Meatless Monday....Um, Nevermind

So here is a delightful story to illustrate just how fried my brain has become. LOL My girlfriend and I have a saying "We used to be smart. We were braniacs. Then we had kids. Now our brains our mush." It's just a basic fact. Not only do we, as mothers, give some of our brain cells to our children in the womb, but then between the cartoons, silly songs, talking to ourselves, endless conversations about pee, poop, wee-wees and ding dings, we kind of "dumb" ourselves down a bit. (I am in NO way calling moms dumb or stupid...so please don't email me!) I think most parents out there will understand what I'm trying to say. When you are around kids all day, and think on their level, the adult part of our brain gets a little smaller each hour.

I am no exception to this phenomenon. I know for a fact that while I was an honors student, and a math whiz...it's only a matter of time before my child surpasses me. Why? Because there have been homework problems now in 2nd grade that I had to resort to using the calculator on my iPhone!

There was no real inspiration to this recipe other than I was looking for something different for a meal idea, and for whatever reason these popped into my head. So I made them, we ate them, we loved them and I sat down to blog them. That's where this post took a comical turn. I was typing along, talking about the idea of "Meatless Mondays" and how I know many people who do this every week, and while it isn't something we do all the time, I do enjoy it. Heck, I even took that idea and segwayed into Lent and how I know so many of you don't eat meat on Fridays. I then began to type the ingredient list...and that's when it happened. I typed the word bacon. It was like someone took a giant slice of the crispy pork fat and slapped me right upside the head with it. I stopped, reread it and waited for my brain to catch up. Yep, my brain is officially mush. How embarrassing would that have been? I can just see the comments now "Excuse me, I realize I'm not a food blogger, but you do realize bacon counts as meat, right?"

So never mind the meatless part, of course unless you decide to omit the bacon and then you're all set! These make a fantastic filling main dish, or a fun side dish. No matter what day of the week, or combination of ingredients, these will be delicious...and are so simple, we half brain dead parents can make them too!

Broccoli and Bacon Stuffed Potatoes
4 large baking potatoes, rinsed and dried
12 oz. frozen broccoli
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, small amont reserved for top
2 green onions, chopped
9 slices precooked bacon, small amount reserved for top
Salt and Pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 400. Wrap potatoes in foil, poke a few times to vent and bake 1 hour or until fork tender. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Combine frozen broccoli with 3 TBS water and microwave for 5 minutes until crisp tender. Drain well.  Slice off a small portion, lengthwise, on top. Gently scrape out inside potato leaving a 1/4 inch shell. (I use a pointed iced tea spoon for this) In a large bowl combine potato, broccoli, onions, cheese, bacon, salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine reserved cheese and bacon, making about 1/4 c. total. Mix potato mixture until well combined. Carefully spoon potato mixture back into potato shells, pressing down a little. Top each with cheese/bacon mixture. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and cheese is melted.

Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Feb. 21, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook Feb. 22, 2013

Broccoli at Very Good Recipes
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