My true confessions about meat and potato meals…

You know what I love about mashed potatoes? Eating them. Otherwise, I am so over mashed potatoes. Therefore, I kind of stopped making them.

Why did I stop? It’s not like they’re difficult. My family loves them. They make a filling side dish. They are a real food. And above all, we can stir lots of butter into them. Why wouldn’t I make them more often?

Because, this:

I decided to make mashed potatoes a couple weeks ago since I had pretty much avoided the task since Thanksgiving. The family was thrilled. But making a meal of lamb chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, a veggie, another veggie – well by the time it’s all said and done – I had spent a very long time in the kitchen and had a sink and counter full of dirty dishes. That’s just one meal, people. (Except for the muffin tin and probably like, a spoon.)

I’m convinced that this is why so many people don’t enjoy cooking. Am I right? It takes too long. There are too many steps. There’s too much clean up. You know what? I don’t enjoy it either when it looks and feels like that.

Well, I’m not here to tell you what to do (except for never eat margarine). But as for me and my house, we’re only going to make mashed potatoes for special occasions. Otherwise, we’re going to stick with simple meals that don’t require many steps. Fast (real) foods that don’t dirty many dishes. Real food made easy.

Here, I’ll list a few of our favorite Not-So Meat and Potato Meals:

• Easy Noodle Stir Fry with a side of fruit because it already includes lots of veggies
• Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken Breasts with two to four easy “throw on the table” fruit and veggie sides
• Black Bean Chicken Nachos with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and fresh fruit
• Taco Potatoes with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and fresh fruit
• Tuna Casserole with salad, peas, and fresh fruit
• Italian Cream Cheese Chicken with salad and steamed veggies
• Alfredo Sauce with Pasta with salad and steamed veggies
• Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot topped with meat, cheese, and veggies
• Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad with raw veggies and fresh fruit

Instead of mashed potatoes, I’ve been making a lot of baked potatoes recently. I love this because they are so versatile and easy. Here’s a post detailing what I do with leftover baked potatoes.

‘Fess up. How often do you make mashed potatoes? (The real kind, not from a box. Don’t get me started.)

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