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5 Healthy Meal Prep Ideas You Can Do With Your Instant Pot

October 12th, 2020October 22nd, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

Make meal planning easier with the Instant Pot. Here are Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Ideas you can use to help with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

5 Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Ideas

Have you tried using your Instant Pot for meal prep? Right from when over 300,000 units of the Instant Pot were sold within 36 hours on Amazon and it was the most wish-listed item and the most gifted item Amazon, we knew that the Instant Pot was going to be one of the new kings of kitchen appliances. After about 10 years of being introduced into the market, the Instant Pot is still very popular.

Despite the popularity of Instant Pot, a lot of Instant Pot owners are not yet fully aware of the numerous things they can do with their Instant pot.

Did you know you could use your Instant Pot for meal prep? If your answer is no, you are not alone. When it comes to meal prep, a lot of people resort to the use of an oven or a stove, but you no longer have to rely them, because your Instant Pot is also designed to help with your meal prep.

With your Instant Pot, you can prep breakfast, lunch, and dinner that can last for a whole week. Meal prep with instant pot is less complicated, faster, and saves time, money, and energy. It also enables you to eat healthy meals more frequently.

In this post, we will be taking you through 5 Instant Pot Meal Prep Ideas.

1. Cook a Batch of Grains

A great meal prep technique you should give a try is cooking a batch of grains for salads and sides for dinner or lunch. Prepping grains with an instant pot is so simple and fast, within a few minutes, you will have cooked enough grains that can last for a whole week.
If you are a vegetarian, you will definitely love quinoa. Unlike other grains, quinoa is loaded with lots of protein as well as fiber, vitamin E, antioxidants, magnesium, and potassium. Your pre-prepared quinoa can be eaten with soups or salad.

You can also make a batch of white rice or brown rice with your instant pot which can be used as a side dish or for meals like fried rice or instant pot jasmine rice.

When prepping your rice with the instant pot, ensure the seasoning is mild, this will enable you to be able to convert it to different kinds of meals. Also, ensure that you do not overcook the rice.

2. Cook a Large Portion of Oatmeal

Are you tired of nibbling on junk for breakfast just because you don’t have enough time to cook a proper meal? It’s time to dump the junk.

You can cook a week’s worth of healthy oatmeal within just a few minutes using an instant pot.

Both rolled oats and steel-cut oats can be cooked in an instant pot. Because of how long the oatmeal will last, it’s advisable to use almond milk instead of cow milk.

To give the oatmeal some flavor, you can add a pinch of salt, some cinnamon, vanilla, or maple syrup. You can also top the oat with fresh berries, apples, or banana slices before freezing it, this will save you the stress of having to add the fruits when you want to eat the oatmeal.

A very simple way to store the oatmeal is to let it cool and then freeze in muffin tins. Once the oatmeal is frozen, pop the oatmeal out of the tin and store in airtight plastic bags.

3. Cook a Big Pot of Beans

With your instant pot, you can cook a big pot of dry beans and store it rather than buying canned beans which cost more and come with certain health concerns. The good thing about using an instant pot is that you do not need to soak the beans before cooking it and the cooking process is simpler and faster than when you use a regular pot and stove.

You can convert the cooked beans to awesome meals like black bean burgers, black bean chili and bacon, black beans burritos, black bean hummus, and lots more.

4. Poach Chicken Breasts

There are probably a lot of chicken recipes that you wish you could make but lack enough time to cook. With your instant pot, you can poach chicken breasts (including bone-in chicken) which can be easily turned to different amazing recipes, like this chicken salad or chicken pad thai.

You can season the chicken with some ingredients like cumin, dried chili, and salt, depending on the specific meals you will be making with the chicken.

A good thing about poaching chicken is that during the process of the cooking of the chicken, a delicious broth forms. This broth can be used to make soup later. When cooking with the broth, ensure you do not add too much salt to the meal because the broth is already well seasoned.

5. Make Homemade Yogurt

Did you know you could make yummy homemade yogurt with your instant pot? You can make Greek yogurt, nonfat, and full-fat yogurt with your instant pot. Homemade yogurt is healthier and cheaper than those sold in stores.

If the yogurt is plain, you can use it to make mashed potatoes, creamy sauce, and other yummy recipes.

Depending on how much yogurt you will need for each meal, you can store the yogurt in small containers. All you need to do is to take out one of the containers when the need arises. Also, to ensure that your yogurt lasts longer, always you store it in a refrigerator.

I hope these five Instant Pot meal prep ideas help make meal time a bit easier in your home. Always remember to store the meal in the freezer except otherwise stated. When making the meals, we advise that you make it in ways that they can be converted to a variety of recipes.

Do you use your Instant Pot for meal prep? What is one of your favorite ways to meal prep?

Be sure to check out Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more wine tips, cocktails, healthy recipes, and fun things to do.

Tampa Staycation Ideas For Families

October 8th, 2020June 8th, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

Plan a Tampa Staycation for your family and experience Tampa like you never have before. Use these Tampa Staycation ideas to help plan your Tampa vacation. While I was hosted on our Tampa family vacation by Visit Tampa Bay, my love for all things Tampa and my opinions are my own.

Tampa Staycation Ideas For Families

What is a staycation? Simply put, staycations are vacations without too much travel. Sometimes you become so busy that you fail to appreciate local sights and Tampa Bay attractions. A Tampa Bay staycation can be a lot of family fun and save the family dollar. Learning how to have fun right here in Tampa Bay can not only help save money on travel expenses but perhaps even be a little gentler on the environment with less transportation. It’s time to become a tourist in your own hometown. Using creative planning and some imagination, your Tampa Bay staycation will be as fun as “traditional” vacations.

So, what to do on your Tampa adventure? If you are at a loss for activities, one easy way brainstorm is to examine all the your favorite places or even favorite restaurants in Tampa. This will give you an idea of what are you would like to spend more time in.

Of course, this can vary greatly on what you and your family like to do. Perhaps you are into the arts, we have a variety of art galleries and museums here in Tampa Bay. Looking for amusement parks? We have Busch Gardens and Adventure Island right in our backyard. Other options might be some kind of fair or festival. State fairs, and county fairs often take place year-round in Florida. If you and your family enjoy outdoor adventures, check out the Florida State Parks, preserves and trails in and around Tampa. You will definitely find a new treasure, like a new place to swim, fish, kayak, paddleboard, zipline or hike. Maybe you just want to try something new.

Once you and your family have decided what you types of activities you would like to do on your Tampa Staycation, you will want to discuss where you may want to eat or what types of restaurants you would like to try.

The best way to dine during a staycation is to try some local restaurants. Perhaps there are new dining places in the area your family would like to try. You should check out the different meal offerings in their area, Tampa is definitely a foodie lovers paradise. One of the best things about playing tourist right here in Tampa Bay, is trying out all the delicious restaurants you haven’t been to lately, or at all.

Just recently my family and I had a Tampa Bay Staycation. Our kids are teenagers and I am happy to report that they loved everything we did, where we ate and where we stayed. Technology time even decreased dramatically while we were “away.”

Once our plans were made, the lodging and food decided on, the only thing left to do is to enjoy the staycation. Are you ready to plan your Tampa Bay Staycation? Perfect, let me help.

Tampa Staycation Ideas For Families

Start your staycation in Hyde Park Village. Hyde Park Village is six blocks of shopping, eating, browsing and relaxing. Here you will find a sense of community, bold art, beautiful fountains, cold brew destinations, wine stops, incredible local eats and unique things to do.

We started by simply walking about the Village, we hadn’t been down in years and so much has changed. And honestly, the last time we were there we were in a hurry, so it was nice to walk around and actually appreciate everything Hyde Park Village has to offer.

If you want to do something truly unique, head to The Candle Pour. Here all four of us explored our favorite scents and made a handcrafted candle. A candle that is truly unique because we picked our favorite aromas and decided how much or how little of each oil, it was a hands-on experience and unlike anything we had done before. Once your candle is poured, it does take 2 hours to set. Reservations are required at this time.

The Candle Pour is located at 734 S Village Cir, Tampa, FL 33606.

While your candle is setting, get something good(y) to eat.

Goody Goody Burgers is an iconic brand here in Tampa and specializes in…well, burgers is one, yes. But they also have mouthwatering pies, pancakes that are out of this world. Goody Goody Burgers is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And if you don’t want to dine in, they have curbside pick up.

We all had our own favorite variation of a burger, one with chili, one with a fried egg, one original POX and one POX with cheese. But we couldn’t leave without trying one of the famous 12-inch pancakes! Banana Fosters if you please…heaven in a pancake right here my friends.

For dessert, you will find numerous pies and seasonal treats, but a Tampa favorite is the Butterscotch pie. I highly recommend it as well 😉

Prices at Goody Goody Burgers are very reasonable, so it’s definitely a family restaurant that won’t put a damper on your Tampa Staycation budget.

Goody Goody Burgers is located at 1601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606.

After eating, walk around a bit and enjoy a glass of wine at the Wine Exchange or grab a coffee from Buddy’s Brew.

To get everyone enjoying a bit of a family competition, make your next stop, TopGolf. Now, you don’t have to be a pro-golfer to enjoy TopGolf, in fact, I am horrible at golf, but I always have a blast when we go. Each group gets their own bay complete with comfortable seating, a table and golf clubs for use. There are a variety of game options to pick from at TopGolf, so you can play the one that you think your family will enjoy the most. And if you want to change it, you can. We like the Jewel Game, Angry Bird Game, and the traditional one where you hit it into a specific color each time.

I love how competitive the kids get with each other at TopGolf! As I mentioned, I just try my best…but I always have a smile on my face. TopGolf does serve food and drinks, so if you get hungry or want an adult beverage while you are here, they have plenty of options. Our favorites are always the wings and queso.

TopGolf is open 7 days a week and does offer deals on certain days, so be sure to check out their website before you head out.

TopGolf Tampa is located at 10690 Palm River Rd, Tampa, FL 33619.

For breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner datz is a must in Tampa. We have been to datz on several occasions for dinner, but this Tampa adventure was our first time there for breakfast. Dinner at datz is always amazing, served in an eclectic atmosphere with servings meant for sharing, we knew we were going to love breakfast.

And we did. From the pull apart Monkey Bread to the Chicken and Waffles Eggs Benedict to the Eggs Barbacoa, everything we ordered was delicious.

Plus we had leftovers for breakfast the next day.

You can’t got to datz without heading over to Dough. Dough is the whimsical bakery side that is loaded with made to order coffee, doughnuts that you would normally only see if your dreams and cupcakes.

Ok, I’m drooling now. So, while you will be incredibly full from your meal at datz, be sure to get some doughnuts or cupcakes for later from Dough.

Datz is located at 2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33629.

When deciding where to stay in Tampa, I recommend a view of the water. We are in Tampa BAY.

We stayed at the Tampa Westin Waterside. Located right by Jackson’s with an easy walk to numerous places to eat, as well as the water, the location was perfect for our Tampa staycation. After we checked in and took in the breathtaking view from the room, we walked along the water and looked at the boats. In the morning, Starbucks was a hop, skip and jump away making our morning coffee adventure incredibly easy.

Tampa Westin Waterside is located at 725 S Harbour Island Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602.

Want to see Tampa from a whole new vantage point? Head to Empower Adventures Tampa Bay.

Talk about an adventure! This is not your typical zip line course. You are on a guided tour of personal empowerment. They strive to get you out of your comfort zone so that you know you can do it. You will be motivated, in awe of the scenery and most of all, you will challenge yourself in a safe environment, nestled in the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve.

You will climb a 60-foot-tall start tower, fly on five different zip lines totaling more than 3,000 feet over water and land preserves, travel over a 200-foot wood suspension bridge, and challenge yourself with aerial obstacles. For being so high in the air, I have never felt more safe! We had two guides, one that makes sure you are ready to start “zipping” and one that makes sure you land smoothly at the other end. You are harnessed in and even when I “fell” I didn’t.

It was such an amazing experience, and the view…you won’t find anything like it anywhere else in Tampa Bay.

Once you have completed the Zip Line course, take a Leap Of Faith. I mean, when will you get the opportunity to climb a 30 ft pole and JUMP again?

My kids both climbed the pole and stood on the top with huge smiles on their faces! And when it came time to jump, they did it without thinking twice.

My husband climbed to the top and got fancy by standing on one foot before taking his Leap Of Faith.

And when it came time for me to climb, my family looked at me and said “Wait, you’re doing it?” Absolutely I was doing it. I’m not scared of heights per se, but I am not the most coordinated person out there. But I climbed each step. I transferred my foot from the pegs to the top of the pole…with NOTHING to hold onto…and I stood up. I stretched out my arms in victory. I did it!

Now, you are supposed to jump to hit one of the balls suspended in air, both the kids and my husband did it. But, I was a bit too nervous to have my arms out-stretched so I held the jump. BUT I JUMPED. I DID IT. Much to my family’s surprise. Much to my own surprise. Would I do it again? Hell yes. It was incredible. Zip On!

Empower Adventures Tampa Bay is located at 423 Lafayette Blvd, Oldsmar, FL 34677. Reservations are required.

If you have some more time to explore Tampa on your Tampa family vacation, here are 12 of the Best Things To Do with Kids in Tampa and 15 Free Things To Do In Tampa.

Remember while you are enjoying your Tampa vacation to take plenty of pictures and videos just as you would on a trip to an out of town location. Empower Adventures has a photo package available for purchase after your adventure and I definitely recommend getting it, you will never have pictures like that again! When your children see their friends, there will be the plenty of pictures to accompany their Tampa vacation stories. In fact, you may make memories of what might turn out to be one of the best vacations ever.

Also consider purchasing souvenirs as a keepsake and reminder of your adventures. That’s why I enjoyed The Candle Pour experience as well, we actually made our own souvenir.

Putting the same planning and thought into your Tampa staycation as you would traveling to a distant location will give you additional quality family time. And when you vacation is over you will have a revitalized love for your hometown.

Wherever you choose to stay, whatever you choose to do your Tampa vacation, a staycation is a great way to enjoy your time without having to spend a lot your time on the road. Staycations are a great way to reconnect with your town in a way that maybe you haven’t before, or maybe at all.

What is one of your favorite things to do in Tampa?

Follow Visit Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more Tampa events and activities to add to your Tampa vacation agenda.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more things to do in Florida, healthy recipes, and more.

How To Make Halloween Monster Cookies

October 7th, 2020September 4th, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

These Halloween Monster Cookies are the perfect Halloween treat. These Halloween Cookies are easy to make and so much fun for the family to decorate. While this post is sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers, all opinions and my love of dairy are my own.

Halloween is upon us and what better way to celebrate this spooky season than with spooky sweet treats. And that is exactly what these Halloween Monster Cookies are. Spooky. Sweet. Fun to make. Actually, if you are looking to get the kids involved in the kitchen, these Halloween cookies are the perfect way to do it. There are several steps, but they are all easy, and kids love to decorate cookies!

Halloween isn’t just about costumes and spooky decorations, it’s also about indulging in fun, festive treats! With their vibrant colors, gooey chocolate chips, and playful decorations, they’re sure to be a hit at any Halloween gathering. Plus, they’re easy to make and fun for the whole family to decorate together.

I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch for the first time to make these adorable Halloween Monster Cookies! I actually had all the ingredients to make my homemade chocolate chip cookies right in the pantry, so I didn’t have to make an extra trip to the store.

The vanilla frosting is also made from scratch, it’s only 4 ingredients and it’s ready in just a few minutes. To get the bright Halloween colors in the frosting I recommend using food coloring gel. Food coloring gel will make your colors a bit more intense and they won’t alter the flavor of your frosting.

For the Halloween Monster Cookie decorations you can look through your pantry to see what you have that will work for eyes, teeth and even antennas. I used milk chocolate and white chocolate chips, marshmallows, and candy eyes. A few other ideas for decorating your Halloween Monster Cookies are licorice and pretzel pieces.

To make the homemade chocolate chip cookies you need:

Flour
Baking Soda
Butter
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Eggs
Chocolate Chips

To make your homemade vanilla frosting you need:

Butter
Confectioners Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Milk
Food Coloring Gel

Now, for the Ultimate Halloween Sweet Treat, you gotta make a Chocolate Milkshake to serve with your Monster Cookies! I served my cookie right on top of the chocolate milkshake glass, making it kinda like a Monster Cookie Milkshake. How fun is that??

These Halloween Monster Cookies are so much fun to make. Once the cookies are cooled, let the kids have fun with the decorating! It’s a fun and easy way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.

Best Halloween Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can you use store bought cookies and frosting to make these Halloween Monster Cookies?

Yes, you sure can. It will save you on some time. But it’s super easy to make it from scratch 🙂

If you use store bought frosting, get any white frosting variety and divide it into small bowls as described above. Then mix in the food coloring gel.

Halloween Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies

How do you decorate your Chocolate Milkshake glass?

I used white candy melts and Halloween sprinkles. Follow the directions on the candy melts package then use a spoon to drizzle/spread the melted candy around the glass. Immediately sprinkle on the sprinkles.

These Halloween Monster Cookies are more than just a treat, they’re an experience. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or enjoying a cozy night in, these cookies add a touch of spooky fun to any occasion. Don’t forget to share your creations with us on social media using #FoodWineSunshine, I’d love to see your monster masterpieces!

Ok, so let’s get to baking. Here is Halloween Monster Cookie recipe…complete with the homemade vanilla frosting and chocolate milkshake recipes.

Print Recipe

Halloween Monster Cookies

Make Halloween extra sweet this year with these Halloween Monster Cookies. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, homemade frosting and lots of fun decorating make these cookies extra special.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Decorating Time30

Course: Dessert, Dessert/Snack, Snack

Keyword: baking, cookies, frosting, halloween

Servings:

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Tracy

Equipment

Mixer
Oven

Ingredients

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients

2 ¼ cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Sticks Softened Butter
¾ cup Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 cups Chocolate Chips

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

1 stick butter – softened/room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
Purple Food Coloring Gel
Orange Food Coloring Gel
Green Food Coloring Gel

Spooky Decorations

Mini Marshmallows for teeth and/or eyes
Candy Eyes
Chocolate Chips and White Chocolate Chips for teeth or eyes

Chocolate Milkshake Ingredients

2 scoops chocolate ice cream
3/4 cup chocolate milk

US Customary – Metric

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Chocolate Chip Cookie Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and vanilla extract using mixer.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Slowly add the flour 1/4 a cup at time.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray or parchment paper.
Make small cookie dough balls, approximately 1 inch.
Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool.
While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, place a spoonful of frosting between two cookies.
Add a little frosting on the top cookie to hold the eyes and other fun decorations in place.

Frosting Instructions

In a medium sized bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the butter until it is smooth.
Mix in the powdered sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time.
Add in the vanilla extract.
Add in 2 tablespoons of milk.
Blend until smooth.
Divide the frosting into four small bowls. Add green, purple and orange gel food coloring and mix well. Leave one white if desired, I did.

Chocolate Milkshake Instructions

Blend until smooth
Enjoy with Halloween Cookies!

Notes

My chocolate chip cookie recipe yield about 30 cookies for me, so depending how big you make your cookies you will be able to make approximately 15 monster cookies. Each monster cookie requires 2 cookies.

Nutrition

I hope you enjoy these Halloween Monster Cookies and Chocolate Milkshake as much as we do!

What is one of your favorite Halloween treats?

Make sure to serve these Halloween Pancakes for breakfast:

Be sure to check out Florida Milk for more dairy-licious recipes and follow on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

And while you are at it, check out all my delicious recipes and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad

October 6th, 2020October 22nd, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This Roasted Pumpkin Salad is topped Homemade Honey Vinaigrette Dressing, pomegranate seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds and more making it a deliciously flavorful meal or side salad.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Homemade Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

I love roasted vegetables. I love all things pumpkin. I love salads. I love eating healthy. So this recipe was definitely a no-brainer for me. I basically combined some of my favorite things and made them into one incredibly delicious meal.

Roasting vegetables brings out a sweetness and adds a heighten flavor to your vegetables, and that is true when roasting pumpkin. Roasting pumpkin intensifies the natural sweetness of pumpkin; therefore making it perfect on it’s own but especially delicious on my Roasted Pumpkin Salad.

I also roasted onions and some pumpkin seeds for this easy salad recipe. Bring on all the roasted deliciousness!

I absolutely love the burst of the pomegranate seeds on this salad.

I used feta cheese, which was absolutely incredible. But my husband is not a feta fan, so he used goat cheese and it was equally as delicious. I mean, how could you go wrong with goat cheese on anything really?

The salad dressing is made from scratch, and incredibly easy to make. You just need lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme if you have it on hand. This simple honey vinaigrette salad dressing will still be yummy if you don’t have thyme and you don’t feel like running to the store. Trust me, I know the feeling 😉

Alright, let’s get to my Roasted Pumpkin Salad recipe shall we? Be sure to Print It and Pin It so that you can make it again and again. Yes, it’s that good where you will want to.

Print Recipe

Roasted Pumpkin Salad

This Roasted Pumpkin Salad is the perfect way to celebrate the fall season in a healthy and delicious way. Top with homemade dressing for the ultimate fall salad. This salad recipe will serve 2- 3 as a full meal or 4 - 5 as a side salad.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Course: Dinner, Easy Weeknight Meal or Lunch, Lunch/Dinner

Keyword: easy recipes, healthy, pumpkin, salad, salad dressing

Calories: 518kcal

Author: Tracy