Our A/C unit broke last year and instead of purchasing a new one, we have decided to power through with this high velocity fan instead. This choice saves on both the upfront cost of a new unit and the increased energy cost in the summer months. This past June we have already seen a 50% reduction on our energy bill. All that being said, it is hot in our apartment and we are wanting to add as little heat as possible through our cooking. I see lots of recipes for grills in the summer (which look amaze) but alas, we do not have a grill either.
This week, we decided to make one large meal in the instant pot at the start of the week and buy a different salad ingredients. We were able to stretch the instant pot meal out to three different nights and had salads for the other four nights! I thought that I might get bored having similar meals so frequently (we usually have a lot of variety in our meal planning) but I was totally fine. It was great to have something health, delicious, and ready to go with minimal prep and my husband enjoyed doing less dishes too.
We have decided continue with this meal planning for the rest of the summer and guess what…I am excited about it. No variety needed!
Instant Pot Meal: Creole White Beans with Chicken from Budget Byte$. This recipe is so delicious and extremely cost effective due to its use of dried beans and chicken thighs. We cooked it in the instant pot on manual for 24 minutes and served it over brown rice made in our rice cooker.
Salad Supplies:
- 2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce
- 2 Packs Perdue Short Cuts Chicken Breasts
- Kraft Three Cheese Crumbles
- Celery (also used in the Creole Beans and Chicken)
- Bell Pepper Combo Pack
- Shredded Carrot Pack
- 2 Cucumbers
- Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Can of Chick Peas
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Turkey Bacon
We enjoyed mixing and matching the ingredients to make flavorful salads throughout the week! We made a garden salad with homemade balsamic dressing and also made a cobb salad with ranch dressing, hard boiled eggs, and turkey bacon added in. Next week we are planning to add in a Caesar variation!
Sister Hack 