One of the reasons why my personal training clients avoid eating healthy is the usual time required to cook. With the Instant Pot, cooking at home is no longer a task. My wife, Sammy, and I recently tested several recipes and found 4 great ones (with some changes) to help you lose weight.

Personal Trainer Wisdom: Feel free to substitute any 1 lb of meat with 2 cups of beans, quinoa, or lentils. Also, sauté the onions and garlic in the Instant Pot first if you have the extra 3-5 minutes.

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INSTANT POT GROUND TURKEY LENTIL CHILI

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dry green lentils

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

-Turn your Instant Pot onto “saute.” Brown the ground turkey. Add in the diced onions, garlic, tomato paste, and salt and cook until meat is browned and onions are soft and translucent.

-Add in the lentils, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, and pepper.

-Cover the Instant Pot and turn it to “manual,” set the timer to 13 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to “sealing.”

-When the timer beeps let it sit for 10 minutes and then slowly release the pressure by moving the valve to “venting.”

-Remove the lid and ladle the chili into bowls. We topped ours with some diced green onions.

Source: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-ground-turkey-lentil-chili

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HEALTHY INSTANT POT CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of minced onion

½ tsp minced garlic

1 lb asparagus, ends, and tips snapped off

3 cups of cauliflower florets

3 cups of vegetable broth

1 tsp thyme

1” strip lemon peel

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp ginger

¼ cup white wine

1 cup of coconut milk

1/8 tsp white pepper

Shaved almonds (topping)

Hemp seeds (topping)

-Add the onion, garlic, asparagus (expect for the tips), cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, lemon peel, bay leaf, onion powder, salt, cardamom, ginger, white wine, coconut milk, white pepper and mix well.

-Place the asparagus tips in a foil packet and place on top of the asparagus mixture.

-Put the lid on and make sure the steam release handle is set to sealing, or closed; change to the manual setting on high and set the time for 2 minutes.

-Carefully move the pressure valve to steam release handle and release the pressure manually. Set the foil packet aside for serving. Discard the bay leaf and lemon peel.

-For the blender, transfer the cooked asparagus and cauliflower mixture to your blender along with nutmeg. Blend until smooth and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

-Serve topped with the asparagus tips and sprinkles of shaved almonds and hemp seeds.

Source: Adapted from the book The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for your Instant Pot

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INSTANT POT FIRE-ROASTED BEAN STEW

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of soaked (or drained from a can) white (or cannellini) beans

2 cups of soaked (or drained from a can) kidney beans

1 large onion, diced

1 (15 oz) can organic fire-roasted tomatoes, diced and undrained

1 cup of vegetable broth

¼ cup dried parsley

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

3 cups baby carrots

3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-2 medium)

2 cups chopped celery (about 4 stalks)

2 cups sliced white button mushrooms

1 tbsp minced garlic (or 5 garlic cloves chopped or thinly sliced)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

3 tbsp hemp seeds

-Place all of the ingredients in the pressure cooker.

-Place the lid on the cooker and make sure the pressure knob is in the SEALING position. Using the display panel, select the MANUAL function high pressure, and use the +/- buttons until the display reads 20 minutes.

-When the cooker beeps to let you know it’s finished, switch the pressure knob from the SEALING to the VENTING position, administering a quick release. Use caution while the steam escapes—it’s hot.

-Open the cooker and stir everything in the pot, adjust salt to taste.

Source: Adapted from the recipe “Fire-Roasted Beef Stew” in the book Instant Loss Cookbook

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