Avocado Spinach Smoothie

Jeremy decided to make a new smoothie this past Saturday morning.  He said it was good but that it was a very different flavor profile than anything that he had tasted before.

Avocado Spinach Smoothie

1 avocado
1/2 cup spinach
2 cup almond milk
2 T honey
8 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

More Instant Pot!  I wanted to see if the instant pot would make chicken breasts nice and tender.  I found a recipe here for cooking time guidelines.  It took about 25 minutes start to finish.  I made it with the chicken broth, but I am interested to try pineapple juice next time.  The kids did not like it of course, even though it was basically plain chicken.

Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

1 bag chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Optional for gravy:
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Pour chicken broth into instant pot, layer chicken breasts.  Season with salt, italian seasoning, and garlic powder.  Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes thawed, 10-12 minutes frozen.  Let it release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release.  In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the chicken broth.  Cook on saute for a few minutes until the broth thickens into gravy.  I took the chicken out and cut it into 1" pieces, then returned to the pot for easy serving to kids.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

I wanted to make beef stew and make sure that Henry could have it as well as make sure it is something that mostly everyone will enjoy (once I convince the kids to try it).  I found a couple of recipes that looked good, mostly this one from Pinch of Yum, but it did not have potatoes, so I took ingredients from here and here and put it together to make a hybrid version.  Takes approximately 90 minutes start to finish.  It was a hit with everyone!

Instant Pot Beef Stew

2 LB beef chuck roast - cut into 1-2" chunks
1 onion - diced
2 stalks celery - sliced
1/2 bag baby carrots - sliced
1 LB potatoes (5 medium) - cubed
2 cloves garlic - minced
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 T brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Place everything except the cornstarch and water in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then let it release naturally for 10 minutes.  Release the rest of the steam, then mix cornstarch with the water and add to the broth to thicken.  It takes about 30 minutes to come up to pressure.

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

We enjoyed the Chicken and Broccoli from Life Made Sweeter, so we decided to try the Orange Chicken as well.  Her recipe is for 1.5 pounds of chicken, I doubled it so I could have leftovers and use a full bag of thawed frozen chicken breasts.

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

1 bag chicken breasts - thawed, cut into 1" pieces
4 T cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup orange juice fresh squeezed from 2 large oranges
4 T orange zest from 2 large oranges
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic minced
4 tsp minced ginger
dash red pepper chili flakes
1 tsp sesame oil
dash salt & pepper to taste
3 T cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

In a gallon ziplock bag, toss the first 4 ingredients: chicken with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper.  Heat instant pot on Saute function and add 1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil and fry coated chicken pieces in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, then setting them on a paper towel lined plate.  Meanwhile mix up the sauce in a bowl: chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, sesame oil, and salt & pepper.  Return the chicken to the pot and cover with the sauce.  Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 15-20 minutes.  In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water, then add to the pot and cook on saute for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.  Serve with rice.