Simple Ways To Turn A Potato Into A Meal Kids Will Love

Potatoes are a staple of the American diet. This is because they are such a versatile food. Potatoes can be boiled, fried, mashed, baked, or turned into chips. We won’t be frying any potatoes today, but by using the other ways a potato can be prepared, you can turn it into a meal your kids will love.

Let’s create a baked potato deluxe. To make the skin of the potato peel back easier rub them with olive oil before you bake them. I personally like that better than using the foil wrap. I’ve seen people cut the potato without removing the foil and I wonder how many small pieces of that foil are in that potato. While the potatoes are baking, enlist the aid of your kids to help you prepare the potato bar. Let them add a few of their favorites to your list. I would recommend that a good list start with: shredded cheese, bacon crumbles (they taste better than bacon bits), chopped green onions, salsa, butter spray or low calorie margarine, and sour cream. While the potatoes are piping hot, split them open and add the butter spray and the cheese to give it a chance to melt. Then, add the other items if desired. This loaded baked potato doesn’t require anything else unless you want a salad. Kids will like that fact that they get to fix their own dinner.

For a light lunch, scoop the potato out of the baked skins. Mix the mash the potato and mix it with shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, green onions, and low-fat margarine. Refill the potato skins and bake again until the cheese is melted. Cut the potato into four pieces to make it easier for your kids to handle. These twice baked potatoes are delicious.

Soup anyone? Potato soup is delicious. It is best in the fall or winter to warm you up on a chilly day, but on a spring evening, it can be a treat. But, potato soup is boring with just the potatoes. Here’s another chance to make a meal for your kids using a potato. Add a few tasty items to your soup. You can almost add the same things to the soup that you can add to top a baked potato. My favorite toppings for potato soup are shredded cheese, broccoli florets, bits of ham or bacon, chives, and green onions. The meat gives it more protein to sustain your kids until the next meal. Potato soup can be eaten as a lunch meal or a light dinner. All of the additions give it great taste for the kids.

The potato even works in a salad. Everyone makes their potato salad a little differently, but however they do it, it is good to eat on a warm summer’s day for lunch. Potato salad is usually a side item at picnics or housewarming parties. Here we will turn it into a light meal for the kids and you. To give it a little crunch, add chopped celery and onion to the salad. For the meat, use chopped shrimp for a seafood twist or ham cubes. The potato chunks should still be the biggest thing in the bowl since it is the star of the dish. Mayonnaise and mustard round out the list of ingredients with salt and pepper added to taste.

Potatoes are delicious and economical. There are so many ways that they can be prepared which adds to their appeal. If you are looking for a way to fix them that will be tasty and satisfy your kids, try the suggestions above along with some of your own.
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