by shredcruz
The other night, our lovely editor-in-chief Eliza Ligon introduced me to her brother by saying “This is Shred Cruz, she eats a baked potato for 9 out of 10 meals.” Eliza was not exaggerating. There have been days where I ate a baked potato for break- fast lunch and dinner– not out of necessity, but because I wanted to. I fucking love baked potatoes. They’re affordable, nutritious, filling, easy & quick to make, and you can put almost anything on them. Allow me to explain.
First and foremost, baked potatoes are fucking delicious. The warm, buttery, potato pairs delightfully with innumerable toppings. It’s highly customizable, and you can tailor it to whatever you’re craving. You like cheese? Put in on the tater. Beans? Pile them high. Shredded rotisserie chicken? Throw it on there. Microgreens? Corn? Sour Cream? Frozen vegetable stir fry? Tofu? Why not!? Load it up! You can truly put almost anything in a baked potato, and personalize your potato to whatever you’re craving. You can make a baked potato a billion different ways and have a delicious meal every time. As a college student, it’s important to stretch my grocery budget as far as possible. One of the many amazing things about baked potatoes is that they’re dirt cheap (see what I did there?). On average, a baked potato will run me about $2 per meal. Most of that is spent on the russet potato, which only costs 89¢. The rest of the ingredients are inexpensive and will feed me for a few more meals. I can’t think of any other meal that reasonably priced, let alone with so much sustenance.
My next point is that they’re soooo good for you! When I tell people that I eat a baked potato every day, they usually respond with something along the lines of “But there are so many carbs in that”, or what my mom would say “You should put some vegetables on that”. I’m here to tell you guys that- GASP!- a potato is a vegetable! And worse yet, a lot of fruits and vegetables contain complex carbs! Even though the humble potato is not leafy or green, it is fact a very nutritionally dense little vegetable, some might even say a super food. As a complex carb, the carbohydrates in potatoes are broken down faster in your body than other carbs. Also, need I remind you that your body would literally shut down without carbs! A potato is a serving of vegetables! Unwire your brain from toxic diet culture, sheeple! But I digress.
Just kidding! I will not digress, I’m just getting started baby! Did you know that, in comparison to other foods high in complex carbs, potatoes are more filling? It’s true! From experience, I can tell you that a baked potato will keep you fuller longer than any other meal.
One of my personal favorite features of the humble baked potato (though there are many) is how fast and simple it is to make. Part of what makes it such an easy meal is that it only requires one bowl, a fork, and a spoon to make. I’m sure most dishwasherless students will understand, when you’re hand washing dishes, every utensil counts. To make things even easier, I like to cook mine entirely in the microwave. “But Shred Cruz cooking a baked potato in the microwave is lazy and gross!” SHUT UP! You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about!!!!! Not only does microwaving take less than 10 minutes, but when cooked in the microwave a potato retains more of its nutritional value than if you were to bake it in the oven. So think about that before you criticize my cooking method!
I could easily write 5,000 more words about why I love baked potatoes, but our fascist editors gave me a word limit. All I have left to say is this: Baked Potatoes, I love you dearly. <3
Categories: oct 11, review, shred cruz, views