5 Easy Instant Pot Recipes For Instant Pot Newbies ⋆ Dancing With Fireflies

Oh my goodness, my friend Tody from Our Bun, Brandi's Oven just told me that she doesn't have an Instant Pot because she was scared of them! Well Tory, I know you personally and your amazing family and I know for sure after the incredible battle your family has survived to become a family of 4, you can do hard things. Cooking with an Instant Pot isn't one of them.

First let me tell you a little bit about Tory, and how we met.

A few years ago, I was new to the Seattle area, and having some crazy feelings about getting older and not having babies to rock anymore. So I challenged myself to not only do new things, but to meet new people while I did it. So I posted an ad that I would do infant care in our neighborhood. And it wasn't long before Tory and I connected. We met and instantly became friends. She had a newborn daughter, Teagan, and she needed a little help. Tory was in medical distress after having her baby, and that year I got the chance to not only get to know her family but to start to understand the struggles of infertility.

You see, Tory can get pregnant. Her problem is she has Hyperemisis Graviderm (HG). And with it comes not only miscarriages, grief, but also PTSD.

So, this is why my amazing friend Tory turned to surrogacy a few years later to give my little friend Teagan a sibling. Tory and her Unicorn, have an incredible story of women bonding over a common dream and I know this family can use all of the help they can get after little Tommy came crashing into their lives.

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Using the Instant Pot to make family meals in an instant!

Just like the name, the Instant Pot helps me to jump start meals in minutes.

I can make dry beans from bag to ready to eat in 45 minutes, in what would have taken soaking them overnight before. Michael, my husband loves lentil soup. He can toss a bag of lentils and a few other ingredients in the Instant Pot and have a quick easy meal in 10 minutes.

Don't Be Scared!

Okay, I know there used to be a lot of worry about using a pressure cooker. And to be honest, I was a little scared myself when I first started. I'd heard they could blow up, or the steam would burn you, and all kinds of crazy stories. But, I've been using a pressure cooker for years now and the worst thing that I've ever done was not release the pressure on my old OLD pressure cooker right and overfilled it with chili. So when I pressed pressure release…. it sprayed chili all over me and my kitchen. Including the ceiling and I made a terrible mess. Oh well! Lesson learned.

Now, the Instant Pot and other pressure cookers have a different pressure release valve and you simply turn it and release the pressure. It won't burn you, but it will make a loud sound. And I do suggest that you always cook in an open area ( Don't cook under a cabinet, because the steam will ruin your cabinets after time. )

Deal Alert:

I just checked Amazon and found the Instant Pot Duo 60– Their 7-in-1 in the 6-QT size for $49.00 and it's normally $99.95! I've given these to all of my kids and they love it!

Using The Instant Pot Is Easy!

Basically, you toss everything into the pot, set the time and pressure ( Some recipes call for low pressure, but not many.) and off you go. The timer will count down for you and you can follow the recipe for either a natural release ( Just letting it cool down on it's own. ) The Natural release is good for foamy foods like porridge or food with a large liquid volume – Remember that chili that I over-filled? Or you can use the quick pressure release valve. Your pressure cooker has a safety lock so you can't open it and it won't pop open when it's under pressure.