Here is a random food fact that I have noticed about meal planning in a pinch:

If I have cottage cheese on hand…I can make a meal.  Usually.  Almost always. 

Cottage cheese offers protein and dairy all at the same time. (This is wonderful, unless of course you can’t have dairy, in which case I would say that you  need to ignore this whole post and come back next time in hopes that I will talk about something yummy that you CAN eat.  If you can eat dairy and you like cottage cheese please do read on.)  Cottage cheese is filling.  Cottage cheese is easy to eat and easy to feed little ones.  Cottage cheese is tangy and tasty…

And cottage cheese is versatile!

So, what can you do with cottage cheese?  I’m so glad you asked.  Seriously, this has to be the most interesting post you’ve ever read, am I right?  You’re completely intrigued I’m sure.  You’ve never thought about cottage cheese as being a hero in the kitchen before have you?  Ah, cottage cheese…the little forgotten meal saver. 

Let us all take a moment to ponder these creamy white curds shall we?

Okay, I’m done.  And now without further ado (thank goodness), my very exciting list of fabulous ways to eat cottage cheese:

1. Put cottage cheese in a bowl and plop in some canned or fresh peaches, pineapple, mixed fruit or whatever fruit floats your fancy.  I was addicted to cottage cheese and pineapple when I was expecting our first child.  He doesn’t like cottage cheese very much.  Go figure.
2. Put cottage cheese on a plate and add sliced tomatoes.  In my opinion, this is only good with a garden fresh tomato.  In my opinion, everything is only good with a garden fresh tomato.  This makes the tomato and cottage cheese combo a little bit difficult in February.
3. Applesauce is good stirred into cottage cheese.  I found out one day by accident.  I think that’s how the peanut butter and chocolate combo was discovered.  I think I may be famous one day for this invention.
4. Make a fruit salad by blending together fresh strawberries, fresh peaches, fresh raspberries and fresh blueberries with whipped cream and cottage cheese.  It’s pretty, it’s sweet and it makes you think you’re having a jello salad.  By the way, whoever decided that jello makes a salad?  It’s full of sugar and artificial colors.  If jello makes a salad, I hereby declare that Skittles and M&Ms together make a salad.  Kids:  I’m just kidding.  But I’m serious about the jello.
5. Stir cottage cheese into leftover spaghetti, top with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese has melted.  It tastes like lasagna.
6. I suppose I should mention that cottage cheese tastes great all by itself as a side dish and although I just listed all these superb ways to eat cottage cheese…you are very welcome to eat it plain.  Just in case you hadn’t thought of that.

So, what are your favorite ways to eat cottage cheese?
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Laura Coppinger and her husband have four boys ages 5-13.  She blogs at Heavenly Homemakers, a site dedicated to inspiring women daily with healthy recipes, homemaking tips, spiritual encouragement and good ol’ clean fun.

Tags: cottage cheese, easy, healthy, meal

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 21st, 2010 at 6:00 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.