Spring Asparagus Salad & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

May 10, 2016 Amanda Plott

Spring vegetables are still in full swing for another couple of months, so naturally I'm taking full advantage of that. One of my favorite spring vegetables has to be asparagus. I love it's simple flavor and complete versatility to be the part of just about any meal. So, this week for lunch I decided to dive back into salads and thought that adding some cool asparagus to the mix would be perfect.

This salad is a great lunch, and would also make for a great side dish or used as part of a dinner time meal as well. Along the way I happened to come across some watercress this week, which is another fun spring green and also one that I've never had the pleasure of working with...

Southwest 'Fried' Pickles

May 5, 2016 Amanda Plott

Recently, I had the honor to speak with Brooke Griffin, creator of SkinnyMom.com! I've been part of the SkinnyMom community for a while now, and it was truly a pleasure to get my hands on and review the new SkinnySuppers Cookbook that Brooke just released. It's full of 125 lightened healthier meals for your family.

She has some super yummy looking recipes, plenty of tips, tricks, and advice for the kitchen and surviving dinner time! It's a great read with plenty of home style and southern flavors. One of the first recipes that stood out to me was her Southwest 'Fried' Pickles. After all, who doesn't love a good fried pickle?...

Skinny Pizza Bite Dippers

May 3, 2016 Amanda Plott

It's no secret that pizza (in one form or another), is in my weekly rotation. When you have a little one, it sort of has to be a staple on the menu. Today I wanted to step outside the box a bit, using up a few of my favorite versatile ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Cheese is definitely an integral part of my eating habits. It's one of those things that I couldn't see myself living without. I've also found that wonton wrappers are a perfect vehicle for many different sorts of finger foods and small bite meals; which is exactly what this is. These little bites are perfect for dipping, dunking, and enjoying for a guilt-free bite of amazingness...

Healthified Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

April 29, 2016 Amanda Plott

There are a handful of recipes that I have been developing off and on through the years for one reason or another. Some of them don't turn out the first run or two, others I burn myself out in, and some take a specific amount of tweaking to get it just right. This happens to be one of those recipes.

When I was younger, I ate a lot more fast food just as almost any young American. My mom was not nearly as excited about food and cooking as I am, and that is completely fine. Everyone has their own passion. So, my dad ended up doing the most of the cooking on the nights that he could, but sometimes he would come home way too exhausted to manage; this was around the time when I was in high school...

Pesto, Spinach & Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Sweet Potato (Crock Pot)

April 28, 2016 Amanda Plott

I've been a huge fan of cooking my potatoes in my crock pot for a good while now. It's a trick that I picked up a few years back and tend to use it when I'm feeling particularly lazy; being slammed by another good storm this week, I was just that. When it rains, it pours.

So, I decided to use this crock pot trick once again with making these amazing stuffed sweet potatoes. What I like most about cooking my potatoes this way is that they are entirely hands off, they don't really get 'over done' or 'under done', and I don't have to heat up my house with the oven being on...

Matcha & Strawberry Bran Muffins

April 25, 2016 Amanda Plott

I've been playing with matcha more and more lately, trying to find clever ways to integrate it further into my daily life. So far I've made everything from Gluten-Free Matcha Waffles to Strawberry & Coconut Matcha Chocolate Bark. Today I decided to try my hand at another baked matcha treat; muffins! After all, who doesn't like a good muffin for breakfast?

So, what's so great about matcha? Plenty.

One cup of matcha has the nutritional content of 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea. And that's not all. It has 137 times more antioxidants in it too. Meaning it detoxifies your body and calms your mind naturally. It enhances your mood, boosts metabolism, and burns calories. All in a mere cup of tea...