Sunday Southern Days

Another fun discovery today — 6 minute eggs in the Instant Pot/Crock-Pot Express!! If you are like me and “resolutioning” to better health this new year, eggs are likely part of that new eating plan, whether it’s Weight Watchers, 21 Day Fix, or a plethora of others. And I just can’t do scrambled eggs every day. I do, however, love hard-boiled eggs — plain, in egg salad, on a lettuce salad, and the list goes on. Yet somehow in adulthood, I’d become an egg-peeling failure, often losing half the egg white stick into the shell as I attempt to peel the egg. With the addition of the Crock-Pot Express to our home this Christmas, I knew it was time to pressure cook some eggs. Ingredients: 1 c water Eggs (I used 4, but I think you could fit 8-9 in the pot in a single layer of you want to) Instructions: Pour 1 cup of water in your pot Add the wire rack Place the raw eggs on the wire rack Close the lid and the rotate the steam valve to the closed position Set the device to

We are Greek, yet I have never attempted to make my own Greek yogurt (I know, *gasp*). We are Fage faithful purchasers, since this is what my husband and I both grew up and deem "the real stuff." But since our Crock-Pot Express joined out family at Christmas, I decided it was time to try it out. Worst case, I was out a half gallon of milk. This recipe was a huge (good) surprise though! Perfect tart taste and thick, creamy consistency. Ingredients: 1 half gallon of milk (use can use any fat level, I used 2%) 3 T of Fage Plain Greek Yogurt (be sure it says "Live Cultures" on the container) Instant Pot or Crock-Pot Express Cheesecloth Mesh Strainer or Colander Digital Thermometer Large Bowl Hel pful Tip: O nce you start making your own yogurt, save 3T of your last batch to add to the new one as your “starter”.  I like to freeze it as a yogurt cube, then I never have to worry about saving some. Instructions: Starting with a

If you're like me and the holidays delivered a few (hundred) too many delicious goodies, we're getting back on the healthy-living train in the new year (and whoa, how many years have we been off that train?) After looking at many options for a structured program for both nutrition and exercise, I was about to jump back on a successful old standby, the 21 Day Fix, when I came to learn about the new 80 Day Obsession, the new program from Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese that launches on January 15. With the addition of the Crock-Pot Express instant pot to our family, meal planning and preparations have begun to maximize success. If you aren't familiar with the 80 Day Obsession (or Beachbody/21 Day Fix in general), I’ve added a link at the bottom of this post. I'm not a coach, nor do I profit off the promotion of this program. Just sharing some great info. If you are interested in one of these programs, I am happy to put you in touch with my own amazing coach,

Day two with my Crock-Pot Express (CPE), aka Instant Pot. Tonight, we are making Chicken Marsala, one of The Captain's favorites. Since I'm preparing to get back into the 21 Day Fix starting on January 15 (with the new 80 Day Obsession plan!), I'm going to enjoy the chicken and green beans only, while the rest of the family will have egg noodles with their chicken. I found a simple enough recipe on Pinterest that I'm going to adapt to work for our family's tastes a little bit better. Here is the plan: Ingredients: - 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless, skinless - 1 T olive oil - 1/2 t garlic powder - 1/2 t salt - 1/4 t black pepper - 1/2 yellow onion, diced - 1 pint sliced baby Bella portobello mushrooms - 1 c Marsala wine - 1/4 c chicken stock or broth - 1 T minced garlic Instructions: - Set device to “Sauté” and add oil. Allow to heat for 1 minute. - Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder - Add chicken to pot and sear meat for 3

Santa was VERY generous this year, and, among many other special gifts, I received a CrockPot Express Multi Cooker and am already obsessed after only one day together. If you don't know what this is, it is a multi-function kitchen appliance, that can fill a host of roles, including steamer, saute pan, yogurt maker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, popcorn popper, and more. The brand I received is a CrockPot, and there is also the popular Instant Pot on the market -- they do the same thing for the most part. Last night, I tried it out and make Portobello and Gorgonzola Risotto in less than 15 minutes, 12 of which I didn't even need to stand there. Here is my quickie recipe for Portobello and Gorgonzola Risotto (which reheated beautifully for lunch today too!): Ingredients: 1/2 diced yellow onion 1 T minced garlic 1 c sliced baby bellas 1 T olive oil 1 c dried Arborio rice 1/2 c white wine 1 1/2 c chicken broth 1/2 c crumbled Gorgonzola cheese