It’s 6:00 you’ve had a rough day at work, traffic was terrible, and your oh so darling toddler who is normally sweet as can be is in the worst mood ever. You are tired, frustrated, a headache is creeping up on you and you know… we all need to EAT. Your fussy toddler is probably just hungry and tired, you have had a difficult work day and probably didn’t stop to eat, and your husband will be home soon and he is always hungry. The last thing you want to do is break out all the pots and pans and put together a gourmet meal. You don’t want to pick up take out because… you just made a resolution not to. What do you make?

This was my night tonight. I have mentioned in previous posts that I am not a good cook… at all. I know this and don’t pretend to be. But I really do try to make food that tastes good, most of the time. I have maybe 3 things I can make without looking at a recipe on Pinterest first. Tonight I had to go to one of those 3 things.

My mom taught me how to make one of the most simple meals of all, and I make sure I have these few ingredients stocked for just such situations like tonight.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice– This one I can make. It is quick, easy, and people like it. I recently was gifted an Instant Pot, so this once crockpot recipe is now even quicker and easier.

Ingredients: Chicken thighs (mine were frozen), 1 jar of salsa verde, rice, water. I steamed a little broccoli at the end for some greens, but that’s it. Simple ingredients. Inexpensive ingredients. Very yummy result.

Procedure: Don’t laugh… Take the chicken out of the freezer. Place chicken in the Instant Pot. Pour Salsa Verde over the chicken and refill the jar 1/2- 3/4 full of water and add to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on the pot and seal. Pressure cook for 13 minutes. When the timer goes off, manually release the pressure and pour in 1 cup of rice. Put the lid back on and seal. Continue to pressure cook for 5 more minutes. Let the pressure come back down naturally for 3 minutes, then release. Chicken and Rice are done and ready to be served. 21 minutes from frozen… not too shabby. Steam some broccoli and you have a pretty well rounded meal.

My husband was happy, my toddler calmed down, and my headache started to fade. I was very pleased that I did not break my “No eating out” resolution so early in the game. I am grateful that my mom gave me a recipe she knew was at my level… just for these types of nights.

I need more of these quick, in a pinch type meals. If you have a go-to easy meal, please let me know.

I hope to experiment more with the instant pot in the next couple weeks. I will post any recipes I come across that turn out ok with the skills I’m working with… which are very limited. If you are interested in easy recipes, stay tuned and we can learn together.