Skinny Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup

May 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

Oh, man - I've survived the great storm and flood of 2015 here in Austin! Not everyone was as fortunate as us. We had a 6+ hour power outage, multiple trees blown over, and several fences that were ripped apart by 70 mph straight-line winds here in my immediate neighborhood. At one point many places were evacuated to ground level central rooms, and I was ready to jump into the closet under my stairs with my grandmother and daughter at a seconds notice when we were under a tornado warning. Scary stuff!

Our wonderful lake is thriving off all the recent rain, which is one great thing that has come out of all this crazy weather here lately; going up from 37% full to 63% full!

Of course, as I was watching the weather on the news during the most recent storm, I was taking my mind off things as best I could by cooking. What goes better with a stormy day than a nice warm bowl of soup?...

Healthified Cowboy Spaghetti

May 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

One of my families favorite recipes growing up was my mom's Cowboy Spaghetti. In fact, it is so much a favorite that we all still ask her to make it for us even to this day. I've been trying for a couple of years now to make the recipe more better-for you without compromising the taste of it. Which oddly enough has been somewhat of a challenge, especially when it comes to getting my mom's seal of approval on the end result.

I always ended up adding too much vegetables or... somehow changed the flavor too much for it to be dubbed the famous 'Cowboy Spaghetti' in any way, shape, or form. So, once more I went back to the drawing board. I left the base of the recipe entirely pure to it's original with just a few minor tweaks here and there...

Crock Pot B.B.Q. Shredded Beef

May 7, 2015 Amanda Plott

It was Teacher's Appreciation this week at my little one's school, and the parents all hold an Annual potluck accordingly; serving the teachers breakfast, lunch, and even a dessert. As part of the potluck for the teacher's I decided I wanted to take something that was versatile and well liked by all, shredded barbecue beef!

B.B.Q. anything is a staple around here and it's probably even a law somehow that every Texan is required to eat something barbecued at least once a week. Otherwise you might lose your license to grill. Hah!...

Mustard & Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwiches (Sponsored)

April 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #KetchupsNewMustard #CollectiveBias

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer around here and I'm more ready than ever to fire up the BBQ grill outside to cook up some festive summer inspired foods. This spicy Mustard & Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwich is the perfect send off into BBQing season.

Ugh, seriously the poor grill has been stuck under it's cover for far too long by now. It's time to bust that big boy out and dust him off!

The mustard marinade and sauce used on this chicken is fantastic. It's sweet, it's spicy, and it's full of flavor! Plus, it's super easy to toss together in the midst of a chaotic morning or on a lunch break even to leave your chicken marinating while you go about the rest of your day. That's one of my favorite things about mustard, you don't have to do much to it to get something amazing in the end when being used as a marinade or sauce...

Skinny Mimosarita

April 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm a huge fan of mimosas. It's one of my most favorite brunch drinks! I think the first time that I ever had one was many many years ago on my parent's boat on one of our Sunday-Funday weekend excursions around the local lake at the time.

Love at first sip!

So what in the world is a mimosarita? Well, since I'm sticking with my Cinco di Mayo theme this week so I didn't want to go for the typical mimosa or margarita. Instead, I decided to go with a mimosarita! So what is that? It's basically a combination of a mimosa and a margarita; made with limeade instead of orange juice. The best of both worlds...

Chicken Bacon Ranch Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

April 20, 2015 Amanda Plott

My little one is a macaroni and cheese fiend... and also one of the most strangely picky eaters that I've ever known. For most of her five years go life, my little girl has been a vegetarian for the most part. Of course, it's not been a conscious decision on her part or for any other reason than the mere texture of meat. Apparently it's a pretty common trend among toddlers and preschoolers.

I can't say that I was much different when I was about her age. I drank water instead of any soda or juice, and had to be told that meat came from a meat tree and not from an animal. I also required that all meals be cooked by my mother. Yeah, I've always been a bit special about food.

Over the past few months, my little girl has made some great strides in adding more and more to her list of acceptable foods. I'd like to think that it has a lot to do with the fact that I encourage her to spend time with me in the kitchen. I also do my best to encourage her to simply try new things. No pressure though!...