I’ll be honest. I’m not typically someone who sets goals for the New Year, you guys. I was talking to a friend the other day, and I’m actually not one who sets goals at all. Ha. Is that bad? I’m a do-er, I realized. If I want to do something, I just start down the path to getting it done instead of taking time to sit and think about a goal. I guess there’s good and bad to that…I get things done, but maybe in a more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach. I LOVE CHECKING OFF A TO-DO LIST. I’m ruled by a constant to-do list though, and sometimes the joy of having accomplished something just flies past me without notice.

As 2019 approached this year I found myself, for once, thinking “what would a goal for this year be if I set one? What would I want to change or mix up this year versus previous years?” I’m not sure what was different about this year. Maybe it’s just in the air for me. The idea I settled upon as my New Year’s resolution for 2019 though was that of intention. This do-er who is always hyper-focused on how much I can get done in a day needs a freaking break. I love being productive, but what good is it if I can’t stop to smell the proverbial flowers every once in a while, right? Why am I doing the things I’m doing all the time? Just to have things to do or is there a good reason for doing them?

This do-er is also a recovering perfectionist. I’ve talked about this on my Instagram stories before, and have commiserated with my fellow perfectionists there. Perfectionism is exhausting and unattainable, but can creep in like a judge-y overlord infiltrating everything you do. This year I’m telling the judge-y overlord to get lost, let me just be, and let me do things with intention instead of speed and stress. #yesplease

How My Instant Pot Makes Me Less of A Perfectionist

This desire to do things fast but perfectly even shows up when it comes to dinner time. I love cooking, but we all know the weekly grind of finding something for dinner each night. Some days I wonder why I’m so stressed by the time we actually sit down to eat. OH, maybe because I chose a recipe with 10 ingredients to finely dice to make a sauce that takes 30 minutes to reduce, and I have to actually cook the rest of the meal, too. Fancy sauces are delicious, but you know what’s also delicious? Actually enjoying time with my family over dinner when I’m not stressed and exhausted by trying to attain perfection all day long.

We have all heard about the magic that is the Instant Pot by now. You’ve heard me rave about it before. It is a dinner game changer, you guys, and will help you with some of that extra time to just sit down, mama. Pair this fabulous appliance with a recipe where you don’t even have to chop anything and you’ve hit weeknight dinner gold. The fanciest, most perfect dinner ever? Maybe not. But this one is darn good.

Perfectionist or not, we can all use a little help when it comes to weeknight meals, and I was excited to find both helpful (ahem, Instant Pot) and adorable (ahem, whale dishes) items for my kitchen at Walmart.com. They currently have a ton of items to assist with whatever your resolutions may be…whether you’re getting organized, setting new career goals or, like me, trying to do things with more intention. I needed some new serving dishes, and this square bowl and the pretty wooden spoons are perfect. The oval ones will be great for pasta dishes or for serving snacks at parties, too.

Shop Helpful and Adorable Kitchenware

The Recipe: Instant Pot Egg Roll Bowls

Adapted from this lovely recipe.

Egg Roll Bowls

1 lb ground pork, chicken, turkey or beef
1 bag coleslaw mix
1/2 c. chicken, beef or veggie broth
1 TBSP soy sauce, or to taste
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP ground ginger, or fresh grated ginger to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Torn (not chopped, ha) fresh cilantro, optional

1 pkg wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers
Spray olive or vegetable oil (or brush on)
Sea salt

Heat oven to 400 for your wonton chips, first. Then, turn Instant Pot on to saute and let it heat. Add your meat of choice, spices and soy sauce and brown the meat. (Drain fat if using a higher fat content meat). Turn IP off. Add 1/2 c. broth to meat and dump bag of coleslaw mix on top (don’t stir). Lock the Instant Pot lid and set on ‘manual’ for 0 minutes. Yes, this is a thing. The cabbage just needs to barely steam and this will do it! The pot will pressurize and beep when it’s done. When timer is up, do a quick release on the IP lid and open it up. Give it all a stir and serve in bowls with the wonton chips for dipping and a little torn cilantro if you like it, and aren’t one of those people who think it tastes like soap (I am truly sorry for you if you are). I like to have extra soy sauce and some Sriracha sauce on the table, too. (P.S. Soy sauce tastes even better when served from an adorable whale dish)

Wonton Chips

While Instant Pot is cooking, cut wonton or egg roll wrappers with a pizza cutter into chip-sized strips. Place on lined baking sheet and spray with a light coating of oil. Sprinkle salt on to taste. Bake at 400 for 4-5 minutes (they cook fast so be sure to watch them closely). Remove from oven and serve with the egg roll bowls. YUM!

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Here’s to easy, healthy dinners that taste delicious and take no chopping. And here’s to giving ourselves a break from perfectionism, mamas, and allowing ourselves to do things intentionally this year so we can actually enjoy the fruits of our efforts. And by fruits, I mean delicious egg roll bowls.

xo,

L

A big hometown-girl thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post. I found some of the most adorable dishes to make my easy meal shine! And forget about that adorable whale set. Of course, they also have the magical Instant Pot in various sizes and offerings to help with your own easy cooking. As usual, thoughts and opinions and resolutions and perfectionisms are all my own.

Hop on over to follow me on Instagram @laurajansenstyle (new IG name!) to see more of what I’m up to in Portland, Oregon. And don’t forget about LikeToKnow.It for easy peasy shopping of the looks I’m loving!

Pictures by the lovely Posy Quarterman.