Simplify Meal Prep With These 2 Gadgets
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Wanna simplify your meal prep?
Not just Sundays- but spur of the moment meal prep needs as well?
Us too! We started using these two helpful kitchen gadgets, so we wanted to share how they allow us to simplify our meal prep routine.
They are also easier to use for someone that has limited physical mobility, than using a stove top or oven.
Just Make it Simple! Speedy & no clutter
The gadgets I’m talking about are an Egg Cooker & an Instant Pot
No more crowded stovetops trying to boil eggs and cook chicken at the same time.
Both of these kitchen gadgets prepare the food in just that one container. No need to switch pots/pans, lift lids to add more to it or flip food after a certain amount of time.
They don’t take up too much room on the countertop either.
Yes-An egg cooker!
I had no clue they were that helpful. Maybe because I didn’t eat eggs that often before, but now we seriously have hard-boiled eggs ready at all times in the fridge for breakfast, a quick snack or part of lunch like in a salad.
We use an egg slicer (also very handy) and add the sliced egg on top of avocado & cilantro toast.
It takes less than 15 minutes to cook and only in one little gadget.
And – you don’t have to add them to ice water to keep the shells from sticking. They are always so easy to peel- every time.
An egg cooker actually helps us stay on track with eating something healthy since it’s already cooked- rather than grabbing something not so healthy because we are starving.
Like when you just have to eat something right now (HANGRY!!!) or because you only have like 3 minutes to inhale something on your way out the door (sound familiar?).
For egg cookers there are so many to choose from. The one we use is this one, but they even make them two tiered so you can make more. The one we have is fine- it cooks 7 eggs at a time which lasts us a few days between the two of us.
The Instant Pot
The other gadget we’ve been using more often to help with our meal prep is an Instant Pot. We’ve been using it for shredded chicken- simple and very versatile.
We put ours on a lowered side table in the kitchen so my husband has full access to it and can see inside of the pot (as opposed to a pot on the stove being too high up).
So much safer and easier for him to use.
They range a bit in features, size and price for sure- but the one we use is the 6 quart and it does everything we need it for.
Because of how quick and easy it is to use, we now have shredded chicken handy at all times in the fridge.
Easy to add to so many things – we add it to:
- sandwich wraps with salad greens inside (we use Lavash bread & Caeser dressing)
- a big bowl of salad greens/chopped vegetables for a meal
- chicken tacos
- soup (chicken enchilada, chicken noodle, etc)
- a mix of salsa & black beans- and put on a baked sweet potato yum!
- White bean chili
- add side dishes to it and whatever sauce we want- like salsa, BBQ, teriyaki, hot sauce, sriracha, wing sauce, dressing, etc.
Because we use the same batch of chicken in different meals- we don’t add the sauce while cooking in the Instant Pot. Instead, we add it to the specific meal we are having once we take the amount of chicken we want from the batch we just cooked. The rest goes in the fridge.
I love BBQ sauce just as much as the next Texan- but it doesn’t always go with every meal we are having. So for us, the sauces go on after it’s cooked.
Cookin’ the chicken
We always sprinkle turmeric on the chicken no matter what . We also don’t use a trivet when we cook it in the Instant Pot because I feel like keeping it in the juice helps it stay moist when we reheat it the next day.
For all of the EASY ways to QUICKLY cook shredded chicken in the Instant Pot- here is a great article I found on the site Wellplated by Erin.
She covers thawed/frozen/boneless/bone in/thighs. Super easy article to follow- nothing fancy and complicated.
We always use chicken breasts, and whether frozen or thawed it takes less than 15 minutes to cook.
When it’s done cooking- take off the lid (be careful of the steam) and use forks to either pull it into chunks or shred it up. So easy.
Clean Up’s a Breeze!
Another reason meal prep is simpler now.
With the Instant Pot- you wait till the inner pot has cooled down and just wash it. You can even put it in the dishwasher if you have difficulties washing things by hand.
Things really don’t stick to it and it’s so easy to clean. It’s not heavy either.
With the egg cooker- once you put the eggs in the fridge- you just rinse the lid and scrub the little cooking pad and tray with some soap and water- done. It’s so small and very light.
Ease of use for those that are limited in physical ability as well
Reaching up and over a hot oven burner isn’t safe or easy, which is often the scenario for someone that is sitting in a wheelchair. My husband has burned his arm more than once by doing that.
You can put both gadgets at different heights to make them more accessible, by putting them on lower tables or stands. This is a great help to someone that may be in a wheelchair or someone that cannot stand for long periods of time- maybe due to a disability, fatigue, pain, etc.
Simplifies your meal prep routine & they don’t take up too much room!
We’ve started including both of these meal prep gadgets into our weekly routine and it makes our day easier. It takes no time at all and you’re only using one cooking gadget for the main dish.
Using an egg cooker and an Instant Pot has really helped us stay on track with eating full meals and not ordering in/dining out so much.
They really have helped us to simplify our cooking routine.
We hope these cooking gadgets can save you some time and stress as well!
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