Instapot: Mushroom + Wild Rice Soup
Busy-mom-life requires a balance that feels equal to how a prima ballerina does a pirouette en pointe. She twirls around in perfect timing, with full focus, on the tipy-est point of her toes, making it all look so easy. Actually none of that is like the balance of mom life. Mom life is messy and finding the perfect balance is near impossible.
The truth is, while all appears to be in sync and graceful for the pirouetting ballerina, the repeated motion that is necessary to complete such a task can cause tiny tears to form in the plantar fascia, over time, causing inflammation and pain. THIS is similar to the mom balance. Ever trying the repeated motion of perfect balance each day of motherhood can certainly lead to moments of inflammation of spirit and pain of everything.
Hence, I’ve decided, the best place for grace is through finding ways to lighten the load; finding joy in the small moments, and giving myself permission to do less.
Recently, I discovered myself on a walk with my children—in the woods near our home—at a time I would normally be busy in the kitchen prepping dinner and washing up lunch containers. I paused for a moment to breathe in the sensation of joy and presence I had with my kiddos—outdoors—in our happy place—nowing that dinner was cooking at home in the instapot. Glory be! Thank you, Robert Wang, for inventing this efficient all-in-one appliance!
Prior to leaving the house, I literally spent five minutes placing all the ingredients of this super easy, healthy family recipe for Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup into the instapot. Then putting the dog on his leash, we all ventured outdoors to explore before returning home 45 minutes later, to a healthy, homemade family meal.
Healthy Additions:
· Wild Rice: Did you know that wild rice is high in protein and fiber? In a 3.5oz serving of wild rice, there are about 4 grams of protein, twice as much as white or brown rice. While the protein is not considered to be complete, it does contain all nine essential amino acids. Wild rice also contains small amounts of iron, potassium, and selenium.
· Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is a great source of MCT oil, and is shown to help reduce bad LDL. Coconut milk is also helpful in reducing inflammation, fighting viruses, and is a nice source of vitamins and minerals --110% of your DRI of Maganesse, 22% RDI Magnesium, 22% RDI Iron, and more.
How we find our balance is individualized. My hope is that this recipe, and others like it, will help you find a moment to breathe and appreciate life. Meal Maven Mama’s Mushroom + Wild Rice Soup is made creamy with coconut milk, and is loaded with kale.
Easy Instant Pot Mushroom + Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped in bite size pieces
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place ingredients, EXCEPT coconut milk and kale, into the Instapot.
- Close lid and confirm the vent is in the sealed position.
- In manual pressure cook mode, set time for 26 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and then release vent.
- Remove bay leaf. Stir in coconut milk and kale. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in Reusable Silicone Storage Bags. You can keep them in the fridge or the freezer. Warm up or defrost the soup, and eat right from the silicone bag-cup...or better yet, pour it into a beautiful bowl and enjoy a cozy moment.
