As a 36-time marathoner and busy mom of three, I’m always on the hunt for quick and easy ways to feed my family healthy, minimally processed food.
There are two items on my daily menu: coffee (can I get an amen?!) and potatoes. Growing up, I was always obsessed with french fries—who wasn’t—but it wasn’t until I learned I had a wheat allergy that I fully embraced potatoes as an any-meal-of-the-day nutrient-dense option. In hindsight, I missed out when I filled my plate with grains for all those years!
Here’s why I feed my family (and myself!) potatoes daily:
They’re nutrient dense.
When I eat junk food, my body feels terrible during runs and workouts. When I provide my body with the nutrients it needs, I feel better. It sounds simple, but it took me years to clearly see the correlation between what I was putting into my body and what my body was giving back to me when I wanted it to perform.
There’s so many to choose from!
I can make the same meal more than once in a week and not have my family complain. The secret is as simple as serving a different variety of potato! The more you eat potatoes, the more you begin to learn the different tastes each offer. From slightly sweet to creamy, they never disappoint.
They’re so easy to make.
I’d love to sit here and tell you that not only am I a 36-time marathon finisher, I’m also an amazing cook! Alas, that’s not the case. I’ve worked hard over the years to learn how to prepare healthy and delicious foods for my family, but it hasn’t come naturally. That’s part of why I appreciate the time-saving nature preparing potatoes provides: On days where we’re running from practice to practice, I can pop some potatoes in the microwave for 6 minutes or less, top with olive oil, hemp seeds, a fried egg, sea salt and a little pepper, and have a filling and delicious snack in under 10 minutes.
You can dress them up or dress them down.
Some days I linger in my running clothes for far too long, and other days I get dressed up and wear a dress and heels. No one way of dressing is better than the other, and that’s exactly how I feel about potatoes. They are absolutely delicious on their own and equally delicious when all dressed up and combined with other whole foods I love.