If you haven’t hopped on the Instant Pot love train, it may be time. Healthy instant pot meals have taken the internet by storm and healthy eating advocates have realized how much an Instant pot can change your life! If you’re looking to lose weight, a kitchen appliance may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but you’d be surprised to find out all the benefits of this amazing cooking gadget! Intrigued? Read on!
What is an Instant Pot?
An instant pot is a multi-cooker that takes on the job of pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, steaming, yogurt making and more! If there’s one tool you need for your kitchen, an instant pot is it. Not only do you save money by not having to buy all these items separately, it also clears up counter and cupboard space you would lose having to store them.
Instant Pots have built-in heating devices and an internal thermostat to make cooking a breeze. All you need is an electrical outlet, your ingredients and you’re good to go!
Just throw all your food into the instant pot and it cooks it for you in a single pot. You can even cook frozen veggies and meat since the instant pot defrosts and then cooks the food. It comes with preset programs depending on what you’re cooking, so you can rest easy that you’ll have a perfectly cooked meal!
How Can Cooking with an Instant Pot Help Me Lose Weight?
With busy schedules and so many convenient take out food options, many people aren’t cooking at home anymore. Eating fast food and eating out in general, is one of the biggest contributors to weight gain and an unhealthy lifestyle.
People are turned off from cooking at home because they think it will take too long or it’s too complicated, and it can be. But if you want to lose weight, you need to cook your own meals, and an instant pot makes home cooking easy and convenient! There are so many healthy instant pot ideas out there, from instant pot meals with meat to vegan instant pot recipes. There’s something for everyone!
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Using an instant pot is a great way to get your vegetables, proteins and vitamins all in one meal. Plus, an instant pot makes it easy to make and save leftovers for the week. If you’re always stuck on what to bring to work and end up buying your lunch every day, an instant pot will keep you from having to do so!
Are Instant Pots and Pressure Cookers the Same Thing?
An Instant Pot is an electrical brand of pressure cookers. Traditional stove top pressure cookers goes right on your gas or electrical range. You’re limited to cooking on low pressure or high pressure, so you have to adjust via your stove range.
With an Instant Pot, you don’t have to watch it on the stove like you would a stove top pressure cooker. You can set it and forget it, choosing your cook time or type of food, and the timer will let you know when it’s done.
There are also electrical pressure cookers. These don’t have the slow cooking function or the delay timer like the Instant Pot does. The delay timer is ideal for when you want to have food perfectly timed for when you get home or when you wake up in the morning. It allows you to plan ahead and it’s one of the favourite features for Instant Pot users!
4 Things to Consider When Buying an Instant Pot
1. It cooks two to six times faster than conventional cooking methods
The instant pot saves you tons of time, cooking braises like pulled pork and beef stew in under an hour!
2. It doesn’t always save time
Although it cooks some foods faster, making something like soup would take the same amount of time on a stove top. However, if you plan on making a lot of meals that usually take lots of time to cook, then it’s incredibly ideal!
3. It’s not ideal for small kitchens
An Instant Pot isn’t designed for small kitchens or kitchens without counter space. It takes up quite a bit of real estate, so make sure you’ll use it enough to justify having it in your kitchen.
4. There are plenty of healthy instant pot recipes
Due to the popularity of the Instant Pot, you’ll never be in short supply of healthy recipes. Check out 30 healthy instant pot recipes below!
10 Keto Approved Healthy Instant Pot Recipes
1. Lemon Garlic Salmon | The Natural Nurturer
2. Ropa Vieja | My Heart Beets
3. Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo | Stay Snatched
4. Beef Bourguignon | Savory Tooth
5. Low Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup | Kalyn’s Kitchen
6. Keto Crack Chicken | The Keto Queens
7. Boneless Pork Chops | Eating on a Dime
8. Mexican Braised Beef | Health Starts in the Kitchen
9. Chicken Jalapeno Pepper Soup | This Old Gal
10. Spinach Artichoke Chicken | How to This and That
10 Weight Watchers Instant Pot Recipes [with Points]
1. Beef and Barley Stew | Slender Kitchen (7 Points)
2. Chicken and Dumplings | Meal Planning Mommies (5 Points)
3. Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls | SkinnyTaste (8 Points)
4. Beef Drip Sandwiches | Slender Kitchen (8 Points)
5. Turkey Meatball Stroganoff | SkinnyTaste (7 Points)
6. Chicken Curry with Potatoes | Cookin’ Canuck (9 Points)
7. White Bean and Bacon Soup | Skinny Kitchen (1 Point)
8. Mango Pineapple Chicken | Pressure Cooker Meals (0 Points)
9. Salsa Chicken | The Holy Mess (0 Points)
10. Sweet Potato Lentil Soup | Cookin’ Canuck (3 Points)
10 21-Day Fix Instant Pot Recipes
1. Broccoli Cheese Soup | The Foodie and the Fix
2. Beef Gyros | My Crazy Good Life
3. Asian Chicken Thighs | Confessions of a Fit Foodie
4. Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy | Health Starts in the Kitchen
5. Chicken Fennel Soup | Paleo Cajun Lady
6. Burrito Bowl | My Crazy Good Life
7. Balsamic Chicken | Confessions of a Fit Foodie
8. Korean Beef | Cookies and Cups
9. Mac and Cheese | Confessions of a Fit Foodie
10. Swedish Meatballs | My Crazy Good Life