Potatoes. Potatoes. Potatoes. And some buffalo chicken!

Cook potatoes once. Enjoy three meals.

Baked potatoes...in the CROCK POT! This is genius, brilliant, and awesome! Click HERE for the "recipe."

So, let's take a look at three meals with this idea. On Friday morning, before heading off to work, load up the crock pot with potatoes. That evening, you have Meal #1: grill up some fish, toss a salad, and use half of those potatoes to make loaded taters with all your favorite toppings (bacon, cheese, sour cream, broccoli, salsa, whatever you fancy!).

Take the rest of the cooked potatoes, unwrap them, put them on a plate, and pop them in the fridge. Then for Saturday brunch you can make Meal #2:

Idaho Sunrise! Cut a slice off the top of the potato, scoop out some of the potato flesh, crack an egg or two into the hole, and top with cheese, meat, veggies, herbs, etc. Click HERE for the recipe. Serve with fresh fruit and you have a complete meal.

Now, you have all that potato you scooped out to hollow the potatoes. What to do with that? Meal #3!

Cheesy Roasted Garlic Potato Balls. Make mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and Gruyere, chill, then roll into balls and fry. Click HERE to see the recipe. Roast the garlic while baking the Idaho Sunrises, mix up the mashed potatoes, and put 'em in the fridge until Sunday. Then make these Potato Balls and you have an appetizer to serve while watching football, or playing cards with friends, or watching movies, or whatever lazy thing you do on Sunday afternoon.

(The Cheesy Roasted Garlic Potato Balls were ok, but nothing to rave about. It's a kinna complicated recipe for something that comes out tasting like exactly what it sounds like - fried mashed potatoes.)

With these Potato Balls, you could also serve...

Buffalo Chicken Bites. Shredded chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese...breaded with cornflakes...and baked. Click HERE for the recipe. This requires quite a bit of work, and creates a ridiculous amount of dirty dishes, but it is SO worth it!  Yumyumyum.  (And it does freeze and reheat well, as the original poster said. Bonus!)

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used only half the amount of cheddar, and I only needed 2 eggs instead of 4 for the breading process. And one word of advice: measure out the crushed cornflakes, and add them a bit at a time to the bowl you are using for breading. When the cornflakes get too damp from the egg, they won't adhere properly. Plus, if you don't need the full amount, it won't be cross contaminated and you can save it for another use.

Potato Balls plus Chicken Bites plus a veggie/fruit tray should count as a meal, shouldn't it? :)

Cheesy Veggie Casserole

Despite the presence of vegetables, this casserole is certainly not what I would call "healthy." But it's tasty, and an easy dish to take to a get-together. 

Click HERE for printable recipe

Cheesy Veggie Casserole

(Serves 10 - 12)

Half of a 28-oz. bag steak fries

16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, beans)

16 oz. bag frozen broccoli & cauliflower*

7 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

Two 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

15 oz. jar Cheez-Whiz

8 oz. sour cream

French fried onions, optional (I detest the things and never use them)

Spread steak fries in a single layer in a glass 8X10 dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine soup, Cheez-Whiz, and sour cream; add vegetables and stir together. Pour soup-vegetable mixture over fries. For best results, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, covered, 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, (top with French fried onions if using), bake additional 15 minutes.

*I find it necessary to thaw the broccoli/cauliflower blend so that I can cut any large pieces into smaller bite-size pieces. It's also helpful to sort through and discard any tough pieces of stalk.

You can make different variations of this recipe. Use all mixed vegetables. Use only 2 bags of California veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots). Omit the mushrooms. Substitute cream of celery or cream of chicken soup for the cream of mushroom soup. Make béchamel sauce to use in place of the cream of soup.  Add a layer of shredded chicken or turkey (about 4 cups) between the steak fries and veggies.  Use dill dip, ranch dip, or French onion dip in place of the sour cream. It's a very flexible recipe!

Bad cell phone pic of Cheesy Veggie Casserole