It’s been a long time since I’ve shared the series, What We Ate this Week on our Budget, but I missed the accountability and I had several readers ask for its return. Our monthly grocery budget for my family of 4 is $500. It’s a tight budget and I failed miserably over the summer, but we have lots of financial goals, so I need to get it back in line.
Over the summer, I bought an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker on Amazon’s Prime day. It was partly an impulse buy, because the deal was so good, but I had been considering purchasing one for about a year and the Amazon deal lured me right in.
I’m attracted to the “all in one pot” style of cooking of the Instant Pot, but I’ll be honest, I’m still on the fence if I actually like this thing. Mine is an 8 quart and takes up a lot of space on my kitchen counter and I don’t have a lot of cabinet space to store it when it’s not in use. Also, my family has not been wowed by the recipes so far.
Do you have an Instant Pot? I created a Pinterest board, Instant Pot Recipes to save ideas, and if you have a favorite IP recipe, send it my way!
This Week’s Dinners:
Monday: Sausage & Penne with Creamy Tomato Sauce (in the Instant Pot), served with garlic bread and salad. I like this dish, but the penne has a different consistency when cooked in the IP. If you like pasta al dente, I wouldn’t make this in the instant pot, but instead make the sauce and cook the pasta on the stove top.
Tuesday: Chicken, Broccoli and Rice (in the Instant Pot), served with salad and applesauce. My kids like the baked version of this dish, so I gave this one a try, but the IP version came out a little dry. Next time, I would add a little more broth, and more cheese at the end.
Wednesday: Southwestern Chicken & Rice, served with toppings, such as guacamole, salsa, cheese, tortilla chips. My daughters told me they “like the other burrito bowls better”. This version was a little dry, so I have to agree with them. I’ll make my own homemade burrito bowls in the future.
Thursday: Leftover Smorgasbord night.
Friday: I’m grilling burgers, and serving with fries, fruit, and corn on the cob.
This Week’s Breakfasts, Lunches, and Snacks:
Breakfasts included hard-boiled eggs (made in the Instant Pot), peanut butter & banana toast, and Cheerios & bananas. Lunches and snacks included chicken noodle soup, sandwiches, apples, pretzels, and yogurt sticks.
Did you try a new dish this week that your family enjoyed?
Let us know in the comments.
I’ve been intrigued by the Instant Pot, but haven’t bought one (yet?). My impression was that it was a really fast crock pot, but you’re making is sound like it does more than that. I’m going to have to research it more…
A “really fast crock pot” is a good description of the ip. I would highly recommend joining this facebook group as you do your research: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/
This page has been a wealth of info.
So sorry that you aren’t enjoying you Instant Pot that much. I got one about a year ago and have been loving it. A few of the recipes that I’ve tried have been a bit meh, but for the most part, it’s been great. I use it some for actual meals, but I use it more for things like making perfect, easy to shell hard boiled eggs, perfectly done rice, an easy way to cook dried beans, make homemade refried beans, cook raw chicken (to cube and put in the freezer for soups etc.) and that sort of thing. It’s just so easy because I don’t have to monitor it like I would doing those things using a stove.
But I understand that it’s not for everyone. Just thought I’d give you those ideas in case it helped!
Lydia, I am truly amazed by the hard boiled eggs and how “pretty” mine are now that I use the IP. I might even take deviled eggs to a picnic. I’m still experimenting and playing with it. Thanks for your advice.