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August 15, 2016 Weekly Meal Plan

August 15, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 2 Comments

What’s for dinner? I really get tired of this question but if you have a weekly meal plan it’s a lot easier to answer. Take a look at our weekly meal plan and find out what we are having for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I’ll do my best to stretch these dinners into multiple meals so I can cook less. My latest recipe, Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice is getting some great reviews. One reader even made it in the Crock Pot for 10 hours with great results! We are having it for dinner on Monday night with plenty of leftovers for lunches!

Weekly Meal Plan

I hope our weekly meal plan will give you some inspiration as you plan your own. Don’t forget to take your schedule into consideration. Enjoy leftovers on busy nights or have something simple like potatoes. [Read more…] about August 15, 2016 Weekly Meal Plan

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

August 10, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 126 Comments

If you’ve been here for a while you know I’m all about easy recipes. I think this Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice recipe is my new favorite. Why? Because you can cook black beans and brown rice together in the Instant Pot! No soaking or precooking. It turns out great, like magic.

I’ve always been a fan of quick and easy meals. Years ago, when I was a stay at home mom I would still stick to simple meals. I had my hands full with kids, the house, and everything that comes with that role.

Now I work full time, still have to handle all the “mom stuff” and cooking can easily take a back seat to getting a little down time.

That is one of the main reasons I love my Instant Pot. It makes life easier for me. You may love your slow cooker, I used to use mine a lot more. Which ever you choose, having tools that make life more efficient and that set you up to be successful in your goals is a good investment. By the way, I use the 8 quart Instant Pot! You can see the Instant Pot I have at my Amazon Affiliate link.

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

This recipe is pretty simple. I wanted it to be a blank canvas so I could add difference spices and flavors. Before you skip over this no-fuss meal give it a try.

It took a few tries to get the beans and rice ready at the same time but this totally worked for us. If you want something with a slightly more complex flavor try my Instant Pot Mexican Casserole!

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

This super easy recipe feeds a crowd. It's mild flavor is perfect for kids who don't like spicy foods. Feel free to spice it up for adults.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup diced onion
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
2 cups brown rice
2 cups dry black beans
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 limes (optional)
Avocado (optional)
4 ounce can of diced green chiles (optional)

Instructions

Dump diced onion and garlic into the Instant Pot liner.
Add the brown rice and black beans.
Pour the water into the pot liner and add the salt. If using, add the diced green chiles.
Secure the lid with the vent sealed.
Select Manual, using the arrows decrease time to 28 minutes.
Once the time is up you can press cancel or unplug the Instant Pot. Allow the pressure to naturally release. (I let it set for 20 minutes before opening the lid.)
Scoop into bowls and squeeze a lime wedge over bowl and stir. Then add a few slices of avocado for garnish.

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This recipe makes a lot of food! I estimate at least 6-8 servings depending on how much you eat.

If you want more flavor, try adding your favorite salsa, this homemade Pico de Gallo, homemade guacamole or your other favorite flavors. I almost always make this with a can of green chili now but when I first started making this I left it plain and would spice it up later.

Find more easy and delicious Vegan Instant Pot recipes on my Instant Pot page!

Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Rice and Beans

Do you presoak your beans before adding the rice?

No, I do not presoak the black beans. They need to cook for about the same amount of time as the brown rice so it works to not presoak them.

Can I use white rice instead of brown rice?

We don’t recommend using white rice. Many readers have reported using long grain white rice but we have not tested it. I expect the rice would be mushy. You could try white rice and use cooked beans but I have not tested to water and spice ratios or the cooking time.

If I halve the recipe, do I change the cooking time.

No, you can cut all the ingredients in half but leave the cooking time the same. The black beans and brown rice still need the same amount of time to cook.

The beans and rice come out bland, how can I spice it up?

This recipe is designed to be a blank canvas. People who avoid spicy foods and high salt content will enjoy it but we recommend spicing it up to your comfort level. We add salsa, more spices like chili power, adobo seasoning, cumin or hot sauce. You can read the comments for more ideas, some people loved it, other didn’t, we hope you enjoy it.

August 8, 2016 Meal Plan

August 8, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

My kids don’t know it yet but we have company coming this week. Our Meal Plan will be a little loosey-goosey since I don’t know what all we will have planned. The kids are in school and we are working so most of our “together” time will be in the evenings.

If you are new here, you came at a great time!

I tend to jump into back to school mode early for two reasons; first, I’m a planner and second, my kids have already started school. Over the next month (or two) you can expect to see lunch box ideas, easy breakfast ideas, busy morning productivity hacks, recipes and more! Back to school season is kind of like my Christmas. I love Christmas but I get way more into the back to school planning compared to Christmas planning.

This week we don’t have a lot planned. With family visiting I want to keep my options open. I have a few things in mind but I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking.

Weekly Meal Plan

August 1, 2016 Meal Plan

August 1, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

My kids start back to school this week! We are all excited about this but I’m probably the most excited. My youngest will be starting kindergarten this year AND he has is first loose tooth. It’s a big week for us but our meal plan will remain on the simple side.

If I have leftovers I’ll opt for those for lunch and dinner the next day and skip cooking.

With school starting back up you can bet I have a lot of Back to School posts planned! I’ll start them in a few weeks but I’ve been making lunches and taking photos, working on recipes and more. Until then check out my Back To School Pinterest board for some of my favorite tips!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Instant Pot Inspired Meal Plan

July 25, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 2 Comments

This week I’m taking a slightly different approach to my meal planning. My husband and I both have a lot going on at work and expect to put in extra hours. I’m creating an Instant Pot inspired meal plan this week. That means easy Instant Pot recipes and some batch cooking for simple meals.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot you might want to consider getting one. If it’s not in the cards don’t worry, you can make the same recipes with other cooking methods.

As the week goes on I might switch up some of the meals. I really wanted to provide a meal plan for those of you who use the Instant Pot regularly and those of you who got one on Prime Day and are just getting started. We may have cereal instead of Oatmeal or simple rice or beans instead of the meal shown.

Instant Pot Inspired Meal Plan

I think you can see that there are a lot of options for using an Instant Pot throughout the week.

Fruit Salad with Simple Citrus Dressing

July 21, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 116 Comments

Fruit Salad. That is the answer to so many questions. Here are a few of them and let me know if you think of more:

What should I take to the potluck?
What will your (picky) kid eat?
What should I freeze for a icy treat?
What is the one vegan food no one will think is weird?
What will make the other kids jealous at the lunch table?
What should we pack for the picnic?

I know there are more but we have things to do. I think you get my point though, Fruit Salad is a great addition just about any time.

The only problem with fruit salad is the browning that happens when you cut certain types fruit. I’ve got an easy fix for you.

All you need is some vitamin C! Citrus juice does wonders to keep fruit from browning.

Growing up I didn’t eat a lot of fruit. I remember the first time I saw my husband meticulously rubbing lemon juice on apples and bananas. I thought he was insane. It was labor intensive to wipe each and every slice of apple and banana with a lemon wedge (although sometimes the lemon juice went in a bowl and we would dip it).

Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to do that. This version has a few more steps but it’s even easier and less time consuming than his way.

Not only does it keep it from browning but your fruit salad will continue to taste refreshing for a day or two (if it lasts that long). I like to store it in a bowl with a lid so I can give it a gentle shake before serving. You can also make fun fruit kabobs for a treat if you have leftovers.

Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

This dressing works with many kinds of fruit. We are using strawberries, kiwis, cantaloupe, blueberries and blackberries. The important thing is to use what you like, mango, pineapple and grapes are good choices too! In the fall we use lots of apples.