Recipe link

Oh, wow.  I know mashed potatoes are one of those straight-forward, basic recipes, but much like hard-boiled eggs, I’ve always been intimidated by these.  Until…

These Instant Pot mashed potatoes are divine!  The peeling is a bit time-consuming, but other than that, these are crazy easy and crazy good.  To be honest, we have been out of sour cream the last couple times we made these and substituted with cream cheese…so, I’m sure that’s ramped up the awesome factor quite a bit.  We also add a bit of rosemary and thyme.  Maybe 1/2 tsp of rosemary and 1/4 of thyme?  (That’s a guess.)

I know potatoes aren’t the height of healthy eating, but sometimes on a random humdrum day, these can really make a fun snack or addition to a meal.  I always feel like it’s Thanksgiving when I eat these, because that’s just how infrequently I used to have mashed potatoes.  This recipe is changing that very rapidly though…

Recipe

I recently tried Pao de Queijo for the first time, and it was love at first bite.  This chewy, cheesy bread is like nothing else.  There was a lot of commenting by me (to myself) that mostly went, “Are you kidding me?!”  Yes.  SO good!

As much as I’d like to always get our Pao de Queijo from the local bakery where I first tried this, I might not be able to keep up with that on a regular basis.  So, we’ll continue to support them when we can, but for those in-between cravings, I found this!  We tried one other recipe, and while there are tons out there, this second one was a winner, so I’m sticking with it for now.

We’re still new to this, so I’ve only tried this with cheddar so far, but I’m excited to try some other cheeses soon!  (If eating this with young kids, just remember it has a similar texture to mochi, so chew well and don’t take huge bites.) Once you have the tapioca or cassava flour, this recipe is crazy simple.  Enjoy this gorgeous bread!

Recipe link

Ok, so last summer we indulged in these chocolate drinks quite a bit, but this summer we were all about these daiquiris!  SO delicious!  We always have enough left over in a batch to make 4 popsicles too, so we always have a nice little treat the next day as well.

Here’s what I do differently:

1/2 Tbsp of lime juice from a bottle (I get the lime thing, but it’s not my fav)
3 Tbsp of maple agave syrup (cuz, why not?)

I’ve also run into days where we really want these, but we don’t have the coconut water or kombucha.  (I mean, who really has these on hand all the time?)  So, I have substituted water in place of coconut water and fizzy “seltzer” water in place of the Kombucha with perfectly yummy results.  My biggest concern on these is just that I really grind up the ice and strawberries to eliminate choking hazards, since the kiddos drink these through their reusable straws.

So refreshing and simple.  Love the left-over popsicles.  And, seriously, having these at any food establishment would run you some big bucks.  My kids love this treat, and it’s a great incentive on sluggish homeschool days.  (I try to stress that most kids at public schools aren’t sipping on daiquiris while they do their math, but I don’t know that homeschool kids can really grasp a world where they don’t get to snack during lessons and go potty whenever they want.  ha)

Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
Brown Rice in Instant Pot

The Instant Pot has been such a wonderful help for me.  I know rice is not complicated to make, but there’s something about just throwing it in the IP that makes it that much more effortless.

My personal fav of these two is the brown rice.  It comes out buttery and perfect every time.  But lately my kids have been requesting basmati instead, so that’s been our new go-to.  I love mixing rice with pesto or vegetables.  The kids love rice vinegar and cucumbers mixed into theirs.  Rice is something my I know my one picky eater will always eat, so I love having these simple recipes on hand.