Simple Lunches are my favorite.
I enjoy my time in the kitchen, but during the week it can feel like I’ve just gotten breakfast cleaned up and the kitchen back in order by the time I need to have lunch started.
In between that time I am busy teaching my children, managing the home, soaking up a little Instagram, etc.
Owning an Instant Pot (or three) has been my saving grace for healthy eating. I’ve also learned some other tricks over the years, like dicing up veggies the evening before, or sometimes a few days before.
Dicing and slicing onions and other vegetables can be so fun for me. Seriously, where can I get paid to do only this? haha!
Today I started cooking lunch at 10:30 for an 11 am lunch. I am often still fasting when lunch rolls around (love the way I feel from intermittent fasting as long as I can keep my blood sugar up), so I want to make sure I’m eating something that will fill me up (no matter how LOUD those Apple Cinnamon Cheerios are calling my name).
Here’s what I did:
10:30 I removed the salmon from the freezer, sprayed a baking sheet with olive oil, slid the salmon onto it, and popped it in the oven for 30 minutes.
10:32 Put Rice in the Instant Pot (3 Cups of Rice, 3 Cups of Water, High Pressure for 3 minutes letting it naturally release). Using the 3qt Instant Pot This took about 10 minutes to hit pressure, 3 to cook, and another 5-10 to release pressure naturally. I usually plan to start rice 30 minutes before I need it, even though it can be done in about 15-20, it can also stay in the pot for hours after it is finished.
10:45 I decided on a whim to cook up some diced onions from the fridge and a handful of green beans. I tossed them in a skillet with olive oil and let them cook for about 12 minutes.
I spent a few minutes filling up our little kids’ Yumbox lunch trays with fresh green beans, yogurt (1 cup split between the kids), cucumbers, rice (when it was finished), and sliced bananas.
By 11 am we were ready to sit at the table and enjoy a meal together!
Do what you’ve got to do to make sure you are keeping good fuel within reach to keep your body healthy and strong!
You wouldn’t put water in your gas tank and expect it to run well, so don’t put crap food in your body day after day and expect it to perform the way it should.
Full disclosure: I think it is healthy to indulge in an occasional treat, just so your body remembers how to process the junk, and because you won’t be left feeling deprived if you get it every once in a while.
My FAVORITE KNIFE, and honestly the only knife I really use is the Cutco Cheese Knife. Having quality tools helps get the job done quickly!
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