Mommy Plannerista

Planning. Passions. Parenthood.

5 Easy Potato Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

· 8 Comments

As a busy work-at-home mom with no household help, I rely on easy, quick yet healthy recipes that I can cook for myself and my family. Lately, I’ve been experimenting on cooking with US Potatoes (you’ve probably seen my cooking through my IG stories) and found that their products really do help make cooking a lot easier and faster.

US Potatoes are known for their maximum quality, consistency, and variety. They are carefully grown by family farms and follow strict guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I love cooking with these products knowing that they meet high industry standards and are so easy to cook with.

Oftentimes, I find myself struggling with juggling time for work, family and chores. I had to create a plan and a strategy so that I can do everything in my to-do list and still have time to cook a healthy meal for my family even if I’m having a hectic work week.

My 5-Day Meal Plan for Lunch (or Dinner)

Today, I’d like to share with you a 5-day meal plan for lunch (or dinner), using US Potatoes, that can help you get through a busy week.

Monday – Curried Potato Salad

Regular potato salad can get boring! Try it with curry instead. Also, you can make a big batch of this ahead of time and just store it in the ref. Then, when it’s time to eat, just get some. It’s such a time-saver. I blogged about this last week. Click here if you want to see the recipe.

Tuesday – Potato Pancakes

For your kids who love pancakes, this will be a sure hit (although it’s great for us adults too!). It just involves making pancakes the usual way. The only thing different is that you need to add a mixture of grated potatoes and onions for a healthier and more filling version.

The ingredients include 5 lbs of grated US Potatoes, 1 grated onion, 3 pcs beaten eggs, 2 ½ cups dry pancake mix, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste. Combine the grated US Potatoes and grated onion in a colander and squeeze off excess liquid. Then, in a bowl, combine them with the eggs, pancake mix, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high. Take a spoonful of the potato mixture and cook it like you would regular pancakes, for about 5 minutes on each side. That’s it!

Wednesday – Potato and Bacon Skillet

If you also love breakfast food all day, then try this yummy dish. It includes bacon, potatoes, cheese and eggs – a combination everyone is sure to love. I cooked this a couple of weeks ago. See full recipe below.

Thursday – Cheese and Potato Bacon Rounds

Need a meal that you can just pop in your mouth? Try this recipe of mine inspired by my favorite baked potato halves from a popular pizza place. This involves just baking potato slices topped with bacon, cheese and green onions.

You’ll need 5 pcs US Potatoes cut into ½ rounds, 6 slices of cooked bacon (crumbled), 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, ½ cup chopped green onions, ¼ cup melted butter and sour cream.

To make, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Brush each side of the sliced potatoes with butter and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turning once, until lightly brown. When done, top the potatoes with bacon, cheese and green onions, then bake again until the cheese has melted. Serve with some sour cream. Easy peasy!

Friday – Waffle Cut Potato Nachos

Who doesn’t love to snack on nachos? But it doesn’t have to be just a snack. Add beef and swap the chips with potatoes to make this a healthier and more filling version.

These recipes only take 30 minutes to an hour to make. They are also good to eat on their own. No rice necessary!

Below, let me share with you how to cook in detail the Potato and Bacon Skillet and the Waffle Cut Potato Nachos.

 

Potato Bacon Skillet

Ingredients:

4 pcs. medium size US potatoes, cut into cubes
5 slices bacon
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 cup spring onions, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Cook bacon on a pan until crispy. Reserve the bacon grease. Crumble bacon and set aside.
  2. Cook the potatoes on the same pan with the bacon grease until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. When the potatoes are ready, sprinkle the bacon bits and pour the eggs over.
  4. Top with the cheddar cheese and spring onions.
  5. Cover the pan and cook until the cheese has melted.
  6. Enjoy eating!

 

Waffle Cut Potato Nachos

Ingredients:

1/2 kg US Potatoes waffle cut fries
1/2 kg ground beef
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
Pico de gallo
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the pico de gallo:

6 pcs medium tomatoes, diced
1 pc medium onion, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 pc lemon
1 cup sliced black olives
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Fry the waffle cut fries on a pan with a little oil. Make sure to fry with just one layer of fries to make sure they are all cooked evenly. Drain excess oil and set aside in a large bowl.
  2. Saute the ground beef on the same pan. Season with salt and pepper. When the ground beef is cooked, set aside.
  3. While still frying the potatoes and ground beef, you can start preparing the pico de gallo. Combine the diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro and olives in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lemon on top. Season with salt and pepper. Mix and set aside.
  4. Add the cooked ground beef on top of the cooked waffle cut fries. Add the pico de gallo. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and add a dallop of sour cream.
  5. Enjoy eating!

I really love cooking with US Potatoes. Especially with the waffle cut fries, you don’t even need to wash, peel or cut anymore. It’s all ready to cook!

For more of my recipe ideas using US Potatoes, click here. For more info about US Potatoes, visit the Potatoes USA Philippines Facebook page.

Curried Potato Salad Recipe Using US Potatoes

· 18 Comments

A few months ago, I shared with you how much our family loves using US Potatoes in our meals. I also shared with you 5 unique kid-friendly potato baon ideas. This time around, let me share with you a potato salad recipe that we recently tried called Curried Potato Salad.

Potato salad is so yummy and so easy to make. But did you know that there are so many ways to make it? I was scouring for unique potato salad recipes and saw several ones that used curry powder. I combined a few of them and came up with my own version.

US Potatoes

For this recipe, I used US potatoes because they stand out from the competition. Some of the reasons they stand out are:

Quality

US potatoes are grown in the most ideal environment- fertile soil, ideal growing seasons and temperatures, and plentiful amounts of water. Generations of experiene by the family farms also contribute to the special care they take with their crops.

Variety

There’s a wide variety of US potatoes that you can use for all occasions, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. US potato types are classified as russets, reds, whites, yellows, blue/purple, fingerling and petite.

Convenience

A lot of us are busy individuals, so if we can cut down on cooking time, why not, right? US potatoes have fresh, dehydrated and frozen varieties for you to choose from. The frozen and dehydrated potato varieties can be used right out of the package- dehydrated ones by simply rehydrating it with water or milk and frozen ones which you can just toss in the fryer or bake in the oven. As a busy mom, I find cooking with them a lot faster. I can save time for family or work instead.

Availability

US Potatoes are not hard to find. You can find them in leading supermarkets nationwide such as Rustan’s, S&R, and SM.

Curried Potato Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds diced US Potatoes

4 pcs large eggs

2 cups mayonnaise

2 cups low fat, plain yogurt

1 small, onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Mustard

3 tablespoons Curry Powder

2 pcs small Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 small pack, frozen peas, thawed

Salt and Pepper, to taste

 Directions:

  1. Boil the potatoes for a few minutes over medium heat in a large pot. Add a tablespoon of salt. Cook until potatoes are tender and drain. Set aside to cool.
  2. Boil eggs in a small pan over medium-high heat. After boiling, let it stand for a few minutes, drain and place in a bowl with cold water. When cold, peel the eggs and cut into quarters.
  3. Whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the potatoes, eggs, onions, and peas. Stir to combine. Chill for a few hours until ready to serve.

The combined prep and cook time is roughly only 45 minutes. This makes 10 servings.

This is such a nice twist to the usual potato salad. I think this is how I’m going to make potato salad from now on.

To learn more about US Potatoes, visit their Facebook page or their website now.

Wholly Grain Sorghum: A Healthier Rice Alternative

· 14 Comments

Rice is a staple food here in the Philippines. At our home, almost every meal has rice. But did you know that although rice has it’s benefits, there’s actually a better alternative? That alternative is called Sorghum. I recently learned about this grain when I was approached to review Wholly Grain Sorghum.

What is Sorghum?

Here are some facts about this superfood.

  • Sorghum is an ancient grain that originated from the north-eastern part of Africa around 5,000 to 8,000 years ago. Its secondary origin
    is from India, which had evidence of cultivation dating back to about 4,500 years.
  • Sorghum is part of the top five cereal grains being produced around Asia, Africa, and Central America.
  • This grain has been used in many traditional foods such as breads, couscous, porridge, and snacks.
  • There are several types of Sorghum grains, and the kind usually consumed is the sweet white Sorghum, which is often used as a sweetener.
  • These grains are not only natural, but are also environmentally sustainable.
  • Sorghum requires only about a 60th the amount of water rice would use in cultivation, and are drought tolerant.
  • Locally, Sorghum Grains are grown and harvested in Ilocos Norte, a province located in Northern Philippines.

Benefits of Sorghum:

Sorghum, being used as a staple for millennia, is a superfood.

  • Its nutrition density, is higher than that of Brown, Red Rice and Quinoa, and provides many health benefits.
  • It is an excellent staple for dieting, as the grain’s high protein and fiber content keeps one satiated for a longer time period.
  • Its dietary fiber also aids in digestion and increasing metabolism, while helping lower blood cholesterol.
  • It is whole grain and gluten-free.
  • It also contains fiber, protein and calcium.
  • It is good for the body, the heart, and the bones.

Wholly Grain:

Wholly Grain is a natural leader for healthy snacks and staples. With its star product, Sorghum grains, Wholly Grain introduces a more fibrous and nutritious alternative to any grain in the market–driving more to adopt a higher quality of living.

The company sources their grain from small-scale growers to help develop the local community. The grains are minimally processed, so as to preserve
the product’s nutritional integrity. They were strained of all unnecessary particles collected in the harvest, and de-husked once using a colloid mill.
After which, the grains were placed into resealable packages, made ready for home-cooking.

This is how Wholly Grain sorghum is packaged. It is available in 500 gram packs for only Php 70.00, in 1 kg resealable packs for only Php 120.00, and in 2 kg packs for only P 220.00.

The first photo above shows how the actual sorghum grain looks like. As you can see it looks a lot like popcorn, only smaller.

How to Cook Sorghum:

As mentioned above, sorghum is usually used as an alternative to rice. The packaging says to boil it with water in a pot in a ratio of 1:4 for about 90 minutes until it is soft to eat. We tried cooking it as rice at home but used a rice cooker instead. We didn’t wait 90 minutes and just let the rice cooker estimate the cooking time. This process is faster but since we didn’t try to cook it in a pot for 90 minutes, I’m not sure how different it would be if we did. We were happy with the result though.

The sorghum was cooked just right. It wasn’t very white like rice and looked more like soft corn. But I like it’s texture and the fact that it’s flavorful on its own. Plus, so filling too!

Here, we paired it with stir fry chicken and vegetables. We just put some of the sorghum on top. It was a really yummy and healthy meal that even our kids enjoyed eating.

However, sorghum is not just a rice alternative. You can eat it like popcorn as well. That was really exciting to me because we love eating popcorn at home although I try to limit eating it because it’s not really healthy especially because we like it with lots of butter.

To pop sorghum, the packaging said to just heat a pan, pour the sorghum and wait for it to pop. It said you must move the pan to stir the sorghum to avoid it from burning. This didn’t really work for us though and this resulted to a few burnt batches. But we discovered that it was best to cook it with a little olive oil instead and use a spatula to keep stirring the sorghum until it all pops. Here’s the outcome.

I have to say, the popped version is yummy as well. Unlike plain popcorn, popped sorghum already tastes good on its own. It already has its own slightly salty taste. However, popped sorghum is smaller though. But it’s not something we mind. We actually couldn’t stop munching on it (even the slightly burned ones!). So, it’s actually good that it’s healthier. We get the feeling of eating popcorn without the guilt.

This is definitely a product that our entire family love. My hubby is actually borderline diabetic and I think a large part of this is because he loves to eat a lot of rice. Now, he can have a fulfilling meal that’s a lot healthier because of sorghum!

You can try it yourself. Order some for your family by sending a message to Wholly Grain via their Facebook page.

Happy healthy eating!

Gold Seas Tuna Chunks: Our New Favorite Chunky Tuna!

· 5 Comments

I like cooking for my family. But I’m also a busy work-at-home who doesn’t always have the time to cook. So I tend to choose meals that are fast and easy to prepare but at the same time, healthy too.

One of our staples when it comes to cooking then is canned tuna because it’s healthy, so versatile and so easy to prepare. So a couple of weeks ago, when we saw a sampling of Gold Seas Tuna Chunks at the supermarket, we immediately had a taste and we loved it! We bought a few cans and devoured everything in just a couple of days. It’s a good thing then that we were sent this Gold Seas Tuna Chunks package a few days after.

Made of real, pure, meatier tuna loin, Gold Seas Tuna Chunks is rich in Omega 3 and is packed with lean protein. This premium tuna product uses healthy olive oil and is available in 6 flavors: Olive Oil, Olive Oil with Chili, Springwater plus the new variants, Herb and Garlic, Lemon and Pepper, and Mild Indian Curry.

Once you open the can, you can really see the difference because it’s really chunkier than other brands. Plus, it has lesser oil content too. My favorite, so far, are the Herb and Garlic, Olive Oil and Chili and Mild Indian Curry flavors. We’ve been eating it as is with bread. But I imagine it will taste great with rice or pasta too! I love that I just have to open a can of Gold Seas Tuna Chunks and my family already has a healthy meal! This is definitely our new favorite canned tuna!

Try them for yourself! Gold Seas Tuna Chunks are available in 90-gram and 185-gram cans. Find them in all the leading supermarkets and groceries nationwide.

To know more, like @goldseastunachunks on Facebook.

Healthy Eating with US Potatoes (Plus 5 Unique Kid-Friendly Potato Baon Ideas)

· 8 Comments

If there’s one vegetable we always have at home, it’s potatoes. Everyone in our family loves it and we use it a lot in our meals.

It’s great to learn then how healthy potatoes really are and how much it benefits our kids. I recently came across interesting information specifically about US Potatoes from Potatoes USA Philippines.

Photo courtesy of www.potatoesusa-philippines.com.

Nutritional Benefits of Potatoes

Potatoes provide the Carbohydrate, Potassium & Energy kids need to perform at their best.

Potatoes are more energy-packed than any other popular vegetable and have even more potassium than banana. It’s the perfect snack to keep your kid bustling with energy throughout the day. The concentration of potassium is highest in the skin and just beneath it. So, it’s best to eat potatoes with the skin on.

Potatoes are vitamin rich.

They also contain calcium, iron, and phosphorus, which help with the maintenance of our kids’ bone strength and structure. This can be vital to kids especially in the early stages of their life when play takes up most of their time.

Potatoes are known for the large amounts (45%) of Vitamin C present in them. Typically, 100 gm will contain about 17 mg of Vitamin C. It aids in collagen production; assists with iron absorption; and helps heal wounds and keep our kids’ gums healthy. In addition to this, they also contain Vitamin A, B and P.

Potatoes help in proper brain functioning.

They are high in carbohydrates, and thereby maintain good levels of glucose in the blood. This prevents the brain from letting fatigue creep in and it keeps our kids’ cognitive activity and performance high, which is especially helpful when they are studying hard in school.

The brain also needs oxygen, which is carried to it by the hemoglobin in the blood; its main constituent is iron. Potatoes contain iron as well. Therefore, they likewise help deliver oxygen to the brain.

Potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber.

According to a study, potatoes can be a good source of potassium and dietary fiber for children aged one-three years. It showed potatoes provide 8% of the recommended daily value of fiber — important for growth, development and overall health of children.

Potatoes do not displace other vegetables on the plate.

Studies show that kids love potatoes and that when they are served, a wider variety of vegetables are consumed. Potatoes are a true gateway vegetable, and is the only vegetable easily incorporated into kids’ breakfasts.

Potatoes are good for the heart.

Potatoes are cholesterol-free and have zero saturated fat, which helps prevent heart diseases. Its potassium content also helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Given how the age of people getting heart diseases get younger and younger, this is something we moms should take note of.

5 Unique Kid-Friendly Potato Baon Ideas

Now that we know just how healthy potatoes are. Let me share with you some unique ways on how to cook US Potatoes as a healthy baon option for your kids this school season.

Soups

My kids love eating soup and so do I. So, this is one of my personal favorites. There are so many kinds of potato soup recipes you can make that will appeal to your kids’ taste buds. For example, you can use US Potatoes to make Cheesy Potato Soup, Potato Leek Soup and Potato Bacon Soup.

That’s my own version of Cheesy Potato Soup on the photo above.

Pizza

Did you know that you can use US potatoes as a healthier substitute for a typical pizza crust? Just slice them, grill or roast the potato planks then put on your favorite toppings.

Bruschetta

To make bruschetta, you usually use the traditional crostini or sourdough bread. Replace those with sliced US potatoes, about 1/4-inch think, toss in some olive oil and bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. When done, top with tomatoes and other toppings.

Nachos

Kids love nachos but instead of using tortilla chips, a healthier version could be frozen US potato wedges, especially if you want a gluten-free option.

Sandwiches

If you can use US Potatoes as an alternative to pizza crust and nachos, you can surely use them as well to make bread-free sandwiches. Just slice the potatoes about 1/2 thick and pan fry it a bit to make it softer. This will be your replacement to bread. Then fill in the sandwich with healthy ingredients such as cheese and vegetables.

I’m sure these healthy potato baon ideas will be a hit for your kids.

Ready to learn more about US Potatoes? Follow them on Facebook for more information.

Disclosure