Spinach Mashed Potatoes

It was crazy-busy this past week. All three kids had games or activities like music lessons almost every night. We did manage to eat dinner together most nights, however. We just have to be flexible about the time we eat. Thankfully, husband works from home quite often so flexibility is easy for us. I just have to think through the menu options...I can't do last minute and healthy at the same time.

It's almost time to bring out the crockpot. For me it's a colder weather item...everything tastes sort of stewed in it. Maybe I just need better recipes or technique. But there's no denying it's a time-saver...if I'm organized I can even get everything into the pot the night before, refrigerate it, and then start it up in the morning. Even though I'm a stay-at-home mom right now, the reality of our lives is that we're in the car more than we're at home. Big, involved meals just don't happen during the week.

A while ago I read an article about a mom who blended veggies into mashed potatoes in an effort to get her kids to eat more vegetables. I was intrigued especially by her recipe for mashed potatoes with spinach. She used baby spinach leaves but I usually have several bags of frozen spinach in my freezer, so I used that instead. I added the spinach at the end of the cooking time for the potatoes, letting it boil for just a few minutes.

I was really pleased with the results. It was creamy and pretty and certainly upped the nutrition of mashed potatoes with butter. The spinach didn't dominate the taste of the potatoes, either, so picky eaters might like this dish. Imagine how pretty carrots might look instead of spinach.