Double stuffed potatoes - make ahead summer meals- yummy and freezer worthy

I am always looking for meal prep ideas to use during the week. Both Kris and I  don't make it home until 5:30/6:00 some days,  so a full meal prep with 2 little kids doesn't always work out for us. Another common theme- we all want our food to be tasty, kid friendly, and healthy.... 

Double stuffed potatoes are a side dish that can be made a healthy or unhealthy as you want.  You start from the basics and then you add from there. 

What you will need:

• Baking sheet
• Tin foil to cover baking sheet
• 10 Potatoes (what ever ones you prefer baked, but the bigger the better...) 
• 2 1/2 shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup of Sour Cream 
• 1 Tbsp of Butter
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste 
• Mixing bowl to mix the potato mixture
• Knife to cut baked potatoes
• Spoon to scoop out baked potato/mix potato mixture/spoon back into potato 
• Freezer bags if you are making these for another day. 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees 

Cover cookie sheet with tin foil 

Wash potatoes, leave skin on or leave then "naked" as some would say (Carter thought it was funny that I said naked potatoes..ha ha ha..kids)

Pierce the potatoes in various places with a fork. 

Place potatoes on cookie sheet and put in the oven for at least 1 hr. 

***Every persons oven is different. Potatoes will need at least an hour but they may need longer. When an hour is up, you can check them by seeing if a tooth pick or a fork pierces into the potatoes easily. If it does not put it in the oven for another 20 minutes. Repeat until the potatoes are able to be pierced. Sometimes the bigger the potato the longer it takes***

Shred cheese while waiting

Once potatoes are finished baking you will need to work fast, and yes the potatoes are hot. 

Put on an oven mitt and hold the hot potato in the hand with the mitt on. 

Cut the potato in half and scoop the baked inside of the potato into a mixing bowl. 

Leave a little bit of potato on the sides to act as a form for the potatoes 

Once all potato filling has been scooped out mix it with 1 1/2 cup of cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and Tbsp of butter.  Mix in with potatoes. 

**If you feel that this is too much or too little ingredients add or take away as you see fit**

Once mixture is fully mixed scoop back into the potato shells 

Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of the potatoes

If you are planning on eating these right away- pop them in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt.

If you are planning to freeze these - put them on the same sheet that they were on originally cover with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer so that they can "flash freeze".

Once they have frozen a little bit divide them into freezer bags. 

I put 2 to a bag, which works out to a nice amount for lunch and also for planning for dinner. 

Extra toppings - You can be creative with other ingredients to put into the potato mixture. 

Sauté some chopped onions 

Fry up some bacon and cut up into small pieces

Add a Tbsp spoon of cream cheese 

Try a mixture of cheese- mozzarella? Parmesan? 

One thing to consider.. green onion tastes great on a potato but it does not taste great after being frozen. Fresh is always best with green onion. 

My mouth is watering writing this....mmmmmmmmmm.....

P.S.  

Want to receive my latest blog posts in your email? You can subscribe below. :)

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I left the recipe picking for the extended family birthday party for Carter & Sophie up to Kris, and I am actually pretty darn impressed with his recipe choice. 

The Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake was taken from all recipes and it is a great recipe to serve to a large group of people. The best thing about all recipes is that you can change the serving sizes to increase or decrease. 

Ingredients

1 cup of softened butter

2 cups of whitened sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of sour cream

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 5/8 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt 

1 cup of blueberries

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. 

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the batter in the pan. 

Spoon remaining batter over the top, and then sprinkle the remaining pecan mixture over. Use a knife or thin spatula to swirl the sugar layer into the cake.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean.

 

Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Invert onto a serving plate, and tap firmly to remove from the pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Hints & after thoughts.

• If you do not have a bundt pan, a loaf pan works just as well. We upped the recipe to serve 30 people and I used a 9 inch bundt pan and a loaf pan
• You need to make sure that the nut & sugar mixture is mixed in good, as it will burn
• There is absolutely nothing healthy about this coffee cake but it is SO good. 

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner