Three things I look for when planning supper:
- Customization and choice: My kids love the DIY feel of lettuce wraps, bowls, tacos, and bars. Customizing their plate with yummy toppings allows them to make something they are excited to eat, and often encourages them to try something new. They almost always go back for a second helping.
- Leftovers: I like any supper that yields components that can be re-imagined the next day, especially for my lunch, or can be easily transformed into another dinner (how many ways can you use a Costco rotisserie chicken??)
- Flexibility: I love a meal that isn’t too dependent on a certain ingredient – it needs to be adjustable to fit my family and our schedule. I’m talking steps that can be prepped in advance or ingredients that can be easily swapped and substituted based on preference or diet.
Enter the baked potato bar. Seemingly not a “recipe” but most certainly a guide to supper.
Case in point:
– the potatoes themselves can be baked well in advance and reheated.
– the quick chili can be made with ground turkey, Impossible Meat, or omitted altogether in lieu of black beans. Or you can sub your favorite chili recipe and make enough for another dinner later this week.
– the topping options are endless: salsa, marinara, spinach, broccoli, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon, corn, ranch dressing… you get the picture.
– Any leftover toppings can be thrown all together with some lettuce and called lunch!
I often forget to put baked potato bars in our winter dinner rotation, probably because at first thought potatoes are a side, not a main. But when I jazz it up and call it a DIY Potato Bar, everyone in my family leaves the table delighted!
Let me know what your family thinks! You can always find us on social @raddishsupperclub, send an email to supperclub@raddishkids.com, or comment on the recipe post at RaddishSupperClub.com.
Happy Cooking!
