on Beachbody on Demand. I’ve done that program quite a few times and I love that I can fall back on it whenever I need fast results. I especially love that the workouts incorporate ab exercises into some of the rounds. Many of the Beachbody programs require you to do a second shorter ab workout in addition to the main workout for that day. I’m just gonna be honest and say that doesn’t happen with this girl. I typically only have 30 minutes to squeeze in the workout and that’s all I’m going to do. Every 21 Day Fix workout is thirty minutes and that fits the bill for me perfectly.

When I’m on the Fix eating plan, I try to keep the green containers (vegetables) interesting so I don’t skip over them. Since it is getting warmer outside, I’ve been craving raw salads so I threw together this light and fresh Waldorf Brussels Salad. I used the shredded brussels sprouts so that you can now conveniently find in the produce section. If  you can’t locate these, you can simply throw the Brussels Sprouts into your food processor to shred them.

I hope you enjoy this unique salad as much as my family did!

xo Jaime

This post contains affiliate links for Beachbody as I am an active coach and firm believer in the Beachbody products. My proceeds from Beachbody directly support this blog! Join my monthly challenge group!

Print Recipe

Waldorf Brussels Salad

Prep Time

5

Cook Time

5

Passive Time

1 hr Chill in fridge

Servings

Ingredients

• 6 oz shredded Brussels Sprouts
• 1 cored and chopped apple
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries plus 1 TBSP reserved for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts plus 1 TBSP reserved for garnish
• Dressing:
• 2 TBSP Avocado oil
• 2 TBSP Apple cider vinegar
• 2 TBSP Honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Prep Time 5 Cook Time 5 Passive Time 1 hr Chill in fridge Servings Ingredients 6 oz shredded Brussels Sprouts 1 cored and chopped apple 1/3 cup diced celery 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries plus 1 TBSP reserved for garnish 1/4 cup chopped walnuts plus 1 TBSP reserved for garnish Dressing: 2 TBSP Avocado oil 2 TBSP Apple cider vinegar 2 TBSP Honey 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

   
2. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.

   
3. Shortly before serving, stir in dressing. You may want to use your hands to really get the dressing mixed in well.

   
4. Garnish with additional walnuts and dried cherries or cranberries.

   
5. Chill, then serve.

Share this Recipe

Kale is not my favorite. I’m not gonna lie. However, bacon is my favorite. Bacon makes just about anything taste better.  Dare I say it even made the kale taste good. Dang good, actually! Have you tried making kale in your instant pot? It’s easy and rather quick. If you care to season it up with bacon, you can do that in your pot too!

I served this kale with one of my very favorite Instant Pot chicken and rice recipes that I’ve found online. The Budget Bytes blog featured this recipe and it was winner with all three of the men in my household! Even my 3 year old ate it, and lately that has been a challenge. (That’s a subject for another blog, maybe Scary Mommy!) The best part was that I was able to use the chicken quarters from our Kroger store that are always on sale for .99/lb. The whole meal cost me less than $8, start to finish and I fed 4 people plus had leftovers for lunch!

I’m not reinventing the wheel with this kale recipe. I’m sure you can find similar ones across the web.  This is the way I do it, and there is room for interpretation. Add onions, garlic, and additional seasonings if that’s your thing.

INSTANT POT BACON SAUTEED KALE

INGREDIENTS:

1.5lb Raw Chopped Kale (about 3/4 of the 2lb bag you find at most grocery stores)

1 cup water

1 TBSP cooking oil

3 slices uncured, nitrate-free bacon (you can use whatever bacon you like, but that’s what we use)

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse your kale if it is not already pre-washed. Put into your Instant Pot stainless steel pot. It should fill your pot about 3/4 of the way. Please do not fill past that point. Add one cup water. Set your pot on Steam for 12 minutes. Allow a natural release.

Drain water from kale. Place in a bowl and set it to the side. Put the stainless steel pot back in your Instant Pot.

Set pot to Saute setting on your Instant Pot and heat the cooking oil of your choice. Chop uncooked bacon and add to the heated pot. Cook thoroughly. You may also opt to add diced onion and chopped garlic at this point. I like to keep it simple, so I didn’t do that this time. When the bacon is completely cooked, add your kale back in. Season well with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot!

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