Healthier Living with a Ninja Foodi MAX

I must confess: I chickened out of using the Ninja Foodi MAX on my first attempt. I’ve been lusting after one of these beauties for years, so it feels a bit silly to admit this. But my type ADHD brain struggles with lots of instructions and there are just so many buttons and functions. The learning curve feels steep when you have kids bawling ‘When’s dinner ready?’!

At least I managed the pressure cooker trial run, although I hadn’t read the warning properly. The label clearly states that you shouldn’t leave the machine directly under kitchen cabinets, in case of property damage. I was taken aback by the blast of hot steam that shot out the top and I had to quickly move the Ninja Foodi to another surface.

Thankfully, despite reading reviews that mentioned how heavy it is, the Ninja Foodi is quite portable. However it does take up a fair amount of space (especially if you have the MAX version) so that’s something to consider if you’re short on kitchen storage.

Ninja Foodi MAX: A One-Pot Wonder

For my second attempt, I decided to make a simple one-pot. We’re big chilli con carne fans so that seemed like an obvious choice. The Ninja Foodi comes with a recipe and instruction booklet that includes a fairly standard recipe for chilli made with mincemeat. I followed the cooking instructions although as usual I pimped my chilli with extra coriander, hot chillies, fresh lime juice and dark chocolate. 

It’s not exactly a challenge making chilli on the stove but there was something especially satisfying about setting the Ninja Foodi to cook and letting it do the work, while I gabbed on the phone with my sister.

Soon, the kitchen was filling with the gorgeous aromas of dinner and all I had to do was watch the countdown timer and then release the pressure cook valve. Boom… a delicious pot of steaming, slow cooker quality chilli that (was it my imagination?) tasted better than ever.

Ninja Foodi MAX: 7-In-One Multi-Cooker

What I love about the Ninja Foodi is its versatility — the 7-in-1 Ninja Foodi MAX lets you pressure cook, steam, sauce, bake/roast, slow cook, grill and air crisp everything from vegetables to a 2.5kg chicken. The best part is that you can air fry yummy, golden chips using the crisping method and they’re a lot healthier, as you don’t need to deep fry them in vats of oil. You can even start cooking with ingredients straight from the freezer. Apparently, you can also make healthy air-popped popcorn in this magic gizmo too. Yum.

Over the past couple of weeks, my boys were struck down with the dreaded Omicron. So I’ve been whipping up batches of chicken soup, stacked with ginger, spices and every veg in the house. Science approves of this old-fashioned remedy, as the soup is brimming with vitamins and minerals, the broth helps to hydrate and clear congestion and the chicken is high in tryptophan, which helps your body produce serotonin and induces that sense of comfort. Yes, chicken soup really is the ultimate comfort food.

Living Well, Eating Better

We were sent a Ninja Foodi MAX as part of the Living Well with Very campaign*, showcasing some of the top wellness and nutrition products that Very has on offer. I also got to sample supplements from their Bio Synergy range which includes everything from Big Krill (great for hair and skin) to Vitamin D3 (essential for immunity and particularly if you are Black, Asian or have dark skin).

As January draws to a close, I’m determined to stay on top of my health and my family’s wellbeing. So I’m really pleased to have added the Ninja Foodi Max to our kitchen and I can’t wait to try some more recipes. There are loads of ideas on the Ninja Foodi website but tonight I’m going to wing it with a homemade Nigerian stew and jollof rice. I’ll pop a recipe on the blog soon, if you ask nicely.

*Partner post, all opinions are strictly my own