1 Potato, 2 Potato, 3 Potato, 4!

When my husband travels for work, I find myself falling into that trap that a lot of us have. Cooking for one. Well, for me it's really cooking for 1.5. But still, even for me, who loves to cook, it's hard to justify making an entire meal for one and a half people. But we gotta eat.

One of my favorite, made for one meals is the loaded baked potato. Quick, easy, nutrititous and varied, it makes for great solo eating. And of course you could make it for more than one too.

I use Idaho russets, but any decent sized baking potato will do. ALWAYS buy organic potatoes. Potatoes grow in the ground and by their nature soak up so much nasty pesticides and chemical fertilizers. So if you have to use your grocery dollars carefully, make sure that potatoes are on your list of veggies to buy organic.

If you are watching your carbs, you might be worried about eating white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a great substitue, so go ahead and use those. Also depending on what you add to your potato, fats and proteins will help slow down the metabolizing of the carbs in the potatoes and so loaded potatoes are in fact a better choice than just plain potatoes.

Some of my favorite toppings:

• Steamed broccoli (or any veggie you like, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, etc), cheddar or parmesan cheese. (Natural bacon bits/soy bits are yummy too)
• Vegetarian Chilli (or just black beans), sour cream, chopped tomatoes and green onions (surprisingly good with sweet potatoes)
• Turkey (ground) sauteed with some bell pepper and garlic, then add 3tbs chilli powder, 1 and 1/4 cups beer, 3/4 cup chilli sauce or ketchup, 4 ounces diced green chiles and 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce. Simmer until the mixture thickens. Garnish with green onions.

While there is a lot of debate about cooking in the microwave, I myself use it. I make sure to always microwave in glass (no plastic) and use it sparingly. If you prefer to bake your potatoes in the oven, you can do that too (I like the taste of this method better, but in terms of quickness, I use the microwave.)

Have fun and experiment. Make it a meal by adding a salad on the side (I loved bagged salad greens with some salt & pepper, olive oil and lemon juice on top), or if you already topped your potato with a veggie, it's a whole meal by itself!