Ross and I love shopping at Costco for the overall savings, especially for produce. Per pound, everyday items like bananas, potatoes and greens are a great value. The savings are only worth it if you 1. have the storage space for 15 lbs of potatoes or 5 lbs of spinach, 2. can finish the larger than life packages before they spoil, and 3. can come up with enough inventive ways to use these ingredients without getting sick of them. As a family of two, the bulk sizes at Costco can become an issue. We accept the challenge and it has forced our creativity in the kitchen, hence recipes like my 20 Calorie Spinach Coleslaw and Taco Roasted Tomatoes.


On our last trip to Costco we stocked up on a 15 lb. bag of Yukon Gold potatoes. These are my absolute favorite for making a great creamy mashed potato without tons of added butter or milk. They bake well, but have a thinner skin than traditional Idaho potatoes. They are great for roasting, with or without the skin. The Yukon Gold's tend to be a bit more expensive than the average potato, but were a great price at Costco. We also snagged a 5 lb. bag of chopped kale. This was great for grabbing a handful or two and mixing into my soup at lunch. After a weeks time, the kale was seeing its last legs and I was getting sick of stirring the large leaves into whatever was cooking. After a quick google search for "leftover kale recipes," I ran across a recipe for Kale Spiked Mashed Potatoes.  Of course we still had some potatoes rolling around to go with that kale. The original recipe calls for the kale to be sauteed in bacon, then stirred into your potato recipe with bacon crumbles and topped with cheddar cheese. This is great in theory, but not in waist watching practice. Here is my twist...

Kale Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5-6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (1.5 lbs by weight)
• 2 oz. chopped kale, stems removed
• 1/4 cup skim milk (try unsweetened almond milk for a dairy free alternative)
• 2 oz. low fat cream cheese or sour cream (forego cream cheese/sour cream and add additional almond milk for a dairy free version)
• salt and pepper

Prep Time 20 min, serves 6.

Take a look at the nutrition for the kale  mashed potatoes, left 
and traditional mashed potatoes, right.

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add potatoes. Boil until soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prep the kale. Remove stems and chop leaves. (I used the food processor)
3. Drain potatoes and mash. Stir in milk, chopped kale, and cream cheese/sour cream. Adding the raw kale to the piping hot potatoes will quickly cook it without loosing any nutritional content (as would happen with a blanch or saute).
4. Add freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy!

I plugged my ingredients into MyFitnessPal and when you compare the recipe for kale mashed potatoes to my traditional mashed potatoes, the numbers don't lie. Adding a little kale into the mix is a great way to sneak in some extra Vitamin A and C without a big change in flavor. If kale isn't for you, spinach or any leafy green would work great too! A scoop of these green potatoes was a delicious compliment to my beef soup this afternoon for lunch. I can't wait to give them a try at dinner with a little gravy drizzled over the top. On my first try with this concoction, I stuck to a traditional recipe. I wanted to really see if the kale was overbearing or noticeable. I could taste the kale, but the potatoes were the most prominent taste. I can't wait to mix it up and try this recipe with some garlic or ricotta cheese instead of sour cream or to try it as recommended by Bon Appetit with bacon and cheddar.

They say "it's not easy being green", but I beg to differ. I dare you to green up your spuds!