Family Meals Month

    Family Meals Month

    by: Jacqueline Gomes, RD, MBA

    Weeknight dinners are hard, no doubt about it! If you want your family to join you – that may feel near impossible! However, with just a few ingredients and a plan, you can make it happen.

    How you say?

    • Start with a few convenience staples like canned beans, cooked shrimp, rotisserie chicken, pre-washed cut up veggies and even pre-prepped starches like rice, potatoes and pasta.
    • While it’s tough to get everyone to sit down at the same time, one-pot meals make it easy to reheat later in the evening, take along in a thermos or container and makes clean up that much easier
    • Don’t limit yourself to traditional dinner meals. Lunch meals like salads, sandwiches and soups work great as quick weeknight meals as well!
    • Baked potatoes are make ahead friendly and work easily with just about any protein.

    Spinach & Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

    spinach twice baked potato

    Prep: 1.5 hours

    Bake: 20 minutes

    Makes: 10 Servings

    Ingredients:

    • 5 Russet Potatoes (about 8-10 ounces each)
    • 1/3 cup 1% milk
    • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, fully thawed
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • 1/4 cup sweet onion minced
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • Kosher Salt & pepper

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. wash & scrub potatoes; wrap each potato is aluminum foil, pierce with a fork or knife and bake for 1 ½  hours or until tender.
    2. Allow potatoes to cool for about 15 minutes, cut each potato lengthwise in half. Scoop out potato, leaving 1/4-inch thick shells. In a large bowl, add potato, milk, butter, salt and pepper – mash with a fork or potato masher. Now add onion, spinach, cheese and combine well.
    3. Spoon mixture into potato shells; return to baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.