For this weekend’s Blog Blast, Parent Bloggers Network teamed up with Ore Ida to promote their new Steam ‘N Mash potatoes. If you haven’t tried them yet, I bought some the second I saw them in the freezer case at the grocery store. It’s a bag of already peeled and cubed potatoes that steam in the bag in your microwave, then you pour them into a bowl, add butter and milk and mash. Voila, fresh mashed potatoes without having to peel! I bought the Garlic Seasoned Potatoes, they also come in plain Russet, Three Cheese, and peeled and cubed Sweet Potatoes which I want to try next!

So, already peeled and cubed potatoes is one shortcut I can take to get dinner on the table quickly. PBN and Ore Ida want to know what other shortcuts I take, either in the kitchen or in everyday life. My most-used shortcut is one that probably a lot of other parents use, and that’s keeping a diaper bag completely stocked at all times. I have a large Land’s End diaper bag that always has a travel pack of wipes, two or three Pull Ups, a clean bib, a t-shirt and shorts or a long sleeve shirt and knit pants in Kaitlyn’s current size (depending on the season), a box of Crayola crayons, a coloring book, and a few inexpensive toys (Happy Meal toys are good for this). That way, if something comes up and we suddenly have to jump up and run out of the house for some reason, I can just grab that bag without having to stop and run around like a crazy person throwing things together.

I figured out the diaper bag shortcut after having to buy entire packs of diapers or completely new outfits because I took one of my babies out on an errand and had them blow through the one diaper I had left in the bag. And after stuffing potato peelings down the garbage disposal and having them clog up the sink drain, requiring my husband to make several late-night runs to Home Depot for plumbing supplies, I learned that letting Ore Ida do the peeling for me is not such a bad shortcut to take Get more information about Ore Ida Steam ‘N Mash potatoes at http://www.ilovemashedpotatoes.com/, and check out the Parent Bloggers Network blog for more reviews.